Healthwatch Northamptonshire raises concerns about respite care - Northampton Herald and Post

Healthwatch Northamptonshire raises concerns about respite care HEALTHWATCH Northamptonshire, has made its first referral to Northamptonshire County Council’s Health & Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee regarding provisions for people with neuro-degenerative conditions in the county – which includes conditions such as motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Northampton Herald and Post

See also:

• Statement from Nene and Corby CCGs on the end of Podiatry and Neuro-degenerative consultations

NHS 'heading for £30bn funding gap'

NHS 'heading for £30bn funding gap' The NHS in England risks "sleepwalking" into poorer quality care unless hospital and GP services are reorganised, according to its leaders. BBC News

See also:

• Special report: ‘This can’t go on’ - NHS chiefs urge new debate on health reforms The Independent
• NHS will 'sleepwalk' into more Staffords without radical change The Daily Telegraph
• NHS chief executive: muddling along will result in more Staffords The Guardian
• NHS cannot rely on pay cuts to reduce costs, says BMA expert GP Online
• The NHS belongs to the people: a call to action NHS England
• The King's Fund's response to the publication of NHS England's national call to action

Organ donor wish 'must be honoured'

Organ donor wish 'must be honoured' The NHS is considering whether to stop families from overriding the consent of people who have signed the organ donor register. BBC News

See also:

• Registered organ donors could be given priority for transplants The Daily Telegraph
• NHS organ transplant service presses for big change of attitude over donation The Guardian

Air pollution linked to lung cancer and heart failure

Air pollution linked to lung cancer and heart failure Air pollution, chiefly from traffic exhaust fumes in cities, is having a serious and sometimes fatal effect on health, The Guardian reports.

This follows the publication of two studies in The Lancet that examined the effects of short- and long-term exposure to pollutants on the risk of developing lung cancer or heart failure.

These were both well conducted studies that collected a large body of evidence. Researchers looked at observational studies examining the impact of air pollution on long-term health outcomes.

Integrated care in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales: lessons for England

Integrated care in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales: lessons for England At a time when policy-makers in England have made a commitment to bring about closer integration of care both within the NHS and between health and social care, what can the health and social care system in England learn from the experiences of the other countries of the United Kingdom? This paper examines the context in which health and social care is provided; identifies policy initiatives that promote integrated care and the impact of these initiatives; and considers the barriers and challenges to achieving integrated care.

• Report
• The King's Fund - publications

Medical education’s front line: a review of training in seven emergency medicine departments

Medical education’s front line: a review of training in seven emergency medicine departments This review found that high workloads and inconsistent supervision are putting off doctors from training in emergency medicine. The findings come from GMC checks on the training of doctors at six emergency medicine departments in England and one in Jersey over a two-month period. Concerns ranged from a lack of supervision of doctors in training at night to inadequate staffing levels. The report identifies a number of ways in which NHS trusts may be able to improve the quality of education and training in emergency medicine.

• Report
• GMC - news

Patients spend money better than GPs, report suggests

Patients spend money better than GPs, report suggests Pilots of personal health budgets show that giving patients control of spending decisions for their own care benefits them and saves the NHS money. OnMedica News

See also:

• Patients spend money better than GPs 2020 Health
• Personal health Budgets - A Revolution in Personalisation (report) 2020 Health

Public health statistics could cease to be published amid wave of budget cuts

Public health statistics could cease to be published amid wave of budget cuts ONS statisicians also looking at 'a significant reduction in the scale' of David Cameron's 'wellbeing programme'

A complete halt to the publication of politically sensitive official statistics on smoking, drinking, teenage pregnancies and infant mortality, is being considered for a programme of cuts being drawn up by the Office of National Statistics, documents show.

Serco's GP out-of-hours service in Cornwall 'substandard', say MPs

Serco's GP out-of-hours service in Cornwall 'substandard', say MPs Serco, the leading private contractor of services to the public sector, has come under attack for its "substandard" GP out-of-hours service in Cornwall, in a report published by the influential parliamentary public accounts committee on Thursday.

The company falsified figures on its performance 252 times, making it look better than it was, so that serious failings in the service only came to light thanks to whistleblowers, MPs say, yet the company's response was "bullying and heavy-handed".

The NHS primary care trust that had oversight of the contract was "deeply ineffective" in writing and managing it, did not impose any penalties when the failings were discovered, and instead made bonus payments to Serco even though it fell well short of required standards. The Guardian

See also:

• GP service had 'bullying culture' BBC News

GPs 'rationing hospital care'

GPs 'rationing hospital care' GPs are rationing patients' access to hospital care, according to an investigation which found that regional managers are cutting costs by making it harder for patients to qualify for a host of minor procedures.The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS commissioning groups already restricting access to care, survey reveals The Guardian