Care facility in Northamptonshire vows to improve after report by Care Quality Commission

Care facility in Northamptonshire vows to improve after report by Care Quality Commission A care facility in Northamptonshire has been ordered to make improvements after issues were discovered by Care Quality Commission inspectors. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

'We need to expand Northampton General Hospital in every way', says Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

'We need to expand Northampton General Hospital in every way', says Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt Conservative Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt visited Northampton today to add his weight to the party's election campaign. The Health Secretary agreed improvements need to be made to hospital services, GP services and community services 'across the board'. Northants Herald and Post

Form follows function: governance challenges for providers in light of the Dalton review

Form follows function: governance challenges for providers in light of the Dalton review This joint NHS Providers and NHS Confederation report explores the governance implications of the different organisational forms proposed in Sir David Dalton’s review of organisational forms. The report focuses on governance as a critical factor in determining success and explores the governance implications of adopting different organisational forms for the purposes of improving quality and/or efficiency, and provides some core questions for provider boards to use to inform their thinking.

• Report
• Dalton review
• Press release

Revised policy on never events and serious incidents

Revised policy on never events and serious incidents The revised Never Events Policy and Framework includes changes to the definition of a never event and adjustments to the never events list. The revised Serious Incident Framework provides renewed guidance to help organisations respond to serious incidents appropriately. More .... NHS England

Prescription Cost Analysis, England - 2014

Prescription Cost Analysis, England - 2014 In 2014, 1.1 billion prescription items were dispensed in the community. This is an increase of 3 per cent (34 million items) on the number dispensed in 2013.

The Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) in 2014 was £8.9 billion, an increase of 3 per cent (£227 million) on the NIC in 2013.

The average NIC per item in 2014 was £8.32, a decrease of 0.7 per cent (5 pence) on the average NIC per item in 2013.

Simvastatin was the most commonly prescribed chemical with 37.8 million items dispensed in 2014, whilst Metformin Hydrochloride had the greatest NIC, £96.2m. Health and Social Care Information Centre

See also:

• NHS gave out £13m worth of suncream last year The Daily Mail
• GP dispensed prescriptions rise 3% to 1.1 billion OnMedica

The future of General Practice 2015

The future of General Practice 2015 Results from a national survey showed that GPs need to be freed from the constraints of the ten minute consultation to help meet their patients’ needs and almost all GPs also feel that their heavy workload is having a negative impact on the quality GP services, a major new survey has found. The poll, which is the largest recent test of opinion across the profession heard from 15,560 grassroots GPs working in the UK. The BMA

See also:

• RCGP response to BMA survey of 15,000 GPs Royal College of General Practitioners
• GP workload harming care - BMA poll BBC News
• GPs revolt over call to open seven days a week: 94 per cent of family doctors believe their practice should not open at the weekend  The Daily Mail
• Nine out of 10 GPs say heavy workload is undermining patient care GP Online
• Infographic: Can GPs cope with soaring workload? GP Online
• GP leader calls for staff boost over better access OnMedica

Review of case against NHS manager

Review of case against NHS manager The General Medical Council is to review an investigation into the second most powerful person at NHS England, Dame Barbara Hakin. BBC News

See also:

• NHS's Dame Barbara Hakin faces fresh inquiry into risking lives The Daily Mail

'Loneliness maps' should be used to help the most isolated people, report advises

'Loneliness maps' should be used to help the most isolated people, report advises Maps pinpointing where the country’s loneliest people might live must be used to help focus services to those who are most isolated, according to a new report. The Independent

See also:

• Hidden Citizens: how can we identify loneliness in our communities?  Campaign to End Loneliness 
• Why lunch at a rugby club is the best medicine The Guardian