PCT - July 2009

The Reuse and Recycling of Surplus Equipment

Following recent changes in waste legislation and NHS guidance, both designed to encourage greener options, Trusts are being encouraged to pass functional but unwanted equipment to third parties, such as third sector organisations or by way of sale. However, this does still present two areas of risk: residual liability for any harm that results from that equipment, and falling foul of the waste disposal regime.

Section 29(3) Notices - Can They Be Ignored

It is common place for Trusts to receive peremptory notices from the police, job centres, local councils and the like headed “Enquiry under the Data Protection Act 1998 Section 29(3)”. Sometimes these notices are accompanied by police officers demanding the information in person, and can place staff until considerable pressure to disclose.

Hempsons advises on deal to improve health of people in the North West

The framework for procuring external support for commissioners (FESC) was launched in October 2007 as part of the World Class Commissioning programme to help to improve commissioning in the NHS by drawing on the high quality commissioning expertise and support of 14 private sector companies, and is open to all Primary Care Trusts to help to achieve World Class Commissioning status and to address gaps in commissioning capability or capacity. In challenging economic times, Primary Care Trusts need to deliver efficiency savings and FESC potentially provides a means of doing so by providing the means to commission services in ways designed to increase productivity and efficiency and improve quality, by providing proven effective commissioning solutions.

Dental Equitable Access – Filling The Gap

Are you ready to get your teeth into the dental access programme? - We are!

In 2008/09 Hempsons advised over 80 PCT Commissioning Arms, Providers Arms, GPs and independent sector providers on one or more aspects of the Primary Care Equitable Access programme, from procurement, through contract negotiations, managing Vertical Integration issues, pensions advice and premises solutions to contract signature and service commencement.

Are PCTs Ready For CRC?

The Government has announced its intention to make law on 1st April 2010 a scheme requiring large consumers of energy (which could include medium and larger sized Trusts) to buy tradeable allowances based on their consumption of energy. The costs of buying allowances and complying with the administrative requirements of the scheme are likely to be significant. The scheme will be known as the CRC Scheme and many PCTs are likely to be affected. Those PCTs required to participate could notice a significant impact on their cashflow in the early stages of the scheme.

Transforming Community Services - what next?

In the past year the Department of Health (DH) has published a range of key policy documents setting out the future direction of community-based services: Lord Darzi’s NHS Next Stage Review to Deliver High Quality Care For All, Transforming Community Services: Enabling New Patterns of Provision and Social Enterprise – Making a Difference – A Guide to the Right to Request.