NHS Employers has signed its new contract with the Department of Health. The contract broadly reflects the work we currently do and includes priority workforce issues such as pay and contract negotiations, workforce capacity and supply and staff engagement. Read more on our latest news pages.

The top 100 places to work in healthcare were announced at this year’s Healthcare 100 awards on 7 July. Sponsored jointly by NHS Employers and the Department of Health, the awards recognise the top healthcare employers in England. South Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust topped the list of NHS organisations, while Briar Court, a small independent unit caring for people with learning difficulties, was the number one independent employer. Awards were also presented to the top performing primary care, mental health and ambulance trusts. See all the winners.

The potential savings from making better use of doctors and nurses are outlined in a new Audit Commission report published on 25 June. The report follows two years of research, including a benchmarking exercise and data on staffing of wards across 56 hospital trusts. The findings include variations in nursing numbers per bed and differences in the grade mix of nurses between hospitals. The Commission has made a number of recommendations around workforce planning, variations in ward staff costs and benchmarking. Find out more.

Advice for the NHS on preparing for the new sharps accident prevention directive has now been agreed by the Safer Needles Network and the Partnership for Occupational Safety and Health in Healthcare (POSHH). The advice will help employers ensure they are ready and compliant once UK legislation is passed. For more information please visit our health, work and well-being web pages.

To supplement the review of pre-registration nurse education, the NMC has asked for employers’ views on the experience that students gain overseas and on the Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL). Accrediting students’ previous experience is a an important part of the overall view and can help to reduce duplication in learning, while ensuring high standards are adhered to in the education and training of the future workforce. The deadline for comments is 30 July 2010, so we recommend responses are forwarded directly to the NMC for consideration. Find out more.

NHS Employers is looking for senior managers to represent employers’ views at joint negotiating committees for consultants, specialty doctors, salaried dentists and doctors in training. The one day meetings discuss and negotiate changes to terms and conditions of service and typically take place two to four times a year. If you are a senior manager, preferably with experience of one or more of these staff groups, and you would like to be involved in these national committees, contact doctorsanddentists@nhsemployers.org.

Stonewall’s 2011 Workplace Index is open for entries. This annual benchmarking exercise showcases Britain's top employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff, is free to enter and open to all employers. It will help you focus on new areas of good practice in diversity or, if you are new to sexual orientation diversity, completing the index will help you identify areas to develop. The deadline for entries is 10 September 2010 and the results will be announced in January 2011. For more information see the Stonewall website.

NHS Employers and the NHS European Office have contributed a response to a European Commission consultation on protecting workers from the risks of electromagnetic fields. Following this consultation, the Commission will carry out a second consultation, which suggests a possible exclusion for workers conducting MRI procedures from the exposure limit values set in EU law. This approach would give the UK government the freedom to agree qualitative prevention and protection measures that are suitable to the risks of using an MRI scanner. To find out more see our electromagnetic fields web page.