Monday 14 January 2013

17 hospitals 'not safely staffed'

17 hospitals 'not safely staffed': Northampton General Hospital is ordered to take action after a watchdog finds it is failing to provide safe staffing levels. BBC News

See also:

MPs in combined hospital campaign

MPs in combined hospital campaign: Three Northamptonshire MPs put aside political differences for a joint campaign to protect services at Kettering General Hospital. BBC Northamptonshire

'Too many' referred to care homes

'Too many' referred to care homes: Too many people are sent to care homes through hospital referrals "far too early", says a county councillor. BBC Northamptonshire

VIDEO: 'NHS must learn lessons' after Savile

VIDEO: 'NHS must learn lessons' after Savile: The NHS "must learn lessons" from the Jimmy Savile scandal, according to the health secretary. BBC News

71 per cent of NHS 111 calls not handled by medical staff

71 per cent of NHS 111 calls not handled by medical staff: The vast majority of calls made to the non-emergency NHS 111 phone service are not being dealt with by medical professionals Public Service

America struggling in the fight against flu

America struggling in the fight against flu: 18 states across America have declared a flu epidemic, as the flu season causes hospital closures and widespread concern about the rate of infection across the country. NHS Employers

Why hospitals are doomed. Chris Mimnagh explains.

Why hospitals are doomed. Chris Mimnagh explains.: There is a change going on in the way we think about healthcare. The realisation that we can no longer afford to do what we’ve always done is looming large for all suppliers. Whether it’s expressed as the Nicholson Challenge or described eloquently as Hospitals on the edge, our existing systems have grown up with … Continue reading » NHS Voices

NHS safety thermometer 2013/14: CQUIN guidance

NHS safety thermometer 2013/14: CQUIN guidance: Developed for the NHS by the NHS as a point of care survey instrument, the NHS Safety Thermometer provides a ‘temperature check’ on harm that can be used alongside other measures of harm to measure local and system progress. This guidance explains how this tool can be used to achieve CQUIN goals for 2013/14. It outlines a step-by-step process to aid understanding data and how to use it to set improvement goals and measure improvement over time.

NHS compensation system unsustainable, says insurer

NHS compensation system unsustainable, says insurer: Liabilities reached £16.7bn in 2011 under system requiring payouts to cover cost of private care for victims of negligence
Compensation settlements for medical negligence running into billions of pounds are placing an unsustainable burden on the NHS, according to an organisation that insures doctors.

Control room staff receiving bonuses for not sending ambulances to emergencies

Control room staff receiving bonuses for not sending ambulances to emergencies: Control room staff are receiving bonuses for not sending 999 ambulances to emergencies, it has emerged. The Daily Telegraph

NHS hospitals failing to feed patients

NHS hospitals failing to feed patients: A dozen NHS hospitals across England are failing to meet patients' basic nutritional needs, according to the health safety watchdog. The Daily Telegraph

Private NHS providers could be exempt from corporation tax

Private NHS providers could be exempt from corporation tax: Private health care firms performing NHS services may not have to pay corporation tax on their profits under draft proposals being considered as part of a government-commissioned review into NHS competition. The Daily Telegraph

Is this the loneliest generation?

Is this the loneliest generation?:
Government officials have been ordered to find out exactly how lonely Britain's population is, amid concerns that "the most isolated generation ever" will overwhelm the NHS. The Independent