Tuesday 9 September 2014

£30 million scheme will improve service for X-ray patients at Kettering General Hospital

£30 million scheme will improve service for X-ray patients at Kettering General Hospital

Patients at Kettering General Hospital are set to benefit from improved X-ray and other medical image provision thanks to a new £30 million scheme being used by hospitals in the area. Northampton Evening Telegraph

Research and analysis: Chief Medical Officer (CMO) annual report: public mental health

Research and analysis: Chief Medical Officer (CMO) annual report: public mental health

This report looks at the epidemiology of public mental health, the quality of evidence, possible future innovations in science and technology, and the economic case for good mental health.

It also outlines the importance of both treating mental health as equal to physical health and of focusing on the needs and safety of people with mental illness.

Highlights from the report include:
mental health is just as important as physical health, mental health services need to be valued and the scale of the burden of disease caused by mental illness needs to be acknowledged
more needs to be done to help people with mental illness stay in work, as since 2009, the number of working days lost to ‘stress, depression and anxiety’ has increased by 24% and the number lost to serious mental illness has doubled
there have been some very interesting technological innovations in mental healthcare and our understanding of the causes and development of mental illness is increasing through techniques such as neuroimaging, neuropsychology, genetics and blood-based biomarkers
Department of Health

A Comparison of How Four Countries Use Health IT to Support Care for People with Chronic Conditions

A Comparison of How Four Countries Use Health IT to Support Care for People with Chronic Conditions

A comparative analysis of how four high-income nations—Australia, Canada, Denmark, and the United States—are using health information and communications technologies (ICTs) to manage care for chronically ill patients identified four key themes. Commonwealth Fund

Plan to use apps/social media for drug safety information

Plan to use apps/social media for drug safety information

MHRA heads development to use new tech for drug safety. OnMedica

Older patients at risk because drugs are tested on the young 

Older patients at risk because drugs are tested on the young 

When it comes to anyone much older than 65, doctors have little evidence to tell them what drug or treatment works. One in six people over 65 takes ten or more medicines. Daily Mail

October release for NIB strategy

October release for NIB strategy

The National Information Board is set to release its new informatics strategy in October, outlining a ten-year plan for how to make the most of data and technology in healthcare. EHI News

Integrated Care Experiences and Outcomes in Germany, the Netherlands, and England

Integrated Care Experiences and Outcomes in Germany, the Netherlands, and England

In this study, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers evaluated three new integrated delivery networks in Germany, the Netherlands, and England. Commonwealth Fund

Weekend staff shortages are the fatal flaw at the heart of the NHS

Weekend staff shortages are the fatal flaw at the heart of the NHS


In our new blog, NHS staff will be talking about the issues that affect their working lives. In this post, a hospital doctor admits that were a long way from true seven-day care
We bean counters need to speak out about NHS cuts


Ive worked enough hospital shifts to know the reality of the NHS on the wrong side of the clock. At night and during the weekend, sometimes only a handful of doctors are responsible for hundreds of patients.

This is the fatal flaw at the heart of our health service, and it is catching up with us. No amount of hard graft or good intentions can make up for the wrong amount of the right people. Guardian

Continue reading...

Measuring up? The health of NHS cancer services

Measuring up? The health of NHS cancer services


This report highlights key concerns regarding the pressures on NHS cancer services following the NHS reorganisation and the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It calls for urgent action to increase investment, particularly in diagnostic services, and also highlights the need to review both the leadership and commissioning of cancer services so they are fit to meet the looming demands of an ageing population and the predicted rapid increase in cancer cases. Cancer Research UK
Report
Press release

Why you really do need to wash your hands at work: Infections can spread from an office door handle to half the workforce in just two...

Why you really do need to wash your hands at work: Infections can spread from an office door handle to half the workforce in just two...

Touching lift buttons and keyboards were among fastest ways to spread the bug. Disinfectant wipes and regularly washing hands were best way to kill germs, study found. Daily Mail