Wednesday 8 October 2014

Northampton General Hospital bosses urge staff consider carefully effect of industrial action

Northampton General Hospital bosses urge staff consider carefully effect of industrial action Bosses at Northampton General Hospital have said planned industrial action next week by members of three unions will have a disruptive impact on patient care. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Popular Wellingborough day centre will close on December 31

Popular Wellingborough day centre will close on December 31 A popular day centre will close on December 31 despite a passionate fight by campaigners to keep it open.The recommendation to close Glamis Hall in Wellingborough in the town was approved at a full meeting of Wellingborough Council. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS funding: past and future

NHS funding: past and future The NHS featured heavily at all three major party conferences over the past few weeks. How could it not; despite a ring-fenced budget, it is increasingly showing signs of financial strain. But what has ‘ring-fenced’ meant in practice for the NHS? And what are the three main political parties’ promises, pledges and aspirations for NHS spending in future? The King's Fund

£120million investment in tackling mental health

£120million investment in tackling mental health The NHS in England is to invest a further £120million over the next two years on improving mental health services.

The investment and the new standards for mental health services have been announced today by NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as part of a five-year ambition that will see new waiting times standards and early intervention services introduced, helping to put mental health on an equal footing with physical health services. NHS England

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New guidance on making decisions about attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

New guidance on making decisions about attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) The RCN, British Medical Association and the Resuscitation Council (UK) issued new guidance today regarding decisions about whether or not to attempt CPR on a person when their heart stops or they stop breathing.

Ebola could reach UK, but outbreak risk is low

Ebola could reach UK, but outbreak risk is low “Global threat of Ebola: From the US to China, scientists plot spread of deadly disease across the world from its West African hotbed,” reports the Mail Online. This is a terrifyingly apocalyptic-sounding headline, yet the real story about Ebola is that, while still frightening and deadly, it is still a very low risk to people in the UK.

The Ebola virus causes a serious, usually fatal, disease, for which there are no licensed treatments or vaccines.

An ongoing outbreak of Ebola virus started in the West African country of Guinea, which was first reported in December 2013. This Ebola outbreak is the largest ever observed, both geographically and in terms of the number of people affected.

A study published on September 2 2014 has modelled how the virus may spread. It found that the short-term probability of international spread outside the African region was small, but not negligible. This short-term probability covered three and six weeks, which corresponded to September 1 and 22 2014. The study found that the country outside the African region with the highest risk of importation was the UK.

WHO warns of increased Ebola threat

WHO warns of increased Ebola threat A prominent WHO official warns more Ebola cases can be expected among medical staff in developed countries, as Spain monitors a case in Madrid. BBC News

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"Instagram for doctors" takes off

"Instagram for doctors" takes off A photo-sharing app enabling healthcare professionals to view patients' photos is to be launched across western Europe. BBC News

Smoking rates fall 1% in past year

Smoking rates fall 1% in past year 18.7% of adults in UK now smoke, says ONS OnMedica

Community Treatment Orders: Politics and psychiatry in a culture of fear

Community Treatment Orders: Politics and psychiatry in a culture of fear Psychiatric practice is still all too often directed not by advances in mental health care but by the political and cultural concerns of the day. The use and abuse of Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) is but one of the more recent manifestations of this process. Politics.Co.Uk

NHS medical records to be stored in regional data centres

NHS medical records to be stored in regional data centres The accredited safe havens scheme has similarities with the care.data scheme which was delayed earlier this year

Confidential patient information is to be housed in a network of regional centres across the country, in a proposal that critics say amounts to an attempt to reintroduce the national database of medical records that was abandoned earlier this year.

Harvested from GP and hospital records, medical data covering the entire population and including information such as mental health conditions, diseases, as well as smoking and drinking habits would be uploaded to the new accredited safe havens (Ash) scheme. Continue reading... The Guardian

European doctors three times more likely to be struck off: GMC

European doctors three times more likely to be struck off: GMC Doctors who qualified from overseas are more likely to have a complaint made about them, or to be suspended or struck off, report says. The Daily Telegraph

Free NHS vital in era of genetic medicine, says England’s top doctor

Free NHS vital in era of genetic medicine, says England’s top doctor A taxpayer-funded free-at-the-point-of-use NHS will be “more important than ever” in the future as genetic medicine transforms our understanding of people’s disease risk, England’s top doctor has said. The Independent