Nursing role is a hospital first for Kettering

Nursing role is a hospital first for Kettering A nurse at Kettering General Hospital has been appointed to a new specialised role, aimed at improving patient care and providing training to other medical staff. Northamptonshire Telegraph

News story: Kettering Hospital to improve A&E service and finances

News story: Kettering Hospital to improve A&E service and finances As a result, Kettering will now:

• create and implement a realistic and robust short-term financial recovery plan
• develop and effectively deliver a long-term strategic plan
• update its emergency care action plan to ensure closer working with other local health and social care organisations

These legally binding steps follow on from previous action by the health regulator at Kettering following concerns about the organisation of its A&E service, long-term finances and performance of its previous leadership.

While Kettering has made significant progress in improving its A&E service, it is still failing to consistently meet the national target of treating 95% of A&E patients within 4 hours.

Significant progress has also been made by Kettering’s new leadership in becoming compliant with all Health & Safety Executive and local fire authority guidelines.

Monitor will continue to scrutinise the trust’s progress in making these improvements.

See also:

• KGH agrees plan to improve finances and reduce waiting times Northamptonshire Telegraph

Is surplus NHS estate the answer to funding transformation?

Is surplus NHS estate the answer to funding transformation? Both The King’s Fund and the Health Foundation have called for a properly resourced 'transformation fund' to support the kind of large-scale change outlined in the NHS five year forward view. But how big would such a fund need to be and how would it be resourced? We are exploring the answer to these questions as part of our project with the Health Foundation.

Could selling unused, or underused, NHS estate provide the necessary funding? Of course, this depends on how much surplus estate there is and how much it is worth – and it isn’t easy to answer either of those questions.

The NHS - reality returns after polling day

The NHS - reality returns after polling day Hugh Pym on the turbulent times ahead for the NHS. BBC News

Labour and Tory pledges to recruit more GPs 'could take 30 years to fulfil'

Labour and Tory pledges to recruit more GPs 'could take 30 years to fulfil' Doctors’ group says that, at current rates, it would take until 2045 to find Labour’s promised 8,000 extra GPs – and until 2034 to hire the 5,000 the Tories propose

On current trends, it will take up to 30 years to deliver key election pledges from Labour and the Conservatives to recruit thousands more GPs, the body which represents family doctors has warned.

Labour’s promise of 8,000 extra GPs during the next parliament to relieve the strain on overworked surgeries would not be fulfilled until 2045, according to the Royal College of GPs (RCGP). Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• New government set to miss targets for extra GPs unless urgent measures are taken after election, warns RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners

Ed Miliband warns that NHS faces financial bombshell

Ed Miliband warns that NHS faces financial bombshell Labour leader says hospital trusts could have to make ‘swingeing cuts’ as he pushes to put health service at centre of election campaign

Ed Miliband warned that two-thirds of hospital trusts face having to make “swingeing cuts” after a leaked internal document showed that the health service is projected to run a deficit of nearly £2bn this year.

Two-thirds of hospitals face having to make swingeing cuts, not at some point in the future but this year Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Ed Miliband: Conservatives have secret plan to reorganise NHS after election The Guardian
• General Election 2015: Hospitals face £1.9bn 'financial bombshell', Ed Miliband claims The Independent

Fears grow over ‘land grab’ of NHS by private suppliers

Fears grow over ‘land grab’ of NHS by private suppliers Campaigners say list of service bidders is another step to privatisation, as reforms are viewed as handing power to corporations instead of GPs

A new list of approved suppliers to the NHS has heightened fears of a multi-billion pound land grab by a handful of corporations.

Competition for contracts to supply support services to the GP-led commissioning groups will be dominated by management consultancies, outsourcing giant Capita, and the US health insurer UnitedHealth. NHS England insists that the companies bidding for the support contracts will supply a range of back office functions, cutting procurement times and allowing doctors to focus on how best to spend their £70bn share of the NHS budget. Continue reading... The Guardian

Most patients turning down the chance of free private treatment on the NHS, says research

Most patients turning down the chance of free private treatment on the NHS, says research Most patients are turning down the chance of free private treatment on the NHS, according to research released. Government statistics, obtained in response to a Freedom of Information request, reveal that where people are offered the choice of going private, 64 per cent decide not to. The Independent

See also:

• Three-quarters of Britons sunburned last year, study finds The Daily Telegraph

UK skin cancer statistics 'shocking' as sun-worshippers ignore the dangers of exposure

UK skin cancer statistics 'shocking' as sun-worshippers ignore the dangers of exposure An overwhelming majority of Britons worry about skin cancer, but millions continue to put themselves at risk by allowing themselves to be burned by the sun, according to health campaigners. The Independent

See also:

• Most 'unaware' of skin cancer signs BBC News