Thursday 3 April 2014

Update: man charged with Kettering General Hospital robberies

Update: man charged with Kettering General Hospital robberies A man has been charged with a series of offences in connection with two robberies in Kettering General Hospital’s car park. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Independent commission calls for a new settlement for health and social care

Independent commission calls for a new settlement for health and social care The health and social care systems are no longer fit for purpose, an independent commission established by The King's Fund has concluded. The time has come, it says, for 'a new settlement' to meet the needs of 21st century patients and service users.

The interim report from the five-strong commission, chaired by Kate Barker, says that England should move towards a single, ring-fenced budget for health and social care, with services singly commissioned and entitlements more closely aligned. With the NHS and social care now under significant financial strain, the report presents hard choices about how to pay for fairer entitlements and ensure adequate funding to meet future needs. The King's Fund

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Think autism: fulfilling and rewarding lives, the strategy for adults with autism in England: an update

Think autism: fulfilling and rewarding lives, the strategy for adults with autism in England: an update This document aims to set out a clear programme that the Department of Health and other government departments will be taking to improve the lives of people with autism, primarily through taking actions that will support local authorities, the NHS, other public services and their partners with their local implementation work. It has a new focus on building communities that are more aware of and accessible to the needs of people with autism. Department of Health

School nursing: public health services guidance

School nursing: public health services guidance It also explains how local school nursing services can be used and improved to meet local needs. Department of Health

Guidance: Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: Supreme Court Judgments

Guidance: Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: Supreme Court Judgments This note sets out how health and social care organisations can continue to act within the law following the revised test about the meaning of a deprivation of liberty which has now been supplied by the Supreme Court.

The contents of this note are specifically addressed to all those who are:
  • involved in the assessment and/or authorisation of a deprivation of liberty
  • involved in the care of individuals who may lack capacity
  • responsible for policies and procedures relating to the care of individuals who may lack capacity
Department of Health

NHS staff face ban for poor English

NHS staff face ban for poor English NHS regulators will be able to discipline or strike off doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who are not able to communicate clearly in English under new plans. BBC News

Funding for general practice set to plummet by fifth by 2017, while patient consultations to increase by 69m

Funding for general practice set to plummet by fifth by 2017, while patient consultations to increase by 69m
The study, conducted by Deloitte, shows that if current trends continue, funding for general practice across the UK will fall to a record low of just 7.29% of the NHS budget by 2017/18 – down from 8.39% in 2012/13.

Meanwhile, the number of patient consultations in England is estimated to rise to a high of 409m – up from 340m in 2012/13. In 2008/09 the number of consultations stood at nearly 304m.

The number of consultations in general practice has increased as the population has increased in size, grown older, and more and more people have multiple-conditions. However, the share of funding spent on general practice has been falling since 2005/6.

The new Deloitte report into the future funding gap is due to be unveiled officially at an event in the House of Commons tonight.

A debate around how hospitals use data is needed

A debate around how hospitals use data is needed Reliability of information about standards of NHS care has been called into question after accusations of 'fiddling' death rates

A report this week from Dr Foster highlighted the dramatic rise in the number of patients recorded as being in hospital for palliative care over recent years. The report pointed out that these shifts had an impact on the reliability of mortality measurement since patients who come into hospital for palliative care are expected to die unlike those brought in for treatment. The point of the report was to draw attention to the fact that, because of the rules about coding of hospital data, patients admitted for treatment who die in hospital can be recorded in the same way as patients admitted for palliative care.

This is a problem because it affects the reliability of the information we have about the standards of care in the NHS. If the data we use to judge where services are working and where they are not gets corrupted, we need to fix it. How we do that should be the focus of any debate on the issue. The Guardian

Alder Hey's high-risk rating ‘has cost hospital millions’ and angered its bosses

Alder Hey's high-risk rating ‘has cost hospital millions’ and angered its bosses

A furious row over millions in lost donations and a PR “disaster” has erupted between Alder Hey Children's Hospital and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), after a damning risk rating angered hospital bosses. The Independent

Has the Minister for Magic Jeremy Hunt gone too far?

Has the Minister for Magic Jeremy Hunt gone too far? Jeremy Hunt says traditional Chinese medicine should be available on the NHS, says Victoria Lambert. The Daily Telegraph

Saharan dust and pollution: confusion over health risk from smog cloud

Saharan dust and pollution: confusion over health risk from smog cloud School pupils kept indoors amid fears over air pollution as Government advisers insist no health risk to vast majority of people. The Daily Telegraph

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