Wednesday 22 October 2014

Family of woman who died waiting for a doctor at NGH say “a car crash death would have been less cruel”

Family of woman who died waiting for a doctor at NGH say “a car crash death would have been less cruel” The family of a pensioner who died after four-hour wait for a doctor at Northampton General Hospital’s A&E have labelled the care she received ‘barbaric’. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

What the party conferences told us (and didn’t) about the future of the NHS

What the party conferences told us (and didn't) about the future of the NHS The latest Guardian/ICM poll shows that the NHS is the single most important issue to voters, way ahead of the economy, deficit reduction, immigration and jobs. Despite this, things are far from tranquil in the NHS, says Jennifer Dixon. The Health Foundation

A safer place to be: Findings from our survey of health-based places of safety for people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act

A safer place to be: Findings from our survey of health-based places of  safety for people detained under section 136 of the  Mental Health Act Results from s survey of health based places of safety which shows that while there are areas of good practice, recommended national standards are not being met leading to mental health patients spending more time in police custody. Care Quality Commission

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Specialists in out-of-hospital settings Findings from six case studies

Specialists in out-of-hospital settings Findings from six case studies A complete overhaul of medical education is needed to enable the shift of care out of hospitals and into primary care and community services. The King's Fund

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Secretary of State's guidance under section 42A of the National Health Service Act 2006

Secretary of State's guidance under section 42A of the National Health Service Act 2006 This document provides guidance on how the Department of Health can provide loans, public dividend capital or guarantees of payment to foundation trusts and NHS trusts. It covers the type of finance that may be provided; how to request financial assistance; criteria for deciding whether and how to provide financial assistance; and the terms and conditions that may be applicable to finance that may be provided. Department of Health

Report reveals the real cost of adult hearing loss to society

Report reveals the real cost of adult hearing loss to society In its report The Real Cost of Adult Hearing Loss, the Ear Foundation counts the direct costs of treating hearing loss, which are comparatively low, and the much larger costs of dealing with health and social impacts.

The report advocates better use of “life-changing” technology, adult hearing screening and joined-up services across health and social care.

Hospital based strategies for creating a culture of health

Hospital based strategies for creating a culture of health This report provides background on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s vision to build a culture of health and discusses how hospitals are contributing to community health improvement. It reports the findings of a review of 300 community health needs assessments, provides strategic considerations for hospital engagement in community health improvement and offers a model of the hospital’s role in building a culture of health. Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence

GPs to get £55 for dementia diagnoses

GPs to get £55 for dementia diagnoses Doctors in England will be paid £55 every time they diagnose dementia, health chiefs say, but the scheme is criticised by a patients' group. BBC News

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NICE conflicts of interests claim

NICE conflicts of interests claim A group of leading doctors and researchers has called on MPs to investigate potential conflicts of interest at the medicines watchdog, NICE. BBC News

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Paralysed man walks again after pioneering surgery

Paralysed man walks again after pioneering surgery "World first as man whose spinal cord was severed WALKS," the Mail Online reports. In pioneering research, transplanted cells have been used to stimulate the repair of a man's spinal cord.

The headlines are based on a scientific report describing a 38-year-old man whose spinal cord was almost completely severed in a knife attack. The man had completely lost feeling and movement below the injury and was paralysed from the chest down.

Researchers injected the man's damaged spinal cord with cells taken from parts of the brain involved in interpreting smell signals from the nose to the brain. This treatment was combined with a graft from one of the nerves in his lower leg to reconnect the stumps of spinal cord severed by the injury.

After surgery, the man had improved trunk stability, partial recovery of the voluntary movements of the lower extremities, and an increase of muscle in one thigh, as well as improvements in sensation. According to an accompanying press release, the man is now able to walk using a frame.

While previous techniques have managed to "re-route" nerve signals around a damaged section of the spinal cord, this is the first time that damage to the cord has been directly repaired.

These results are very encouraging, but, as the researchers note, the findings will need to be confirmed in other patients with similar types of spinal cord injury.

Hospital IT is in a hopeless, fragmented mess

Hospital IT is in a hopeless, fragmented mess Hospitals have problems getting their wards to communicate with each other, never mind with local GPs or patients

Back in the 1960s when I was a mere stripling in the data processing industry and the world of computers was new and all, two great truths were drummed into me:

An IT system will fail if the people who use it are not involved in the design. Top managers must drive the implementation, and accept responsibility for its success or failure. Continue reading... The Guardian

How to save the NHS in just 50 pages

How to save the NHS in just 50 pages The Five Year Forward Review is the NHS's own answer to whether it can survive as a unique system of healthcare.

Simon Stevenss arrival as NHS Englands new boss on 1 April was greeted with great warmth and relief across the service. In some quarters he was regarded almost as a messiah the man who had come back into the fold, after 10 years in US private healthcare, to rescue the NHS from its crisis of unsustainability. He saved us once before, in 2000, with the NHS Plans extra billions and extra staff, so hes the one to do something similar again, they thought.

Stevens deliberately did not administer any immediate quick fixes or announce headline-grabbing initiatives. He told the health select committee in April he would set out his thoughts about how to meet the challenges facing the service ageing, integration with social care, modernisation of primary care, lifestyle-related illnesses, and much more within six months. Continue reading... The Guardian