Relatives of Northamptonshire care home residents say closure plans are causing anxiety

Relatives of Northamptonshire care home residents say closure plans are causing anxiety Relatives of people living in Olympus Care Homes in Northamptonshire say the county council is “putting its budget before care” with proposals to close two as part of £77 million cuts to public services. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Cancer treatment targets at Northampton General Hospital back on track

Cancer treatment targets at Northampton General Hospital back on track Cancer treatment at Northampton General Hospital is back on track after two months of poor performance. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Praise for 999 crews after receiving 500 call-outs on busy Christmas party night

Praise for 999 crews after receiving 500 call-outs on busy Christmas party night East Midlands Ambulance Service received about 500 calls on what was predicted to be the busiest night out for 999 crews over the Christmas period. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Carewatch offers advice on caring for people with dementia over Christmas

Carewatch offers advice on caring for people with dementia over Christmas Carewatch Northampton has issued advice on caring for people living with dementia over the Christmas period. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Premature discharge: is going home early really a Christmas gift?

Premature discharge: is going home early really a Christmas gift? In the past week or so we’ve seen headlines about record delayed discharges from English hospitals and the Nuffield Trust’s considered assessment that many of the NHS’s problems last winter were caused by unsustainably high bed occupancy. We know that avoidable delays cause problems for the system, and more importantly, for patients.

However, the debate on discharge is in danger of focusing solely on delays. That’s partly because they are so obviously important, but also because delays are the most often reported-on national statistics. But what about the other side of the coin – premature discharge, or people leaving hospital too early? The King's Fund

Open consultation: Proposals for CQC to set fees for all aspects of its inspections

Open consultation: Proposals for CQC to set fees for all aspects of its inspections The Health and Social Care Act 2008 gives CQC the power to charge for the registration of health and adult social care providers of regulated activities.

CQC’s new comprehensive inspections consider the quality and safety of care, above and beyond whether a provider is complying with the registration requirements, and highlight good and outstanding aspects of care.

The department intends to introduce a regulation that will bring these inspections and any associated rating within the scope of its fees setting power.

This proposal is not about changing the CQC’s fee structure or the level of fees that it proposes to charge. Neither is it about extending the remit of the CQC’s activity to additional providers or services. Department of Health

Survey on homophobia and discrimination in the workplace

Survey on homophobia and discrimination in the workplace Take part in the BMA's survey on homophobia and discrimination in the workplace. NHS Employers

Bugs resist 'last antibiotic' in UK

Bugs resist 'last antibiotic' in UK Bacteria that resist the antibiotic of last resort colistin have been discovered in the UK. BBC News

See also:

• New potentially lethal superbug resistant to ALL antibiotics is found in the UK - and 12 people have been infected The Daily Mail
• Antibiotic resistant E.coli is circulating in Britain, warn public health officials The Daily Telegraph
• 'Almost too late': fears of global superbug crisis in wake of antibiotic misuse The Guardian

Does going into hospital make you sick?

Does going into hospital make you sick? Is hospital so unpleasant it makes you ill? BBC News

NHS mandated to provide weekend routine GP appointments for all by 2020

NHS mandated to provide weekend routine GP appointments for all by 2020 The government has mandated NHS England to provide weekend routine GP access for every patient in England by 2020 and for a fifth of the population by 2017. GP Online

NHS trusts make as much as £3m a year in car park fees

NHS trusts make as much as £3m a year in car park fees Hospital bodies accused of levying a ‘tax on sick people’ after Press Association investigation reveals earnings.

NHS hospital trusts have been accused of levying a “tax on sick people” after an investigation revealed that some are making more than £3m a year from car park fees.

Year on year, hospitals across England are raising increasing amounts of money from staff, patients and visitors, including those who are disabled, the Freedom of Information study by the Press Association found. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Some NHS trusts make £3m from parking BBC News
• Scandal of the hospitals raking in £3m a year in parking charges - and most of it goes to private firms rather than the NHS The Daily Mail
• NHS hospital trusts accused of 'taxing the sick' through car parking fees The Independent

Three in four people in A&E at weekend are there because of alcohol

Three in four people in A&E at weekend are there because of alcohol 70 per cent of people are admitted to emergency units at the weekend as a result of drinking. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• A&E admissions due to alcohol 'up 50%' BBC News
• Teenage girls worse binge drinkers than men, as hospital admissions for alcohol poisoning soar The Daily Telegraph
• Emergency hospital admissions due to alcohol up 50% in nine years The Guardian