Children’s centres to have hours cut and services moved

Children’s centres to have hours cut and services moved Parents are to be consulted over plans to move children’s centre services in several areas, and reduce openining hours in others. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Plans to reduce Northamptonshire children’s centre opening hours and launch ’community hubs’ go out to consultation Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Will the 18-week waiting time target be met by the end of the year?

Will the 18-week waiting time target be met by the end of the year? In years gone by, the commonest criticism of the NHS was its tolerance of long waiting times for patients. The historic reduction in waiting times achieved by 2008 – as enshrined in the 18-week maximum wait from referral by a GP to treatment – has in turn become an iconic measure of NHS performance for politicians and the public alike.

Fears the target would be broken led the Secretary of State to announce an extra £250 million to buy extra treatments and, ultimately, to ensure the waiting time target was under control by the end of the year. How likely is this to happen?

NHS Culture Change: Contributions from Occupational Psychology

NHS Culture Change: Contributions from Occupational Psychology The practical steps required to implement culture change in the NHS is the subject of a new report.

The report, ‘NHS Culture Change: Contributions from Occupational Psychology’, presents a series of essays by leading Occupational Psychologists, each drawing on evidence and expertise from the science of people at work to address the question of how successful culture change, as recommended by the Francis Report and subsequent Berwick Review, can be implemented within the NHS.  Free registration is required to access the report from the British Psychological Society

The efficient use of the maternity workforce and the implications for safety and quality in maternity care: a population-based, cross sectional study

The efficient use of the maternity workforce and the implications for safety and quality in maternity care: a population-based, cross sectional study The performance of maternity services is seen as a touchstone of whether or not NHS care is high quality. Staffing has been identified in numerous reports as being a critical component of safe, effective, user-centred care. There is little evidence regarding the impact of maternity workforce staffing and skill mix on the safety, quality and cost of maternity care in the UK. The objective of this research was to understand the relationship between organisational factors, maternity workforce staffing and skill mix, cost and indicators of safe and high-quality care. NHS National Institute for Health Research

• Full report
• Plain English summary

News story: Autism statutory guidance consultation launched

News story: Autism statutory guidance consultation launched The government is seeking views on proposed new statutory guidance to local authorities and NHS organisations, to support the implementation of ‘Think Autism’, the update to the 2010 adult autism strategy.

The consultation looks at issues including staff training, identification and diagnosis of autism in adults and the planning of services, preventative support and safeguarding and employment for adults with autism.

Responses are invited from a wide range of people and groups, including adults with autism, families and carers, health and social care organisations that plan, commission and provide services for adults with autism and their families.

New 2015 NHS Pension Scheme regulations - summary for employers

New 2015 NHS Pension Scheme regulations - summary for employers View NHS Employers summary of the new 2015 NHS Pension Scheme regulatory consultation, which includes further details on how you can submit your comments to NHS Employers.

Hundreds of obese young need surgery

Hundreds of obese young need surgery Nearly 40% of under-25s who have weight-loss surgery in the UK are classified as super-obese, according to new figures. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: UK sees rise in weight-loss surgery BBC News

Have the Danes cracked childhood obesity?

Have the Danes cracked childhood obesity? Childhood obesity has become a global epidemic, but it is not easy to treat. Now a scheme proven to help children shed pounds by asking them and their families to make numerous lifestyle changes has been adopted across Denmark. BBC News

GP emergency admissions to hospital fall

GP emergency admissions to hospital fall Meanwhile emergency admissions via A&E have soared, an analysis shows. OnMedica

See also:

• GP emergency admissions fall as A&E sends more patients into hospital GP Online

Only half of prostate cancer sufferers receive the best care, says UK audit

Only half of prostate cancer sufferers receive the best care, says UK audit Treatment and quality of care for the most common form of cancer affecting men varies worryingly around the country

Treatment and quality-of-life care for the most common form of cancer found in men varies worringly across the country, campaigners have suggested.

Reacting to a first-of-its-kind audit of prostate cancer services across England and Wales, Owen Sharp, chief executive of Prostate Cancer UK, called for services to be improved without delay. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• 'Worrying variation' in prostate cancer treatment The Daily Telegraph

Doctor to appear in court in UK's first gender abortion prosecution

Doctor to appear in court in UK's first gender abortion prosecution Doctor exposed in Telegraph investigation served summons to face conspiracy allegation in landmark sex-selective abortion private prosecution. The Daily Telegraph