Six ways to harness the power of people and place to improve health care

Six ways to harness the power of people and place to improve health care Despite an abundance of ideas that would improve the commissioning and delivery of health care in the UK, there is widespread failure to implement and embed them. Andrew Constable gives his ideas on how to give improvement work every chance of succeeding. The Health Foundation

NHS launches new collaboration to sustain and improve local hospitals

NHS launches new collaboration to sustain and improve local hospitals The NHS invites expressions of interest from hospitals across England interested in developing new ways of delivering and improving their local acute services.

The aim is to enhance the viability of local hospitals through new formal shared working arrangements between clinical specialists at different hospitals, and to improve efficiency by sharing back office administration and management between different sites.

The new ‘vanguard’ sites, to be developed as part of implementing the Five Year Forward View, build on the proposals in the recent report from Sir David Dalton. NHS England

Every patient a research patient? Evaluating the current state of research in the NHS

Every patient a research patient? Evaluating the current state of research in the NHS According to this report, based on interviews with clinicians, nurses and administrators involved in NHS clinical cancer research, daily pressures on the NHS are having a serious impact on its ability to support world-leading research into cancer. It reveals pockets of excellence in clinical research, but also showed how escalating pressures to deliver routine NHS services are squeezing out time for hospital staff to do vital research. It also highlights how financial pressures are affecting research infrastructure and the capacity of host organisations to fund additional research costs. University of Birmingham on behalf of Cancer Research UK

BMA casts doubt on seven-day services plans

BMA casts doubt on seven-day services plans Serious questions must be answered about the feasibility of Government commitments to create a seven-day NHS, the British Medical Association has warned.

See also:

• Prime Minister's seven-day pledge empty headline grabbing BMA
• Doctors rubbish seven-day GPs plan BBC News
• Ministers must stop 'surreal obsession' with seven day surgeries, top doctor warns The Daily Telegraph
• Ministers must scrap plans for seven-day GP service, warns GPC chairman GP Online
• David Cameron 'must drop obsession' with seven-day access to GPs The Guardian
• Head of British Medical Association: Seven-day GP access plan 'surreal' and must be scrapped The Independent

'Baby deaths' midwife struck off

'Baby deaths' midwife struck off A former midwife at Furness General Hospital who admitted she "made mistakes" that contributed to the deaths of two babies is struck off. BBC News

See also:

• Midwife struck off for misconduct after deaths of two babies The Guardian

NHS fails 'thousands' cancer patients

NHS fails 'thousands' cancer patients The NHS in England is failing "thousands" of cancer patients by treating them too slowly, a charity warns. BBC News

See also:

• Waiting Times for Suspectedand Diagnosed CancerPatients2014-15 Annual Report NHS England
• NHS failing cancer patients as waiting numbers highest since records began The Daily Mail
• More NHS hospitals breach waiting times for cancer treatment The Guardian
• NHS cancer care faces fresh scrutiny after hospitals miss key targets The Guardian

Developing evidence-enriched practice in health and social care with older people

Developing evidence-enriched practice in health and social care with older people An innovative project looking at how evidence can be used to enrich practice, based on research from the JRF A Better Life programme, has released its findings.

The project, which ran for one year in six sites across Wales and Scotland, focused on what matters to older people, carers, staff, organisations and researchers.

The project demonstrated the benefits of using research and related contextual evidence in developing services and workforces, resulting in improved wellbing for older people, carers and staff. Joseph Rowntree Trust

NHS to pilot new urgent care models where health service is struggling

NHS to pilot new urgent care models where health service is struggling New urgent care models could be developed in areas where health services are under pressure, NHS England's chief executive has suggested. GP Online

NHS treats transgender people as second-class citizens, says watchdog

NHS treats transgender people as second-class citizens, says watchdog Delays in preparatory treatment and therapy, and years waiting for life-changing operations, put unacceptable pressure on patients, campaigners say.

People preparing for gender reassignment are being treated as second-class citizens by the NHS in England, with many taking at least six years to go through the process, according to the state-funded watchdog Healthwatch.

Katherine Rake, its chief executive, said those seeking to change their gender often faced an “incredibly troubling” experience, with the process taking “a considerable part of people’s lives”. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• A transgender woman's journey: 'You feel desperate, helpless' The Guardian

Almost one in four deaths 'avoidable with lifestyle and healthcare changes'

Almost one in four deaths 'avoidable with lifestyle and healthcare changes' ONS study shows 23% of deaths in England and Wales in 2013 were amenable to treatment or could have been prevented through public health measures.

Nearly a quarter of deaths in England and Wales in 2013 were potentially avoidable with good healthcare, improvements to lifestyles or vaccination, the Office for National Statistics has said.

In all, 114,740 (23%) of the 506,790 deaths recorded in the two countries were either amenable to treatment or could have been prevented through public health measures, or sometimes both, according to experimental statistics published on Wednesday. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Avoidable Mortality in England and Wales, 2013 Office for National Statistics
• One in FOUR die from avoidable disease that could be prevented with a healthier lifestyle The Daily Mail

MPs took tobacco firms' gifts before packaging vote

MPs took tobacco firms' gifts before packaging vote 38 MPs have received a total of £60,000 of industry hospitality since changes to packets were first suggested in 2010. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• MPs accept tobacco industry hospitality worth £60,000 - including a Paul McCartney concert The Independent

'Great scandal' of childhood obesity to be top NHS target

'Great scandal' of childhood obesity to be top NHS target Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt promises a national strategy to address Britain's spiralling weight problem. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Children of the 90s more likely to be overweight or obese NHS Choices
• British getting fatter younger OnMedica