Huge expansion of Northampton General Hospital will depend on performance and finance

Huge expansion of Northampton General Hospital will depend on performance and finance Performance targets as well as balance sheets hold the key to any expansion of the Northampton General Hospital site. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton General Hospital to have 200 new parking spaces by July

Northampton General Hospital to have 200 new parking spaces by July Visitors, patients and staff are to benefit from 200 new car parking spaces at Northampton General Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care

The Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care The Commission has been set up by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) in response to widespread concerns about the provision of acute inpatient psychiatric beds and alternatives to admission available for patients.

There is evidence – some quantified, some anecdotal – of difficulties in admissions, variable services for patients in the community, long distance transfers of patients, high occupancy rates and high stress levels amongst patients, their families, carers and staff.

The Commission is independent of RCPsych and is being chaired by Lord Nigel Crisp, former Chief Executive of the NHS in England and Permanent Secretary of the UK Department of Health between 2000 and 2006. It has been asked to review the situation, examine the causes of these pressures and make recommendations for improvement.

See also:

• Background briefing paper The Commission to Review the Provision of Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Care for Adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Commisison launched to review psychiatric care for adults Care Appointments
• UK commission launches review into inpatient psychiatric care PharmaTimes

The cost of short-term planning - £1bn on agency nurses in 2014/15

The cost of short-term planning - £1bn on agency nurses in 2014/15 A new Fontline First report showing an unprecedented rise in the amount the NHS spends on agency nursing staff in England, with a projected spend of at least £980 million on agency nursing staff by the end of this financial year if action is not taken. This is an average of £4.2 million per trust. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• Frontline First: Runaway agency spending Royal College of Nursing
• NHS agency nurses spending 'soars' BBC News
• NHS bill for agency nurses will double to £1bn this year The Daily Mail
• NHS spending on agency nurses triples in two years The Daily Telegraph

Tackling a global health crisis: initial steps

Tackling a global health crisis: initial steps The second paper from the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance which includes an assessment of the international AMR research funding landscape, and makes first recommendations for global action to address the challenges of rising drug resistance. This includes the establishment of a global AMR Innovation Fund; steps to help maintain the effectiveness of existing antibiotics; and action to address an emerging skills shortage in this crucial field of research.

See also:

• Call to boost antibiotics funding BBC News

Consultation: Care Act 2014: cap on care costs and appeals

Consultation: Care Act 2014: cap on care costs and appeals These reforms are part of the Care Act 2014 and are due to come into effect in April 2016. The guidance and regulations associated with the act set out how the act will work in practice.

Find out more and have your say online

This consultation is building on the evidence we gathered as part of our 2013 consultation Caring for our future: implementing funding reform. Department of Health

Viewpoint: Talking about mental health is just the first step

Viewpoint: Talking about mental health is just the first step Talking about mental health is half the battle. BBC News

Doctor not guilty of performing FGM

Doctor not guilty of performing FGM NHS doctor Dhanuson Dharmasena not guilty of performing female genital mutilation on a young mother in London. BBC News

See also:

• Decision to prosecute doctor for FGM ‘left me with no faith in British justice’ The Guardian

NHS 111 caught in onward referrals row

NHS 111 caught in onward referrals row A "serious and urgent analysis" of NHS 111 is needed to address concerns that it is creating a higher workload for GPs and A&E departments, the BMA has said. E-Health Insider

Flu and freezing weather may be driving up winter death rates

Flu and freezing weather may be driving up winter death rates "The current death rate in England and Wales is running about one-third higher than its normal rate for this time of year," BBC News reports. A combination of flu and very cold weather may be responsible.

The BBC's story comes from the latest official statistics on deaths in England and Wales. They show that in the last three weeks of January, death rates were significantly higher than predicted for the time of year.

In addition, over the last six weeks a significantly higher than predicted death rate was reported in people aged 65 and above living in England.

Although the cause of these spikes is uncertain, experts point out they coincide with both seasonal increases in respiratory problems – in particular the flu – and the recent cold snap.

Exclusive: NHS funding freeze could derail CCG co-commissioning

Exclusive: NHS funding freeze could derail CCG co-commissioning Co-commissioning of primary care by CCGs could be derailed by politicians' failure to commit to increase NHS funding, one of the architects of the plan has warned. GP Online

Mental health: hundreds forced to travel long distances for acute care

Mental health: hundreds forced to travel long distances for acute care Care minister Norman Lamb orders review after figures show more than 400 adults had to travel to hospitals over 30 miles from home

More than 400 adults with acute mental health problems are being forced to seek treatment at hospitals more than 30 miles from their homes, figures show, prompting ministers to order a review.

The figures for England (xls), compiled by the NHS’s Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), show that in some cases patients from Derbyshire are being treated in south Devon and others from south Devon are being treated in Birmingham. Continue reading... The Guardian

Community pharmacies are an untapped gold mine of data

Community pharmacies are an untapped gold mine of data We should use the rich seams of information lying in community pharmacies to drive improved patient outcomes

Data routinely recorded by pharmacies around the UK could provide physicians, commissioners, public health authorities and the pharmaceutical industry with invaluable insights into the effectiveness of medicines and the behaviour of patients.

Every day, pharmacies around the country gather data on the use of medicines, outcomes, adherence levels and the progress of symptoms. Continue reading... The Independent