Friday 12 June 2015

NHS staff most stressed public sector workers, survey finds

NHS staff most stressed public sector workers, survey finds


Healthcare professionals least likely to take a break, Guardian survey reveals, and face dwindling resources and an increased workload

NHS staff are more likely to feel stressed because of their job than any other public sector workers, a Guardian survey reveals.

Some 61% of healthcare professionals who took part in the research reported feeling stressed all or most of the time, and 59% said they feel more stressed this year than last year. Guardian

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A&E staff attitudes to patients in mental health crisis ‘often shocking’

A&E staff attitudes to patients in mental health crisis 'often shocking'

Care Quality Commission says failings in NHS response can result in the most vulnerable people being abandoned

A&E staff are often unsympathetic to patients suffering a mental health crisis and judgmental about injuries they have inflicted on themselves, the NHS watchdog has said in a report published on Friday.

Unhelpful attitudes among doctors and nurses towards people having delusions or panic attacks or contemplating suicide compounds their mental distress, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found. Guardian

Aerobic exercise should be 'routine treatment' for asthma, study finds

Aerobic exercise should be 'routine treatment' for asthma, study finds

Regular aerobic exercise 'reduces the need for inhalers' for patients with asthma and should be 'routinely added to the drug treatment' of the disease, researchers have said. GP Online

Cancer patients get records access

Cancer patients get records access

Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Registration Service and brain tumour support charity brainstrust have created a portal to give cancer patients online access to their treatment records. EHI News

VIDEO: Could scientists 'switch off' pain?

VIDEO: Could scientists 'switch off' pain?

Cambridge University researchers have identified a faulty gene that seems to switch pain off in some people and it is hoped the discovery could lead to new treatments. BBC News

Diabetes criteria 'miss at-risk women'

Diabetes criteria 'miss at-risk women'

New criteria for diagnosing diabetes during pregnancy could be missing thousands of women at risk, a report suggests. BBC News

Patients shun seven-days-a-week GP trial

Patients shun seven-days-a-week GP trial

Barely one in ten Sunday appointments was filled in GP surgeries in Yorkshire who were trialling out-of-hours care with only half of the slot available for a Saturday taken, it has emerged. Daily Mail

RCN response to Chief Nursing Officer letter on safe staffing levels

RCN response to Chief Nursing Officer letter on safe staffing levels

The RCN has responded to an open letter from the Chief Nursing Officer on safe staffing levels. Royal College of Nursing

Thousands more patients to be cured of hepatitis C

Thousands more patients to be cured of hepatitis C


Thousands of patients in England with cirrhosis caused by the hepatitis C virus will now be able to access new treatment options which can cure the virus and therefore prevent further damage to the liver, including the potential of end stage liver disease or cancer. More ....
NHS Networks

News story: Government announces Monitor and Trust Development Authority move to single leadership to deliver increased support to...

News story: Government announces Monitor and Trust Development Authority move to single leadership to deliver increased support to...

The NHS, along with Monitor and TDA, have risen to the challenge presented by the Francis Report in the wake of Mid Staffs, but this new move will embed hospital safety as a key priority. The closer working between Monitor and TDA will encompass those functions and duties carried out by both organisations.

This change will mean that all NHS providers, whether they are foundation trusts or trusts, are under the oversight of one chief executive, overseeing teams working closely together. All hospitals need access to the same kinds of support, and should be subject to the same kinds of intervention if their performance isn’t delivering the level of care that patients have a right to expect.

The principle of closer working between Monitor and the TDA has been a subject of growing consensus among healthcare leaders and NHS providers. In the interests of patients and staff, it is now time to go further and ensure that staff in both organisations report to a single leader. Patients rightly expect the same very high standards of care wherever they are in the country and whatever the organisational status of the hospital delivering their care.

This change will support hospitals with the crucial work they have already started to balance their books and clamp down on spending on expensive staffing agencies. Closer working between the two organisations will enable the system to work together to achieve the best value for money, avoid wastage and deliver the efficiencies needed for a sustainable health system.

Similarly, no changes to the foundation trust model are currently envisaged. We support strongly the principle that NHS organisations should have access to greater freedoms as their delivery for patients and taxpayers improves.

The chairs of both Monitor and the TDA have been asked to run an open and competitive process to identify a chief executive. Our intention is that this appointment will be made by the end of the summer.

In advance of a new joint chief executive being appointed, the current chief executives of Monitor and TDA, David Bennett and Bob Alexander, will oversee early steps to begin bringing the two organisations together with immediate effect. David Bennett will remain in place to steer the transition for Monitor but has said he will step down in due course. Department of Health

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

This is an exciting opportunity for the people at Monitor and TDA to combine their respective skills to create a world class capability to support NHS providers. I am grateful to David and Bob for their contribution over recent years in the creation of this capability.

A new work experience toolkit for employers

A new work experience toolkit for employers

NHS Careers has produced a new resource to help employers provide high quality work experience programmes. NHS Employers