Wednesday 25 June 2014

Investigation into deaths of five residents at Northampton care home to be reopened by police

Investigation into deaths of five residents at Northampton care home to be reopened by police

The investigation into the deaths of five residents of a former Northampton care home is to be reopened by Northamptonshire Police. Chronicle & Echo

Sir Robert Francis review of whistleblowing processes

Sir Robert Francis review of whistleblowing processes

It has been announced that Sir Robert Francis will lead a review of whistleblowing processes in the NHS. NHS Employers

Press release: NHS rated on open and honest reporting culture in world leading transparency drive

Press release: NHS rated on open and honest reporting culture in world leading transparency drive

Unprecedented hospital data release aims to ensure NHS remains a world leader on safety

New safety drive with ambition to save up to 6,000 lives and halve avoidable harm

New data published today will for the first time allow the public the opportunity to compare key safety measures across hundreds of NHS Trusts in England.

It shows that the vast majority of NHS hospitals are rated as “good” or “ok” for their reporting culture. However, around one in five acute trusts, or 20 per cent have been rated as “poor” for open and honest reporting, underlining the need to support NHS staff to report and raise safety concerns.

Sign up to Safety

Sign up to Safety

Today, the Secretary of State for Health launched a new campaign to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world, building on the recommendations of the Berwick Advisory Group. The campaign has set out a three-year shared objective to save 6,000 lives and halve avoidable harm as part of our journey towards ensuring patients get harm free care every time, everywhere.

The Sign up to Safety campaign is for everyone in the NHS. It will generate a movement which places the safety of patients as a top priority in everything the NHS does. NHS England, Department of Health, Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, NHS Litigation Authority and CQC have all agreed to sign up to safety and have made a commitment to align their organisations’ work with the campaign, which will be led by Sir David Dalton, Chief Executive of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. NHS Commissioning

For more information visit the Sign up to Safety website.

Spike in whooping cough cases lead to vaccination fears

Spike in whooping cough cases lead to vaccination fears

One in five children who see a doctor with a persistent cough may have the rare and dangerous condition whooping cough, new research indicates. The Independent

Doctors face new language checks

Doctors face new language checks

New powers allowing the medical regulator to check doctors' English language skills come into force, in a move hailed as an "important milestone". BBC News - Health

Tackling health inequalities: the case for investment in the wider public health workforce

Tackling health inequalities: the case for investment in the wider public health workforce


Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) -
This report calls for greater investment and better understanding of the impact of the wider public health workforce - people who are not professionally qualified public health practitioners, but have the ability or opportunity to positively impact public health in their community. This includes health trainers, health champions, and non-health professionals. It argues that this “wider workforce” could be instrumental in reducing the burden of health inequalities – the financial cost of which was last estimated at close to £60bn.  Kings Fund Blog
Report
Press release

Phones carry bacterial 'fingerprint'

Phones carry bacterial 'fingerprint'

More than 80% of the most common bacteria present on fingers end up on the screens of smartphones, according to a study. BBC News - Health

New 3D breast screening increases cancer detection by 41%

New 3D breast screening increases cancer detection by 41%

Pennsylvania scientists found the scan, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis, also led to a 15 per cent drop in patients being unnecessarily recalled due to false alarms. Mail online

Ibuprofen could prevent premature ageing by combating arthritis, study shows

Ibuprofen could prevent premature ageing by combating arthritis, study shows

Ibuprofen, taken by millions of Britons every day to treat headaches, could be a cheap and simple antidote to the toxic effects of chronic inflammation, scientists say. Daily Telegraph

Royal Colleges join forces to call for more action on mental health, making a commitment to what the two Colleges themselves will do

Royal Colleges join forces to call for more action on mental health, making a commitment to what the two Colleges themselves will do
In a new joint statement published today, the two Colleges set out how they will work together to improve the physical health of patients with mental health problems, including calling for rebalanced of NHS resources to support better care in the community for people with mental health problems.

There is strong evidence that people with serious mental health problems are more likely to suffer from physical health problems, including diabetes, coronary heart disease and respiratory disease.

In addition, people with serious mental health problems die on average 15-20 years earlier than the rest of the population, with over 33,000 dying prematurely every year

The RCGP and RCPsych are united in their determination that patients should benefit from:
More time to discuss, plan and manage their long-term care in consultation with GPs, psychiatrists and other health professionals in the community.
Services which are better coordinated with one another, and around patients’ lives, with health professionals from different disciplines – including GPs and psychiatrists – given the time and resources to develop more effective ways of working together.
Better continuity of care, with patients able to see members of the same team if they wish.
More care delivered closer to home outside hospitals, and expanded outreach services to those who need it.

UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) strategy 2013-2018: measuring success

UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) strategy 2013-2018: measuring success


This guidance outlines measures agreed by the UK antimicrobial resistance strategy High Level Steering Group, based on advice from expert scientific advisory committees including the Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (ARHAI). It covers 4 areas: trends in resistance; quality of prescribing in primary and secondary healthcare settings; public and professional knowledge and understanding of antimicrobials and their appropriate use; and global security through ensuring global alignment in addressing AMR. It is aimed at clinical professionals, NHS managers, primary and secondary care prescribers,stakeholders and healthcare workers. Department of Health
Guidance
DH - publications

Patient safety alert on risk of harm relating to interpretation and action on PCR results in pregnant women

Patient safety alert on risk of harm relating to interpretation and action on PCR results in pregnant women


A patient safety alert has been issued by NHS England on the risk of harm relating to interpretation and action on Protein Creatinine Ratio (PCR) results in pregnant women. The alert has been issued to all NHS services involved in ordering, processing, issuing and receiving urinary protein measurements in pregnancy. NHS Commissioning 
Read the full patient safety alert

Going with change: allowing new models of health care to be provided for NHS patients

Going with change: allowing new models of health care to be provided for NHS patients

This report uses examples from retail and manufacturing to illustrate how NHS hospitals and GP practices will operate in the next decade. NHS Networks

GPs' surgeries 'at risk of closure'

GPs' surgeries 'at risk of closure'

Thousands of patients could be left without a local GP as surgeries face closure due to a finding crisis, doctors warn. Daily Telegraph

NHS England publishes staffing data

NHS England publishes staffing data


The NHS take another step forward in its commitment to openness and transparency today as nurse, midwife and care staffing data down to ward level is published for the first time.

The information is available in one place on a new safety section on NHS choices alongside a range of other information including safety reporting, infection control, blood clots, pressure ulcers and patient and staff feedback.

Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England, has also posted a blog on how providing accessible and meaningful information about our local health services is establishing the NHS as a global leader in openness and transparency and helping to inform the public and drive improvements. NHS Commissioning
Now read Jane Cummings’ blog
Also see: www.nhs.uk/safety