Monday 3 February 2014

Cancer alliance talks for Northampton General Hospital and Leicester

Cancer alliance talks for Northampton General Hospital and Leicester

Northampton General Hospital’s cancer department is in partnership talks with a Leicester hospital to protect specialist oncology services on both sites in future years. Chronicle & Echo

Inspectors say staff levels at St Andrew’s are still too low

Inspectors say staff levels at St Andrew’s are still too low

Inspectors have said staffing levels at a Northampton hospital are still too low, following the latest inspection of the facility. Chronicle & Echo

Care and comfort - Daventry Express

Care and comfort - Daventry Express

Vince Baxter is locality manager of Daventry and South Northants, in charge of Danetre Hospital's building for Northamptonshire HealthcareNHS Trust. He said: “We have services including the ward beds, which are run by Northampton General Hospital, and ... Daventry Express

New alerting will spread safety risk warnings more quickly

New alerting will spread safety risk warnings more quickly


A new alerting system launched today by NHS England will ensure warnings of potential risks to the safety of patients can be developed much more quickly and be rapidly disseminated right across the NHS.

The new National Patient Safety Alerting System (NPSAS) will ensure warnings of emerging risks can be rapidly issued following their identification by the NHS England Patient Safety Domain. As part of the new process, by April 2014 NHS England will also begin publishing monthly data on trusts who fail to confirm they have complied with the required actions of an alert within the set timeframe.

Health watchdog attacks NHS culture

Health watchdog attacks NHS culture

The health watchdog criticises the NHS in England for a culture that "doesn't listen" and is jeopardising safety - while warning it could go bust without serious change. BBC News

E-cigarettes could become 'medicines' available on NHS

E-cigarettes could become 'medicines' available on NHS


Manufacturers apply for licences from regulatory body as tobacco substitutes scrutinised by EU and advertising watchdog
E-cigarettes could be available on the NHS by the end of the year with at least two companies – one a subsidiary of British American Tobacco – having already embarked on the process of obtaining licences from the medicines regulator.
The UK company Nicolites said its application was "well-advanced" while BAT's Nicoventures has also started the process, although decisions on whether their products are prescribed on the NHS will be made by local commissioning groups.
The status of "medicines" will give the companies commercial advantage and allow the e-cigarette makers to market their product internationally, including in sponsorship deals, a move that will be banned for competitors not in the same bracket.

Government attacked over deals with fast-food industry: ‘Pure illusion’ to think this approach can cut obesity

Government attacked over deals with fast-food industry: ‘Pure illusion’ to think this approach can cut obesity

The Government’s plan to fight obesity through voluntary deals with fast-food chains is founded on “pure illusion” and will lead to ever-worsening ill health in Britain, a leading expert claims today. Guardian

NHS Change Day is about a different approach to leadership | Interview with Jackie Lynton

NHS Change Day is about a different approach to leadership | Interview with Jackie Lynton

A former mental health nurse organising pledges to improve patient care explains how to empower frontline staff .  In March, staff across the NHS will be asked to make pledges to improve patient care, as part of the second-ever NHS Change Day.
The first NHS Change Day took place in March 2013 as a concept that sprang from frontline staff. It has been described as the largest ever health and care social movement, and one of the unusual aspects of this grassroots movement is that it has no single figurehead, but aims to make healthcare staff themselves leaders of change.

Cochrane review finds no evidence to support the use of user held records for patients with severe mental illness

Cochrane review finds no evidence to support the use of user held records for patients with severe mental illness

The use of care plans and Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP®) (Cook et al, 2009) within mental health is commonplace. In Wales, care planning is covered by legislation in the form of the Mental Health Measure (Welsh Government website, 2013). The care plans are designed to be developed and agreed in a collaborative way with input [read the full story...] The Mental Elf

New guide to help people to talk about their mental health with their GP

New guide to help people to talk about their mental health with their GP

Mental Health Foundation provides practical advice for patients. OnMedica News

Guidance for efficient use of off-tariff medicines

Guidance for efficient use of off-tariff medicines

NHS England’s medicines optimisation clinical reference group has published a document setting out how NHS England can work with providers incentivise more efficient use of high cost drugs excluded from the national tariff. NHS Networks

NHS trusts failing to support staff health and mental wellbeing

NHS trusts failing to support staff health and mental wellbeing

Nearly a quarter of trusts do not monitor their staff's mental wellbeing. Only 57 per cent have a mental wellbeing policy in place, even though mental health is one of the leading causes for long-term sickness absence among the NHS workforce. More .... NHS Networks