Policy paper: DH and HEE framework agreement 2015

Policy paper: DH and HEE framework agreement 2015

The framework agreement defines how the department and Health Education England will work together to serve patients, the public and the taxpayer. It sets out roles, responsibilities, governance and accountability arrangements. Department of Health

• Framework Agreement between the Department of Health and Health Education England  Health Education England

Safe staffing letter from Jane Cummings

Safe staffing letter from Jane Cummings


Simon Stevens asked the chief nurse to review safe staffing after NICE announced suspension of its work to develop standards. NHS Networks
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Right here, right now: people’s experiences of help, care and support during a mental health crisis

Right here, right now: people’s experiences of help, care and support during a mental health crisis


Care Quality Commission -
This report is based on feedback from almost 1,800 people with experience of a mental health crisis, along with local area inspections looking at how services work together, surveys of service providers and a review of national data. It found that the quality of care experienced by a person in crisis can vary greatly depending on where they are and what help they require. Many people also experienced problems getting help when they needed it, and found that healthcare professionals sometimes lack compassion and warmth when caring for people who are having a crisis. NHS Evidence
Report
Summary
Press release

Health experts urge ministers to publish secret list of failing NHS trusts

Health experts urge ministers to publish secret list of failing NHS trusts


Group of respected healthcare figures says that identifying hospitals deemed unviable should lead to a substantial cut in the number of NHS organisations

Ministers are under pressure to publish a secret list of hospital trusts that the NHS leadership believes are performing so poorly that they are no longer viable. Identifying hospitals deemed unsustainable should then lead to a substantial cut in the overall number of organisations that provide NHS care, despite the unpopularity of doing so, a group of respected healthcare figures says.

The group is urging ministers to publish the list of 90 English trusts that have not achieved foundation trust status, drawn up last year by the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA), the body which supervises them. It is understood to have concluded that some could yet become foundation trusts, but many would need to be taken over by other trusts or become part of the new chains of hospitals that the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, plans to introduce in the autumn. Guardian
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Working in mental health is not like fixing broken legs

Working in mental health is not like fixing broken legs


Mental and physical health should be seen as equal, but service planners must recognise that they need different models of funding and delivery


It is an often quoted metaphor: mental health problems should be seen like a broken leg (ie not shameful, not the fault of the suffer who is in need of well-wishing and support). While this analogy can help challenge stigma (and that definitely needs to happen) and address the need for mental and physical health to be seen as equal, it can be damaging when thinking about structuring services to meet the needs of people experiencing mental distress.

You have a broken leg? You get to hospital. People may offer to take you. You accept these kind offers. You comply with treatment. You attend follow-up appointments which come by letter, which you a) open, b) understand, c) make a note of and, importantly, d) agree with the need for. Guardian

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Only one in three unhappy NHS patients actually complain, says new survey

Only one in three unhappy NHS patients actually complain, says new survey

Only one in three people who are unhappy with their NHS care or with other public services actually complain, according to a survey conducted by the ombudsman. Independent

Eating disorder patients' lives at risk due to long waits for NHS treatment

Eating disorder patients' lives at risk due to long waits for NHS treatment


Overstretched specialists forced to prioritise anorexia patients while delays of up to three years mean those untreated become more seriously ill

The lives of people seriously ill with eating disorders are being put at risk because they have to wait up to three years for NHS treatment.

Experts warn that specialist services are struggling to cope with a growing caseload and are so overstretched they have to prioritise patients with anorexia, because they are at greatest risk, ahead of those with bulimia – even though their condition is seriously affecting their lives.

Being on a waiting list is pretty toxic … Anorexics lose more weight; bulimics can binge and vomit more frequently. Guardian

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Lack of NHS short-term wheelchairs is leaving recovering patients 'prisoners at home'

Lack of NHS short-term wheelchairs is leaving recovering patients 'prisoners at home'

A growing number of people recovering from injuries and operations are being left “prisoners at home” because the NHS cannot provide wheelchairs on short-term loans, the British Red Cross has said. Independent