Pensioner from Northamptonshire had NHS treatment withdrawn after cutbacks saw criteria change

Pensioner from Northamptonshire had NHS treatment withdrawn after cutbacks saw criteria change A diabetic man who had been receiving essential NHS foot treatment for three years has had it withdrawn because of changes in the criteria in Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A new way of measuring hospital productivity: what does it add?

A new way of measuring hospital productivity: what does it add?Following a barrage of policy announcements in recent weeks from the Department of Health and national bodies, it is clear that the focus is firmly on creating an NHS that uses its money more wisely.

Lord Carter’s interim report on the productivity of NHS providers was one of these announcements, aiming to set out how £5 billion worth of savings can be made by the NHS. The report includes a new method of comparing operating costs: the Adjusted Treatment Index (ATI). This will be an important tool for identifying opportunities to improve productivity and, according to the report, bring the NHS into line with best practice in other countries. So how will it work? The King's Fund

National audit of children’s X-ray services indicates UK hospitals failing to meet recommended standards

National audit of children’s X-ray services indicates UK hospitals failing to meet recommended standards An audit of children’s X-ray services conducted by The Royal College of Radiologists has revealed the extent to which UK hospitals are failing to meet recommendations to reduce the risk of missed or mistaken diagnoses of illness, disease or child abuse.

See also:

• Shortage of X ray expertise putting children at risk The Daily Telegraph

New draft guidelines to help transform the care of people with learning disabilities

New draft guidelines to help transform the care of people with learning disabilities NHS England, the Local Government Association (LGA), and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Sevices (ADASS) have today published a new draft national framework designed to improve the care of people with learning disabilities, shifting services away from hospital care and towards community-based settings.

The new draft service model is the latest piece of work to emerge from the Transforming Care for People with Learning Disabilities programme, which is a joint piece of work between the NHS England, the LGA, ADASS, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Health Education England (HEE) and the Department of Health (DH).

Dementia: statistics on prevalence and improving diagnosis, care and research

Dementia: statistics on prevalence and improving diagnosis, care and research This briefing outlines government, NHS and other statutory bodies’ work to improve dementia diagnosis, care and support and research. It also provides statistics on rates and expected rises of dementia prevalence, including prevalence rates for each English parliamentary constituency. House of Commons Library

The association between patient and family engagement practices and patient experience

The association between patient and family engagement practices and patient experience This slide presentation covers the findings of a 2013-2014 survey conducted by the Health Research & Educational Trust and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The survey examined patient and family engagement practices and their association with patient experiences. Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence

Dying care: New guidelines proposed

Dying care: New guidelines proposed England's health watchdog puts forward new draft guidance to improve the care of adults in their last few days of life. BBC News

See also:

• Care of the dying adult (draft guideline) NICE
• RCGP response to NICE draft guidance on End of Life Care Royal College of General Practitioners
• NHS is forced to tell doctors: Give water to the dying as watchdog fears banned care pathway is still in use  The Daily Mail
• Drugs to prevent 'death rattle' of dying patients not justifiable if intention is only to reduce distress of relatives, says new guidelines The Independent

Manchester patients test negative for Mers virus

Manchester patients test negative for Mers virusA&E unit at Manchester Royal infirmary was closed for more than two hours on Monday over fears two patients could be infected with respiratory disease

Tests on two patients suspected of having the Middle East respiratory virus syndrome (Mers) have proved negative, Public Health England has said.

The A&E department at Manchester Royal infirmary was closed for more than two hours on Monday due to fears of a possible outbreak of the disease, which has killed at least 449 people globally since it was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Continue reading... The Guardian

GPs so overworked they risk causing harm, says head of profession

GPs so overworked they risk causing harm, says head of profession Dr Maureen Baker, chair of Royal College of GPs, recommends measures to relieve strain on NHS family doctors, whom she compares to overtired pilots

Britain’s GPs are so tired and overloaded that they are at risk of harming patients’ health by misdiagnosing illness or giving them the wrong drugs, the head of the profession has warned.

In a stark description of the potential consequences to patients’ safety of “GP fatigue”, Dr Maureen Baker says that “persistent and excessive workload” faced by family doctors puts them at the same risk of inadvertently causing harm or even death as overtired pilots or lorry drivers.

We have no strategies in place to reduce the risk of patient harm that might arise from having tired, overworked doctors Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• GP fatigue a 'risk' to patient safety, warns RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• GP workloads 'put patients at risk' BBC News
• Tired GPs 'pose threat to patients' health' says Medical Chief Maureen Baker The Daily Mail
• Awkward patients aren't to blame for GP workloads, we really are getting sicker The Guardian

Cost of obesity, drug abuse and alcoholism to be revealed

Cost of obesity, drug abuse and alcoholism to be revealed Drain on the economy of obese people, drug addicts and alcoholics will be calculated under plans to be announced by David Cameron. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• David Cameron says obese people must get treatment or lose benefits The Daily Mail
• Obese people and drug users who refuse treatment could have benefits cut The Guardian