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Latest News 2007

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Library: November CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 15th November 2007

The November issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

Nursing education under review.
NHS review interim report.
Funding for mental health therapies.
Obesity campaign.
Extra investment to deliver world-class NHS.
Care Closer to Home.
Annual health check for trusts.
5,000 matrons for acute care.

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Library: NICE Drug Misuse Guidelines Now Available

Posted 12th November 2007

The NICE clinical guidelines on drug misuse document - "Drug Misuse: Psychosocial Interventions" (NICE Clinical Guideline 51) is now available in the Clinical Guidelines section of the Resource Library.

For more information about the guideline, please see our earlier news item, dated 1st August 2007.

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General: ANSA Online Forums & Chat Room Now Available

Posted 8th November 2007

ANSA are happy to announce that the new Online Forums section is now open. The service is completely free and the forums can be viewed without even having to register, although you will need to register if you want to take part in the discussions yourself.

The forums also include a Chat Room facility, which allows registered members to have "live" text-based conversations with each other online.

Comprehensive help is available in the forums area - just click on the "Help" link near the top of the page once you are there. The help section includes animated step-by-step guides showing how to register, post messages, etc., but if you have any trouble, please feel free to contact us for help.

The following discussion areas are currently available in the Online Forums:

ANSA Issues
- ANSA News
Check this board for the lates news from ANSA.
- ANSA Membership
Use this board to discuss issues relating to ANSA membership, or to post releated questions for ANSA staff.
Research & Reviews
- Book Reviews
Use this board to post reviews of books and other material related to the field of nurses in substance abuse.
- Current Research
Use this board to identify and discuss current research related to the field of nurses in substance abuse.
General
- General Board
You can talk about anything here!

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Library: 2007 Edition of the Clinical Guidelines Now Available

Posted 7th November 2007

The new 2007 Clinical Guidelines can be found in the Clinical Guidelines section of the Resource Library.

In September 2007 the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) on behalf of the Department of Health and devolved administrations published an updated version of "Drug Misuse & Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management" - hereafter referred to as the "2007 Clinical Guidelines". This is a new version of the 1999 Clinical Guidelines, commonly called the "Orange Book". The new Clinical Guidelines build on the previous evidence-based and well-established Clinical Guidelines but reflect some of the considerable changes that have occurred in drug treatment over the past eight years. The latest Clinical Guidelines also reflects the recent suite of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Who are the Clinical Guidelines for?

The 2007 Clinical Guidelines are intended for all clinicians, especially those providing pharmacological interventions for drug misusers as a component of drug misuse treatment.

What are the 2007 Clinical Guidelines?

This document updates and replaces "Drug Misuse & Dependence - Guidelines on Clinical Management" (UK health departments 1999) - hereafter referred to as the "1999 Clinical Guidelines". It has the same status across the UK as the 1999 Clinical Guidelines.

The 2007 Clinical Guidelines provide guidance on the treatment of drug misuse in the UK. They are based on current evidence and professional consensus on how to provide drug treatment for the majority of patients, in most instances.

The 2007 Clinical Guidelines do not provide rigid protocols on how clinicians must provide drug treatment for all drug misusers. Neither does this guidance override the individual responsibility of clinicians to make appropriate decisions in the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient (and guardians and carers if appropriate). In instances where clinicians operate outside the framework of this guidance, they should be able to demonstrate the rationale for their decisions.

Why update the Clinical Guidelines?

UK guidelines for the clinical management of drug misuse were last revised in 1999. Since then there have been substantial developments in the evidence for drug treatment and clinical practice. These include:

Greater recognition of and investment in the importance of drug treatment and a massive expansion in the numbers receiving treatment in the UK.
An expanded evidence-base and resulting policy and practice guidance.
Consensus on doctor competencies in substance misuse treatment (RCPsych and RCGP, 2005).
Changes in contractual arrangements for general practitioners who provide drug treatment.

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Library: October CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 15th October 2007

The October issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

New infection control measures.
Equality and diversity.
Improving patient safety.
National dementia strategy.
Maternity services.
Financial support for nurses.
Action on HIV.
Caring for acutely ill patients.

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Library: September CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 12th September 2007

The September issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

Essence of Care benchmarking consultation.
NHS review, Our NHS, Our Future.
Development of the national stroke strategy.
Nutrition and hydration.
Updates on healthcare associated infections.
Code of Practice for Mental Capacity Act.
Nurses and electronic patient records.

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General: Drug & Alcohol Findings Magazine Issue 3

Posted 10th September 2007

Issue 3 of the Drug & Alcohol Findings magazine is now available as free downloadable PDF (Adobe Acrobat) versions of the published content. Access the entire issue from the Drug & Alcohol Findings web site by clicking the "Browse magazine" link, or search for documents from this and other issues by clicking "Search by topic".

Prevention specialists will find the article "Education's Uncertain Saviour" of interest - our analysis of two decades of research on the Life Skills Training curriculum, studies which have done most to salvage drug education's prevention credentials. Indeed this work is impressive, but the deeper we dug, the shakier seemed the foundations. Later our concerns were confirmed in a painstaking analysis for the Scottish Executive (access the PDF here). Despite the concerns, there is much to learn from this important body of work.

Also for prevention specialists, in issue 3 we discovered the Strengthening Families Program, later spotted by a Cochrane reviewer as the most promising "effective intervention over the longer-term for the primary prevention of alcohol misuse". Our Nugget is titled "Family skills programmes delay adolescent drinking but recruitment is a problem". From the "Extended text..." button in the PDF you can also view our later more extensive analysis of the programme.

Treatment specialists will be interested in the careful work of Robert Fiorentine which confirms many counsellors' instincts - that how well they relate to their clients is an important (perhaps the most important) factor in their recovery. The title of the Nugget sums up the implications: "Client-receptive treatment more important than treatment-receptive clients". Later we elaborated this theme into the four-part Manners Matter series to be released as PDFs later in our web publishing programme.

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Library: New Clinical Guiedlines & Other Resources

Posted 20th August 2007

A new General Resources section has been added to the Resource Library, providing a variety of useful downloads. Initial additions to the page include the following:

No Secrets: Guidance on Developing & Implementing Multi-agency Policies & Procedures to Protect Vulnerable Adults from Abuse
Depertment of Health
Review of Grey Literature on Drug Prevention Among Young People
Review Summary - NICE, May 2006
Naltrexone as a Treatment for Relapse Prevention in Drug Misusers
Technology Assessment Report commissioned by the NHS R&D HTA Programme on behalf of the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence - A Final Protocol - NICE, 8th August 2005
At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive
Drivers Medical Group DVLA, Swansea, February 2006
DG1 - Medical Fitness to Drive - Drugs
Drivers Medical Group DVLA, Swansea, January 2005
DG1 - Medical Fitness to Drive - Alcohol
Drivers Medical Group DVLA, Swansea, September 2005
Independent Health Care - National Minimum Standards Regulations
Department of Health, 2002
Drugs - Facing Facts (Executive Summary)
The report of the RSA Commission on llegal Drugs, Communities & Public Policy, March 2007
Drugs - Facing Facts (Full Report)
The report of the RSA Commission on llegal Drugs, Communities & Public Policy, March 2007
An Analysis of UK Drug Policy (Executive Summary)
A Monograph Prepared for the UK Drug Policy Commission, April 2007
An Analysis of UK Drug Policy (Full Report)
A Monograph Prepared for the UK Drug Policy Commission, April 2007

NICE's clinical guideline CG52: Drug Misuse - Opioid Detoxification has been added to the Clinical Guidelines section of the Resource Library.

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General: New NICE Drug Misuse Guidelines Released

Posted 1st August 2007

NICE has produced two new clinical guidelines on drug misuse - "Drug Misuse: Psychosocial Interventions" (NICE Clinical Guideline 51) and "Drug Misuse: Opioid Detoxification" (NICE Clinical Guideline 52).

They cover:

the support and treatment people can expect to be offered if they have a problem with or are dependent on opioids, stimulants or cannabis;
how families and carers may be able to support a person with a drug problem and get help for themselves.

NICE clinical guideline 51 makes recommendations for the use of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of people who misuse opioids, stimulants and cannabis in the healthcare and criminal justice systems.

CG51: Drug Misuse - Psychosocial Interventions

NICE clinical guideline 52 makes recommendations for the treatment of people who are undergoing detoxification for opioid dependence arising from the misuse of illicit drugs.

CG52: Drug Misuse - Opioid Detoxification

NICE has also produced a joint quick reference guide and "Understanding NICE Guidance" that cover both guidelines, as well as tools to help organisations implement this guidance - these have been integrated with tools for other NICE guidance on drug misuse.

Copies of both guidelines, together with related tools and reference guides, can be found on the NICE web site.

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General: "Orange Book" Update Out for Consultation

Posted 27th July 2007

Consultation responses sought on Drug Misuse and Dependence - Guidelines on Clinical Management: Update 2007.

A draft, updated version of Drug Misuse and Dependence: Guidelines on Clinical Management (known as the "Orange Book") was published on 11 June 2007 for a three month consultation. The target audience for the update is clinicians.

The National Treatment Agency (NTA) are seeking consultation responses from stakeholders in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Stakeholders may be clinicians, service users, health service commissioners, carers, providers of drug treatment, etc.

Drug Misuse and Dependence: Guidelines on Clinical Management: Update 2007 is a consultation draft produced by an independent expert working group supported by the NTA. The working group would like to make you aware that the consultation draft presents a series of principal directions and recommendations and is substantial, especially where guidance is different from that given in 1999. The working group is aware that the final document will require work on its balance of length and proportionality, referencing, the balance of depth of appendices, and on the text addressing variations in the different countries of the UK. However, the group welcomes your views and opinions on the content of the document, in order to inform the final Update due at the end of September 2007.

Copies of the draft, covering letter and consultation proforma can be found on the NTA web site.

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Library: July/August CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 12th July 2007

The July/August issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

Funding to tackle healthcare associated infections.
Progress on diversity and equality.
Review of health visitor role.
Hospital hygiene inspections.
New patient environment benchmark.
Improving prison healthcare environment.
New guidance on care closer to home.
New maternity toolkit.

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Library: June CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 9th June 2007

The June issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

Nurses' role in NHS achievements.
Cancer reform progress.
Patient satisfaction in hospital treatment.
'Spare tyre' checks for men.
Progress on 18 week target.
Stop smoking support.
New nurse roles for IT programme.
Assistive technology pilots.

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Library: March, April & May CNO Bulletins Now Available

Posted 16th May 2007

The March, April & May issues of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin are now available in the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

The March issue contains updates on:

Health visitors leading parenting projects.
Improving older people's services to save lives.
Expanding nurses' role in primary care.
Benefits of nurse-led hospital discharge.
Involving nurses in commissioning.
Regulation of health professionals.
Nurse involvement in social enterprises.

The April issue contains updates on:

Review of mental health nursing by CNO.
New vision for maternity services.
Good practice in learning disability nursing.
Modernising nursing careers.
Initiative to meet 18 week challenge.
Action to support nurse job seekers.

The May issue contains updates on:

Choice in maternity services.
Department of Health organisational changes.
The role of nurses in cutting endoscopy waits.
A COPD community nursing service.
Tackling obesity.
Preventing infection.
International Nurses Day.

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Library: February CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 8th February 2007

The February issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the area of the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

News

The future of health visiting
Health minister's shadowing of nurses
Intensive home-visiting project
Mary Seacole award winners
Dignity champions network
Supporting homeless people
Infection control support

Voicepiece

Chief Nursing Officer Chris Beasley explains the work taking place to secure a sustainable role for health visiting in the future.

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Library: December/January CNO Bulletin Now Available

Posted 8th February 2007

The December/January issue of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Bulletin is now available in the area of the Other Bulletins section of the Resource Library.

Contents of this edition include:

News

Moving alcohol treatment to the community
Mental Health Bill
Diabetes commissioning toolkit
More choice for better mental health
Focus on disabilities and learning difficulties
Report from sessions at the CNO conference
Voicepiece from Christine Beasley, Chief Nursing Officer
Latest publications and consultations

Voicepiece

Chief Nursing Officer Christine Beasley outlines key priorities for the year ahead.