Thursday 26 April 2012

Northamptonshire man’s care was ‘unacceptable’ inquest hears

Northamptonshire man’s care was ‘unacceptable’ inquest hears:
THE family of a man who died of infection after healthcare workers were told not to wash him, said he was “let down” by both the home care company and his GP surgery. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton General Hospital plans care review after report says one in four deaths could have been in comfort of home

Northampton General Hospital plans care review after report says one in four deaths could have been in comfort of home:
UP to one in four people who died at Northampton General Hospital could have been allowed to pass away in comfort at home given better planning of their care, a detailed review of patient notes suggests. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Do local voluntary organisations hold the key to improving health outcomes? | Lisa Weaks

Do local voluntary organisations hold the key to improving health outcomes? | Lisa Weaks: It is often small community-based charities' detailed understanding of local need and their ability and willingness to work holistically across multiple services that allows them to be so effective. (Blog, 26 Apr 2012) Kings Fund

Appeal for blood before Olympics

Appeal for blood before Olympics: As part of the contingency planning for the Olympics and Paralympics, the NHS is appealing for blood donors in the run-up to the start of the Games. BBC News

'Widen pharmacy pill access' call

'Widen pharmacy pill access' call: The contraceptive pill should be available at pharmacies without a GP prescription, including to some under-16s, an NHS report says. BBC News

Lansley promises CCGs autonomy in return for results and financial responsibility

Lansley promises CCGs autonomy in return for results and financial responsibility: Health secretary Andrew Lansley has promised clinical commissioning group (CCG) leaders autonomy but asked for accountability for results and performance within budget in return. GP Online

Toolkit for improving care for frail older people

Toolkit for improving care for frail older people:
This is the third in a series of acute care toolkits which aims to improve the care of the frail older patient. The toolkit, produced in collaboration with the British Geriatrics Society, recommends procedures for both initial assessment on admission and later Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment.

Care in the balance: a UNISON survey into staff/patient ratios on our wards

Care in the balance: a UNISON survey into staff/patient ratios on our wards:
This survey asked nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and other staff to chart their experiences including the pressures of a typical working day to reveal some insight into NHS working.

22% increase in malaria cases

22% increase in malaria cases: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued a new warning to British travellers over the risk of catching malaria during overseas travel.
New figures from the HPA – published on World Malaria Day – show a sharp rise in cases among travellers returning from the Indian sub-continent.
Overall, there was a 5% decreased in malaria infections reported in 2011 (1,677) compared to 2010 (1,761). Healthcare Today
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Patients waiting longer than six months for ops

Patients waiting longer than six months for ops: New evidence has emerged that patients are waiting longer to be admitted to hospital for operations, sparking claims that the coalition government is losing control of NHS waiting times.
A patient survey found that one in seven waited longer than six months to be admitted and an extra 150,000 patients have been caught up in increased delays since the Coalition came to power.
Other complaints made to the... Healthcare Today

Strengthening The Commitment: The Report of the UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review

Strengthening The Commitment: The Report of the UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review: The report aims to ensure that people with learning disabilities of all ages have access to expert Learning Disabilities Nurses and that their families and carers get the best support and care. It also seeks to make best use of Learning Disabilities Nurses throughout the entire health and social care system and improve the career image of learning disabilities nursing as a whole.

Comprehensive review on mobile phone technologies finds no solid evidence of health effects

Comprehensive review on mobile phone technologies finds no solid evidence of health effects: A new report by the Health Protection Agency’s independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) has concluded that there is still no convincing evidence that mobile phone technologies cause adverse effects on human health. Health Protection Agency