Northamptonshire hospitals urge patients to avoid going to A&E as numbers rise by 20 per cent

Northamptonshire hospitals urge patients to avoid going to A&E as numbers rise by 20 per cent Northamptonshire hospitals are urging the public to avoid attending unless “absolutely necessary” and to use other NHS services where possible. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Hospitals’ plea to public as they struggle to cope with demand Northamptonshire Telegraph 

The public’s view of which treatments should be available on the NHS

The public’s view of which treatments should be available on the NHS NHS England’s favoured future funding option suggests that nearly three-quarters of the £30 billion funding-needs gap that will exist by 2020/21 is to be filled by increased productivity. Even if the ‘down payment’ pledges of extra money for the NHS from the three main political parties eventually swell to meet the £8 billion NHS England are asking for by 2020/21, the productivity challenge remains substantial.

Being more productive does not just involve producing more of the same for each health care pound to meet growing demands. It also means improving the quality of the product – for example, not just more hip replacements, but hip replacements with reduced recovery times, using hips that last longer and produce bigger improvements in patients’ self-assessed health status.

In short, improving productivity means generating greater value for patients. This, in essence, is at the heart of the difficult task – not only for the new productivity challenge over the next few years, but for NICE too: making better use of the resources it is given means the NHS providing better quality (or more effective) care at the lowest cost.

QI methods: the essentials of good clinical management?

QI methods: the essentials of good clinical management? What should be the function of a central improvement entity? There seems to be consensus that the role of the centre isn't to deliver programmes but there is yet to be recognition of the critical role a central function needs to play, says Jo Bibby. The Health Foundation

Address gaps in mental health care for new mothers

Address gaps in mental health care for new mothers Women who have experience of, or are at risk of mental health problems, should get extra support before, during and after their pregnancy, says NICE

See also:

• Antenatal and postnatal mental health: clinical management and service guidance NICE
• Mental health support for mothers BBC News
• Pregnant women at risk of mental health issues will receive extra support after tragic deaths of mother and four-day old daughter  The Daily Mail

Public Health England’s grant to local authorities

Public Health England’s grant to local authorities The new public health agency Public Health England (PHE) has made a good start in supporting local authorities with their new responsibilities for public health. The National Audit Office considers, however, that it is too soon to tell whether the agency’s approach is achieving value for money.

PHE was set up in April 2013 to be the nation’s expert agency on public health. It gives local authorities advice and evidence on what works, and gives them a ring-fenced grant to carry out their new public health responsibilities – £2.7 billion in 2013-14. The agency has, however, encountered some problems with the accuracy of how local authorities record what has been spent on public health.

The priorities of the NHS met in second annual Workforce Plan for England

The priorities of the NHS met in second annual Workforce Plan for England Today we publish our second Workforce Plan for England, which sets out the £5bn investment we will make in education and training programmes for 2015/16.

It is built upon the needs of local employers, commissioners and other stakeholders who, as members of our Local Education Training Boards (LETBs), have shaped the thirteen local plans that are the bedrock of this plan for England. The priorities in the plan are the priorities of the NHS, identified locally and nationally by employers, colleges and other stakeholders.

A&E units 'creaking under pressure'

A&E units 'creaking under pressure' The medical director of NHS England, Sir Bruce Keogh, says the "system is creaking" as winter begins to take hold. BBC News

See also:

• Ambulance service asks for help BBC News
• 'A&E departments already straining from winter demand, NHS' Sir Bruce Keogh admits The Daily Mail
• Overwhelmed London ambulances call for help from other regions after spike in demand The Independent
• Public urged not to call ambulance at Christmas unless a genuine emergency OnMedica

The NHS Frontline - The Reality of Mental Health Services

The NHS Frontline - The Reality of Mental Health Services The challenge of dealing with mental health services as a GP. The Huffington Post

NHS nurse shortage forces health service to recruit overseas

NHS nurse shortage forces health service to recruit overseas Four out of five new nurses in hospitals came from abroad in 2013-14, most from Spain, Portugal and the Philippines.

The NHS is facing such a chronic shortage of homegrown nurses that four out of five new nurses in hospitals have come from abroad, new health service data shows.

Overseas recruitment of nurses has more than quadrupled in a year, underlying the extent of the difficulty hospitals are encountering in their efforts to boost nurse numbers. Continue reading... The Guardian

How a charity is linking with GPs to help those at risk of losing homes

How a charity is linking with GPs to help those at risk of losing homes A Kent charity is helping people with mental health problems by liaising with their GPs and navigating the benefits system

Former teacher Fiona Hood, 45, has had severe anxiety and depression all her adult life. Five years ago she lost both parents within a short space of time, her partner took his life, and then her work as an English language teacher dried up. Hood’s depression began to envelop her. “I felt increasingly cut off from the world,” she explains. “Paralysed with depression, any routines around sleeping and meals, all the structure in my life had gone.”

Hood, who has a degree in linguistics and psychology, was on and off various medication until late last year, when her GP prescribed something different, – a very powerful antidepressant. It was good news, but the downside was that it was going to take a while for Hood to adjust to the new drug. “I felt confused, fuzzy, all over the place,” she recalled. “I couldn’t even make a meal for myself, and I was certainly in no fit state to make appointments to be anywhere. I’d had a major medicine change, and I couldn’t manage it.” Continue reading... The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt: Women make better leaders

Jeremy Hunt: Women make better leaders Health officials call for more "oestrogen to dilute the testosterone" in NHS boardrooms as Health Secretary says women make better leaders than men. The Daily Telegraph