Friday 21 September 2012

Patients take part in health budget pilot

Patients take part in health budget pilot: County patients have been involved in a trial designed to give them more choice and control over their healthcare which may now be replicated in other areas. Evening Telegraph

Computer virus in monitoring equipment sees appointments cancelled at Northampton General Hospital

Computer virus in monitoring equipment sees appointments cancelled at Northampton General Hospital:
Appointments were cancelled at NGH “in the interests of patient safety” after a computer problem affected medical monitoring equipment. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Health staff urged to get flu jab

Health staff urged to get flu jab:
Health staff are being urged to get vaccinated against flu to cut the risk of it spreading to patients and colleagues this winter.

NHS must have 'brave and honest' debate about rationing, RCGP says

NHS must have 'brave and honest' debate about rationing, RCGP says: The NHS needs to have a 'brave and honest' debate about rationing and whether it should continue to fund medicines available OTC, RCGP chairwoman Professor Clare Gerada has argued. GP Online

NHS mixed-sex breaches ''at all-time low''

NHS mixed-sex breaches ''at all-time low'': Mixed-sex accommodation breaches for hospitals in England have fallen by 99 per cent in two years Public Service

40m SCRs by 2014

40m SCRs by 2014: The Summary Care Record programme is on track to reach 40m people by early 2014. E-Health Insider

Criminal record and barring checks - new decision tree tool

Criminal record and barring checks - new decision tree tool: To support employers in making the assessment of when criminal record checks are required and eligibility for the level of check, the NHS Employers organisation has produced a new decision tree tool. NHS Employers

Home truths: how dysfunctional relationships between GPs and social care staff are driving demand for adult social care

Home truths: how dysfunctional relationships between GPs and social care staff are driving demand for adult social care:
According
to research by iMPOWER, GPs inflate demand for residential care by at
least 60,000 older people every year because they don’t understand the
alternatives. The study, based on interviews with older people, social
care professionals, GPs and directors of adult social care reveals a
bold consensus that by not addressing this, local authorities are
failing to manage demand for residential care.

Patient-level costing: can it yield efficiency savings?

Patient-level costing: can it yield efficiency savings?:
According
to the Nuffield Trust many hospitals in England are still unable to
track costs because they are using outdated IT systems. This report
examines in depth the experience of one NHS Trust which is more advanced
than most, in that it has a ‘patient-level information and costing
system’. These computerised information systems were introduced in the
NHS in the mid-2000s, and are currently used in many other countries.

Serco gave NHS false data about its GP service 252 times

Serco gave NHS false data about its GP service 252 times: Private firm admits altering data about out-of-hours doctor service in Cornwall, prompting call for review of contract
Serco, the leading private contractor to the government, has admitted that it presented false data to the NHS 252 times on the performance of its out-of-hours GP service in Cornwall.

A quarter of cancer patients only diagnosed in casualty

A quarter of cancer patients only diagnosed in casualty: Research raises fresh questions about the NHS's ability to spot the disease early enough.
One in four cancer patients is diagnosed only after they end up in casualty, according to research that raises fresh questions about the NHS's ability to spot the disease early enough.

Maternity units must be closed to make childbirth safer, report says

Maternity units must be closed to make childbirth safer, report says: Maternity units must be shut and merged into new 'super-units' to help women give birth safely, experts say. The Daily Telegraph

Male suicide rate is 'not acceptable'

Male suicide rate is 'not acceptable': As a report is released revealing that middle-aged men from disadvantaged backgrounds are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than more affluent men, Professor Stephen Platt from the University of Edinburgh explains some of the reasons behind the high male suicide rate. The Daily Telegraph

UK hospital has 40 per cent death rate after abdominal ops

UK hospital has 40 per cent death rate after abdominal ops: More than four in 10 patients undergoing abdominal surgery at one hospital in the UK die within 30 days, according to figures described as "shocking" yesterday. The Independent

Ousted minister Paul Burstow attacks George Osborne over elderly care

Ousted minister Paul Burstow attacks George Osborne over elderly care: Former Health Minister Paul Burstow has urged the Coalition leaders to "take on the Treasury" to stop George Osborne blocking plans for funding elderly care. The Independent