Volunteers invited to join new emergency response organisation in Northamptonshire

Volunteers invited to join new emergency response organisation in Northamptonshire A community organisation that aims to make sure people in Northamptonshire are better prepared for an emergency has been officially launched. Northamptonshire Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Get involved in Emergency Planning Northamptonshire County Council
• Could you help out in an emergency in Northants? Northamptonshire Telegraph

Public satisfaction with the NHS in 2014

Public satisfaction with the NHS in 2014 Analysis of the results and satisfaction trends relating to the NHS and health care issues from the British Social Attitudes survey 2014. The King's Fund

See also:

• NHS satisfaction 'risen significantly' BBC News
• NHS satisfaction rates rose last year despite pressure on hospitals – survey The Guardian
• Public satisfaction with the NHS at near-record levels The Independent

Press release: New funds to kickstart joint working with NHS and councils this winter

Press release: New funds to kickstart joint working with NHS and councils this winter The government has found new funds to encourage more joint working between councils and the NHS.

In a bid to ease the pressure on the NHS during the current cold snap, the Department for Communities and Local Government and Department of Health have released an extra £37 million for councils to get people home from hospital more quickly and stop them from being admitted in the first place.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has this week provided £12 million to help join up health and social care services so that there aren’t delays for people who can be safely discharged and to avoid people needing to go to hospital in the first place (perhaps because of falls or flu).

The money will mean up to 3,500 more people a week will get home from hospital more quickly this winter, with the local authority putting in place carers and equipment to meet their needs, freeing up much-needed hospital beds within the NHS.

The extra cash is on top of the £700 million the Department of Health has found for the NHS to help manage its winter pressures and a further £25 million that councils have already been given this month to help speed up the discharge system.

It also comes ahead of the introduction in April 2015 of a £5.3 billion Better Care Fund, which will start to transform the way the NHS and councils work together to put people first and enable them live at home with dignity and independence for longer. Department of Health

New tool models youth smoking variation across England

New tool models youth smoking variation across England Commissioned by Public Health England (PHE) and NICE, and modelled by the University of Portsmouth and the University of Southampton, the figures are estimates of youth smoking rates for every local authority, ward and local NHS level, based on factors known to predict smoking in young people.

The data will help local organisations to respond to high levels of smoking within their areas.

Guidance: Smoking cessation in secondary care: mental health settings

Guidance: Smoking cessation in secondary care: mental health settings Self-assessment framework for NHS mental health trusts to develop local action to reduce smoking prevalence and the use of tobacco. Public Health England

Care spend 'cut by fifth in decade'

Care spend 'cut by fifth in decade' Spending on care for people aged 65 and over has fallen by a fifth in England over the last 10 years, an analysis by the BBC shows. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: Care: 'You have to be cold-hearted' BBC News
• 'No interest' in care insurance BBC News

Ebola virus mutating, scientists say

Ebola virus mutating, scientists say Scientists at the Institute Pasteur in France who are tracking the Ebola outbreak in Guinea say the virus has mutated. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: The search for an Ebola vaccine BBC News
• News story: Progress in development of a new Ebola vaccine Department of Health

Doctors in the dock: Scandal of GPs who get cash from healthcare firms for patient referrals

Doctors in the dock: Scandal of GPs who get cash from healthcare firms for patient referrals The financial interests of all UK doctors should be made public, the country’s leading medical journal has said, after an investigation revealed incentives, often worth tens of thousands of pounds, have been offered to doctors by private healthcare companies in exchange for referring patients to their hospitals. The Independent

See also:

• The truth about cash for referrals The BMJ
• The General Medical Council and doctors' financial interests (editorial) The BMJ
• Private hospital chains offered doctors £100,000 for patient referrals The Daily Telegraph

NHS 'crisis guidelines' questioned

NHS 'crisis guidelines' questioned New NHS guidelines to some hospitals in England about "major incidents" prompt claims ministers are seeking to deter hospitals from declaring a crisis. BBC News

See also:

• Health officials accused of trying to hide NHS winter crisis The Daily Telegraph
• Call a truce in the NHS arms race - for all our sakes The Daily Telegraph
• Viewpoint: Dr Kailash Chand: Labour needs to work out detail to reassure growing tribe of sceptics GP Online
• NHS major incidents guidelines spark political row The Guardian
• Weaponising of mass distraction: Tories and Labour face off over NHS The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt's statement on the NHS and major incidents The Guardian
• Labour accuses coalition of tightening up NHS major incident criteria The Guardian
• Cameron distances government from revised NHS major incident guidelines The Guardian
• Health and social care debate heating up in run-up to election 2015 The King's Fund

Gift vouchers can help pregnant smokers quit

Gift vouchers can help pregnant smokers quit "Offering shopping vouchers worth a total of £400 to pregnant smokers makes them more likely to quit the habit, say researchers," BBC News reports.

The study, conducted in Glasgow, involved 612 pregnant women referred to pregnancy stop smoking services. The women were randomised to receive standard stop smoking care alone (control), or standard care in addition to up to £400 in vouchers if they successfully quit the habit.

The study found significantly more women in the voucher group (22.5%) stopped smoking by late pregnancy (34 to 38 weeks) compared with the control group (8.6%).

An obvious response to this – found in many news websites, as well as comments on message boards – is why should we bribe women to do what is best for their unborn baby?

A pragmatic answer to that question is it could save children's lives. Smoking during pregnancy is a major health problem estimated to cause the deaths of 5,000 unborn foetuses and babies each year in the UK, and costs the health system millions of pounds.

And the results of this study were within the range considered to be a cost effective use of healthcare resources.

NHS hires 3,000 foreign doctors in one year to fight lack of homegrown staff

NHS hires 3,000 foreign doctors in one year to fight lack of homegrown staff Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds that aggressive recruitment sees doctors from at least 27 countries hired in 32 of the 160 hospital trusts in England.

Three thousand doctors were hired from overseas by the NHS in the past year, as the service battles to tackle staff shortages that medical professionals say are serious and growing.

They came from at least 27 countries, including India, Poland, Australia and Greece – but also even Iraq, Syria and Sudan – according to 32 of the 160 hospital trusts in England who responded to requests from the Guardian for details of their recruitment.

The problem is finding permanent staff to recruit. Some hospital finance directors are asking, ‘are there any?'

The NHS doesn't have the doctors it needs. The shortage is real Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Chronic shortage of doctors forced the NHS to hire staff from at least 27 countries last year The Daily Mail
• NHS hiring drive hurts Hungary but India can cope with doctor exodus The Guardian