Farewell to Francis Crick House

Farewell to Francis Crick House:

Due to pressures on space the Library Service will be pulling out of the commissioning HQ at Francis Crick House.

However, the service is currently still available to all NHS staff based in the building, and all of our services are available at the other library sites or via our web site www.library.northants.nhs.uk.

We will be packing and moving during the week of the 29th of October. The stock from Francis Crick will be integrated into the collections at our other libraries.

County figures speak out over possible KGH changes

County figures speak out over possible KGH changes: Leading county politicians, unions and patients have had their say on leaked documents which show possible scenarios for the future of services at Kettering General Hospital. Evening Telegraph

£52m 90-bed psychiatric hospital to open by 2014

£52m 90-bed psychiatric hospital to open by 2014: A £52million programme will see a new 90-bed psychiatric hospital up and running on the site of a former Northampton school within two years. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Privatised hospital loses £4.1m

Privatised hospital loses £4.1m: The first NHS hospital to be run by a private company reveals losses of £4.1m in the firm's first six months in charge were almost double those forecast. BBC News

VIDEO: NHS patients 'may get records access'

VIDEO: NHS patients 'may get records access': Some medical bodies, backed by the government, hope to give NHS patients free access to their own medical notes. BBC News

Government negotiators reject BMA claim that GP pay deal was 'close'

Government negotiators reject BMA claim that GP pay deal was 'close': NHS Employers has rejected BMA claims that a GP pay deal was 'close to being concluded' before the government announced plans to impose a 1.5% uplift and major changes to the contract. GP Online

DH guidance for shared records

DH guidance for shared records: The Department of Health has issued guidance for organisations working in shared records environments saying they are data controllers "in common." E-Health Insider

Funding for care homes and wards for people with dementia

Funding for care homes and wards for people with dementia: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced dedicated funding to create care environments for people with dementia that help reduce anxiety and distress, and help people feel safe. Up to £50 million will be available to NHS trusts and local authorities, working in partnership with care providers, to help tailor hospitals and care homes to the needs of people with dementia.
Research by The King’s Fund demonstrates that good design can help with the management of dementia. People with dementia are calmer and less likely to get lost or become distressed in an environment designed with their needs in mind. Organisations that bid successfully for money will be able to adapt care homes and hospitals using design principles tested in The King’s Fund pilots. 

• Press release
• The King's Fund - Enhancing the Healing Environment project
• Department of Health - dementia challenge

My life until the end: dying well with dementia

My life until the end: dying well with dementia: This report reveals that many people with dementia are not dying in the place they want to, with their families unaware of their end of life wishes because of a double stigma around dementia and death. It highlights the importance of planning end of life care in advance to help make the final days of more people with dementia as good as possible and in the place they want to be.

• Report
• Alzheimer's Society - press release

PARR-30 model

PARR-30 model: The PARR model for predicting risk of readmissions has been updated and further developed in order to make predictions over 30 days rather than 12 months. It can identify sub-groups of high risk patients, where a high proportion of people will be readmitted within 30 days

• PARR-30 study
• Implementation guidance
• Interactive charts
• PARR-30 project page

England's elderly care target 'at risk'

England's elderly care target 'at risk': Council leaders across England have warned that the government must take steps to avert a crisis in elderly care before embarking on a drive to make it a world leader.
The government is pledging to turn the country into a one of the world’s best providers of care for older people.
But the Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said the social c... Healthcare Today

Looking up illnesses can lead to better GP consultations

Looking up illnesses can lead to better GP consultations:
Researchers say people who learn more about their symptoms on the internet have better consultations with their GP.
The study by University College London (UCL) said that patients who search the internet for details of illnesses and symptoms are listened to more attentively by their family doctor.
And those who take their own information into the surgery are often able to build a better relationship wit... Healthcare Today

NHS should invest more in women

NHS should invest more in women: Female dominated boards should be the norm rather than exception
As the NHS goes through major structural upheaval, we have a great opportunity to make changes for the better. One area often over looked is the place of women — particularly women doctors — in leadership positions.

Closed drug trials leave patients at risk and doctors in the dark

Closed drug trials leave patients at risk and doctors in the dark: Drug companies can hide information about their drugs perfectly legally. We need proper legislation, says Ben Goldacre The Daily Telegraph

Hospitals 'paid millions to put patients on death pathway'

Hospitals 'paid millions to put patients on death pathway': Hospitals are being paid millions of pounds to reach targets for the number of patients put on a controversial pathway for the withdrawal of life-saving treatment, according to data based on Freedom of Information requests. The Daily Telegraph

Toll rises to 10 baby deaths this year in biggest whooping cough outbreak for 20 years

Toll rises to 10 baby deaths this year in biggest whooping cough outbreak for 20 years:
The number of babies who have died in the biggest outbreak of whooping cough for 20 years has increased to 10, health officials said. The Independent

Whooping cough outbreak continues

Whooping cough outbreak continues: According to figures published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) today, 1,322 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) were reported in England and Wales in September 2012, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 6,121*. Health Protection Agency