Five NHS falls deaths in Northamptonshire in less than a year

Five NHS falls deaths in Northamptonshire in less than a year The NHS trust responsible for Northamptonshire mental health has seen five deaths of patients from falls in 10 months. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Delivering innovations in the care of older people: an opportunity to brag, steal, learn and deliver?

Delivering innovations in the care of older people: an opportunity to brag, steal, learn and deliver? Older people, especially those who are frail or live with dementia or complex chronic conditions, are becoming the ‘core business’ of health and social care. This trend will only increase: by 2030, one in five people in England will be over 65, and those over 80 are the fastest growing demographic. Living longer is a cause for celebration, but it can present challenges for the health and social care system.

Our recent paper, Making our health and care systems fit for an ageing population, set out a framework and tools to help local service leaders improve the care they provide for older people across nine key components.

Guidance for taking responsibility: accountable clinicians and informed patients

Guidance for taking responsibility: accountable clinicians and informed patients Following recommendations in the Francis Inquiry report that there is a need for a named accountable clinician for a patient's care whilst in hospital, AoMRC was asked by the Secretary of State to see how this could be taken forward. This guidance was developed following discussion and consultation with medical royal colleges, regulatory bodies and professional bodies. Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

Older HIV patients 'need support'

Older HIV patients 'need support' The "silent generation" of around 25,000 older people with HIV need better support to keep them well, nurses say. BBC News

See also:

• Britons with HIV need more 'medical, emotional and financial support,' says RCN The Independent

NHS scan and test delays 'worrying'

NHS scan and test delays 'worrying' Health charities call for urgent action to tackle delays in access to diagnostic tests in England, although NHS England says most patients are investigated promptly. BBC News

Hip replacement cement linked with deaths

Hip replacement cement linked with deaths "Toxic NHS hip implants blamed for more than 40 deaths," The Daily Telegraph reports. Other media sources similarly report how surgical "cement" used in some hip replacements has been linked to the deaths.

This news is based on a study looking at risk of death or severe harm associated with partial hip replacements involving cement for people with a fracture at the top of the thigh bone (fractured neck of femur).

The practice of using cement to attach the replacement "ball" joint to the "socket" is a clinical decision made by surgeons based on their experience and the patient's characteristics.

In 2009, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) alerted health professionals to the risk of bone cement implantation syndrome (BCIS), which can happen when cement is used.

Change service provision to guarantee quality, small district general hospitals urged

Change service provision to guarantee quality, small district general hospitals urged These hospitals can ‘survive and thrive’ but performance has dipped over past two years, says Monitor. OnMedica

GP numbers tumble in England as recruitment crisis bites

GP numbers tumble in England as recruitment crisis bites Take-up of family doctor training is at its lowest level since 2007, sparking fears there may soon be not enough GPs to cope

The government is facing a GP recruitment crisis with new figures showing a fall in the number of family doctors since the coalition came to power amid warnings that the take-up of training places is the worst since 2007.

Official data analysed by the House of Commons Library shows that at a time of ever increasing demand for their services, the number of GPs has dropped by 356 compared with its level in 2009/10. The proportion of family doctors serving every 100,000 people has also dropped, from 70 in 2009/10 to 66.5 now. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Patient care at risk as third of GP training posts unfilled in parts of England GP Online

NHS bosses’ pay rises four times faster than nurses’

NHS bosses’ pay rises four times faster than nurses’ Pay and rewards for NHS managers have risen at four times the rate of nurses’ salaries in the past two years, a new report has revealed, as frontline staff accused the Government of “double standards” over pay. The Independent

See also:

• ‘All in it together? The Executive pay bill in England’s NHS’ Royal College of Nursing
• Nurses' anger over 'unfair' pay deal BBC News
• NHS chiefs' pay rises condemned as 'double standards' by nurses The Guardian

Exclusive: NHS crisis looms as A&Es miss waiting time targets

Exclusive: NHS crisis looms as A&Es miss waiting time targets
Accident and emergency departments in England have experienced an unprecedented “spring crisis”, missing a key performance target for five weeks in a row and leaving 20,000 patients waiting for four hours or more in the first week of June alone. The Independent

See also:

• A&E targets missed for fifth straight week The Daily Telegraph

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally Despite having the most expensive health care system, the United States ranks last overall among 11 industrialized countries on measures of health system quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and healthy lives, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The UK comes out first overall.