Our response to the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Secretary of State for Health
Commenting on the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Secretary of State for Health, Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King's Fund said:
'The re-appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Secretary of State for Health will bring some welcome continuity as the NHS enters one of the most challenging periods in its history. It is also an opportunity to continue the work on safety and quality of care he started in the wake of the Francis report.
'His first priority must be to plug the growing black hole in NHS finances by securing additional funding for the current financial year. This should go hand in hand with a renewed drive to improve productivity to ensure the NHS is playing its part in responding to the pressures it is facing.
'Looking beyond this, the government must use the Spending Review later this year to put the NHS on a sustainable financial footing for the rest of the parliament. The additional £8 billion a year by 2020 pledged in the Conservative manifesto is welcome but is the bare minimum needed to maintain standards of care and will not pay for new initiatives such as seven-day working. More money will also be needed for social care.
'In the long term, as the Barker Commission recommended, a new settlement is needed for health and social care which ends the historic divide between the two systems. For a party seeking to govern as one nation, securing the future of the NHS – the most tangible expression of this aspiration – must be a key priority.' King's Fund
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Stroke Association warns of 'alarming' rise in number of victims
Stroke Association warns of 'alarming' rise in number of victims
Increase in number of sufferers in their 40s and 50s is ‘a sad indictment’ of the nation’s health, says charity
The number of people in their 40s and 50s being afflicted by strokes is soaring, with obesity and sedentary lifestyles thought to be behind the rise.
The Stroke Association described the increase as alarming and shocking and warned that the cost of treatment – already at £9bn a year – would increase.
Stroke can no longer be seen as a disease of older people. As the figures show, it can happen to anyone at any time. Guardian
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Increase in number of sufferers in their 40s and 50s is ‘a sad indictment’ of the nation’s health, says charity
The number of people in their 40s and 50s being afflicted by strokes is soaring, with obesity and sedentary lifestyles thought to be behind the rise.
The Stroke Association described the increase as alarming and shocking and warned that the cost of treatment – already at £9bn a year – would increase.
Stroke can no longer be seen as a disease of older people. As the figures show, it can happen to anyone at any time. Guardian
Continue reading...
Palliative and end of life care
Palliative and end of life care
Palliative and end of life care refer to the care of people who have an incurable and progressive illness. This briefing note provides an overview of palliative care and its key components, approaches to managing and standardising care and key challenges to providing high quality care. House of Commons Library
Briefing
House of Commons Library publications
Palliative and end of life care refer to the care of people who have an incurable and progressive illness. This briefing note provides an overview of palliative care and its key components, approaches to managing and standardising care and key challenges to providing high quality care. House of Commons Library
Briefing
House of Commons Library publications
E-learning in healthcare: benefits, challenges and limitations
E-learning in healthcare: benefits, challenges and limitations
Our expert panel talks about what e-learning can offer the NHS and its staff
• Read the discussion in full
Colin McEwen, account manager, eCom Scotland: One of the major benefits is the flexibility e-learning offers ... This can help ensure learning is more accessible and is not overlooked. There are also benefits when it comes to managing compliance and continual professional development, both from an individual and organisational perspective ... There can also be budgetary and time saving benefits for the organisation. Guardian
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Our expert panel talks about what e-learning can offer the NHS and its staff
• Read the discussion in full
Colin McEwen, account manager, eCom Scotland: One of the major benefits is the flexibility e-learning offers ... This can help ensure learning is more accessible and is not overlooked. There are also benefits when it comes to managing compliance and continual professional development, both from an individual and organisational perspective ... There can also be budgetary and time saving benefits for the organisation. Guardian
Continue reading...
Parity of esteem for mental health
Parity of esteem for mental health
Achieving parity of esteem between mental and physical health in care standards and public attitudes has been attempted for decades. This briefing note outlines the history of these efforts, the various ways in which parity is defined and measured, the challenges of achieving this ideal and the strategies that may be employed to that end. House of Commons Library
Briefing
House of Commons Library publications
Achieving parity of esteem between mental and physical health in care standards and public attitudes has been attempted for decades. This briefing note outlines the history of these efforts, the various ways in which parity is defined and measured, the challenges of achieving this ideal and the strategies that may be employed to that end. House of Commons Library
Briefing
House of Commons Library publications
I work in mental health but colleagues don't understand my depression
I work in mental health but colleagues don't understand my depression
Sickness policies are punitive. One manager once told me: ‘You can’t be that ill, you’re just lazy’
It’s extremely difficult to describe the experience of depression to those who are lucky enough to have not experienced it. I’ve been a qualified mental health nurse for 20 years and have worked in various jobs in middle clinical and operational management. Yet, despite my clinical experience, I was ill-prepared for depression when it hit me in 2001. I ignored my increasingly difficult symptoms through shame until eventually I was overwhelmed. I broke down completely – and then of course everyone knew. Guardian
Related: As a nurse I don’t feel equipped to treat patients with mental health problems
Related: I love working in mental health – but I can’t do a good job on a shoestring
Related: I loved being a midwife but bullying, stress and fear made me resign
Continue reading...
Sickness policies are punitive. One manager once told me: ‘You can’t be that ill, you’re just lazy’
It’s extremely difficult to describe the experience of depression to those who are lucky enough to have not experienced it. I’ve been a qualified mental health nurse for 20 years and have worked in various jobs in middle clinical and operational management. Yet, despite my clinical experience, I was ill-prepared for depression when it hit me in 2001. I ignored my increasingly difficult symptoms through shame until eventually I was overwhelmed. I broke down completely – and then of course everyone knew. Guardian
Related: As a nurse I don’t feel equipped to treat patients with mental health problems
Related: I love working in mental health – but I can’t do a good job on a shoestring
Related: I loved being a midwife but bullying, stress and fear made me resign
Continue reading...
Delay to 700,000 patient opt-outs
Delay to 700,000 patient opt-outs
The Health and Social Care Information Centre is "extremely concerned" that 700,000 patient objections to having their identifiable data shared have yet to be enacted more than a year on from being registered with a GP. EHI News
The Health and Social Care Information Centre is "extremely concerned" that 700,000 patient objections to having their identifiable data shared have yet to be enacted more than a year on from being registered with a GP. EHI News
The digital age has helped to create a generation of short-sighted people, research finds
The digital age has helped to create a generation of short-sighted people, research finds
The advent of the computer and increasingly urban, indoor lifestyles have created a generation of short-sighted young Europeans, new figures show. Independent
The advent of the computer and increasingly urban, indoor lifestyles have created a generation of short-sighted young Europeans, new figures show. Independent
Let’s be more aware, take stock and celebrate best practice – Dr Geraldine Strathdee
Let’s be more aware, take stock and celebrate best practice – Dr Geraldine Strathdee
NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Mental Health marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week with a look at how messages are getting across:
While the nation has been swept up in the drama of the election, backstage the NHS has continued with business as usual.
And so this week’s Mental Health Awareness Week #MHAW15 is a chance for us to reflect on how the growing awareness about mental health has reached the hearts and minds of millions and is influencing decision makers in many sectors of our society.
In the past year, the appetite for information about mental health has reached unprecedented levels. Every day, across the country and indeed the world, there are newspaper and magazine articles, radio and TV programmes, thought pieces, new facts and figures, and live narrative stories.
NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Mental Health marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week with a look at how messages are getting across:
While the nation has been swept up in the drama of the election, backstage the NHS has continued with business as usual.
And so this week’s Mental Health Awareness Week #MHAW15 is a chance for us to reflect on how the growing awareness about mental health has reached the hearts and minds of millions and is influencing decision makers in many sectors of our society.
In the past year, the appetite for information about mental health has reached unprecedented levels. Every day, across the country and indeed the world, there are newspaper and magazine articles, radio and TV programmes, thought pieces, new facts and figures, and live narrative stories.
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