Friday 31 October 2014

Police ‘found no evidence of crime’ after Northampton’s ambulance service lost 42,000 copies of patient records

Police ‘found no evidence of crime’ after Northampton’s ambulance service lost 42,000 copies of patient records

No criminal charges will be brought against anyone working at East Midlands Ambulance Service over the loss of 42,000 patients records. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

New strike by NHS staff announced

New strike by NHS staff announced

NHS workers, including nurses and midwives, are to stage a new four-hour strike in England on 24 November as part of an ongoing pay dispute. BBC News

NHS Five Year Forward View: the pressures on to test new models of care

NHS Five Year Forward View: the pressures on to test new models of care

NHS England has set itself a challenge to provide support, flexibility and skills to allow innovation to thrive
NHS Five Year Forward Review: a shopping list without the pricesNHS Five Year Forward View: biggest challenge is on funding

Among the scores of commitments to reform which came tumbling out of NHS Englands Five Year Forward View last week, a picture emerges of how the national bodies are going to leverage reforms among both the high-performers and the strugglers.

At the struggling end, the national bodies have promised to take a joined-up approach to addressing weaknesses across whole health economies rather than separately targeting failing organisations. Guardian

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Top doctors urge people not to store up health problems if “feeling under the weather”

Top doctors urge people not to store up health problems if “feeling under the weather”

The NHS will today launch its national public awareness campaign in a bid to persuade people to seek advice early from their local pharmacist if they are ‘feeling under the weather’.

The campaign, ‘feeling under the weather’ has been launched to encourage people, particularly older people and those with existing respiratory conditions, to nip health problems in the bud by seeking early advice from their local pharmacist. It will run for six weeks.

Every year the NHS sees a huge increase in numbers of emergency admissions to hospital over the colder months. Those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or bronchitis are particularly vulnerable, and for frailer and older people, even the common cold can become more serious.

Alcohol 'should have calorie labels'

Alcohol 'should have calorie labels'

Alcohol should have a calorie content label in order to reduce obesity, according to public health doctors. BBC News

Growing concern about staff morale as NHS performance slips

Growing concern about staff morale as NHS performance slips

Staff morale tops the list of concerns raised by NHS finance directors in The King's Fund's latest quarterly monitoring report.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of trust finance directors surveyed for the report identified staff morale as one of their top three concerns, twice as many as in the previous quarter. The report suggests this should be a significant cause for concern given the close link between staff engagement and quality of care.

The report underlines the financial pressures facing the NHS, with nearly 40 per cent of trust finance directors forecasting a deficit by the end of the year, the highest proportion since the survey began. Worryingly, nearly 60 per cent are also concerned about whether their trust will be able to meet its cost improvement target for the current year, suggesting that it is getting more difficult to find efficiency savings.

Policy paper: Carers strategy: actions for 2014 to 2016

Policy paper: Carers strategy: actions for 2014 to 2016

The document identifies the main actions for the next 2 years around supporting carers.

There is an overview of evidence gathered over the last few years. It also explains the main achievements in recognising and supporting carers during that time. Department of Health

This builds on the national Carers Strategy of 2008 and the next steps update of 2010.

Press release: Blogging project to capture everyday experiences of people living with mental health difficulties

Press release: Blogging project to capture everyday experiences of people living with mental health difficulties

A new online project is calling on people living with mental health difficulties to blog about their lives.

People signing up to A Day in the Life will be invited to share their experiences of what makes their mental health better and what makes it worse by submitting a 700 word blog on set days as part of the year-long project. Bloggers will be asked to write about the same days, starting on 7 November 2014 and followed by 3 more dates in winter 2014, spring 2015 and summer 2015.

A Day in the Life is designed to provide an insight into the lives of people living with a mental health difficulty to help inform the development of policies and projects which better meet their needs. The project is also designed to better educate and raise awareness among the wider public of the reality of mental health issues.

Blogs submitted to A Day in the Life will be available to the public and will be searchable by theme, topic, and the positive or negative impact of events and situations on people with mental difficulties. This categorisation will allow the project to compile and publish reports on emerging themes, as well as propose ideas for further investigation.

Commissioning better mental health services for young people

Commissioning better mental health services for young people

The guide is based on a pioneering five-year programme run by the Mental Health Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation at four sites across the UK. NHS Networks

The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and care planning

The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and care planning

This report shows commissioners and providers of care how to embed the principles of the MCA into care and support planning across the board. Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
Report

Falls prevention: how to slash the NHS's £2bn bill

Falls prevention: how to slash the NHS's £2bn bill

A quarter of ambulance callouts are for falls. HSJ

Secret of healthy ageing discovered in ground-breaking 35-year study

Secret of healthy ageing discovered in ground-breaking 35-year study

Landmark survey of 2,500 men shows how healthy lifestyle ultimately pays off in old age. Telegraph