Thursday 4 September 2014

Care home in Northampton put elderly people at risk through lack of information about staff

Care home in Northampton put elderly people at risk through lack of information about staff A care home in Northampton was deemed to be providing “a serious risk that people would be harmed” because it could not prove who worked there, inspectors have said. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A new settlement for health and social care Final report

A new settlement for health and social care Final report This is the final report from the independent Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England. In it, the commission discusses the need for a new settlement for health and social care to provide a simpler pathway through the current maze of entitlements. The commission, chaired by Kate Barker, proposes a new approach that redesigns care around individual needs regardless of diagnosis, with a graduated increase in support as needs rise, particularly towards the end of life. The commission has concluded that this vision for a health and care system fit for the 21st century is affordable and sustainable if a phased approach is taken and hard choices are taken about taxation. The King's Fund

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NHS Pension Scheme: Comparison of the new and existing schemes

NHS Pension Scheme: Comparison of the new and existing schemes Read more about a comparison of the benefits and features from the current NHS Pension Scheme and the new 2015 NHS Pension Scheme. NHS Employers

Four jailed over £1.1m Basildon Hospital scam

Four jailed over £1.1m Basildon Hospital scam Four health experts who executed a "well-planned" fraud at a hospital they nicknamed "Bas Vegas" have been jailed. The group billed the NHS £1.1m for their firm's heart and lung services but only worked half their contracted hours at Basildon Hospital. BBC News

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Ebola death toll exceeds 1,900

Ebola death toll exceeds 1,900 More than 1,900 people have now died in West Africa's Ebola outbreak, 40% of them in the past three weeks, the World Health Organization says. BBC News

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Lumpectomy 'as effective as double mastectomy'

Lumpectomy 'as effective as double mastectomy' “Double mastectomy for breast cancer 'does not boost survival chances' – when compared to breast-conserving surgery," The Guardian reports.

The news is based on the results of a large US cohort study of women with early stage breast cancer in one breast.

It found that the 10-year mortality benefit associated with bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) was the same as breast-conserving surgery (also known as lumpectomy, where the cancer and a border of healthy tissue is removed) plus radiotherapy.

Unilateral mastectomy (removal of the affected breast) was associated with a slightly increased risk of 10-year mortality, although the absolute difference was only 4%.

In the UK, bilateral mastectomy may be recommended for women at high risk of breast cancer due to family history, or because of a gene mutation (for example mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes). A bilateral mastectomy can then be followed by breast reconstruction surgery, restoring the original look of the breasts.

Disadvantages of a bilateral mastectomy compared to a lumpectomy include a longer recovery time and a higher risk of complications.

This study suggests that bilateral mastectomy may not be associated with any significant survival benefit over breast conserving therapy plus radiotherapy for most women.

Gay people report worse experiences with GPs

Gay people report worse experiences with GPs Study finds gay, lesbian and bisexual people are more likely to report communication problems and have less trust in their GP

Gay people are less likely to have a positive experience with their family doctor than their heterosexual peers, researchers have found. Lesbian, gay or bisexual people are up to 50% more likely than heterosexuals to report negative experiences with the GP services.

They are more likely to identify problems with communication with medics at their local practice, have less trust and confidence in their family doctor and have a worse level of overall satisfaction with services, the study found. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Could community services be the Lidl of the NHS?

Could community services be the Lidl of the NHS? As hospitals become more complex, we may see smaller local organisations stepping in to provide crucial services to the public

Is it time to revive community health services?

Youd be forgiven for thinking that when innovative new services and products reach the market and cause established household names to fall by the wayside, its simply a matter of consumer choice. But there is an observable science to what happens.

All innovations, whether in the shops where we choose to buy our weeks food, or the airlines we fly with, or in services we use, fall into two distinct categories: they are either sustaining or disruptive. Continue reading... The Guardian

Elderly spend weeks too long in hospitals due to lack of housing, Age UK warns

Elderly spend weeks too long in hospitals due to lack of housing, Age UK warns Vulnerable elderly patients are waiting weeks in hospital, costing the NHS millions of pounds, because of a lack of suitable housing, Age UK has warned. The Independent

Tens of thousands of patients given drugs they're known to be allergic to each year

Tens of thousands of patients given drugs they're known to be allergic to each year Thousands of patients have been put at “serious risk of harm” after being given drugs to which they were known to be allergic, the medicines watchdog has warned. The Independent