Wednesday 16 July 2014

School nurse numbers set to increase in Northamptonshire

School nurse numbers set to increase in Northamptonshire

A new focus on school nursing in Northamptonshire is set to see the number of school nurses increase over the next five years. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

NHS Employers responds to NICE on safe staffing

NHS Employers responds to NICE on safe staffing

The NHS Employers organisation responds to the final advice on safe staffing in nursing issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today (15 July).

NHS emergency services 'overwhelmed', senior doctors say

NHS emergency services 'overwhelmed', senior doctors say
The pressure on hospitals must be relieved with radical changes to the way services are run, a report by the College of Emergency Medicine urges. Telegraph

National group to look at healthcare for people with learning disabilities

National group to look at healthcare for people with learning disabilities

The group will include healthcare, charity and voluntary sectors, as well as with people with learning disabilities and their families. It aims to design more innovative and integrated local commissioning of healthcare and housing to best support people with learning disabilities at home and in their communities, reducing reliance on hospital care. NHS Networks

Failing care homes face new measures

Failing care homes face new measures

A system of special measures designed to improve failing hospitals in England is to be extended to care homes, the government is expected to announce. BBC News

Open consultation: Proposals to make private vehicles smokefree when carrying children

Open consultation: Proposals to make private vehicles smokefree when carrying children

The Children and Families Act 2014 gave the Secretary of State for Health the power to legislate against smoking in vehicles to protect children’s health.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on draft regulations that would prohibit smoking in private vehicles carrying children. The draft regulations explain how the ban would work in practice.

Alongside the consultation, we have also published an Impact Assessment and Equality Analysis.

Department of Health

Childhood abuse and adverse life events interact synergistically to produce a high risk for psychotic experiences

Childhood abuse and adverse life events interact synergistically to produce a high risk for psychotic experiences

This recent study concludes that childhood abuse creates an enduring vulnerability to psychosis that is realised in the event of exposure to further stressors and risk factors, such as separation, bereavement, or being involved in an accident or physical attack. The Mental Elf

Childhood flu immunisation: information for parents and schools

Childhood flu immunisation: information for parents and schools
The geographical pilots for primary school aged children established in 2013 to 2014 will continue and there will be a number of additional pilots for children in secondary school years 7 and 8 (aged around 11 to 13 years). NHS Networks

Husband, partner, dad, son, carer?

Husband, partner, dad, son, carer?


Carers Trust - This report looked at the experiences and needs of male carers and highlights the need for support for informal carers. Over half (53%) of the male carers surveyed felt that their needs were different to those of female carers, many citing that men find it harder to ask for help and support and that balancing work and caring is challenging, particularly if they are the main earner. NHS Evidence
Report
Summary
Press release

Enable more NHS organisations to become mutuals and devolve decision-making, says independent review

Enable more NHS organisations to become mutuals and devolve decision-making, says independent review

An independent review for the government has concluded that more NHS organisations should be encouraged to become public service mutuals.

The review, led by Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, found compelling evidence that NHS organisations with high levels of staff engagement – where staff are strongly committed to their work and involved in decision-making – deliver better quality care. Organisations with high levels of staff engagement report:
lower mortality rates
better patient experience
lower rates of sickness absence and staff turnover.

Organisations with low levels of staff engagement are more likely to provide poor-quality care – the failures in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust are one high-profile example of this.

While staff engagement levels have increased across the NHS in recent years, the review found significant variations between organisations. It calls on all NHS organisations to make staff engagement a key priority in order to improve care at a time of unprecedented financial and service pressures.

Chlamydia screening and condom schemes promote safer sex among young

Chlamydia screening and condom schemes promote safer sex among young

After testing for chlamydia, 62% of respondents to an anonymous web survey reported they were more likely to use condoms with a new partner and 66% reported they were more likely to test for chlamydia again. NHS Networks

Housing associations and the NHS: new thinking, new partnerships

Housing associations and the NHS: new thinking, new partnerships

The Smith Institute - The treatment and care of more people in their own communities and the provision of more support to allow them to stay in their own homes or in specially designed accommodation is vital if our society is to cope with an ageing population and the growing number of people with multiple long-term conditions. Furthermore, given the increase in demand and the consequential rise in healthcare costs, it is essential to secure efficiency savings and productivity improvements wherever possible. Much greater integration of health and housing is widely seen as one way of meeting these challenges. The report provides a snapshot of current thinking around some elements of the agenda, including using surplus NHS land to improve clinical outcomes. The report aims to stimulate a debate across both disciplines and help shape the policy response.

BMA calls for better GP premises

BMA calls for better GP premises


The minister met doctors at the BMA’s London headquarters earlier this month, as a new BMAsurvey revealed the scale of GP concerns about their premises.

Nearly half the UK’s GP practices responded to the BMA survey, which found doctors struggling to provide essential services in buildings that are cramped and outdated. NHS Networks