Mental health services take a 'leap in the dark' on patient care

Mental health services take a 'leap in the dark' on patient care Large-scale changes to mental health services are a ‘leap in the dark’ and are having a negative impact on patient care, says a briefing published today by The King’s Fund.

See also:

• Mental health under pressure (briefing) The King’s Fund
• Mental health cuts 'hitting patients' BBC News
• Mental health patients 'at risk' due to budget cuts, leading think tank warns The Daily Telegraph
• Mental health budget cuts putting services under 'huge pressure' The Guardian

Place-based systems of care: A way forward for the NHS in England

Place-based systems of care: A way forward for the NHS in England The NHS in England is facing growing financial and service pressures at a time of rising demand. This paper proposes a new approach to tackling these challenges. It argues that NHS organisations need to move away from a ‘fortress mentality’ whereby they act to secure their own individual interests and future, and instead establish place-based ‘systems of care’ in which they collaborate with other NHS organisations and services to address the challenges and improve the health of the populations they serve. The King's Fund

See also:

Ten design principles for place-based systems of care The King's Fund

Staff engagement - necessity or luxury?

Staff engagement - necessity or luxury? Our latest blog addresses why staff engagement has never been so important and how it will help to address key NHS workforce challenges. NHS Employers

RCN members warned about contract changes

RCN members warned about contract changes The RCN is concerned about an increasing number of NHS trusts that are asking nurses to volunteer to work overtime at basic rates of pay. Royal College of Nursing

Muslim hospice care need 'to rise'

Muslim hospice care need 'to rise' UK hospices could see a significant increase in Muslim patients in the coming years, in part due to changes to the traditional family structure, a report suggests. BBC News

See also:

• Bridging the gap: strengthening relations between hospices and Muslims of Britain Woolf Institute

NHS v ministers: A case of deja vu?

NHS v ministers: A case of deja vu? Article looks at the current political situation of the NHS and Conservative party policy. BBC News

'Alarm' as patients shun flu jab

'Alarm' as patients shun flu jab Doctors have expressed alarm at a seemingly sharp fall in the number of people having the seasonal flu jab. BBC News

See also:

• Thousands of patients risking their health by ‘shunning’ flu jab, say family doctors Royal College of General Practitioners
• 1000s shunning flu jab as Doctors warn warm weather is delaying 'at risk' groups The Daily Mail
• Thousands risking health by shunning flu jab, warn GPs The Guardian

Failure to resolve juniors’ contract ‘will destabilise NHS’

Failure to resolve juniors’ contract ‘will destabilise NHS’ RCGP stays firm in wholehearted support for juniors and calls for fresh negotiations. OnMedica

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey released from London hospital after full recovery

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey released from London hospital after full recovery The 39-year-old Scot has been transferred to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to continue her recovery. The Independent

Twitter hashtags can identify outbreaks of norovirus and food poisoning

Twitter hashtags can identify outbreaks of norovirus and food poisoning Experts at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said a trial found they were able to identify outbreaks two weeks earlier than the normal reporting process through GPs. The Daily Mail

GPs given control of NHS budgets paid their OWN companies £2.4bn of taxpayers' money, major investigation reveals

GPs given control of NHS budgets paid their OWN companies £2.4bn of taxpayers' money, major investigation reveals Clinical Commissioning Groups, who 'buy' healthcare services for their local area, awarded 437 contracts to companies their board members owned or worked for, the BMJ has found. The Daily Mail

See also:

• General practice commissioning: in whose interests? The BMJ

​Jeremy Hunt has torn up social contract between junior doctors and the state

​Jeremy Hunt has torn up social contract between junior doctors and the state Doctors give a lifetime of work to the NHS in return for job security and fair terms and conditions – but the proposed new contract breaks bond of trust

As doctors, we embark on a 40-year-plus career in the NHS knowing full well that work life is going to be tough. Long hours, a low starting salary compared to other professions (earning £23,000 a year, compared with the national average salary of £27,000), high levels of stress, regularly doing extra work for no extra pay, and emotionally difficult experiences with sick and dying patients await us.

Although it is also extremely rewarding and a privilege to serve and be trusted by the public, amedical career takes its toll on work-life balance. Doctors have high rates of mental health problems and alcohol dependency. Family breakdown is common. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS unlikely to get large funding boost this year, says Jeremy Hunt

NHS unlikely to get large funding boost this year, says Jeremy Hunt Health secretary tells NHS managers to expect ‘most difficult spending review in a generation’ ahead of autumn statement

Jeremy Hunt has warned the NHS that it is unlikely to get a significant boost to its budget in George Osborne’s forthcoming spending review, but hinted that ministers have recognised that additional cuts to social care would only put further strain on frontline health services.

Speaking to an audience of 500 NHS bosses, the health secretary sought to lower expectations that the chancellor will be able to hand the NHS a sizeable down payment on the £8bn the government has sought to provide by 2020 in his autumn statement on 25 November. Continue reading... The Guardian

Costly care homes may not be the best, league tables reveal

Costly care homes may not be the best, league tables reveal The first national league tables comparing cost and quality of care homes shows that the places which charge the most do not always offer the best care. The Daily Telegraph