The importance of listening to advice from health informatics professionals to ensure the NHS is a world-class health system will be underlined at a conference later this month. The message will be delivered by Professor Alastair Bellingham, Chairman of the NHS Information Authority, at the national NHS ICT & Informatics Conference in London.He will tell delegates that the key is to provide quality and intelligent information to both patients and healthcare professionals. The conference will also see the launch of a new national patient safety campaign by Clive Flashman of the National Patient Safety Agency. The campaign will explore how intelligent information is essential for planning, implementing and sharing information in a way that does not compromise patient safety.

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Two draft guides explaining how changes to the planning system will benefit local communities have been launched by the government, which is inviting comments on them from local councils and other bodies. From next summer authorities will have to draw up Local Development Frameworks for the future of their areas and the guides are designed to explain how this can be done.In a separate development the government has also produced a good practice guide on ways of making Britain’s play areas more accessible for disabled children.

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In ‘Strategic Regulation’ the Audit Commission sets out how it will move to a risk based audit of local government. It will leave the excellent relatively alone so that it can focus attention on those with a greater need to raise their game. The aim of the new approach will be to drive up standards in public sector organisations, many of which are effective monopolies, and focus on the needs of all those who use public services. The reduction in audit and inspection activity will result in an annual saving of 18 million pounds. The Commission will refocus local value-for-money audit work on audited bodies ‘ overall financial and performance management arrangements and discontinue mandatory work on individual services and functions. This will require changes in legislation.Strategic Regulation: minimising the burden, maximising the impact, is published by the Audit Commission and is available at http://www.audit- commission.gov.uk/aboutus/downloads/StrategicRegBurdenWEB.pdf

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