Bed-blocking at Northamptonshire hospitals costs £50,000 every day

Bed-blocking at Northamptonshire hospitals costs £50,000 every day Bed-blocking at the two main hospitals in Northamptonshire costs the tax payer £50,000 every day, according to a health watchdog. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Awards for occupational therapy departments in Northampton and Kettering

Awards for occupational therapy departments in Northampton and Kettering Two Northamptonshire  Healthcare NHS adult mental health occupational therapy departments have received a centre of excellence award for engaging in a new practice. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

What have we learnt in the government’s first 100 days?

What have we learnt in the government’s first 100 days? After 100 days in office, the outline of the government’s health policy is now clear. The main focus is on reinstating financial discipline through controlling the costs of agency staff and management consultants, and a request to providers to redouble efforts to bring spending back into line with budgets.

For the public, the government has emphasised its commitment to seven-day working and to continue work to improve the quality of care and patient safety begun before the election. For NHS insiders, there is particular interest in the devolution of public services in Manchester and other areas, Jeremy Hunt’s ambition to reduce reliance on targets and encourage self-directed improvement, and the drive to publish more data on performance to increase ‘intelligent transparency’ in the NHS. The King's Fund

Research and analysis: Employee productivity: topic overview

Research and analysis: Employee productivity: topic overview This topic overview is one of four commissioned by Public Health England. It explores priority issues around health, work and unemployment.

It includes information on:

• measuring productivity
• presenteeism (attending work whilst sick)
• productivity and wellbeing

Calls for NHS to curb inappropriate antibiotic prescribing

Calls for NHS to curb inappropriate antibiotic prescribing  Healthcare professionals should encourage sensible use of antibiotics and cut back on unnecessary prescribing of the drugs to help tackle the rise in antibiotic resistance, says NICE.

See also:

• RCGP response to new NICE guidelines on antibiotics prescribing Royal College of General Practitioners
• Call to punish GPs over antibiotics BBC News
• 'Soft touch' doctors should be disciplined for over-prescribing antibiotics The Daily Telegraph
• NICE tells GPs to get tough with patients in antibiotic prescribing crackdown GP Online
• 'Soft-touch' doctors write 10m needless prescriptions a year, says Nice The Guardian
• 'Soft touch' GPs told to stop giving antibiotics to pushy patients so as to curb rise of drug-resistant 'superbugs' The Independent

Young women too self-conscious to seek medical help

Young women too self-conscious to seek medical help Young women are avoiding seeking help for gynaecological issues out of embarrassment and fear of intimate examination - with more than half turning to google instead, according to a new study. Ovarian Cancer Action

See also:

• Women too shy to see their GP, Ovarian Cancer Action charity claim The Daily Mail
• Young women avoid discussing sex with GP over fears of saying 'vagina' and 'orgasm' The Daily Telegraph
• Ovarian cancer: Experts say women losing fear of saying 'vagina' could increase early diagnoses The Independent

Flu jab 'not a waste of time'

Flu jab 'not a waste of time' Ministers are urging people not to be put off by failures of the flu vaccine last year and get immunised this autumn. BBC News

NHS officials insist 5,000 GP target will be met despite low trainee recruitment

NHS officials insist 5,000 GP target will be met despite low trainee recruitment Senior NHS officials have insisted that plans to recruit 5,000 GPs in the next five years will be met, despite warnings from top GPs that the 'ludicrous promise' was undeliverable following low trainee uptake. GP Online

Paramedics will not replace GPs, says NHS

Paramedics will not replace GPs, says NHS Claims paramedics will do routine GP appointments refuted. OnMedica

Working as a mental health nurse in today's NHS drained me of compassion

Working as a mental health nurse in today's NHS drained me of compassion I found myself sighing when my patient rang me to say she was planning to kill herself. This is not the type of nurse I want to be.

Have you ever been spat at in a day’s work? I have. Have you ever been mooned at in a day’s work? No? Well, you’re obviously not a mental health nurse. In 1997 this was the best job in the world. As a newly qualified nurse I had time to develop therapeutic, trusting relationships with patients. The people I worked with in Hackney were very disturbed and had experienced the most severe deprivation throughout their lives. The very essence of my job as a nurse was to relate to the patients; to take time to listen, observe and be with them, no matter how sad or difficult this was.

For one patient, it took three months of sitting as near to her as I dared while she spat or pulled tongues at me. I patiently waited and at times talked calmly to her. One day she reached out and took hold of my name badge and read out my name. We both smiled. With time I had been able to go beyond the shouting, swearing and spitting to find a beautiful human being. There were days when she felt safe enough to take hold of my hand, or to sit next to me and cry. This made my job worthwhile. Continue reading... The Guardian

Is a fat tax the only way to combat our growing epidemic of obesity?

Is a fat tax the only way to combat our growing epidemic of obesity? Diabetes is growing and the NHS can't take the strain. Since we are no longer allowed to shame fat people, pressure will grow to tax them. The Daily Telegraph

Coeliac disease: Patient groups defend NHS spending on gluten-free food for sufferers

Coeliac disease: Patient groups defend NHS spending on gluten-free food for sufferers Patient groups have denied that sufferers of coeliac disease are receiving “junk food” on the NHS and said the millions spent on prescriptions for gluten-free foods are a cost-effective way of treating a debilitating autoimmune condition. The Independent

See also:

• VIDEO: Free gluten-free products being reviewed BBC News
• NHS handed out £116m of gluten-free junk food on prescription in the past year  The Daily Mail
• HSCIC Correction to Daily Mail article "Doughnuts and Pizzas on NHS" Health and Social Care Information Centre
• NHS spent £116m on gluten-free pizza, cakes and biscuits The Daily Telegraph