Transforming our health care system: ten priorities for commissioners

Transforming our health care system: ten priorities for commissioners This paper sets out ten actions for commissioners to help them transform the health care system to deliver a more efficient and effective system with improved outcomes for patients. This paper was originally published in March 2011 and we have updated it to reflect changes within the NHS. The King's Fund

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Mental health crisis review – experiences of minorities

Mental health crisis review – experiences of minorities This report presents the results of this work and provides an insight into patient experience of mental health crisis care from a BME perspective. Race Equality Foundation

How can and should the UK adjust to dementia?

How can and should the UK adjust to dementia? This publication explores the various ways in which adaptations and adjustments should be made to meet the growing demands of an ageing population with an increased prevalence of dementia. It argues that a more holistic approach encompassing more than health and social care services should be considered. Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Are nurses the new doctors?

Are nurses the new doctors? Medicine has changed dramatically over the years with new drugs and treatments revolutionising the way patients are cared for.

With that has come an overhaul in the way staff work. In particular, the demarcation between doctors and nurses. BBC News

GP leaders demand immediate suspension of CQC inspections

GP leaders demand immediate suspension of CQC inspections The RCGP and GPC have called for the immediate suspension of CQC inspections on practices, warning that GPs are 'close to meltdown' and 'have no confidence' in the watchdog's processes. GP Online

See also:

• GPs call for emergency ‘pause’ in inspections to relieve pressure on crisis-hit surgeries Royal College of General Practitioners
• Scrap inspection regime, GPs urge BBC News
• Stop inspecting our surgeries, say GPs The Daily Mail
• GPs are too busy to be inspected, unions say The Daily Telegraph
• GP bodies call for emergency suspension of health watchdog's 'nit-picking' inspections The Independent

Tackling the stress culture in the NHS

Tackling the stress culture in the NHS New initiative will encourage staff to talk about how they are feeling, and managers will be alerted to stress levels among healthcare workers

“There is a culture of stress in the NHS. Staff are given more and more to do … with little support, fewer resources and poor rationale. They are not allowed time to process or reflect on their experiences. Stress and pressure is not openly spoken of, instead staff are expected to get on with it and are often afraid to speak out, for fear of being ‘awkward’.” Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• NHS staff most stressed public sector workers, survey finds The Guardian
• Why public sector workers need a Samaritans-style helpline The Guardian

A&E a 'place of terror' for elderly people, nurses' union congress hears

A&E a 'place of terror' for elderly people, nurses' union congress hears Royal College of Nursing debate hears that older people bear brunt of crisis of overstretched emergency departments, with some left on trolleys for hours

Overstretched A&E units are “places of terror” for elderly and vulnerable people, the nursing union’s congress has heard.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said there was no longer only a winter crisis but a year-round crisis with older people bearing the brunt, as some were left on trolleys for up to 20 hours.

Our hospitals are massively overstretched. They are running at 100% to 105% capacity every day Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• A&Es are places of terror for the old, warns nurse Lucy Frost Daily Mail
• Hospitals have become 'places of terror', nurses warn The Daily Telegraph

Half of community nurses now feel vulnerable at work, says 'horrifying' survey

Half of community nurses now feel vulnerable at work, says 'horrifying' survey One in two community nurses feels vulnerable at work, and nearly half say that risks to their safety have worsened in the past two years, partly as a result of NHS cost-cutting, the country’s biggest nursing union has reported. The Independent

See also:

• Alone, afraid and under attack – nursing in the community Royal College of Nursing

Doctors should not be made to act as 'border guards' for migrant patients, say medical leaders

Doctors should not be made to act as 'border guards' for migrant patients, say medical leaders Doctors should play no part in monitoring a patient’s immigration status, medical leaders have said, amid reports of GPs being forced to act like “border guards” as a result of the Government’s crackdown on so-called health tourism. The Independent

Gonorrhoea and syphilis on the rise as STI diagnoses soar among gay and bisexual men

Gonorrhoea and syphilis on the rise as STI diagnoses soar among gay and bisexual men Large increases in diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were seen last year in men who have sex with men (MSM), according to new figures. The Independent

See also:

• Press release: New STI figures show rapid increases among gay men Public Health England
• STIs soaring in gay men - warning BBC News