Thursday, 2 October 2014

New chairman for East Midlands Ambulance Service

New chairman for East Midlands Ambulance Service The East Midlands Ambulance Service has appointed a new chair, Pauline Tagg, a former nurse and midwife, who will take over the role until the end of September 2016. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Child Sexual Exploitation Improving Recognition and Response in Health Settings

Child Sexual Exploitation Improving Recognition and Response in Health Settings New guidance to doctors and other health professionals designed to help them spot the possible warning signs of child sexual exploitation and refer those concerns to helping services quickly and effectively.

The new report, which has been drafted by a range of medical, health, academic and third sector groups, sets out a series of recommendations aimed at improving clinicians’ awareness of the issue. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

Focus on: allied health professionals (AHPs) - can we measure quality of care?

Focus on: allied health professionals (AHPs) - can we measure quality of care? This report reveals that AHPs are a growing part of the NHS workforce, accounting for over £2bn of the salary bill, yet there is little data on the contribution they make to the quality of patient care. It examines the role of AHPs in the NHS, private and voluntary sector and finds that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of AHPs, with numbers of registered practitioners rising by 53% since 2002, and NHS-based practitioners rising by a third. Quality Watch

Black and dangerous? Listening to patients' experiences of mental health in London

Black and dangerous? Listening to patients' experiences of mental health in London Why are black people with mental health problems still more likely than whites to be heavily medicated, restrained and detained against their will? Open Democracy

Over 500 GP practices 'risk closure'

Ambulance staff vote for strike

Ambulance staff vote for strike Ambulance staff and other health workers in the GMB union have voted in favour of strike action in a row over pay. BBC News

UK funds Ebola clinics in S Leone

UK funds Ebola clinics in S Leone Pilot triage clinics are being funded to help tackle the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, UK officials say. BBC News

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Minimum alcohol pricing would 'save 100s of lives'

Minimum alcohol pricing would 'save 100s of lives' “Hundreds of lives lost' over failure to bring in minimum alcohol pricing,” The Independent reports.

The news is based on research that modelled the effect of a minimum alcohol price per unit of around 40-50p. It suggested that this would be 50 times more effective than the current ban on "below-cost sales" (where alcohol is sold at a loss to attract sales of other goods).

The statistical analyses conducted in this study were based on a number of well-respected data sets, such Hospital Episodes Statistics from 2005 to 2006, showing alcohol-related admissions to hospital.

The model estimated that a minimum cost of 45p per unit of alcohol would affect 23.2% of alcohol units sold, compared to just 0.7% for the ban on below-cost selling. This would mean saving 624 alcohol-related deaths per year, compared to 14 for the ban on below-cost selling, as well as 23,700 fewer admissions to hospital per year, compared to 500 for the ban on below-cost selling.

It’s worth remembering the scientific truism that “all models are wrong, but some are useful”. Based on its methodology, this appears to be one of the useful ones.

Falls prevention would save NHS £275m

Falls prevention would save NHS £275m Commissioners could save NHS £1.50 for every £1.00 invested in physiotherapy. OnMedica

David Cameron pledges to protect the English NHS budget in real terms

David Cameron pledges to protect the English NHS budget in real terms Prime minister attempts to remove the public health service from becoming Labours potential election-winning weapon

David Cameron will on Wednesday try to prevent the health service becoming Labours election-winning weapon when he guarantees that a majority Conservative government will protect the English NHS budget in real terms from 2015 to 2020.

It is the first time the prime minister has pledged to ringfence the health service from spending cuts for the next parliament, but his promise will still leave the NHS under massive cost pressures due to soaring demand for NHS services largely caused by an ageing society. Continue reading... The Guardian

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The dos and donts of expanding a hospital volunteering service

The dos and donts of expanding a hospital volunteering serviceTips from Kings College hospital in London for others looking to take on more volunteers and use them in frontline roles

The NHS should not underestimate the value of volunteersWhat difference do volunteers make in hospitals?

Six UK hospitals are set to grow their army of volunteers as part of Nesta and the Cabinet Offices Helping in Hospitals programme. For hospitals looking to engage more volunteers and use them in the most impactful roles, Kings College hospital serves as a blueprint, having seen its own volunteers swell from 150 to 1,500 in a few years. Each volunteer gives 16 hours a month in a frontline role working directly with patients on wards or in waiting areas. Thats more than 200,000 volunteer hours a year.

Here are my top tips and learning points from the programme: Continue reading... The Guardian

Controversial care plan 'still in use' despite NHS decision to scrap it, expert claims

Controversial care plan 'still in use' despite NHS decision to scrap it, expert claims Some doctors and nurses are still using the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for dying patients, an expert has claimed, despite an NHS decision to scrap the controversial care plan. The Independent

Taking Digital Health to the Next Level

Taking Digital Health to the Next Level This report draws on the views and experiences of experts and innovators in the field of digital health technology to make recommendations for overcoming barriers to its adoption. The Commonwealth Fund

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