Under pressure hospital sees 20 per cent fall in A&E visits thanks to appeal

Under pressure hospital sees 20 per cent fall in A&E visits thanks to appeal: Last week’s surge in A&E attendances at Kettering General Hospital declined over the weekend enabling the hospital to recover from a period of extreme pressure on its bed capacity. Evening Telegraph

Reforming social care funding: a step in the right direction?

Reforming social care funding: a step in the right direction?: Today's announcement that the government will act on the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission is a significant milestone in the tortuous journey of social care reform. How we pay for long-term care is a policy conundrum that successive governments have wrestled with for at least 15 years, generating two independent commissions, three consultations, and several White Papers.

Thousands of patients wrongly removed from GP lists

Thousands of patients wrongly removed from GP lists:

‘Heavy-handed’ list-cleansing is to blame Related items from OnMedica One million extra patients on London GP lists GPs removing patients from lists “without warning” DH abolishes “open but full” practice lists ‘Ghost’ removal from GP lists saves £6.1 million

Social care reforms announced

Social care reforms announced: Most of the UK media is covering the announcement made in Parliament by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary State for Health, about proposed changes to social care.

The two confirmed points to have garnered the most media attention in the run-up to the announcement are:

• a ‘cost cap’ of £75,000 worth of care costs – after this point the state would step in to meet these care costs
• raising the current means-testing threshold for people to be eligible for state-funded social care from £23,520 to £123,000

Second UK case of coronavirus

Second UK case of coronavirus: A second case of a new respiratory illness similar to the deadly Sars virus has been identified in the UK. BBC News

Trusts question national pay deals

Trusts question national pay deals: A body representing more than 200 NHS trusts across England says new ways of negotiating pay need to be considered. BBC News

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS

Making it better? Assuring high-quality care in the NHS: The Francis report painted a shocking picture of appalling standards of patient care. This paper aims to start a constructive debate, leading to concrete proposals about how to tackle these issues. NHS Confederation

Working with schizophrenia: pathways to employment, recovery and inclusion

Working with schizophrenia: pathways to employment, recovery and inclusion: This report examines the impact of schizophrenia on an individual's ability to enter or remain in the labour market, outlining how such barriers can be addressed by policy makers, employers, and healthcare professionals as well as those with the condition and their carers.

• Report
• The Work Foundation - publications

CPA and recovery report

CPA and recovery report: This study explored how effective service users find the Care Programme Approach (CPA) in promoting recovery as they understand it. Study participants were service users and survivors of 18 and above who have experienced the CPA since October 2008 and who live in a London borough. The findings demonstrate that whilst service users hold some positive views about the 2008 CPA, they also think that significant improvements are needed if they are to recover.

• Report
• Summary
• NSUN Network for Mental Health - publications

Official advice about horsemeat safety released

Official advice about horsemeat safety released: Concerns have been raised about the safety of horsemeat in the wake of the contaminated beef scandal. The Daily Mail asks, 'Is horsemeat harmful after all?', while The Guardian states that, 'Contaminated horsemeat could harm health, warns environment secretary.'

Horsemeat has been confirmed to have been present in several products labelled and sold as "beef". Horsemeat in itself is not a health risk, with some commentators arguing it is actually healthier than beef as it contains less fat.

'Systematic' failures by GPs lead to rise in children admitted to hospital as emergencies

'Systematic' failures by GPs lead to rise in children admitted to hospital as emergencies: A 'systematic failure' by GPs and hospitals has led to a 50 per cent rise in the number of under fives being admitted to wards as emergencies in the last decade, researchers have said. The Daily Telegraph

Jeremy Hunt: 'Let's cut nurses' paperwork by a third'

Jeremy Hunt: 'Let's cut nurses' paperwork by a third': Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, wants to cut the amount of paperwork doctors and nurses have to do by a third so they can spend hours more every week with patients, he will announce today. The Daily Telegraph

After Mid-Staffordshire scandal, death rates at 14 hospitals to be investigated

After Mid-Staffordshire scandal, death rates at 14 hospitals to be investigated:
At least 14 NHS hospitals are to be investigated for their persistently high patient death rates, it was announced. The Independent