Solving the NHS care and cash crisis

Solving the NHS care and cash crisis Lord Warner, Minister for Health Reform in Tony Blair’s government, argues in a new report that NHS funding from general taxation should rise only with inflation to avoid starving the rest of the public sector of resources. Higher “sin” taxes on alcohol, tobacco and sugary foods, means-testing of NHS “Continuing Care”, plus a £10 per month NHS membership charge and other patient contributions are needed for the NHS to survive the next five years of austerity. Reform

See also:

• Should we pay a monthly membership fee to the NHS? BBC News
• NHS patients should pay monthly fee, says former Labour minister The Independent
• NHS users should pay £10 a month, says former health minister The Guardian
• £10 each can save the NHS The Guardian
• Britons overwhelmingly against GP charges to help NHS balance books The Guardian
• Call for £10 a month fee to use NHS and £20 a night to stay in hospital The Daily Mail

Guidance: NHS: resisting cost inflation pressures

Guidance: NHS: resisting cost inflation pressures NHS providers are being advised by the Department of Health to resist blanket inflationary price increases from suppliers.

These documents provide guidance to enable the NHS to take a consistent approach to resisting inflationary pressures as part of a wider programme of initiatives to stabilise non-pay spend.

The guidance document sets out a process for NHS healthcare provider organisations to follow, in order to engage and work with suppliers to find ways of avoiding inflationary costs. Templates for letters and spreadsheets that can be used throughout the process are provided.

The guidance is supported by both Monitor and the Trust Development Authority. Department of Health 

Nursing body faces Mid-Staffs censure

Nursing body faces Mid-Staffs censure The Nursing and Midwifery Council is facing further criticism over its handling of disciplinary cases. BBC News

Dozens of A&Es 'miss winter target'

Dozens of A&Es 'miss winter target' Nearly two thirds of England's major A&Es missed the waiting time target this winter, BBC analysis shows. BBC News

See also:

• Did the NHS get lucky this winter? BBC News
• VIDEO: Mild winter eases A&E pressures BBC News
• Numbers waiting in A&E hit a record high The Independent

First cat-to-human TB infections reported

First cat-to-human TB infections reported “Cats have passed TB to humans for the first time,” the Daily Mail reports. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and the risk of further transmission has been described as “very low”.

The headline is based on the news that two people in England have developed tuberculosis (TB) after contact with a domestic cat infected with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). This bacterium is a leading cause of TB in cattle and a less common cause, in other species.

This is newsworthy as these are the first documented cases of cat-to-human transmission anywhere in the world.

Mental health payment mechanism survey report

Mental health payment mechanism survey report This report presents the results from the 2014 survey of 43 mental health organisations in relation to the implementation of the payment mechanism for mental health and adult learning disability services. The survey sought to find out how the payment mechanism is currently working in reality; how far the supplementary guidance has been used for contracting purposes and how the payment mechanism and guidance might be developed in future years. Healthcare Financial Management Association

Common core principles to support good mental health and wellbeing in adult social care

Common core principles to support good mental health and wellbeing in adult social care These principles aim to help staff working in social care services know how to support and promote good mental health and overall wellbeing for everyone who uses those services. It also provides guidance for leaders and managers, training and education leads, and commissioners to develop a workforce that can support good mental health for people needing care and support. Skills for Care

Plain packaging: Big Tobacco prepares for ‘bare-knuckle fight’ over ban

Plain packaging: Big Tobacco prepares for ‘bare-knuckle fight’ over ban
Cigarette manufacturers are gearing up to attack a landmark report into the health benefits of plain packaging for cigarettes, due to be published this week. The review, written by the leading paediatrician Sir Cyril Chantler, will influence whether the Government presses ahead with plain packaging, which is designed to discourage the next generation from smoking. The Independent

See also:

• Tobacco firms hype smuggling fears to avoid plain packaging, finds study The Guardian

Saatchi Bill: The fight to win hope for the seriously ill

Saatchi Bill: The fight to win hope for the seriously ill As the deadline for Lord Saatchi's Bill on medical innovation draws close, thousands of patients, doctors and charity chiefs are calling for it to be made law. Dominic Nutt reports. The Daily Telegraph

Nurse appears in court charged with murder of three patients

Nurse appears in court charged with murder of three patients  Victorino Chua, 48, a nurse at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, appears in court charged with the murder of three patients who died after their hospital drips were allegedly contaminated. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Murder charge after hospital deaths BBC News