It's time to end top-down reform of the NHS

It's time to end top-down reform of the NHS Politicians’ role in the running of the National Health Service (NHS) needs to be better defined to counter interventionist and centralising tendencies that have hampered effective reform to date, says a new report published today by The King’s Fund.

The report, Reforming the NHS from within: beyond hierarchy, inspection and markets, argues that a new political settlement is needed that clarifies the strategic role of ministers in determining funding, establishing priorities and providing accountability to Parliament, and leaves local NHS leaders with the space to innovate and lead service change. This settlement should reflect lessons learnt from the experience of the present government’s health reforms, which have failed to distance ministers from the operational management of the NHS as originally intended.

Valuing every voice, respecting every right: making the case for the Mental Capacity Act

Valuing every voice, respecting every right: making the case for the Mental Capacity Act The government has closely considered the 39 recommendations of the House of Lords. It has also reviewed inputs and insights received from our discussions with a wide range of stakeholders. This response sets out a system-wide programme of work over 2014 to 2015 and beyond that we believe will make a real improvement to the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act. Department of Health

Functions of the local public health system

Functions of the local public health system This document sets out the public health functions of local authorities in England and is intended to replace the draft minimum standards for public health teams published by FPH in November 2013. UK Faculty of Public Health

The Bradley Report five years on

The Bradley Report five years on The Bradley Report was a six-month independent commission which reviewed the extent to which offenders with mental health problems or learning disabilities could be diverted from prison.

This report looks at what has happened in the five years since the Bradley Report was published. It finds that there has been concerted action to improve support for people with mental health problems and those with learning difficulties in the criminal justice system, but this will need to be sustained for at least another five years to put the vision into practice nationwide. Centre for Mental Health

• Report
• The Bradley Report

Don't extend statin use, say doctors

Don't extend statin use, say doctors Proposals to extend the use of statins should be scrapped, according to a group of leading doctors and academics. BBC News

See also:

• NICE responds to criticisms of its draft guidance on statins NICE
• VIDEO: Doctors urge caution on statin use BBC News
• Giving statins to millions more 'could be a disaster': Leading doctors say decision to give drugs to healthy Britons could cause harm Daily Mail
• Statins for people at low risk of heart disease needs rethink, say top doctors The Guardian
• Leading doctors warn guidance on statins could do more harm than good The Independent
• New NHS statins guidance 'risks harming patients' The Daily Telegraph

Mind the gap

Mind the gap This year’s NHS Confederation conference heard from lots of people with big ideas, all of which will be heavily dependent on technology. But will they arrive in time to address the NHS’ pressing problems? E-Health Insider

One in three adults in England 'has prediabetes'

One in three adults in England 'has prediabetes' "One in three adults in England 'on cusp' of diabetes," BBC News and others report. The media reports are based on a study that estimated that 35.3% of adults in the UK now have prediabetes (also known as borderline diabetes).

Prediabetes is where blood sugar levels are abnormally high, but lower than the threshold for diagnosing diabetes. It is estimated that around 5-10% of people with prediabetes will go on to progress to "full-blown" type 2 diabetes in any given years.

Researchers analysed information from the Health Survey for England (HSE). This is a survey that combines questionnaire-based answers with physical measurements and the analysis of blood samples from a representative sample of the English population.

This study found that there has been a significant increase between 2003 and 2011 in the proportion of people aged 16 or older with prediabetes, from 11.6% in 2003 to 35.3% in 2013.

Known risk factors, confirmed in this study, include age (40 and above), body mass index (25 and above), being of south Asian ethnicity, and having high blood pressure.

Too few people chronically infected with HCV getting treated

Too few people chronically infected with HCV getting treated ‘Unacceptable’ levels of care spell large toll of end stage liver disease and liver cancer, and NHS costs, warns PHE. OnMedica

Social care problems lead to hospital bed blocking, says Age UK

Social care problems lead to hospital bed blocking, says Age UK Pressure grows because budgets have been cut, so expensive NHS resources are being wasted, the charity says

Almost 2m bed days in hospitals have been wasted since 2010 because deepening problems in social care mean patients cannot be discharged, according to new research.

Some elderly patients are being trapped in hospital for up to 30 days a day longer than four years ago, on average while waiting to be transferred to a residential home, despite being fit to leave. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS facing summer crisis as A&E performance deteriorates, says Labour

NHS facing summer crisis as A&E performance deteriorates, says Labour Opposition says hospitals having to cope with unexpected rise in patients raising questions about inadequate GP services

An unexpected summer crisis is developing in the NHS, with performance in accident and emergency departments deteriorating, bucking the normal trend of waiting times being worse in winter than summer, according to the Labour party.

The figures show a record number of patients attending hospital A&E departments in any one week and a record number then admitted to hospital wards. The figures show a total of 296,667 going to A&E in the last week of May, again raising questions about the adequacy of GP services. Of these 77,745 were admitted to hospital. Continue reading... The Guardian

World Cup pub hours ‘are not sensible for A&E’

World Cup pub hours ‘are not sensible for A&E’ Extending pub opening hours for England’s World Cup games will be “unwelcome” for A&E departments and sets a worrying precedent for future sporting events, the country’s leading emergency doctor has said. The Independent

See also:

• World Cup alcohol licensing extension criticised The Daily Telegraph