Thursday 4 December 2014

Supporting community providers to manage and improve quality

Supporting community providers to manage and improve quality If you look at how the NHS is represented in the media, health care dramas tends to equal hospital dramas: ‘Casualty’, ‘Holby City’, even the marvellous ‘Getting on’. Community services often feature as slightly misty-eyed nostalgia of district nurses and midwives on bicycles – a bit of a blast from the past.

Hospitals can sometimes be busy, confusing places, to be avoided unless absolutely necessary, especially by people who are already vulnerable, frightened or confused. Care provided closer to (or in) people’s own homes is often preferable in many circumstances.

Today’s mantra is that co-ordinated care is better for people using health services, and will be better for the public purse too. Though no-one would argue with the former, the jury is still out on the latter. Community services are a vital part of delivering co-ordinated care, and could be the answer to many of the health service’s woes in the future.

Some Christmas cheer for the NHS?

Some Christmas cheer for the NHS? George Osborne’s Autumn Statement injection of short-term cash should stave off a pre-election NHS crisis but next summer whoever wins the general election faces a much bigger challenge: how on earth to find the money the NHS needs, says Anita Charlesworth. The Health Foundation

Briefing on the fit and proper person requirements

Briefing on the fit and proper person requirements NHS Employers, the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers has produced a briefing for employers to update them on the new fit and proper person requirements.

Access to services: the Immigration Act 2014 and key equality impacts

Access to services: the Immigration Act 2014 and key equality impacts As the Immigration Act (2014) is implemented, a new charging regime for primary care is scheduled come into force next year - which may impact voluntary sector providers and on the health of BME groups. The charge is targeted at migrants who are in the UK for less than six months and who have not paid a new health surcharge. The charging regime is set to apply to primary care such as minor surgeries, A&E, and services outside of hospital. Race Equality Foundation

Highest rates of childhood obesity in those living in deprived areas

Highest rates of childhood obesity in those living in deprived areas Latest figures show that rates of obesity among children are highest for those living in the most deprived areas of England. Health and Social Care Information Centre

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Lessons for social policy and practice from NICE

Lessons for social policy and practice from NICE What can be learned from NICE that might work for other institutions? There is a lot of misunderstanding about the NICE approach outside of health expert circles. This paper aims to bust some of those myths. Alliance for Useful Evidence

Monitor to launch inquiry into trust

Monitor to launch inquiry into trust Monitor launches an inquiry into the mental health trust for Norfolk and Suffolk over its £1.72m deficit. BBC News

91% of doctors want more guidance on patient’s recording consultations, survey reveals

91% of doctors want more guidance on patient’s recording consultations, survey reveals An MPS survey of over 500 members has revealed that one in five (19%) doctors have experience of patients recording their consultations. Of those, 40% were not made aware at the time that the patient was recording the consultation.

The survey also revealed that 97% of respondents are not aware of any practice or trust policy on having consultations recorded, however almost three quarters (73%) believe they have a right to decline a patient’s request to record a consultation. In addition, 91% would like more guidance on what to do should a patient ask to record a consultation. The Medical Protection Society

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People still dismiss cancer alarm symptoms

People still dismiss cancer alarm symptoms Public awareness campaigns aren’t encouraging people to seek medical advice. OnMedica

Political Attitudes Towards Mental Health: Damaging Or Changing?

Political Attitudes Towards Mental Health: Damaging Or Changing? So is Westminster out of touch with the issue of mental health, well the government has promised equality in our NHS but still not delivering it... Huffington Post UK

UK has fewer doctors than almost every EU country

UK has fewer doctors than almost every EU country New OECD figures show only Romania, Poland, Slovenia and Ireland have fewer doctors per head than the UK. The Daily Telegraph

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Smokers and the obese in Devon will be barred from operations as part of NHS cost cutting

Smokers and the obese in Devon will be barred from operations as part of NHS cost cutting Smokers and the morbidly obese in Devon will be denied routine operations unless they make lifestyle changes, as NHS hospitals in the county attempt to cut costs. The Independent

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