Thirty fit patients a month had to be readmitted to Northampton General Hospital because private ambulances failed to take them home

Thirty fit patients a month had to be readmitted to Northampton General Hospital because private ambulances failed to take them home Patients have had to be re-admitted into NGH because of delays by a non-emergency ambulance service. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Two thirds of ‘gobbledegook’ Northamptonshire County Council cuts labelled a ‘red risk’

Two thirds of ‘gobbledegook’ Northamptonshire County Council cuts labelled a ‘red risk’ More than £50 million of Northamptonshire County Council’s drastic £83 million cuts bundle might not be achieved according to a stinging cross-party committee report. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Schoolgirl from Northampton denied NHS wheelchair despite struggling to walk

Schoolgirl from Northampton denied NHS wheelchair despite struggling to walk A thirteen-year-old girl needs a new wheelchair to help her cope with her rare bone condition. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The proposed cross-party NHS and social care commission should report quickly and engage with staff and the public

The proposed cross-party NHS and social care commission should report quickly and engage with staff and the public Following the government’s Spending Review, the NHS has just over two years at best to stabilise rapidly deteriorating finances and declining standards of patient care. At that point the harsh reality of planned real growth in funding of only 0.2 per cent in 2018/19 (and even less the following year) will have to be confronted.

It is inconceivable that the NHS will be able to balance its books and maintain current standards, let alone implement new commitments like seven-day working, with such a small increase in its budget. And even if councils take advantage of new powers to increase council tax, social care faces a funding shortfall of approaching £3 billion by the end of the parliament. Something will have to give. The King's Fund

News story: New NHS apprenticeships

News story: New NHS apprenticeships The NHS will create 100,000 apprenticeships – almost 7 times the current number – across the country by 2020, offering opportunities to thousands of young people who want a career in the health sector.

This commitment follows the launch of the government consultation to make 2.3% of workers in large public sector bodies apprentices. The roles will be created in a range of areas within the NHS, including:

• nursing and healthcare assistants
• IT, estates and facilities
• domestic and housekeeping services
• business administration and accounting

Ministers expect to boost the NHS apprenticeships programme with an estimated 17,000 new roles in 2015 to 2016. Department of Health

The ageing workforce: what is the existing practice in NHS organisations?

The ageing workforce: what is the existing practice in NHS organisations? Read about the deep dives blog and some of the findings which will now inform future work of the WLG. NHS Employers

Trust uses community workshops to improve BME employee representation

Trust uses community workshops to improve BME employee representation Read the new case study from the Diversity and Inclusion team, and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust, to find out how the trust improved black and minority ethnic employee representation. NHS Employers

Child abuse victims 'need more help'

Child abuse victims 'need more help' Most health professionals believe there are not enough mental health services for children who have suffered sexual abuse, an NSPCC survey suggests. BBC News

See also:

• 96% say support for children after abuse "inadequate" NSPCC

NHS stroke care getting better

NHS stroke care getting better But there still remain "unacceptable variations across the country" experts warn. OnMedica

NHS 111 phone line will undergo 'fundamental' reform, Jeremy Hunt promises

NHS 111 phone line will undergo 'fundamental' reform, Jeremy Hunt promises The NHS 111 phone line service will undergo “fundamental” reform in the wake of a report into an unnecessary death of a child, Jeremy Hunt has said.

William Mead, from Cornwall, died of Sepsis after NHS 111 failed to diagnose his condition. The Independent

See also:

• Hunt sorry for baby death failings BBC News
• VIDEO: 'I touched him but he didn't move' BBC News
• Sepsis: Why can it be so hard to spot? BBC News
• Jeremy Hunt apologises to Mead family over NHS sepsis failings The Daily Mail
• Report condemns NHS out-of-hours service as not safe for sick children The Daily Mail
• How many more lives will be lost because of the NHS 111 service? The Daily Mail
• What's the point of the NHS if it can't spot a dying child? The Daily Mail
• NHS 111 will be "fundamentally" overhauled in wake of a string of scandals, Jeremy Hunt says The Daily Telegraph
• NHS 111 helpline 'broken', says mother of baby who died of sepsis The Guardian
• Mother tells how NHS 111 helpline failed to save son – video The Guardian
• What is sepsis? The Guardian
• William Mead's 'fate was sealed' after NHS 111 call handlers failed to identify his deadly illness, says mother The Independent
• NHS 111 failed baby who died of sepsis, concludes report OnMedica

Going to hospital? Don't shave your legs or have a manicure! It's not just what happens AFTER surgery that counts - the mistakes before an an op that can affect your recovery

Going to hospital? Don't shave your legs or have a manicure! It's not just what happens AFTER surgery that counts - the mistakes before an an op that can affect your recovery One NHS operation is cancelled every ten minutes in England - around 60,000 a year - because patients fail to follow doctors' instructions beforehand. The Daily Mail

200,000 patents left without a doctor by GP surgery closures

200,000 patents left without a doctor by GP surgery closures Patients across the UK have been faced with their local doctor's surgery shutting down - and some have even been told to register with a new practice an hour’s drive away. The Daily Mail

The mental health crisis centres keeping people out of A&E

The mental health crisis centres keeping people out of A&E Regulars at the Bristol Sanctuary say the drop-in centre has saved their lives, yet many like it across the country rely on donations – and some face closure

In the dim but brightly painted room, Zara Johansson is chatting softly to her support worker about the mental health care she has received recently. Nearby, several colouring books are open on a table next to a shelf of self-help books. In the main room, a volunteer is making tea.

Johansson, 31, is among the more than 100 people with severe emotional distress who have turned to the Bristol Sanctuary for help since it opened in April 2015. Continue reading... The Guardian

Anger as government blocks TTIP legal documents relating to health service

Anger as government blocks TTIP legal documents relating to health service Business secretary refuses to disclose advice that could show how private health firms might sue government under US-Europe trade deal.

The controversial trade deal between Europe and the US came under further fire on Tuesday after campaigners accused the government of blocking access to legal advice that shows its impact on the health service.

Campaigners warned that the legal documents could reveal the extent to which private health companies can sue the government using a secret tribunal system if a Whitehall policy change were to hit their profits. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS watchdog signed off doomed £750m contract despite doubts

NHS watchdog signed off doomed £750m contract despite doubts MPs demand full inquiry after Monitor gave go-ahead for Addenbrooke’s deal that collapsed just eight months later.

An NHS contract worth £750m that collapsed in December after just eight months was effectively signed off by the regulator and NHS England, despite questions about its viability.

The contract – the biggest in NHS history – was the first designed to bring together hospital, mental health services and community care for adults and older people in Cambridgeshire, introducing a single point of contact for patients. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS comes 14th in Europe-wide survey on health systems

NHS comes 14th in Europe-wide survey on health systems Poor accessibility, a top-down management culture and mediocre treatment results cited as main flaws by Health Consumer Powerhouse

The NHS is only the 14th best health system in Europe and is delivering mediocre results in too many areas of care, including patient survival, a new continent-wide survey has claimed.

The findings conflict with those of the influential Commonwealth Fund thinktank, which two years ago said the UK offered the best overall health provision out of 11 western nations it studied. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The 2015 Euro Health Consumer Index Health Consumer Powerhouse

Parents who don't vaccinate their children are irresponsible

Parents who don't vaccinate their children are irresponsible Fifteen years after the MMR vaccination was declared safe, some are still refusing it. This is madness and has to stop. The Daily Telegraph