Social care: a future we don’t yet know Next month the government will set out its plans for public service spending through to 2020. As John Appleby explained in his recent blog, the likely outlook is likely to be the largest sustained fall in NHS spending as a share of GDP in any period since 1951. But what about social care?
Care services minister Alistair Burt recently told local authority chiefs that ‘funding is still unclear…I will find out what the funding is when you find out, when the Chancellor stands up in Westminster to deliver the Autumn Statement.’ While we are waiting, our analysis of past trends and future projections for social care makes disturbing reading.
In the 15 years to 2009, local authority net spending on adult social care for all age groups increased by an average of almost 6 per cent a year over and above inflation (figure 1). But because social care forms part of local government spending – which, unlike the NHS, was not ring-fenced in the 2010 Spending Review – this trend has reversed sharply over the past five years. Spending has dropped by an average of 2.2 per cent a year since 2009.
Money has been transferred from the NHS budget to social care (reaching £1 billion last year), which has helped a bit. Without this, the real-terms fall would have been 3.6 per cent. Most of this transferred money came from the NHS’s average annual real-terms increase of 0.84 per cent. Understandably, many are worried about further reliance on an increasingly cash-strapped NHS to prop up social care. The King's Fund
Monday, 9 November 2015
Does the NHS need more ratings?
Does the NHS need more ratings? Last week, Jeremy Hunt announced the government’s plans to introduce Ofsted-style ratings for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), to help fill what he called the ‘transparency gap’ in the NHS. He said the ratings would help the public to understand the quality of their local services and how this compares with other places. But are more ratings really what the NHS needs?
Drawing on the findings of our recent review for the Department of Health on measuring the performance of local health systems, we would suggest there are at least five important questions to be asked about these plans. The King's Fund
Drawing on the findings of our recent review for the Department of Health on measuring the performance of local health systems, we would suggest there are at least five important questions to be asked about these plans. The King's Fund
Employee factsheet on state pension changes now available
Employee factsheet on state pension changes now available The state pension is changing from 6 April 2016 which will have implications for NHS staff.
This short, informative factsheet will help staff understand the changes, including who will be affected and where they can find more information. NHS Employers
This short, informative factsheet will help staff understand the changes, including who will be affected and where they can find more information. NHS Employers
Gene editing breakthrough in treating baby's leukaemia
Gene editing breakthrough in treating baby's leukaemia"Baby girl is first in the world to be treated with 'designer immune cells'," The Guardian reports.
Pioneering work carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital made use of a new technique known as genome editing.
The girl, one-year-old Layla Richards, developed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when she was five months old.
ALL is cancer of the white blood cells and although it is generally rare, it is one of the most common childhood cancers, affecting around 1 in 2,000 children.
The outlook for ALL is usually good, with around 85% of children achieving a complete cure. However, this was not the case with Layla, as she failed to respond to conventional treatments. The staff treating Layla at Great Ormond Street Hospital sought permission to try a new technique, previously only used in mice, called genome editing.
Pioneering work carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital made use of a new technique known as genome editing.
The girl, one-year-old Layla Richards, developed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when she was five months old.
ALL is cancer of the white blood cells and although it is generally rare, it is one of the most common childhood cancers, affecting around 1 in 2,000 children.
The outlook for ALL is usually good, with around 85% of children achieving a complete cure. However, this was not the case with Layla, as she failed to respond to conventional treatments. The staff treating Layla at Great Ormond Street Hospital sought permission to try a new technique, previously only used in mice, called genome editing.
Heads 'calling 999 over mental health'
Heads 'calling 999 over mental health' Schools are having to call the emergency services to get treatment for mentally ill pupils because of a lack of basic provision, head teachers say. BBC News
See also:
See also:
Arriva may face SFO fraud inquiry over NHS deal
Arriva may face SFO fraud inquiry over NHS deal Ministers have hinted that the transport giant Arriva could be subjected to a Serious Fraud Office inquiry after it inflated figures on an NHS contract. The Independent
NHS mental health trust admits whistleblower who spoke out about bullying acted in good faith
NHS mental health trust admits whistleblower who spoke out about bullying acted in good faith Dr Hayley Dare was ridiculed after revealing culture of bullying and harassment at West London Mental Health NHS Trust. The Independent
A third of home-care providers fail to meet even basic standards
A third of home-care providers fail to meet even basic standards Failing home-care providers have been warned by a Government Minister they must 'shape up or shut down' after it was found nearly a third of agencies are failing to meet basic standards. The Daily Mail
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See also:
NHS facing financial collapse without more cash, warns London trust chief
NHS facing financial collapse without more cash, warns London trust chief Chair of south-west London trust says hospitals will be unable to pay staff next year unless Jeremy Hunt doubles annual funding rise to £4bn
The NHS is gripped by “an accelerating financial disaster” that could mean hospitals are unable to pay their staff next year, one of the service’s bosses has said.
Christopher Smallwood, chairman of St George’s University Hospitals NHS foundation trust, which serves 1.3 million people in south-west London, claims that years of underfunding have left hospitals short of staff and unable to meet waiting time targets for cancer and A&E care. Continue reading... The Guardian
See also:
The NHS is gripped by “an accelerating financial disaster” that could mean hospitals are unable to pay their staff next year, one of the service’s bosses has said.
Christopher Smallwood, chairman of St George’s University Hospitals NHS foundation trust, which serves 1.3 million people in south-west London, claims that years of underfunding have left hospitals short of staff and unable to meet waiting time targets for cancer and A&E care. Continue reading... The Guardian
See also:
- As chair of a trust, I’m speaking out. The NHS is headed for financial ruin | Christopher Smallwood The Guardian
- NHS meltdown this winter The Daily Telegraph
Doctors who left NHS for Australia: ‘More cash, fewer hours, less pressure’
Doctors who left NHS for Australia: ‘More cash, fewer hours, less pressure’ As the row over junior doctors’ contracts intensifies, thousands of NHS staff are applying to work abroad. Here three who have moved explain why they went
Sarah Wollaston, chair of the Commons health committee, revealed last month that her daughter, a junior doctor, and eight of her friends had all quit the NHS to find work in Australia. It’s a disturbing trend: but as the dissatisfaction over hours and conditions in the NHS grows, it may be one we have to get used to.
Australia has long attracted doctors from Britain. Depending on their seniority, doctors can earn up to 50% more in Sydney or Melbourne, despite generally working less overtime. With the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, now threatening to impose a tough new contract on junior doctors – one that would see their working hours increased and pay cut – the lure of Australia is growing. Continue reading... The Guardian
Sarah Wollaston, chair of the Commons health committee, revealed last month that her daughter, a junior doctor, and eight of her friends had all quit the NHS to find work in Australia. It’s a disturbing trend: but as the dissatisfaction over hours and conditions in the NHS grows, it may be one we have to get used to.
Australia has long attracted doctors from Britain. Depending on their seniority, doctors can earn up to 50% more in Sydney or Melbourne, despite generally working less overtime. With the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, now threatening to impose a tough new contract on junior doctors – one that would see their working hours increased and pay cut – the lure of Australia is growing. Continue reading... The Guardian
Jeremy Hunt cannot escape responsibility for the NHS's mounting problems
Jeremy Hunt cannot escape responsibility for the NHS's mounting problems The health secretary is a skilled politician who has positioned himself as the patients’ champion, but his days in the post appear to be numbered.
Jeremy Hunt’s confrontation with junior doctors over seven-day working adds to a growing list of problems beginning to engulf the health secretary. Will he still be at the department’s Richmond House headquarters at the end of this parliament?
It is just over three years since Hunt replaced Andrew Lansley. It quickly became clear why David Cameron was so determined to keep Hunt in government despite the controversy surrounding his handling of News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB while he was culture secretary. Immediately burying any mention of the toxic health reforms, he shrewdly repositioned the role of health secretary from representing the NHS to government, to representing the interests of patients to the NHS. Continue reading... The Guardian
Jeremy Hunt’s confrontation with junior doctors over seven-day working adds to a growing list of problems beginning to engulf the health secretary. Will he still be at the department’s Richmond House headquarters at the end of this parliament?
It is just over three years since Hunt replaced Andrew Lansley. It quickly became clear why David Cameron was so determined to keep Hunt in government despite the controversy surrounding his handling of News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB while he was culture secretary. Immediately burying any mention of the toxic health reforms, he shrewdly repositioned the role of health secretary from representing the NHS to government, to representing the interests of patients to the NHS. Continue reading... The Guardian
Experts worried pre-natal blood test might lead to sex-selective abortions
Experts worried pre-natal blood test might lead to sex-selective abortions Government officials are concerned NIPT test might be used by people who may want to abort a foetus because of a baby's sex. The Daily Telegraph
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