Friday 27 February 2015

Ambulances in Northamptonshire lose 645 hours in one month to time spent with patients in hospital

Ambulances in Northamptonshire lose 645 hours in one month to time spent with patients in hospital East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has revealed a total of 645 hours lost in one month by frontline staff in Northamptonshire due to time spent with patients in hospital before they can be handed over to doctors. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Constructive comfort: accelerating change in the NHS

Constructive comfort: accelerating change in the NHS This report identifies key factors needed for successful change and explores why they are not consistently present in the NHS. It sets out how national bodies can help make successful change more likely, in part by boosting the support provided to organisations and focusing on NHS staff leading change. The Health Foundation

It’s all about the people: how national policy makers can better support change in the NHS

It’s all about the people: how national policy makers can better support change in the NHS How can national policy makers support local change? How can those working in Whitehall’s Ivory Towers help, not hinder, those working on the NHS front line? Clare Allcock looks at the findings from our work on this issue. The Health Foundation

What’s important to me. A Review of Choice in End of Life Care

What’s important to me. A Review of Choice in End of Life Care This report identifies the issues people approaching the end of life are currently facing and offers a blueprint for how greater choice in end of life care can be achieved. Our advice is focused around a ‘national choice offer’ – a simple expression of what should be offered to each individual who needs end of life care. The Choice in End of Life Care Programme Board

See also:

Themes and lessons learnt from NHS investigations into matters relating to Jimmy Savile

Themes and lessons learnt from NHS investigations into matters relating to Jimmy Savile The Secretary of State for Health asked former barrister Kate Lampard to produce a ‘lessons learned’ report, drawing on the findings from all published investigations and emerging themes.

The report includes 14 recommendations for the NHS, the Department of Health and wider government. Department of Health

See also:

The role of prescribed persons

The role of prescribed persons The National Audit Office has today published a report on the role of prescribed persons in whistleblowing. Prescribed persons, as prescribed under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, are independent bodies or individuals that can be approached by whistleblowers where an approach to their employers would not be appropriate. Prescribed persons, which usually have an authoritative relationship with the whistleblowers’ organizations, can be regulatory or legislative bodies, central government departments, arm’s length bodies or charities and include all Members of Parliament.

One of the principle conclusions of today’s NAO investigation is that more needs to be done to reduce the gap between the actions of prescribed persons and whistleblowers’ expectations, whilst recognizing that it is unlikely that the gap will ever be fully closed. Sir Robert Francis, in publishing his recent independent review, noted the challenges in encouraging whistleblowers to speak up. Whistleblowers will on occasion continue to feel let down by the arrangements in place and this does not encourage potential whistleblowers to raise concerns with confidence.

Today’s report calls on the wider government to do more to understand the experience of whistleblowers and to act where whistleblowers suffer detriment.

This is the NAO’s third report on whistleblowing. The first reviewed whistleblowing policies from 39 bodies, including its own, against good practice. The second focused on how organizations provide the best conditions to encourage people to come forward.

ICT service launches whistleblowing tool

ICT service launches whistleblowing tool Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Luton ICT Services has launched a feedback tool that it says provides a simple, anonymous solution for NHS staff and patients to report concerns about the way services are run. E-Health Insider

Workforce supplement: The benefits of specialist nurses

Workforce supplement: The benefits of specialist nurses Six reasons why specialist nurses in advanced practice should be on your agenda. Health Service Journal

Longer sleep linked to stroke

Longer sleep linked to stroke “Too much sleep could kill you,” is the baseless and needlessly alarmist headline on the front cover of today’s Daily Express.

The study it is reporting on actually showed that people who sleep for more than eight hours a night had a 46% increased risk of stroke over the following 10 years, compared with people sleeping six to eight hours.

While these results certainly warrant further investigation, it does not show that the increased sleep caused strokes, let alone death.

Consultation supports stronger GMC sanctions against failing doctors

Consultation supports stronger GMC sanctions against failing doctors Strong support for proposals to improve patient protection and public confidence in doctors. OnMedica

See also:

Government rejected proposals for four-hour waits for mental health emergencies

Government rejected proposals for four-hour waits for mental health emergencies The government rejected proposals to guarantee that NHS mental health teams would respond to emergencies within four hours because it didn't know how much it would cost to make sure services could meet the target. Community Care

Maternity care should be one-to-one, says UK watchdog

Maternity care should be one-to-one, says UK watchdog Institute’s guidelines for the NHS welcomed by Royal College of Midwives as political parties urged to include them in manifestos.

Women giving birth should have one-to-one care with a midwife, a health watchdog has said.

Backed up by the Royal College of Midwives, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(Nice) has produced a guideline advising the NHS to ensure there is always one midwife to each new mother. Continue reading... The Guardian

George Osborne must protect the social care budget or the NHS will suffer

George Osborne must protect the social care budget or the NHS will suffer The chancellor should invest in the care and support that helps keep people out of hospital.

No one wants to see their elderly mum or dad or sick neighbour suffer but this is exactly what is happening in health and social care. While social care remains chronically underfunded, the support elderly and disabled people rely upon will continue to suffer and deteriorate. Another care crisis, like the one we saw this winter, will become an unavoidable reality all year around, the vulnerable will not get the care they deserve and the NHS will remain under pressure.

This is why it is vital that the chancellor uses next month’s budget to protect social care funding in the same way it is doing with spending on the NHS. We know there is less money in the system for everyone, but council and health leaders all recognise that it’s a false economy to only protect one part of the system – investing money and protecting funding for the NHS while forcing councils to cut already stretched social care budgets. Continue reading... The Guardian