Wednesday 29 October 2014

Developing strategy in the NHS – mission impossible or essential leadership task?

Developing strategy in the NHS – mission impossible or essential leadership task? With the NHS facing both financial and quality challenges, just how can the sector plan ahead for an uncertain future? asks Suzie Bailey. The Health Foundation

Failings in NHS and poor government complaint handling highlighted in new report

Failings in NHS and poor government complaint handling highlighted in new report The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has published 161 summaries of investigations it carried out between April and June this year.

The Ombudsman Service investigates complaints about the NHS in England and UK government departments and their agencies, such as the Child Maintenance Service and the DVLA. The summaries published include 35 governmental cases and 126 are healthcare.

The cases investigated included several complaints about incorrect discharges from hospitals, failings in diagnosis of cancer.

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Better communication needed in health screening programmes

Better communication needed in health screening programmes The risks and benefits of participating in screening programmes, for conditions and diseases like cancer, are not consistently communicated by either the NHS or private health care providers, a new report has warned. It is calling on the Government to ensure that a standardised process to produce screening information is introduced and that better communications training is provided to health care professionals. Science and Technology Committee (House of Commons Select Committee)

Adult social care funding: 2014 state of the nation report

Adult social care funding: 2014 state of the nation report This report, jointly produced by the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, warns that services for elderly and disabled residents are in crisis after new analysis reveals a £4.3 funding gap by the end of this decade. It highlights the need for integration of health and social care as a priority in order to prevent the care system from collapsing. Local Government Association

Do you care?

Do you care? This report finds that nine in ten (89%) of health professionals who regularly deal with cancer patients agree friends and family caring for someone with cancer often neglect their own health whilst 85% believe a lack of support is the main reason carers reach breaking point and are forced to stop caring. The report calls for the prioritisation of the healthcare for carers in the NHS in England. MacMillan Cancer Support

Best practice in social media – measurement and evaluation

Best practice in social media – measurement and evaluation This briefing discusses how to plan and manage social media measurement and evaluation. NHS Employers

Drugs fund 'papers over cracks'

Drugs fund 'papers over cracks' A temporary fund to pay for cancer drugs not available on the NHS does not address problems with the price of new treatments, says Breakthrough Breast Cancer. BBC News

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Disasters group launches Ebola appeal

Disasters group launches Ebola appeal The Disasters Emergency Committee is to launch an appeal in response to a disease outbreak for the first time, in aid of the Ebola crisis. BBC News

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Challenge Fund GP access pilots 'unsustainable', warns GPC

Challenge Fund GP access pilots 'unsustainable', warns GPC Government plans to extend GP opening hours are unsustainable and could cost £1bn a year across all practices in England, GP leaders have warned. GP Online

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Call for action to tackle ill health of homeless

Call for action to tackle ill health of homeless Campaigning charity says three quarters of homeless people have health problems. OnMedica

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Employer bias against mental health conditions rife, study reveals - CIPD (blog)

Employer bias against mental health conditions rife, study reveals A study of employer attitudes towards staff with mental health conditions has revealed that 94 per cent of UK leaders admit prejudice against sufferers remains an issue in their organisation.  Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Five tips on how the NHS can engage patients and the public

Five tips on how the NHS can engage patients and the public Health service needs to do things differently and change relationships and nature of dialogue.

Ten ways to improve patient involvement in the NHS

Over the last few years, patient engagement and patient-centred care have become buzzwords across the health service. NHS organisations at all levels across the UK have developed opportunities for feedback and involvement, taskforces have been established, and patient representatives have been recruited. But, while these are all steps in the right direction, they do not produce the results that either the patients, managers or clinicians hope for.

Many healthcare professionals feel that the patients who sit on their committees do not understand the way the system works and have unrealistic expectations of what change can be brought about. Conversely, when they do understand the system, patients are often described as too expert or so far removed from the realities facing new patients that they are unable to make a valuable contribution. Patients who use their positions to identify problems or to complain are commonly viewed as difficult. Often middle-class and retired, many patient volunteers are also derisively described as the usual suspects. Continue reading... The Guardian

Samaritans launches app to spot 'calls for help' on Twitter

Samaritans launches app to spot 'calls for help' on Twitter Suicide prevention charity's free app watches Twitter for signs that people are struggling to cope, including phrases like "tired of being alone", and sends a warning to friends. The Daily Telegraph