Care home medication change scheme declared a success:
A scheme aimed at ensuring patients in care homes are getting the the right medication as been declared a success.Evening Telegraph
Friday, 13 July 2012
NHS trust put into administration
NHS trust put into administration: The government takes the unprecedented step of putting a London NHS trust into administration after it ran into financial trouble. BBC News
Elderly 'low prescribing' warning
Elderly 'low prescribing' warning: More elderly patients should be prescribed drugs to tackle high blood pressure and cholesterol, experts say. BBC News
Breast cancer 'reoperation risk'
Breast cancer 'reoperation risk': One in five women who has breast conserving surgery, rather than a mastectomy, in England ends up having another operation, a study says. BBC News
St George's fined for stray letters
St George's fined for stray letters: St George's Healthcare NHS Trust has been issued with a £60,000 fine for sending a vulnerable patient's medical details to the wrong address. E-Health Insider
Never again? The story of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
Never again? The story of the Health and Social Care Act 2012:
This book, published jointly by The King's Fund and the Institute for Government, explains why and how the Act became law; from the legislation’s origins 20 years ago, through the development of the 2010 White Paper Liberating the NHS to the passage of the controversial Bill through both Houses of Parliament. It focuses on what Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, is trying to achieve through the NHS reforms and considers the role the Liberal Democrats played in introducing amendments to the legislation and passing the Bill.
This book, published jointly by The King's Fund and the Institute for Government, explains why and how the Act became law; from the legislation’s origins 20 years ago, through the development of the 2010 White Paper Liberating the NHS to the passage of the controversial Bill through both Houses of Parliament. It focuses on what Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, is trying to achieve through the NHS reforms and considers the role the Liberal Democrats played in introducing amendments to the legislation and passing the Bill.
Accrual of statutory annual leave on long term sick leave
Accrual of statutory annual leave on long term sick leave: Following the recent decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) holiday pay case (ANGED), we have updated our existing guidance and employer FAQs on the accrual of statutory annual leave on long term sick leave. NHS Employers
Improved NHS services through new perspectives: a toolkit for doctors and managers to improve quality for patients
Improved NHS services through new perspectives: a toolkit for doctors and managers to improve quality for patients:
This online toolkit aims to help implement positive change in NHS trusts. It offers a way of improving productive working between doctors and managers in a series of steps that requires conversations between all parties and identifies any development required.
Please note: this toolkit requires free registration in order to access it.
This online toolkit aims to help implement positive change in NHS trusts. It offers a way of improving productive working between doctors and managers in a series of steps that requires conversations between all parties and identifies any development required.
Please note: this toolkit requires free registration in order to access it.
Health visitor teaching in practice: a framework intended for use for commissioning, education and clinical practice of practice teachers (PTs)
Health visitor teaching in practice: a framework intended for use for commissioning, education and clinical practice of practice teachers (PTs):
This framework pulls together all of the information around health visitor practice teachers. It aims to improve understanding of the role and the importance of the practice teacher, their preparation and responsibilities in order to deliver improved outcomes for children, families and communities aligned with the health visitor programme and service vision.
This framework pulls together all of the information around health visitor practice teachers. It aims to improve understanding of the role and the importance of the practice teacher, their preparation and responsibilities in order to deliver improved outcomes for children, families and communities aligned with the health visitor programme and service vision.
Doctors broke abortion law in 13 NHS trusts - The Guardian
Doctors broke abortion law in 13 NHS trusts - The Guardian:
 The Guardian | Doctors broke abortion law in 13 NHS trusts The Guardian Except in emergencies, two doctors must agree on the reason for an abortion: a risk to the life or physical and mental health of the woman, a risk of serious physical or mental abnormalities in the baby, if born, or a risk to the physical and mental ... and more » |
Will the government's mandate put patients at the heart of the NHS?
Will the government's mandate put patients at the heart of the NHS?:
It's said to 'liberate' the NHS from top-down interference, but can the mandate avoid conflict between local and national desires?
The publication of the government's draft mandate for the NHS is big news for managers and clinicians. It sets out the priorities for the NHS Commissioning Board for the next two years and beyond. What is in the final version and how the board delivers it will have a profound impact on the culture and practice of the new NHS.
Until now the key NHS document has been the annual operating framework, the embodiment of the command and control culture which spells out the targets, priorities and rules NHS bodies must follow. The mandate is intended to be more long-term than the operating framework has been, promising stability rather than lurching from priority to priority as the political winds change.
The first mandate, to be published following the end of consultations in September, will run from 2013 to 2015, while setting "ambitions" for improving outcomes over five to 10 years. It will, however, be revised annually. Will ministers resist the temptation to squeeze in one more target?
The mandate is intended to reflect the NHS outcomes framework, first published in 2010 to set indicators for healthcare performance. The board will be expected to demonstrate progress against each of the framework's dozens of indicators.
In inviting responses to the draft mandate, the first question being asked is the right one: will the mandate drive a culture which puts patients at the heart of everything the NHS does? That mirror must be constantly held up to the mandate itself, and the way the commissioning board implements it. Managers and commissioners should resist anything violating that principle.
The mandate claims "the NHS is being liberated from day-to-day top-down interference in its operational management". Commissioners might want to pin this "free at last" commitment to their wall, and point it out to visitors from the board's local and regional outposts whenever they stray over the line.
But there is one area where the presumption of autonomy does not apply – service reconfigurations. The board is to take a leading role in "supporting" clusters of clinical commissioning groups in handling major changes. While this is against the spirit of local control, the alternative is paralysis. The demise of strategic health authorities means that unless the board intervenes there is no organisation with the big picture view and organisational clout to make change happen. Yet the opportunities for conflict between local desires and national and regional imperatives will be considerable.
This issue is further complicated by local government's role. The speech by commissioning board chief executive Sir David Nicholson to last month's Local Government Association annual conference was poorly received; the board clearly has some distance to go in understanding the role of local politics in the new NHS.
The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, should be applauded for stressing, in the heart of the mandate, the importance of improving the health and healthcare of NHS staff. Stressed, unsupported staff will not deliver high quality care. As Elisabeth Buggins, chair of Birmingham Women's Foundation Trust, has argued: if we demand that staff expend emotional energy in providing patient-centred care, the staff themselves need support.
Plaudits are also due for the prominence given to mental health, which continues its journey towards the centre of the healthcare system. The draft mandate points out it is the single largest cause of disability, and declares it to be as important as physical health.
But the mandate risks setting some precise yet difficult to measure targets. Objective 5 is: "Improve patient safety, reducing Quality Adjusted Life Years lost to NHS patients … through avoidable harm by X% by 2015; X% by 2018; and X% by 2023."
While the intention is laudable, it could generate industrial scale monitoring to secure data of questionable robustness. Managers need to work through what each of the objectives would mean for their clinicians and managers. If there are unintended consequences, now is the time to point them out. Guardian Professional.
The publication of the government's draft mandate for the NHS is big news for managers and clinicians. It sets out the priorities for the NHS Commissioning Board for the next two years and beyond. What is in the final version and how the board delivers it will have a profound impact on the culture and practice of the new NHS.
Until now the key NHS document has been the annual operating framework, the embodiment of the command and control culture which spells out the targets, priorities and rules NHS bodies must follow. The mandate is intended to be more long-term than the operating framework has been, promising stability rather than lurching from priority to priority as the political winds change.
The first mandate, to be published following the end of consultations in September, will run from 2013 to 2015, while setting "ambitions" for improving outcomes over five to 10 years. It will, however, be revised annually. Will ministers resist the temptation to squeeze in one more target?
The mandate is intended to reflect the NHS outcomes framework, first published in 2010 to set indicators for healthcare performance. The board will be expected to demonstrate progress against each of the framework's dozens of indicators.
In inviting responses to the draft mandate, the first question being asked is the right one: will the mandate drive a culture which puts patients at the heart of everything the NHS does? That mirror must be constantly held up to the mandate itself, and the way the commissioning board implements it. Managers and commissioners should resist anything violating that principle.
The mandate claims "the NHS is being liberated from day-to-day top-down interference in its operational management". Commissioners might want to pin this "free at last" commitment to their wall, and point it out to visitors from the board's local and regional outposts whenever they stray over the line.
But there is one area where the presumption of autonomy does not apply – service reconfigurations. The board is to take a leading role in "supporting" clusters of clinical commissioning groups in handling major changes. While this is against the spirit of local control, the alternative is paralysis. The demise of strategic health authorities means that unless the board intervenes there is no organisation with the big picture view and organisational clout to make change happen. Yet the opportunities for conflict between local desires and national and regional imperatives will be considerable.
This issue is further complicated by local government's role. The speech by commissioning board chief executive Sir David Nicholson to last month's Local Government Association annual conference was poorly received; the board clearly has some distance to go in understanding the role of local politics in the new NHS.
The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, should be applauded for stressing, in the heart of the mandate, the importance of improving the health and healthcare of NHS staff. Stressed, unsupported staff will not deliver high quality care. As Elisabeth Buggins, chair of Birmingham Women's Foundation Trust, has argued: if we demand that staff expend emotional energy in providing patient-centred care, the staff themselves need support.
Plaudits are also due for the prominence given to mental health, which continues its journey towards the centre of the healthcare system. The draft mandate points out it is the single largest cause of disability, and declares it to be as important as physical health.
But the mandate risks setting some precise yet difficult to measure targets. Objective 5 is: "Improve patient safety, reducing Quality Adjusted Life Years lost to NHS patients … through avoidable harm by X% by 2015; X% by 2018; and X% by 2023."
While the intention is laudable, it could generate industrial scale monitoring to secure data of questionable robustness. Managers need to work through what each of the objectives would mean for their clinicians and managers. If there are unintended consequences, now is the time to point them out. Guardian Professional.
Millions see GP for stuffy noses and dandruff in waste of appointments: survey
Millions see GP for stuffy noses and dandruff in waste of appointments: survey: One in five GP appointments is unnecessary as patients complain of ailments such as blocked noses and dandruff, a study has found.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
Hospital 'failed dehydration patient'
Hospital 'failed dehydration patient':
Neglect by medical staff led to a man dying of dehydration in a hospital bed, a coroner has ruled. The Independent
Neglect by medical staff led to a man dying of dehydration in a hospital bed, a coroner has ruled. The Independent
Exclusive: Doctors' basic errors are killing 1,000 patients a month
Exclusive: Doctors' basic errors are killing 1,000 patients a month:
Almost 12,000 patients are dying needlessly in NHS hospitals every year because of basic errors by medical staff, according to the largest and most detailed study into hospital deaths ever performed in the UK. The Independent
Almost 12,000 patients are dying needlessly in NHS hospitals every year because of basic errors by medical staff, according to the largest and most detailed study into hospital deaths ever performed in the UK. The Independent
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