Watchdog poised to call for inspection of every health service in Northamptonshire

Watchdog poised to call for inspection of every health service in Northamptonshire Every NHS body and social services department in Northamptonshire could be inspected in the wake of an unfavourable audit of the county’s mental health services. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NGH waiting times target hit on three consecutive months for first time in four years

NGH waiting times target hit on three consecutive months for first time in four years Northampton General Hospital’s emergency department met its A&E waiting target for three consecutive months this summer, latest figures show. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Four hour A&E target met for three months Northampton General Hospital

News story: Health Secretary outlines vision for use of technology across NHS

News story: Health Secretary outlines vision for use of technology across NHS Speaking at the NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester, the Health Secretary challenged the NHS to make better use of technology so that patients can be empowered to manage their own healthcare needs, while ensuring that their data remains safe at all times.

Mr Hunt made clear that by 2016 all patients should be able to access their own GP electronic record online in full, seeing not just a summary of their allergies and medication but blood test results, appointment records and medical histories. By 2018 this record will include information from all their health and care interactions. Department of Health

The five year forward view mental health taskforce: public engagement findings

The five year forward view mental health taskforce: public engagement findings This report summarises the views of more than 20,000 people on the top priorities for reshaping mental health services as part of a drive to develop a five year national NHS strategy for people of all ages. Better access to high quality services, a wider choice of treatments, more focus on prevention, more funding and less stigma were the top five calls for change by 2020. NHS England

'Antipsychotics used on people with no mental illness diagnosis'

'Antipsychotics used on people with no mental illness diagnosis' "'Chemical cosh' scandal: Thousands of patients with no history of mental illness needlessly given cocktail of antipsychotic drugs," says the Mail Online. The emotive words "needlessly" and "cocktail" are the Mail's imaginative inventions in its largely factually accurate report on a well-conducted and important piece of research.

The research in question looked at prescriptions of psychiatric drugs given to people with learning disabilities. It found – rather alarmingly and perhaps unexpectedly – that most people given antipsychotic drugs had never been diagnosed with a severe mental illness. NHS Choices

Children paralysed in polio outbreak

Children paralysed in polio outbreak Two children have been paralysed in the first outbreak of polio in Europe for five years, the World Health Organization says. BBC News

Clinic leaks patients' HIV status

Clinic leaks patients' HIV status A sexual health clinic in Soho mistakenly leaked the HIV positive status of nearly 800 patients, bosses admit. BBC News

See also:

• Patient's fears over HIV details leak BBC News
• Hundreds of HIV-positive patients have their identities revealed after email blunder at NHS clinic The Daily Mail
• Sexual health clinic 'reveals HIV positive status of nearly 800 patients' The Daily Telegraph
• London HIV clinic accidentally reveals hundreds of patients' identities The Guardian
• HIV status of nearly 800 patients accidentally disclosed by NHS clinic The Independent

On the journey to becoming a dementia friendly organisation - sharing the learning for employers and organisations

On the journey to becoming a dementia friendly organisation - sharing the learning for employers and organisations . In 2013 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust committed to becoming a more dementia-friendly organisation and employer. This paper shares the lessons that have been learnt.

Shambolic care at night and weekends must end, says NHS boss - who admits patients face confusion over whether to call 111, out-of-hours or got to A&E

Shambolic care at night and weekends must end, says NHS boss - who admits patients face confusion over whether to call 111, out-of-hours or got to A&E Simon Stevens said tthe offer to the public has to be streamlined - and also waded into a row over seven-day GP working and freeing up appointments for those who work. The Daily Mail

Nursing chief: ‘Nurse shortages are life-threatening’ | Hélène Mulholland

Nursing chief: ‘Nurse shortages are life-threatening’ | Hélène Mulholland Head of the Royal College of Nursing, Janet Davies, on how pay, staffing problems and a heavy workload are hurting the NHS

Nurses are increasingly turning to food banks and payday lenders to make ends meet as a result of years of public sector pay restraint, according to Janet Davies, new general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). She warns that absence of “light at the end of the tunnel” on pay is leaving nurses feeling undervalued and could push some to walk away from the profession altogether. “We can’t afford for any to leave,” she says.

The nursing union says its members are accessing food banks or becoming victims of payday loans to cope Continue reading... the Guardian

Department of Health spends £1.2bn bailing out NHS providers

Department of Health spends £1.2bn bailing out NHS providers Double last year’s amount paid to cover wages, debts and deficit reduction, says Health Service Journal.

More than 50 NHS institutions were paid a total of £1.2bn in bailouts in the last year, about double the amount spent to prop up providers a year earlier, an investigation has found.

The Department of Health paid out in cash and loans to cover wages, debts, replacements for ageing equipment and deficit reduction in 2014-2015, according to the Health Service Journal. Continue reading... The Guardian

Doctors voice concerns over plan for greater patient access to medical records

Doctors voice concerns over plan for greater patient access to medical records Misgivings about safety and confidentiality over Jeremy Hunt’s plans to enable patients to access GP record via smartphone and to add information themselves

The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has announced plans to give patients in England access to their entire medical record by 2018, and to let them read and add to their GP record using their smartphone within a year.

The announcement at NHS England’s annual conference in Manchester prompted fears of a repeat of last year’s row over care.data, a programme in which patient records were shared outside the NHS without their consent. The opposition forced NHS England to halt the scheme temporarily while it addressed the concerns. Continue reading... The Guardian

Elderly people put at risk as watchdog fails to act on warnings of 'fatally negligent' care homes

Elderly people put at risk as watchdog fails to act on warnings of 'fatally negligent' care homes The lives of vulnerable care home residents were put at risk because England’s healthcare regulator failed to act promptly on official warnings about fatally negligent standards, an investigation for The Independent reveals.

See also:

• 'She was shouting with pain and said she wanted to die': Why the son of a woman who died as a result of care home neglect is still angry The Independent

GPs should commit to weekend appointments for the sake of poorer patients, says NHS chief

GPs should commit to weekend appointments for the sake of poorer patients, says NHS chief GPs should commit to weekend appointments for the sake of poorer patients who could lose pay if they attend on a weekday, the chief executive of the NHS in England has told doctors. The Independent