Northampton family sue hospitals for £500,000 after surgery death

Northampton family sue hospitals for £500,000 after surgery death The family of a Northampton mum who died when a 
surgeon drilled into her brain are suing two hospitals for £500,000 in damages. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Complaints matter

Complaints matter Complaints matter in health and social care. For too long they have not been taken seriously enough. And too often complaints are met with a defensive culture instead of a willingness to listen and learn. This report describes how complaints and concerns fit into our new regulatory model and presents early findings on the state of complaints handling. Care Quality Comission

See also:

• 'Take care complaints seriously' BBC News

Hospital complaints handling

Hospital complaints handling This chart contains data from Freedom of Information requests into hospital complaints handling procedures. It shows that more than a third of hospitals across England are turning away concerned citizens wishing to report incidents of poor care that they have witnessed. Of 123 respondants, only 30 trusts reported having investigated patient complaints and were able to provide details of how many cases they have had over the last three years. Healthwatch England

• FOI data
• Press release

See also:

• One in three hospitals do nothing when visitors complain The Daily Telegraph

Examining new options and opportunities for providers of NHS care: the Dalton review

Examining new options and opportunities for providers of NHS care: the Dalton review This report is the result of an independent review which looked at the challenges faced by providers of NHS care by examining organisational models to identify key markers and characteristics in order to improve quality of hospital care. It highlights five important themes which include the need for quicker transactional and transformational change; the need for sustainability within the provider sector; and that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Department of Health

• Report
• Summary

Life-saving lone worker protection

Life-saving lone worker protection The National Health Executive talked to Tony Gray, head of safety and patient experience and LSMS at the trust to get his views on lone-worker protection.

Staff working for specialist mental health and learning disability trusts are among those facing the highest risks of violence or aggression within the NHS, and trusts must plan carefully to reduce these risks and keep staff safe. More ....

Disabled man 'put up for auction'

Disabled man 'put up for auction' The family of a man with a learning disability say they are horrified that their local council put him "up for auction" on a care website. BBC News

CQC U-turn on practice risk scores after GP fury

CQC U-turn on practice risk scores after GP fury The CQC has performed a dramatic U-turn on its practice risk rating system that led to 1,200 GP practices in England being labelled as 'failing' in national media. GP Online

See also:

• Apology for wrong GP risk data BBC News
• Flawed CQC risk ratings must be scrapped, says GPC GP Online
• NHS watchdog apologises for mistakes in assessing GPs’ performance The Guardian

MPs angry over delay in law on plain packs for cigarettes

MPs angry over delay in law on plain packs for cigarettes Failure to push through law in time for general election would be seen as ‘victory’ for big tobacco and lobbyists

The government is under fire from politicians on all sides amid fears that legislation forcing tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packs will not be introduced before the general election.

MPs from all three main parties, including the Tory chair of the health select committee, have warned time is running out to introduce a law that would see cigarettes sold in unbranded packs, a measure experts claim would deter young people from smoking. Continue reading... The Guardian

Soaring NHS legal costs will eat up George Osborne's £2bn cash injection

Soaring NHS legal costs will eat up George Osborne's £2bn cash injection A £3 billion rise in litigation costs could wipe out extra money promised to NHS in Autumn Statement. The Daily Telegraph

Age bias means elderly less than half as likely as young to have cancer surgery

Age bias means elderly less than half as likely as young to have cancer surgery A damning report warns of 'worrying' discrimination against the elderly, with young cancer sufferers more than twice as likely to end up having surgery. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Older cancer patients missing out on surgery Cancer Research UK
• Major resections by cancer site, in England; 2006 to 2010 National Cancer Intelligence Network

Labour warns of skills gap after exodus of senior nurses from NHS

Labour warns of skills gap after exodus of senior nurses from NHS The NHS in England has lost more than a thousand matrons and 3,400 other senior nurses over the past four years, new figures have shown, leading to warnings that hospitals may be lacking “vital experience and knowledge” needed to cope with unprecedented levels of demand. The Independent

See also:

• NHS Christmas crisis: Hospitals face turning patients away after 1800 nurses quit in 2 months The Daily Mirror

Claims of bullying culture among staff at Britain's biggest NHS mental health trust

Claims of bullying culture among staff at Britain's biggest NHS mental health trust The UK's biggest mental health NHS trust, which covers Broadmoor Hospital and units looking after the most vulnerable female patients, is in turmoil following widespread allegations of bullying, a critical Care Quality Commission inspection report and the sudden resignation of its chairman. The Independent