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UK Policy (uk + policy)
Kinds of UK Policy Selected AbstractsPolicy Autonomy and the History of British Aid to AfricaDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 6 2005Tony Killick This article utilises historical information to throw light on the forces shaping British aid policies towards Africa. It outlines key long-term policy developments, summarises the influences shaping these policies and comments on the present juncture of UK policies. It shows that, while there have been many influences, governments have enjoyed considerable policy autonomy, being largely unconstrained in pursuing their preferences in a top-down manner. This autonomy has mainly been used for the pursuit of long-term development, as against the promotion of the UK's national interest. The present thrust of UK policies to achieve massive increases in aid to Africa is a prime example of this policy autonomy. [source] Should people with a history of an eating disorder work as eating disorder therapists?EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW, Issue 5 2005Craig Johnston Abstract Much recent attention has focused on the fitness to practise of health professionals. Patients expect their care to be provided by therapeutic staff who can give support and guidance without unhelpful subjective influence. On the other hand, those recovered from health problems expect their employment prospects to be free of discrimination. Eating disorder services increasingly encourage patient and public involvement in service design and monitoring but reservations are sometimes expressed about employing staff who have themselves suffered with an eating disorder. This survey canvassed the views of patients, carers and professionals on the suitability of employing people with a history of an eating disorder as therapists in the same field. With some reservations (mainly from professionals), there was a widespread belief that those who had recovered would have therapeutic advantages as a result of their experience. Therapists with a current eating disorder, however, were thought to lack objectivity and to be vulnerable. Current UK policies on employment appear unnecessarily discriminatory and stigmatizing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [source] Policy profile: addressing environmental inequalities through UK research and policyENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2005Helen Chalmers Abstract In the United Kingdom, political and governmental attention is being paid to the growing evidence that shows that the poorest people live in the worst quality environments. This paper will describe the development of work within the Environment Agency over the past three years to help understand such environmental inequalities, and how these can be addressed through UK policy for sustainable development. This paper will examine the following key areas of this work. iHow have we used the research process to understand environmental inequalities and develop evidence based policy? iiWhat progress have we made in shaping the Environment Agency's role, and ensuring that its environmental policies do not contribute to further environmental inequalities? iiiHow have we worked to ensure that environmental inequalities are addressed through wider government sustainable development policy? It concludes by exploring how research and policy development to address environmental inequalities requires integration across at least three fields of practice: different types of evidence; research and policy; and environment and social policy for sustainable development. © Crown copyright 2005. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationary Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] A Perspective on UK Productivity PerformanceFISCAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2001Nicholas Crafts Abstract The paper reviews recent UK productivity performance using insights from new growth economics and its embodiment in growth accounting techniques. The sources of the UK labour productivity gap are found to differ across countries; broad capital per worker plays a larger part with regard to France and Germany while innovation matters more compared with the USA. The role of incentive structures is examined and the importance of competition as an antidote to agency problems in UK firms is highlighted. Current UK policy is reviewed and the need to address government as well as market failures is stressed. [source] Developing an assessment tool for evaluating community involvementHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2005Jane South BA RGN MA Abstract Background, Current UK policy has resulted in greater requirements for public and patient participation in health service planning and decision making. Organizations and services need to be able to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and quality of their community involvement processes, but there are few appropriate evaluation tools or sets of indicators available. This paper reports on work within Bradford Health Action Zone to develop a self-assessment tool for organizations on community involvement. Methods, A multi-agency working group developed the tool. A literature search was undertaken and evaluation resources were reviewed. A set of benchmarks for community involvement in regeneration was utilized in developing the assessment areas. A range of individuals with expertise on community involvement practice and performance management was consulted. The tool was then piloted in two primary care trusts prior to final modifications. Results, The process resulted in the production of Well Connected , a self-assessment tool on community involvement designed for organizations to assess their progress and identify areas for improvement. A scoring system assesses evidence of a strategic approach to community involvement, good practice throughout the organization, and a range of opportunities and support. Feedback from the pilots revealed that the tool had facilitated assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of organizational practices. Conclusion, The paper discusses some of the methodological challenges pertaining to the measurement of community involvement. Notwithstanding those challenges, it is argued that Well Connected provides a robust and practical framework that health organizations and their partners can use to assess practice. [source] Factors affecting the uptake of new medicines in secondary care , a literature reviewJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 4 2008D. Chauhan BPharm MRPharmS MSc Summary Background and Objective:, The rate of uptake of new medicines in the UK is slower than in many other OECD countries. The majority of new medicines are introduced initially in secondary care and prescribed by specialists. However, the reasons for relatively low precribing levels are poorly understood. This review explores the determinants of uptake of new medicines in secondary care. Methods:, Nine electronic databases were searched covering the period 1992,2006. Once the searches had been run, records were downloaded and those which evaluated uptake of new medicines in secondary care were identified. UK studies were of primary interest, although research conducted in other countries was also reviewed if relevant. With the exception of ,think pieces', eligibility was not limited by study design. Studies published in languages other than English were excluded from the review. Determinants of uptake in secondary care were classified using Bonair and Persson's typology for determinants of the diffusion of innovation. Results:, Almost 1400 records were screened for eligibility, and 29 studies were included in the review. Prescribing of new medicines in secondary care was found to be subject to a number of interacting influences. The support structures which exist within secondary care facilitate access to other colleagues and shape prescribing practices. Clinical trial investigators and physicians who sit on decision-making bodies such as Drug and Therapeutic Committees (DTCs) appear to have a special influence due to their proximity to their research and understanding of evidence base. Pharmaceutical representatives may also influence prescribing decisions through funding of meetings and academic detailing, but clinicians are wary of potential bias. Little evidence on the influence of patients upon prescribing decisions was identified. The impact of clinical guidelines has been variable. Some guidelines have significantly increased the uptake of new medicines, but others have had little discernible impact despite extensive dissemination. However given the increasing influence of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, guidelines may become more important. The impact of financial prescribing incentives on secondary care prescribing is unclear. Although cost and budget may influence hospital prescribing of new drugs, they are of secondary importance to the safety and effectiveness profile of the medicine. If a drug has a novel mechanism of action, or belongs to a class with few alternatives, clinicians are more likely to consider it favourably as a prescribing option. Conclusions:, Although price does not appear to be a primary factor behind prescribing decision-making, in secondary care there has long been a historical need for formal purchasing decisions through the DTC, which differentiates it from primary care. This, in addition to increasing pressures for cost-effectiveness within the NHS means that cost will appear more frequently on clinician consciousness. As a result, guidelines are more likely to be implemented using the strong professional networks in existence within secondary care, and although the influence of patients has not been addressed by the literature, they are likely to have an increasing input into the prescribing decision, given the importance of patient involvement in current UK policy. [source] The Returns to Education: MacroeconomicsJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 2 2003Barbara Sianesi We offer an extensive summary and a critical discussion of the empirical literature on the impact of human capital on macro-economic performance, with a particular focus on UK policy. We also highlight methodological issues and make recommendations for future research priorities. Taking the studies as a whole, the evidence that human capital increases productivity is compelling, though still largely divided on whether the stock of education affects the long-run level or growth rate of GDP. A one-year increase in average education is found to raise the level of output per capita by between three and six percent according to augmented neo-classical specifications, while leading to an over one percentage point faster growth according to estimates from the new-growth theories. Still, over the short-run planning horizon (four years) the empirical estimates of the change in GDP are of similar orders of magnitude in the two approaches. The impact of increases at different levels of education appear to depend on the level of a country's development, with tertiary education being the most important for growth in OECD countries. Education is found to yield additional indirect benefits to growth. More preliminary evidence seems to indicate that type, quality and efficiency of education matter for growth too. [source] Surveying the attitudes of acute mental health nursesJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2007S. MUNRO msc bnurs pgcert rnmh cpn Recent UK policy and guidance indicates the importance of positive attitudes towards mental health service users. This is especially true in acute inpatient care, where service users are often at their most vulnerable and have higher levels of contact with mental health staff. The following paper details secondary analysis of data collected for the validation of an attitude measurement scale with a sample of 140 nursing staff in acute settings. The results demonstrate that a wide range of attitudes are held by mental health nurses towards acute mental health care. Overall, the results indicate generally positive attitudes. Significant differences were found between qualified and unqualified staff, and males and females for some questions. Recommendations are made for future attitudinal research of mental health staff. [source] Big Windows and Little Windows: Implementation in the ,Congested State'PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2004Mark Exworthy This paper argues for the need to re-assess models of policy implementation in the ,congested state'. This re-appraisal focuses on two main directions. The first involves locating implementation in the context of wider models of the policy process. We fuse three models, those of Kingdon, Wolman, and Challis et al., to form a new ,policy streams' approach. The second examines implementation in multi-level governance. In the UK and elsewhere, much of the focus of traditional implementation studies has been on the link between one central government department and a local agency. However, this vertical (central-local) dimension fails to give sufficient stress to the other horizontal dimensions of ,central-central' and ,local-local'. Paraphrasing Kingdon's terms, implementation models also need to incorporate the ,little windows' at local level as well as the ,big' windows at national level. Using evidence relating to the implementation of UK policy towards health inequalities, this paper argues successful implementation is more likely when the three policy streams are linked across the three dimensions. The model is thought to be applicable to other areas of the public sectors and complex issues facing all governments. [source] Antenatal screening and intrapartum management of Group B Streptococcus in the UKBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Sara Kenyon Objective To determine whether there has been any change in UK policy for the screening and intrapartum management of Group B Streptococcus in pregnancy over a two year period. Design Two national survey's of practice carried out in 1999 and 2001. Setting All obstetric units in the UK. Population Clinical directors of maternity services. Methods A questionnaire was sent to all clinical directors of maternity services in the UK requesting information about their policy and practice with respect to antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus colonisation. Reminders were sent after one month. Main outcome measures Number of maternity units in the UK screening and offering intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis for Group B Streptococcus colonisation in pregnancy. Results The response rates were 84% in 1999 and 82% in 2001. Of the responding units, six (3%) in 1999 and four (2%) in 2001 used vaginal swab based screening for Group B Streptococcus colonisation in the antenatal period. In 1999, intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis was offered to women with a previous baby affected by Group B Streptococcus in 85% (176/207) of maternity units and in 2001 this had risen to 95% (193/203). Similarly, in 1999 intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis was offered to women who were known carriers of Group B Streptococcus in 87% (179/207) of maternity units and in 2001 this had risen to 95% (193/203). Appropriate dosage of a recommended antibiotic was prescribed in 7% (9/123) units in 1999 and in 20% (35/178) units in 2001. Conclusions Although intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis for women at high risk of giving birth to babies with Group B Streptococcus is widely practiced in the UK, a programme of antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus colonisation has not been adopted along the lines advocated in the USA. There therefore remains an opportunity to evaluate such a screening programme in a randomised trial. [source] | ||||||||||||||||