Friday 14 November 2014

Babies could be at risk in Northamptonshire due to infrequent health visitor contact, watchdog says

Babies could be at risk in Northamptonshire due to infrequent health visitor contact, watchdog says A watchdog in Northamptonshire has contacted the NHS about what it sees as a lack of health visitor contact for babies. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northamptonshire woman: ‘NHS won’t pay for my second breast’

Northamptonshire woman: ‘NHS won’t pay for my second breast’ Women in Northamptonshire who have survived breast cancer say they are distressed after being told to have photos taken of their chests in order to be judged whether they are eligible for reconstruction surgery.

The women have formed the countywide Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) group to fight what they consider an unfair NHS Nene CCG breast reconstruction policy. But it can exclude some women who have had a mastectomy, but are left with asymmetry. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS Data Breaches

A new report, NHS Data Breaches (PDF), highlights the scale of data breaches in the NHS. The research reveals examples of medical data being lost, shared on social media, and inappropriately shared with third parties.

The report shows that between 2011 to 2014, there have been at least 7,255 breaches. This is the equivalent to 6 breaches every day. Examples of the data breaches include:
  • At least 50 instances of data being posted on social media
  • At least 143 instances of data being accessed for “personal reasons”
  • At least 124 instances of cases relating to IT systems
  • At least 103 instances of data loss or theft
  • At least 236 instances of data being shared inappropriately via Email, letter or Fax
  • At least 251 instances of data being inappropriately shared with a third party
  • At least 115 instances of staff accessing their own records.
  • There have been at least 32 resignations during the course of disciplinary proceedings.
  • There is 1 court case pending, for a breach of the Data Protection Act. In this instance the individual may have also resigned prior to proceedings. Big Brother Watch
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Choice of GP practice

Choice of GP practice Last year’s GMS contract agreement provided that GP practices will be able to register patients from outside their traditional practice boundaries without the requirement to provide home visits or out of hours care. This guidance provides further information on how the new arrangements will work. This includes a commissioning framework to support area team decisions on putting in place urgent primary medical care services. NHS England

News story: Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies talks about the low risk of Ebola in the UK

News story: Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies talks about the low risk of Ebola in the UK The Chief Medical Officer talks about how difficult it is to catch Ebola, the preparedness of the NHS to deal with infectious diseases and what to do if someone returning from West Africa develops symptoms. Department of Health

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NHS winter fears 'prompt cash boost'

Caldicott becomes data guardian

Caldicott becomes data guardian Dame Fiona Caldicott has been appointed national data guardian for health and care; a new role announced in the National Information Board's IT strategy, 'Personalised Health and Care 2020.' E-Health Insider

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Long-term mobile phone use and brain cancer

Long-term mobile phone use and brain cancer "Do mobile and cordless phones raise the risk of brain cancer?" asks the Mail Online.

There are now more mobile phones than people in the UK, so you would expect the commonsense answer to be a resounding "no". But, as we never get tired of saying, it's a bit more complicated than that.

The Mail Online reports on the latest study looking for evidence of a link between mobile and cordless phone calls and brain tumours. This large Swedish study found more than 25 years' use of mobile phones trebled the (very small) risk of glioma, the most common type of brain tumour.

The study matched healthy volunteers with people who had been diagnosed with a glioma, and asked them to estimate the amount of time they had ever spent using mobile and cordless phones. This ranged from less than one year to around 25 years.

Exclusive: Tory plans to extend GP access unachievable, says Wollaston

Exclusive: Tory plans to extend GP access unachievable, says Wollaston The Conservative chairwoman of the House of Commons health select committee, former GP Dr Sarah Wollaston, has said her party's plans for GP access seven days a week across England will not work. GP Online

Mental health: A world of depression

Mental health: A world of depression Depression is a major human blight. Globally, it is responsible for more ‘years lost’ to disability than any other condition. This is largely because so many people suffer from it — some 350 million, according to the World Health Organization. This article gives a global overview of the burden of depression. Nature

Nigel Farage: Ukip will keep the NHS free at the point of use

Nigel Farage: Ukip will keep the NHS free at the point of use UKIP leader claims in column that he doesnt want to give faceless private-sector companies control of the health service.

Nigel Farage has said Ukip will keep the NHS free at the point of use after he was caught on camera saying it should move towards an insurance-based system run by private companies.

The recording, uncovered by the Guardian, shows Farage saying he thought the marketplace could deliver better value for money when it comes to spending on the NHS. Continue reading... The Guardian

UKs mentally ill people more likely to be found in jail than hospital

UKs mentally ill people more likely to be found in jail than hospital Matthew Williams cannibalism holds up mirror to state of health and prison services slated as disintegrating by reform trust

Each decade in Britain appears to contain a symbolic, heinous murder a crime so awful that it reflects a nations pathologies as well as its fears. In the 1990s, the death of James Bulger, a two-year-old who was abducted from a Merseyside shopping centre before being tortured and killed, led to the age of criminal responsibility being changed.

The next decade began with the case of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor, who bled to death after being assaulted on a south London stairwell, presaging years of concern over the rise of such attacks. Continue reading... The Guardian

Fears over soaring cancer cases

Fears over soaring cancer cases Charity warns of 'cracks in the NHS' as services struggle to cope with 40 per cent rise in cases. The Daily Telegraph

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Young gambling addicts in NHS treatment have lost an average of £60,000

Young gambling addicts in NHS treatment have lost an average of £60,000 Young people with thousands of pounds of gambling debts fail to seek help because “they don’t know where to turn”, a charity has warned. The Independent