Friday 15 June 2012

Councils invest £167m in tobacco

Councils invest £167m in tobacco: East of England councils that are due to take on anti-smoking health campaigns, are investing more than £167m in tobacco firms. BBC Northamptonshire

Payout for woman after Northampton General Hospital error - BBC News

Payout for woman after Northampton General Hospital error - BBC News:

BBC News
Payout for woman after Northampton General Hospital error
BBC News
A woman has been paid £50000 in damages by Northampton General Hospital after she was given an operation she did not need. Claire Millward, 37, from ...
Northampton mum claims Jade Goody's death saved her lifeNorthampton Chronicle & Echo

all 2 news articles »

Are independent commissioning support services the right way to go? | Chris Naylor

Are independent commissioning support services the right way to go? | Chris Naylor: Chris Naylor looks at what the future shape of support arrangements for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will look like. (Blog, 14 Jun 2012) Kings Fund

New Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance system

New Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance system:
Clara Swinson, Director, Health Protection, has written to all NHS chief executives to highlight the development of a new web based Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI) surveillance computer system. It will replace the existing system used to collect the mandatory HCAI surveillance data for reporting MRSA, MSSA, and E. coli bacteraemias, and C. difficile Infection (CDI). It is expected to go live in April 2013.
Further information about the new system will be available via a webcast on Thursday 28 June 2012.
NHS chief executives are asked to nominate a local Implementation lead from their organisation and encourage users of the new system to register by 27 June 2012 to take part in the webcast.
Read letter: Mandatory Health Care Associated Infection Surveillance: redevelopment of the HCAI data capture system (MESS) Department of Health

Mental health quality profiles

Mental health quality profiles:
These quality profiles show how individual trusts compare across a range of quality indicators encompassing the domains of the Outcomes Framework.

NHS atlas of variation in healthcare: diabetes atlas

NHS atlas of variation in healthcare: diabetes atlas:
Following the publication of the NHS atlas of variation in healthcare work has been undertaken to produced themed versions of the atlas. It is intended to support local decision making to increase the value which a population receives from the resources to spent on their healthcare. It supports the search for unexplained variations, the identification and attention to unwarranted variation, helping clinicians to understand what is going on in their area and where to focus attention to improve the care they provide.

CBI Public Services The right care the right place: delivering care closer to home

CBI Public Services The right care the right place: delivering care closer to home:
This report argues that delivering care closer to the home could provide better, healthier outcomes for patients and help ease NHS budgetary pressures by saving £3.4 billion a year. It sets out recommendations to remove barriers in order to make the delivery of care close to the home more widespread.

Most GPs not participating in strike

Most GPs not participating in strike:
Surveys have suggested that most GPs are not intending to participate in the BMA’s industrial action over pensions on June 21.
A survey undertaken by NHS Gloucestershire found that just 26% of the 51 practices and 261 GPs who responded to the PCT were planning to take action, while a survey by the GP newspaper Pulse found that just 29% of GPs expect their practice to take part fully in the day of action and a f... Healthcare Today

Series of MPs admit to suffering mental illness for the first time ... - Daily Mail

Series of MPs admit to suffering mental illness for the first time ... - Daily Mail:

The Guardian
Series of MPs admit to suffering mental illness for the first time ...
Daily Mail
'We have got to talk about mental health in this House. ... His Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill will remove the blanket ban that forbids 'mentally disordered ...
MPs discuss mental health problems in emotional Commons debateThe Independent
Mental health problems no longer a bar to becoming an MPThe Guardian
MPs reveal mental illness battlesThe Press Association
Telegraph.co.uk -BBC News -The Northern Echo
all 14 news articles »

Department of Health extends NHS 111 roll out deadline

Department of Health extends NHS 111 roll out deadline:
Government extends date for implementation of 111 non-emergency service by 'up to six months'
The government has extended the deadline for the roll out of NHS 111 to make sure areas have enough time to plan for the service.
The announcement follows criticism of 111 by the British Medical Association and other unions, as well as pressure from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and private firms.
In a letter to CCGs Jim Easton, national director for improvement and efficiency at the Department of Health (DH), says that after careful consideration and having sought the views of senior CCG representatives, an extension of up to six months of the original April 2013 deadline may be necessary in some cases.
"That extension will be by application to an expert clinical panel, and should not delay roll out in those areas that are ready to move ahead," says the letter. "It will however, help ensure that in those areas that need it, time can be taken fully to engage local clinicians and build delivery models for NHS 111 that have the support and endorsement of all local stakeholders."
It goes on to say that the clinical panel will publish the criteria on which it will judge applications shortly. CCGs that want their areas to be considered for an extension should submit an application in writing to their strategic health authority.
At the end of last month, Capita expressed concerns about the 111 tender process and said it was not constructed "to result in cost-effective services that can flex to dynamic needs of the public". Around the same time, Serco and Care UK confirmed that they had taken the decision not to bid in the multimillion pound replacement programme to provide a new 24 hour urgent care service.
Despite these concerns, a number of areas are moving ahead with their 111 plans, including Wandsworth and Suffolk primary care trusts, which recently awarded care services specialist Harmoni a contract to operate its services.
With the help of NHS Direct and NHS Choices, the DH is currently trialling an NHS 111 online service as part of a plan to provide a service to complement locally-driven telephone services.
Commenting on the government's announcement to extend the deadline, Nick Chapman, chief executive of NHS Direct, said that the period of transition from the 0845 number to the new NHS 111 service is now likely to take longer.
He said: "NHS Direct believes that the DH's decision to allow further time to plan and implement these national changes to the urgent and emergency care service is the right one. It will allow for greater clinical engagement and ensure that the service is the best it can be for patients.
"As we understand it, the next step is for local commissioners who want an extension to make an application to the DH. We won't know until these applications have been made how many areas will request an extension, and what implications that may have for the 0845 service and for NHS Direct staff." Guardian Professional. 

Patients do not know how to contact GP outside normal hours: survey

Patients do not know how to contact GP outside normal hours: survey: Four in ten patients do not know how to contact their GP out-of-hours services, a government survey has found. The Daily Telegraph

MPs discuss mental health problems in emotional Commons debate

MPs discuss mental health problems in emotional Commons debate:
A Tory MP disclosed she suffered suicidal feelings after having a baby as a series of MPs spoke today of their personal battles with mental illness in an emotional Commons debate. The Independent

Doctor warned over preaching religious beliefs in practice

Doctor warned over preaching religious beliefs in practice:
A doctor who preached to a patient that only Jesus could cure him of his problems has received an official warning from the General Medical Council (GMC) that his career could be at risk if he continues to proselytise. The Independent

New eHealth position statement launched

New eHealth position statement launched: The RCN has published new eHealth guidance which reviews what eHealth is.