Safe staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals

Safe staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals This guideline covers safe staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals. It recommends a systematic approach at ward level to ensure that patients receive the nursing care they need, regardless of the ward to which they are allocated, the time of the day, or the day of the week.

The guideline identifies organisational and managerial factors that are required to support safe staffing for nursing, and makes recommendations for monitoring and taking action if there are not enough nursing staff available to meet the nursing needs of patients on the ward. NICE

See also:

• NICE unveils safe staffing plans for nursing care in wards NICE
• NHS gets safe nurse staffing rules BBC News
• Patient power 'to raise the red flag on poor care' The Daily Telegraph
• Hospital red flag events should prompt staffing action, says Nice The Guardian

Preventing dementia: a provocation

Preventing dementia: a provocation This report highlights how we can do more to prevent dementia, save lives and reduce avoidable costs. It explores potential savings to the state if we were able to intervene successfully on the risk factors that cause dementia - these include physical activity, smoking, obesity and depression. International Longevity Centre - UK

Personalisation for people from black and minority ethnic groups

Personalisation for people from black and minority ethnic groups This briefing looks at how personalisation can increase access to healthcare for people from black and minority ethnic communities, but also considers some of the challenges that it may bring. Race Equality Foundation

Central funding of NHSmail SMS to end

Central funding of NHSmail SMS to end Plans to end central funding of email-to-SMS services for NHSmail2 will "go down like a lead balloon" with GPs, a primary care leader has warned. E-Health Insider

'Exercise may help prevent Alzheimer's disease'

'Exercise may help prevent Alzheimer's disease' "Cut Alzheimer's risk by walking," the Daily Mail recommends. This advice is prompted by a statistical modelling study looking at population attributable risks (PARS) – factors known to influence the prevalence of a disease, such as Alzheimer's, at a population level.

The seven risk factors researchers looked at included diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, obesity, depression and low educational level. In theory, some cases of Alzheimer's disease might be prevented by reducing these risk factors.

For example, the study estimated physical inactivity accounted for 21.8% of the risk of developing Alzheimer's in the UK. Another way of saying this is that if nobody was inactive, the risk of Alzheimer's in the UK population could reduce by 21.8%.

But this is only a theory that applies to an entire population, not individuals. We cannot say for sure that living a healthier life will definitely prevent Alzheimer's disease.

NHS England to monitor effectiveness of CCGs' telehealth schemes

NHS England to monitor effectiveness of CCGs' telehealth schemes NHS England plans to measure the impact of telehealth and telecare services on patients' health to encourage CCGs to commission the technologies, a minister has revealed. GP Online

Patients denied vital operations by NHS bodies, surgeons report

Patients denied vital operations by NHS bodies, surgeons report Inquiry finds that 44% of commissioning groups require patients to be in various degrees of pain and immobility before surgery.

Patients are being denied access to vital surgery by NHS bodies, which are ignoring guidelines and choosing to ration some operations, according to an investigation by the Royal College of Surgeons. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Many CCGs are ignoring clinical evidence in their surgical commissioning policies Royal College of Surgeons
• Is Access to Surgery a Postcode Lottery?  (Report) Royal College of Surgeons

Dozens of NHS executives face tax inquiry into off-payroll earnings

Dozens of NHS executives face tax inquiry into off-payroll earnings Dozens of NHS executives face an HMRC inquiry into their tax affairs, Treasury discloses, after refusing to give assurances over use of personal companies. The Daily Telegraph

New government policy for the NHS could allow doctors and nurses to ‘own’ hospitals

New government policy for the NHS could allow doctors and nurses to ‘own’ hospitals Ministers are drawing up plans to allow doctors and nurses to own and run the hospitals they work in as part of a radical blueprint to change the way the NHS is run. The Independent

See also:

• Enable more NHS organisations to become mutuals and devolve decision-making, says independent review The King's Fund
• Improving NHS care by engaging staff and devolving decision-making (report) The King's Fund

Foreign patients will face extra costs for treatment in the latest Government crackdown on health tourism

Foreign patients will face extra costs for treatment in the latest Government crackdown on health tourism Foreign patients using the NHS face are being charged far more than their treatment actually costs, in a new crackdown by the Government on health tourism. The Independent

See also:

• Visitor & migrant NHS cost recovery programme implementation plan 2014–16 Department of Health
• Migrants to pay more to use NHS BBC News
• NHS to charge non-EU patients 150% of cost of treatment The Guardian
• NHS tourists to be charged a premium for healthcare OnMedica