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News – July 2006

Contents

National Service Framework for COPD to be developed

The Department of Health has announced that a new National Service Framework will be developed to improve standards of care for patients with COPD.

The proposed NSF would also seek to provide more choice in treatment for patients and reduce inequalities in treatment, which can vary across the country.

Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation, has welcomed this announcement. She commented: 'Our hope is that everyone with COPD will benefit from the disease being made a priority for the NHS and from the improvements in diagnosis, treatment and care that should follow. Better management of the disease will also address ways of reducing the significant burden of COPD on the NHS.'

Professor Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health and joint Chair of the External Reference Group that will advise on the NSF development, said: 'Answers to the problems faced by patients with COPD and the healthcare professionals who have a vital role in their care can not be found overnight. It is vital that we take time to seek the views of the whole COPD community on how the NSF should tackle these challenging issues. The announcement of the NSF is very timely, and a chance to ensure COPD services fit with recent reforms to the whole health and social care system.'

www.dh.gov.uk
www.brit-thoracic.org

Parkinson's disease diagnosis requires review at regular intervals

NICE recommends that people with suspected Parkinson's disease should be referred quickly and untreated to a specialist with expertise in the differential diagnosis of this condition.

The evidence-based guidance also states that the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease should be reviewed at 6 to 12 month intervals and reconsidered if atypical clinical features develop. Furthermore, people with Parkinson's disease should have access to specialist nursing care.

NICE, along with the National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Conditions, published this guideline on the diagnosis and management of Parkinson's disease in primary and secondary care.

The guideline, published last month, also recommends that physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy should be made available to people with Parkinson's disease.

Gillian Leng, Implementation Director and Executive Lead for this guidance, commented: 'This guideline offers best practice advice on the care of people with Parkinson's disease, which supports healthcare professionals identify the right clinical pathways of care. We expect the guideline to bring about important changes to the standard of care received by people with Parkinson's disease and their carers.'

'The Chronic Neurological Diseases NSF has set the standards. The NICE guidance identifies the specialist interventions required. GPs must now ensure that high quality specialist services are commissioned and refer people to them as soon as they suspect a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The NHS has neglected this group of people for far too long,' added Dr Alastair Mason, Chair of the Guideline Development Group.

www.nice.org.uk

GPIAG launches COPD resource

The General Practice Airways Group (GPIAG) has launched an electronic resource for GPs to improve the management and diagnosis of COPD. This software program, which can be loaded onto a practice's clinical system, has been developed in line with the 2006 Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF2) and current NICE guidance. It enables the user to carry out a well-structured COPD patient review.

'This is a really important tool for primary care to help manage the growing number of COPD patients, and the associated impact and burden of exacerbations, more efficiently and effectively,' stated Dr Rupert Jones, GPIAG member and GPwSI in respiratory medicine.

'COPD can often be a challenging condition to manage, especially as diagnosis often occurs late in the disease process. Bringing together all the necessary components required for an effective patient consultation into one simple resource, will make life easier for GPs and nurses in the long-term', said Dr Jones.

The development of the GPIAG COPD template has been sponsored by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline, and can be requested free of charge by primary care; please send your contact details to templates@gpiag.org, and include 'COPD' in the message header.

www.gpiag.org

SIGN to produce patient CHD supplement

SIGN has announced that it is to produce a patient information supplement based on five coronary heart disease guidelines.The supplement will include information on prevention, stable angina, acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, and arrhythmias.

www.sign.ac.uk

DH report highlights improved diabetes care in England

The Department of Health has published a progress report charting the developments in NHS diabetes care since the introduction of the Diabetes National Service Framework in April 2003. The report highlights the improvement in care for the estimated 2.35 million people with diabetes in England.It also addresses the importance of focusing on type 2 diabetes, and outlines the growing challenge of diabetes and the real cost it imposes on people, their families and the NHS. Introducing the report, Dr Sue Roberts, National Clinical Director for Diabetes, stated: 'I welcome the continuing development of diabetes networks as essential components of a system of integrated diabetes care. This is accompanied by the increasing realisation by frontline staff that networks can drive through real improvements in care'.

www.dh.gov.uk

NICE recommends docetaxel for advanced prostate cancer treatment

NICE has issued a guideline recommending the use of docetaxel as a treatment option for men with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer. Docetaxel is recommended for patients who are well enough to care for themselves with occasional assistance. Professor Peter Littlejohns, Clinical and Public Health Director at NICE and Executive Lead for the guideline, commented: 'Unfortunately, hormonerefractory metastatic prostate cancer cannot be cured, however, our assessment showed that docetaxel is a cost effective way to offer patients additional months of life.'

www.nice.org.uk

Northern Ireland Executive formalises relationship with NICE

The Northern Ireland Executive has formalised its relationship with NICE, enabling local review of the applicability of NICE guidance to Northern Ireland. These new arrangements became operational on 1 July 2006.

www.nice.org.uk

Guidelines in Practice, July 2006, Volume 9(7)
© 2006MGP Ltd
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