This new guide from the Local Government Association builds on the earlier version published in 2002. The guide outlines the principles underlying community cohesion and gives local authorities practical advice about how to build and strengthen cohesive communities in their area policies and programmes. It includes descriptions of the application of community cohesion in key policy areas, pointers for successful implementation and case studies drawn from different local authority and other contexts reflecting the key community cohesion themes. The guide describes the development of solid good practice examples from the local authorities funded under the Home Office and ODPM Community Cohesion Pathfinder Programme, from the six Beacon councils for community cohesion and from a range of other authorities and stakeholders.The guide was produced in partnership with the Audit Commission, Commission for Racial Equality, Home Office, Improvement and Development Agency, Inter Faith Network, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

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Text messages will soon allow victims of crime, witnesses and police officers to reduce the time they spend waiting to give evidence in court. The use of mobile phone technology to cut waiting time has started in Bristol and Taunton and will be extended to some 100 Crown courts. Having arrived at the court, it will then be possible to track the progress of the hearing on public display screens. This new service supplements the existing facility where a daily court status for ten courts is already available on the Internet.This replacement of the old paper-based system will also make court hearing information available to criminal justice agencies, including witness services, Victim Support, Police, prisons, probation, Crown Prosecution Service and magistrates’ courts in minutes rather than days. The Police National Computer will also be updated much faster and orders made by the court will be processed by the police more quickly.

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A bonus payment scheme for consultants and other staff is to be piloted in the diagnostic sector to help speed up diagnostic tests. The scheme known as ‘Fee for Service’ was introduced for operations and outpatient consultations in some 30 NHS Trusts last October. Payment depends on performance on top of the volumes that would normally be expected. Six pilot sites will be selected for the diagnostic tests trial.The bonus scheme is used by hospitals to help transform the way patient care is delivered, improve efficiency and create extra capacity. It already covers a range of treatments, including orthopaedics, ophthalmology and general surgery. It is being used, for example, to facilitate the provision of an in-house dermatology telemedicine service. Although the clinical model of telemedicine was already established within the Trust, the scheme encouraged dermatology staff to undertake additional elements of work and further improve delivery of a quality service.

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