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A set of eLearning modules designed to educate and update clinicians on the importance of involving families wherever possible during mental health crises to improve patient care, avoid harm and reduce deaths. They were developed as a partnership between Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Making Families Count, with funding from NHS England South East Region (HEE legacy funds).   The resources have been co-produced by people with lived experience as patients, family carers and clinicians, supported by an Advisory Group drawn from a wide range of expertise, tested in eleven NHS Trusts and independently evaluated.   The resources can be downloaded by NHS Trust Learning and Development teams to support a Trust-wide approach to essential learning and training.   Through short film and audio scenarios and case studies, Life Beyond the Cubicle shows why it is so important to involve family and friends, helps clinicians reflect on why they don’t do so routinely, and how they can overcome these barriers. The resources are engaging and interactive. The modules are: Introduction (includes guidance on how to use this resource) Module 1: Why do families and friends matter? Module 2: Assumptions and expertise Module 3: Feelings and fears Module 4: Confidentiality and Information Sharing Module 5: Safety planning Resources for family and friends They are free to the health and social care workforce. Further reading on the hub: Safer outcomes for people with psychosis Patient Safety Spotlight interview with Rosi Reed, Development and Training Coordinator at Making Families Count The future has been around for too long—when will the NHS learn from their mistakes?

Legal expert David Reissner runs through new guidance recommending the appointment of Caldicott Guardians, who are responsible for advising organisations on the ways they hold and process confidential patient information.

The Care Quality Commission (CGC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. They make sure that health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve.  Independent acute hospitals play an important role in delivering healthcare services in England, providing a range of services, including surgery, diagnostics and medical care. As the independent regulator, the CQC, hold all providers of healthcare to the same standards, regardless of how they are funded.  In this report the CQC have seen much good and outstanding care, in particular around: responsiveness staff interactions with patients effective treatment leadership and engagement with staff and patients. However, there were a number of areas where services needed to make substantial improvements: governance clinical audit safety culture.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Whistleblowing was launched in July 2018 to look at the case for an Independent Office for the Whistleblower. The APPG have set an ambitious workplan aiming to take back the UK’s lead on this legislation, proposing to deliver world class, gold standard draft legislation – a global solution to a global problem. The objectives of the APPG for Whistleblowing are: Influencing policies and decisions that affect whistleblowers globally. Drafting legislation to ensure effective protection for whistleblowers. Commissioning and publishing research, based on our work with whistleblowers and relevant groups and stakeholders across all sectors. Engaging our supporters in campaigns to influence decisions affecting whistleblowers. Giving whistleblowers safe platforms to speak out on issues affecting them. Promoting positive social attitudes towards whistleblowing. Encouraging MPs to promote positive recognition for whistleblowers. Supporting and upskilling MPs and their staff to identify and manage constituent whistleblower cases. This report is not exclusive to the NHS, they set out recommendations for all industries. In this report, the APPG sets out its findings as follows: The UK regulatory framework of whistleblower protection is complicated, overly legalistic, cumbersome, obsolete and fragmented. The remedies provided by PIDA are mainly retrospective and largely not understood. A general obligation for public and private organisations to set up whistleblowing mechanisms and protections is missing. The definition of whistleblowing and whistleblowers is too narrow. Consequently, the protections set by the law apply only to a limited number of citizens and do not properly reflect existing working practice or protect the public. As a result of the excessive complexity and fragmentation of the regulatory frame work, there is little public knowledge or understanding of the existing legal protections for whistleblowers. That policy and procedure, while looking good on paper, bears no resemblance to actual practice. There is a disconnect between what is understood to be and what is the role of the prescribed persons leading to confusion, mistrust on both sides and allowing crimes and other wrongdoing to escape scrutiny. The cost of litigation is too great for most citizens and this is known and exploited by employers.

The Caldicott Principles were developed in 1997 following a review of how patient information was handled across the NHS. This document outlines the eight Caldicott Principles to be adhered to with in all sectors of the NHS: Principle 1 - Justify the purpose(s) for using confidential information. Principle 2 - Don't use personal confidential data unless it is absolutely necessary. Principle 3 - Use the minimum necessary personal confidential data. Principle 4 - Access to personal confidential data should be on a strict need-to-know basis. Principle 5 - Everyone with access to personal confidential data should be aware of their responsibilities. Principle 6 - Comply with the law. Principle 7 - The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality. Principle 8: Inform patients and service users about how their confidential information is used.