Wednesday 11 February 2015

Hospital in Northampton provides ‘good’ care, but uses unsafe restraints on children, report says

Hospital in Northampton provides ‘good’ care, but uses unsafe restraints on children, report says

A Northampton hospital has been graded by inspectors as ‘requires improvement’, a report reveals today, after they found it had failed to meet some management and safety standards and restrained children too often. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

NHS staff 'afraid to speak out'

NHS staff 'afraid to speak out'
The head of a review into the treatment of whistleblowers in England, Sir Robert Francis QC, tells the BBC he has heard shocking accounts of suffering by staff who raised concerns. BBC News

Research and analysis: Health and wellbeing: a guide to community-centred approaches

Research and analysis: Health and wellbeing: a guide to community-centred approaches

Local government and the NHS have important roles in building confident and connected communities as part of efforts to improve health and reduce inequalities.

The project ‘Working with communities: empowerment evidence and learning’ was initiated jointly by PHE and NHS England to draw together and disseminate research and learning on community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing.

This report presents the work undertaken in phase 1 of the project and provides a guide to the case for change, the concepts, the varieties of approach that have been tried and tested and sources of evidence. Public Health England

Launch of FGM e-learning resource

Launch of FGM e-learning resource

Next month Health Education England (HEE) will be launching a new e-learning resource designed to improve the knowledge and understanding of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) amongst healthcare professionals in the NHS.

In the lead up to the official launch, HEE encourages everyone to visit the e-lfh.org.uk website to find out about how NHS staff, including school nurses, practice nurses, health visitors and GPs can gain access to this free interactive e-learning resource.

Developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, and supported by the Department of Health’s FGM Prevention team, the material deals with the issues posed by FGM at all stages of a girl or woman’s life, including the impact on physical and emotional health, legal status and referral pathways.

The content has been written by clinicians with real practical experience of working with women and children in this field, supported by a wide range of stakeholders (including survivors).

One aspect of the e-learning particularly focuses on communication to help staff approach the topic sensitively, which is unique to this e-learning programme.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are an estimated 130 million women and girls living with FGM worldwide. Most of these women are located in 29 African countries. In the UK, FGM is increasingly identified amongst migrants from FGM-practising countries. There are an estimated 137,000 women in the UK affected by FGM.

Professor Wendy Reid, Director of Education and Quality and Medical Director, Health Education England, said:

“I am delighted that HEE has taken the initiative to develop the workforce in this way on this hugely important topic.

This e-learning will make a major difference in ensuring healthcare staff in primary, secondary care and schools are much more aware of the issues, how to approach them and where to go and what to do.

The content of this e-learning is nationally endorsed and written by clinicians, so for the first time, addresses real clinical needs in a useful way.” Health Education England

http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/female-genital-mutilation

Lung cancer breathalyser to go on trial in NHS hospitals by summer 2015

Lung cancer breathalyser to go on trial in NHS hospitals by summer 2015

A new device that could detect lung cancer from a patient's breath is about to undergo clinical trials in NHS hospitals. Independent

Care of people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour

Care of people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour

This report finds that the government did not meet its goal of transferring people with learning and behavioural conditions from mental hospitals into the community by 1 June 2014. NHS Networks

NHS to shut many residential hospitals for people with learning disabilities

NHS to shut many residential hospitals for people with learning disabilities

Health chiefs seek to address failure of previous moves to stop people being placed in hospitals rather than helped to live in community.

The NHS is to shut many of the 58 hospital units in England where people with learning disabilities are still being sent to live despite ministers’ demands that the practice should end in the wake of the Winterbourne View abuse scandal.

Health chiefs intend also to force closure or reform of up to 49 private hospitals that provide long-term accommodation for people with learning disabilities or autism whose behaviour is considered challenging. One company has already been refused a licence to operate. Guardian

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Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Britain's only privately run NHS hospital appeals for £10m taxpayer-funded bailout

Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Britain's only privately run NHS hospital appeals for £10m taxpayer-funded bailout

The only NHS hospital run by a private company has asked for a £10m taxpayer-funded bailout. Independent

Winter death toll is highest for 15 years after millions are given useless flu jab 

Winter death toll is highest for 15 years after millions are given useless flu jab 

The highest winter death toll for 15 years has followed the flu vaccination fiasco in which millions of people were given useless jabs, official figures showing death rates have soared. Daily Mail

Hearing aids to rationed by crisis-stricken NHS

Hearing aids to rationed by crisis-stricken NHS

Another 41 per cent of trusts will only offer patients one hearing aid unless they specifically ask for two, while after-care checks, staff numbers, and access to appointments have also been cut. Daily Mail