Friday 1 May 2015

Doctor from Northamptonshire had to self-diagnose life-threatening condition after being sent home from hospital

Doctor from Northamptonshire had to self-diagnose life-threatening condition after being sent home from hospital A consultant who lives in Northamptonshire won a settlement against an NHS hospital after an operation that left her at death’s door. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Social care and the election: we need to talk about the money

Social care and the election: we need to talk about the money Former New York governor Mario Cuomo once said that politicians campaign in poetry but govern in prose. When it comes to social care issues in the current election campaign, most UK politicians are struggling with even basic literacy.

How we fund and deliver good care for an ageing population in which younger people with care and support needs are also living longer is one of the most pressing public policy challenges of our generation. Thanks to the excellent work of the Care and Support Alliance and others, the care system is emerging from the shadows and attracting a higher media profile. It even made it into the party leaders’ debates. But is the rhetoric of politicians reflected in what the party manifestos are saying about social care?

Who’s saying what? A round up of the NHS and the general election

Who’s saying what? A round up of the NHS and the general election There is a consensus among all political parties that the NHS needs to maintain and improve care quality, transform the way care is delivered and achieve financial balance. So who’s been saying what? asks Emma Spencelayh. The Health Foundation

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Rip off the sticking plaster now: Urgent and emergency care models in 2015/16

Rip off the sticking plaster now: Urgent and emergency care models in 2015/16 Without immediate action, the NHS is set for a winter crisis in 2015/16. NHS organisations need to take rapid action now if we are to implement solutions that will prevent this from happening. Planning and policy guidance have been issued in disparate documents across a number of months, and have been affected by the electoral cycle.
This report collates the guidance and urges immediate action from NHS organisations, national bodies and the incoming Government. We need to rip off the sticking plaster that covers emergency care systems now – winter is coming and we must be prepared. NHS Confederation

New People Performance Management toolkit

New People Performance Management toolkit A new toolkit to encourage and enable NHS managers to adopt better performance management practices has been launched by NHS Employers

Report provides new regional information about experiences of inpatients with learning disabilities

Report provides new regional information about experiences of inpatients with learning disabilities A report published today gives a snapshot of the experiences of people with learning disabilities who are inpatients in either NHS or independent services, and provides a new insight into regional variations of care. Health & Social Care Information Centre

We need more nurses, say public

We need more nurses, say public New poll undertaken by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the RCN has shown that 88 per cent of the British adults surveyed agree we need many more nurses. Royal College of Nursing

Private GP out-of-hours care 'worse'

How many staff does the NHS need?

How many staff does the NHS need? When the NHS was created in 1948 there were 144,000 members of staff. In less than seven decades that figure has risen tenfold to 1.4 million across the UK.

But with all the political parties promising more health workers in the coming years, just how many doctors, nurses, porters, therapists and managers does the NHS need? BBC News

New prostate cancer treatment has promising results in mice

New prostate cancer treatment has promising results in mice "Prostate cancer resistant to conventional treatment could be all but wiped out by a therapy that boosts the immune system," the Daily Mail reports. The therapy, as yet only used in mice, enabled chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells in mice with previously treatment-resistant prostate cancer.

Abnormal body cells will usually be recognised by the immune system and destroyed. However, the fact the cancers develop and progress, and can be resistant to treatment, shows that something is preventing these cells from being destroyed.

Previous study has suggested that immune cells called B cells (which make antibodies) may have a role in making prostate tumours resistant to chemotherapy. This mouse study further investigated this by looking at different ways to suppress these B cells, using immune therapy or genetic techniques. It found that once these B cells were blocked or removed, a chemotherapy drug (oxaliplatin) was then able to attack and destroy mouse prostate tumours.

The researchers have dubbed this approach "chemoimmunotherapy", as it combines chemotherapy with immunotherapy (having an effect on the immune cells).

It is too soon to know whether "chemoimmunotherapy" could be the answer for progressive and treatment-resistant cancer in humans – prostate or any other type of cancer.

My job in patient transport is tough and unglamorous but I wouldn't change it

My job in patient transport is tough and unglamorous but I wouldn't change it I’m one of 330 local staff who carry out 1,500 daily journeys, increasing to 1,800 on a busy day

Non-emergency patient transport is a little known yet vital NHS service that helps millions of people in medical need. I’m one of 330 local staff, including ambulance crews and volunteer drivers, working for Arriva Transport Solutions (ATSL) in Manchester. Every day we carry out 1,500 journeys, increasing to 1,800 on a busy day. No two days are the same. Continue reading... The Guardian

Integration is not a cure-all for health and care – look at Northern Ireland

Integration is not a cure-all for health and care – look at Northern Ireland Health and social care have different cultures, values and funding systems, which cause difficulties when promoting community-based care

In 1965 the Seebohm committee was appointed to consider how best to shape social welfare. In the same year I qualified as a social worker. In the half-century since, there have been numerous attempts to secure better integration of services. Now the belated realisation that the scale of cuts in adult social care has contributed greatly to the pressures on the NHS has again directed attention to the boundaries between health and social care.

In this discussion there has been little examination of Northern Ireland, with its 45 years experience of an integrated system. There, integration has failed to address a reliance on hospitals and institutional care which is significantly greater than elsewhere in the UK. A model based on community-based services remains an aspiration. Continue reading... The Guardian

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