Domestic violence guidance

The Department of Health has published Guidance for health professionals on domestic violence. This guidance helps health professionals to recognize factors that may indicate domestic violence and abuse and describes steps to ensure appropriate support and referral where necessary it highlights best practice, information and learning resources.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-health-professionals-on-domestic-violence

Perinatal mood disorders

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) has published a guideline on management of perinatal mood disorders.

http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/fulltext/127/index.html

Alcohol guidelines

The Science and Technology Committee has published ‘Eleventh Report: Alcohol Guidelines’. The report recommends that alcohol guidelines should be reviewed and that greater efforts should also be focused on helping people understand the guidelines and how to use them. The Government should remain mindful that sensible drinking messages may conflict with the business objectives of drinks companies and exercise proper scrutiny and oversight. The Government should conduct an interim assessment of the initiative in December 2012 rather than waiting for the target date of December 2013.

Report: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmsctech/1536/153602.htm

NICE guidance on alcohol

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued the following guidance on alcohol:

• Clinical Guideline: Alcohol use disorders – clinical management (CG100)

This guidance covers the care of adults and young people (aged 10 years and older) who have any of the following physical health problems that are completely or partly caused by alcohol use, acute alcohol withdrawal (which occurs if a ‘dependent’ drinker suddenly stops drinking), lack of thiamine (also called vitamin B1) in the body, which can cause a condition called Wernicke’s encephalopathy, liver disease and inflammation of the pancreas (called pancreatitis). http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG100 

• Public Health Guidance: Alcohol-use disorders: preventing the development of hazardous and harmful drinking (PH24)

This guidance is for government, industry and commerce, the NHS and all those whose actions affect the population’s attitude to – and use of – alcohol. This includes commissioners, managers and practitioners working in local authorities, education, the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors. It may also be of interest to members of the public. http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH24

Mixing of medicines

The following guidance has been published by the Department of Health Mixing of medicines prior to administration in clinical practice: medical and non-medical prescribing. Following recommendations from the Commission on Human Medicines, medicines regulations were amended in December 2009 to enable doctors and other prescribers to mix medicines themselves and to direct others to mix medicines. These changes apply not only to palliative care, but to all clinical areas where the mixing of medicines prior to administration is accepted practice and supported by the employer’s policies for delivery of healthcare.

Full details available here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_116361

Guidance for doctors involved in research

The GMC has published new guidance for doctors involved in research.  It will replace the current guidance booklet Research: the roles and responsibilities of doctors (2002) and will come into effect on 4 May 2010. The guidance provide more detailed advice on how the principles in the GMC’s core guidance Good Medical Practice and in Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together’ apply in the context of research.

Read the guidance here: http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/news_consultation/6686.asp

Guidance for access to health records requests

The Department of Health has published ‘Guidance for access to health records requests’. This is guidance on access to health records for both living and deceased individuals.

View the guidance documents here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_112916

Communicating patient safety incidents with patients, their families and carers

The National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS), part of the National Patient Safety Agency, has published ‘Being open: communicating patient safety incidents with patients, their families and carers’.

Guidance for the pharmacological management of substance misuse among young people

The Department of Health has published the following guidance documents about management of substance dependence among young people:

NICE Guidance Update – March 2009

The latest NICE guidance relating to Health & Mental Health  is now available here. The following categories are included:

1. Nice Guidance

2. Nice Guidance in Development

3. Current NICE Consultations 

4. SCIE Knowledge Reviews and Guides