Patient has tested negative for Ebola

Patient has tested negative for Ebola Public Health England have confirmed that the patient admitted to NGH on the evening of Wednesday 14th January 2015 has tested negative following precautionary testing for Ebola. Northampton General Hospital

See also:

• Ebola test negative for Northampton hospital patient BBC News
• Ebola test results negative for woman in Northampton The Daily Telegraph
• Scientists confirm Northampton General Hospital patient did not have Ebola Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• EBOLA: Northampton General Hospital staff praised by MP Michael Ellis after patient tests negative for killer virus Northants Herald and Post

KGH nurse worked for Leicester and Harborough hospitals while on sick leave

KGH nurse worked for Leicester and Harborough hospitals while on sick leave A Kettering General Hospital nurse has been cautioned by regulators after admitting working agency shifts while on sick leave. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Funds for Northamptonshire hospitals are £77 per person below promised levels

Funds for Northamptonshire hospitals are £77 per person below promised levels NHS funding for Northamptonshire hospitals are seven per cent under the Government’s promised amount. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Parking charges for students at Northampton General Hospital labelled “disgusting”

Parking charges for students at Northampton General Hospital labelled “disgusting” Parking charges imposed on trainee staff at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) have been labelled “disgusting and deplorable” after they were raised from £1 a day to £10. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

New Code of practice: Mental Health Act 1983

New Code of practice: Mental Health Act 1983 As well as providing guidance for professionals, the revised code of practice also guides patients, their families and carers on their rights.

The code was revised to take account of stakeholders’ views during our consultation, and reflects changes in legislation, case law, policy and professional practice since its last revision in 2008.

The code of practice will come into force on 1 April 2015, depending on Parliamentary approval. It has been prepared in accordance with section 118 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Department of Health

See also:

• New Mental Health Act code of practice published  Community Care
• News story: New Mental Health Act code of practice Department of Health

NICE sets out draft safe staffing guidance for A&Es

NICE sets out draft safe staffing guidance for A&Es NICE has outlined draft guidance to help A&E departments ensure there are enough nursing staff available to provide safe care at all times to patients. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

See also:

• A&Es given safe nurse staffing rules BBC News

Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy

Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people seeking therapy will be better protected from harmful ‘gay cures’ following commitments made today by NHS England, and leading medical and psychological professional groups.

Gay conversion therapy (sometimes referred to as ‘gay cure’ or ‘reparative’ therapy) is the umbrella term for a type of talking therapy which attempts to change sexual orientation or reduce attraction to others of the same sex. There is no good evidence this works and instead it is potentially harmful. UK Council for Psychotherapy

 See also:

• General Medical Council supports Memorandum on conversion therapy in the UK GMC

Advancing women in medicine: how can we move from rhetoric to action?

Advancing women in medicine: how can we move from rhetoric to action? ‘In no nation are women equal to their men.’ The words of Aparna Mehrotra of UN Women stirred many at our recent summit aimed at advancing women in medicine. Like many in our mostly female audience, my thoughts ran to the number of injustices perpetrated against women globally, including violence, denial of access to education and the freedom to choose.

But gender inequality can take more subtle forms. Women in medicine, for instance, are still facing professional and personal barriers to taking up senior roles – despite women accounting for 77 per cent of employees in the NHS. Only 24 per cent of trust medical directors are women, and in some surgical specialties only one in ten are women. The King's Fund

Compassion in Practice: two years on

Compassion in Practice: two years on Compassion in Practice, the national strategy for nurses, midwives and care staff, was launched in December 2012. This report talks about the value of the 6Cs (care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment), how they are spreading across health and social care and informing the commissioning process, along with the role care makers play in bringing the vision to life. NHS Employers

Fit for frailty - part 2: developing, commissioning and managing services for people living with frailty in community settings

Fit for frailty - part 2: developing, commissioning and managing services for people living with frailty in community settings This document provides advice and guidance on the development, commissioning and management of services for people living with frailty in community settings. It also considers training and education needs to maximise the sharing of skills. It is aimed at GPs, geriatricians, health service managers, social service managers and commissioners of services. British Geriatrics Society

Learning for the NHS on procurement and supply chain management: a rapid evidence assessment

Learning for the NHS on procurement and supply chain management: a rapid evidence assessment This study aimed to describe approaches to procurement and supply chain management (SCM) in selected areas and to identify best practices that may inform procurement and SCM in the NHS. NHS National Institute for Health Research

• Full report
• Summary report

Dementia screening for all over 65s ruled out

Dementia screening for all over 65s ruled out The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has advised against screening all over 65s for dementia, following an 'extensive review' of current evidence. GP Online

See also:

• Recommendation against national dementia screening Public Health England

NHS chief: 'More cancer cuts likely'

NHS chief: 'More cancer cuts likely' The head of a special NHS fund for cancer medicines in England has said there will need to be further cuts to the treatments it funds. BBC News

Ebola cases declining in West Africa

Ebola cases declining in West Africa New Ebola cases in the three West African countries worst affected by the deadly outbreak of the virus are declining, weekly UN figures show. BBC News

More action needed on IG - Caldicott

More action needed on IG - Caldicott Dame Fiona Caldicott has warned that the "cultural change" that she called for in her second review of information governance in the NHS "has only emerged in parts of the system." E-Health Insider

Inactivity 'twice as deadly' as obesity

Inactivity 'twice as deadly' as obesity “Lack of exercise is twice as deadly as obesity,” The Daily Telegraph reports. The headline is prompted by a Europe-wide study on obesity, exercise and health outcomes.

Researchers wanted to see how many deaths could theoretically be avoided if inactive people became more active, compared to how many would be avoided if obese people lost weight.

Researchers calculated that if activity levels were increased so that no-one was classed as inactive, then this could reduce early deaths by more than 7%. This compares to avoiding obesity, which could reduce deaths by nearly 4%. In 2008, say the researchers, 676,000 deaths were attributable to physical inactivity, compared with 337,000 deaths attributable to obesity.

This large study also found that among inactive individuals, even small increases in activity may be of benefit, whatever their weight or waist size.

Child health services require major shake-up, census reveals

Child health services require major shake-up, census reveals A radical shake-up in the delivery of child health services is required, according to a new workforce census published this week as paediatricians say pressures are ‘unsustainable’. OnMedica

Legal challenge on contaminated blood pay-outs

Legal challenge on contaminated blood pay-outs Motion in Parliament calls for new review. OnMedica

Poor flow of patient information puts vulnerable people at risk – report

Poor flow of patient information puts vulnerable people at risk – report ‘Extremely troubling’ evidence that records vital to continuity of care of patients discharged from hospital lost or misplaced, report finds

The safety of vulnerable people is being put at risk because they are discharged from hospital without proper information about their condition and future needs, the state-funded “consumer champion” Healthwatch England has found.

Scan and test results, consultants’ notes and other information vital to the continuity of care are lost or misplaced, it says, following a special inquiry into people’s experiences after they have returned home or been sent to other care settings. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS postpone breakthrough £660-a-day hepatitis C drug over cost fears

NHS postpone breakthrough £660-a-day hepatitis C drug over cost fears The NHS has faced criticism for intervening to delay the introduction of a costly but highly effective drug to combat hepatitis C. The Telegraph

See also:

• Hepatitis C drug delayed by NHS due to high cost The Guardian

Care home residents five times more likely to be left thirsty, study reveals

Care home residents five times more likely to be left thirsty, study reveals Too many elderly people are being left thirsty in care homes, doctors have said, after a study revealed five times as many patients who live in homes are admitted to hospital dehydrated as those who live at their own residence. The Independent

See also:

• Care home staff may leave pensioners dehydrated to stop incontinence, Oxford University warns The Daily Telegraph

The mystery of shellshock solved: Scientists identify the unique brain injury caused by war

The mystery of shellshock solved: Scientists identify the unique brain injury caused by war When the war poet Wilfred Owen wrote of “men whose minds the Dead have ravished” he was attempting to describe the mysterious effects of shellshock which started appearing during the First World War and of which he himself was a sufferer. The Independent