The family of a woman whose broken back went unnoticed at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton say the treatment she received was “medieval.”
Northampton Chronicle & Echo
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Northampton psychiatric hospital care was ‘medieval’ says sister of woman who died from undiagnosed broken back
Northampton psychiatric hospital care was ‘medieval’ says sister of woman who died from undiagnosed broken back
The family of a woman whose broken back went unnoticed at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton say the treatment she received was “medieval.”
The family of a woman whose broken back went unnoticed at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton say the treatment she received was “medieval.”
Creating a workplace where NHS staff can flourish
Creating a workplace where NHS staff can flourish
Work-related stress is widespread among staff in the NHS; last year, according to the NHS Staff Survey, nearly 40 per cent of staff reported feeling unwell as a result of stress.
Chronic stress can have significant impacts on physical and mental health, being implicated in heart disease, early mortality, depression and a wide variety of psychosocial disorders. In effect, NHS staff are more likely than the rest of the working population to become patients, increasing demands on the system they work in.
Moreover, the Care Quality Commission says poor staff health and wellbeing in NHS provider organisations is associated with poorer-quality patient care, lower levels of patient satisfaction and high levels of absenteeism. The ability of staff to pay close attention to patients, to have empathic responses and take intelligent action to help is detrimentally affected by high and chronic levels of stress.
What are we to do? One solution is to introduce health and wellbeing strategies for stressed staff, offering massage, yoga, mindfulness, exercise and dietary advice. But although these are worthy interventions, they do not address the root causes of the problem.
Research has shown that the most important factor contributing to stress is workload, with staff simply being asked to manage too much work. Another is a lack of clear roles – knowing what the objectives, requirements and limits of their responsibilities are. Other factors include bullying and harassment (particularly by managers and other staff), discrimination, lack of resources, conflict, and dealing with pain and suffering. These core problems are to do with organisational culture and processes, so the solutions need to address organisational causes. We cannot just rely on health and wellbeing strategies as ‘fig leaves’ for inaction around management, structures and culture.
If we are to address the causes of stress at work then we need to nurture cultures that ensure a focus on providing the high-quality, compassionate care that NHS staff wish to provide. This means that leaders must have an unwavering focus on ensuring commitment to quality of care. As I have said before, absolutely key to this is developing, selecting, promoting and empowering leaders to nurture such cultures. But we also need to move swiftly away from unhealthy command-and-control cultures and this requires a comprehensive and wholesale change in the way in which leadership is developed and understood in the NHS.
It is not enough simply to aim to reduce staff stress levels. We should be promoting the idea that humans can flourish in the workplace, by ensuring that staff have opportunities for growth and development, the experience of supportive relationships at work, work environments that promote their physical health, and leaders who provide the resources that enable them to cope effectively with the demands of their work.
There are some organisations in the NHS that are making progress towards understanding how to reduce stress levels and promote staff wellbeing, and others should be striving to do the same. But NHS organisations must also look beyond the sector for outstanding examples of organisations – both nationally and internationally – that have shown how to create positive work environments and promote human health and wellbeing, rather than damage their staff. It is right that the NHS should aspire to be a model in this regard, rather than the bad example it currently is.
Kings Fund
See the presentations from our recent event 'Encouraging staff wellbeing in health and care'
Work-related stress is widespread among staff in the NHS; last year, according to the NHS Staff Survey, nearly 40 per cent of staff reported feeling unwell as a result of stress.
Chronic stress can have significant impacts on physical and mental health, being implicated in heart disease, early mortality, depression and a wide variety of psychosocial disorders. In effect, NHS staff are more likely than the rest of the working population to become patients, increasing demands on the system they work in.
Moreover, the Care Quality Commission says poor staff health and wellbeing in NHS provider organisations is associated with poorer-quality patient care, lower levels of patient satisfaction and high levels of absenteeism. The ability of staff to pay close attention to patients, to have empathic responses and take intelligent action to help is detrimentally affected by high and chronic levels of stress.
What are we to do? One solution is to introduce health and wellbeing strategies for stressed staff, offering massage, yoga, mindfulness, exercise and dietary advice. But although these are worthy interventions, they do not address the root causes of the problem.
Research has shown that the most important factor contributing to stress is workload, with staff simply being asked to manage too much work. Another is a lack of clear roles – knowing what the objectives, requirements and limits of their responsibilities are. Other factors include bullying and harassment (particularly by managers and other staff), discrimination, lack of resources, conflict, and dealing with pain and suffering. These core problems are to do with organisational culture and processes, so the solutions need to address organisational causes. We cannot just rely on health and wellbeing strategies as ‘fig leaves’ for inaction around management, structures and culture.
If we are to address the causes of stress at work then we need to nurture cultures that ensure a focus on providing the high-quality, compassionate care that NHS staff wish to provide. This means that leaders must have an unwavering focus on ensuring commitment to quality of care. As I have said before, absolutely key to this is developing, selecting, promoting and empowering leaders to nurture such cultures. But we also need to move swiftly away from unhealthy command-and-control cultures and this requires a comprehensive and wholesale change in the way in which leadership is developed and understood in the NHS.
It is not enough simply to aim to reduce staff stress levels. We should be promoting the idea that humans can flourish in the workplace, by ensuring that staff have opportunities for growth and development, the experience of supportive relationships at work, work environments that promote their physical health, and leaders who provide the resources that enable them to cope effectively with the demands of their work.
There are some organisations in the NHS that are making progress towards understanding how to reduce stress levels and promote staff wellbeing, and others should be striving to do the same. But NHS organisations must also look beyond the sector for outstanding examples of organisations – both nationally and internationally – that have shown how to create positive work environments and promote human health and wellbeing, rather than damage their staff. It is right that the NHS should aspire to be a model in this regard, rather than the bad example it currently is.
Kings Fund
See the presentations from our recent event 'Encouraging staff wellbeing in health and care'
NHS and health and care sector hit first target on climate change – but more testing goals are to come
NHS and health and care sector hit first target on climate change – but more testing goals are to come
The NHS and wider health and care sector is over the first hurdle in the race to reach carbon reduction targets and help limit the effects of climate change.
The NHS and wider health and care sector is over the first hurdle in the race to reach carbon reduction targets and help limit the effects of climate change.
NHS Networks
Making every contact count
Making every contact count
Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an approach to behaviour change that uses day to day interactions that organisations and individuals have with other people to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an approach to behaviour change that uses day to day interactions that organisations and individuals have with other people to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
NHS Networks
Equality information and equality analysis 2016
Equality information and equality analysis 2016
This report contains a breakdown of the Department of Health's workforce on all equality strands. It includes data on ethnicity, gender, disability, age group, working patterns, sexual orientation and religion or belief of the department's workforce. Department of Health (DH)
Report
Associated data
This report contains a breakdown of the Department of Health's workforce on all equality strands. It includes data on ethnicity, gender, disability, age group, working patterns, sexual orientation and religion or belief of the department's workforce. Department of Health (DH)
Report
Associated data
Next week's junior doctor strike on
Next week's junior doctor strike on
Next week's strike by junior doctors in England will go ahead as talks with the government have failed to reach a solution - but union leaders say medics will provide emergency cover.
BBC News
Next week's strike by junior doctors in England will go ahead as talks with the government have failed to reach a solution - but union leaders say medics will provide emergency cover.
BBC News
Care homes and the NHS: The silent scandal?
Care homes and the NHS: The silent scandal?
The problems care home residents experience getting health care.
BBC News
The problems care home residents experience getting health care.
BBC News
Autism waits 'should be monitored'
Autism waits 'should be monitored'
The amount of time it takes for autism to be diagnosed should be monitored by NHS England and targets set, the National Autistic Society (NAS) says.
BBC News
The amount of time it takes for autism to be diagnosed should be monitored by NHS England and targets set, the National Autistic Society (NAS) says.
BBC News
Zika declared global emergency by WHO
Zika declared global emergency by WHO
Zika poses a global public health emergency requiring a united response, says the World Health Organization.
BBC News
Zika poses a global public health emergency requiring a united response, says the World Health Organization.
BBC News
How and why do psychotherapies improve social support?
How and why do psychotherapies improve social support?
Mark Smith summarises a meta-analysis that explores the effects of psychotherapy for adult depression on social support.
Mental Elf
Mark Smith summarises a meta-analysis that explores the effects of psychotherapy for adult depression on social support.
Mental Elf
Simple test could predict Alzheimer's 'two years before symptoms show'
Simple test could predict Alzheimer's 'two years before symptoms show'
A simple memory test could be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease two years before symptoms start to show, according to a new study.
By helping to catch the disease early the test would enable doctors treat Alzheimer’s and delay its debilitating effects, scientists at the University of Cambridge believe.
In the UK over 850,000 have dementia – the umbrella term for cognitive disorders which Alzheimer’s falls under.
The research conducted by scientists at Cambridge University comes after the Alzheimer’s Society predicted that 1million people will have dementia by 2025.
The new “Four Mountains” test, which early data shows is 93 per cent accurate, assesses a person’s spatial memory, The Times reported.
Independent
A simple memory test could be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease two years before symptoms start to show, according to a new study.
By helping to catch the disease early the test would enable doctors treat Alzheimer’s and delay its debilitating effects, scientists at the University of Cambridge believe.
In the UK over 850,000 have dementia – the umbrella term for cognitive disorders which Alzheimer’s falls under.
The research conducted by scientists at Cambridge University comes after the Alzheimer’s Society predicted that 1million people will have dementia by 2025.
The new “Four Mountains” test, which early data shows is 93 per cent accurate, assesses a person’s spatial memory, The Times reported.
Independent
Ageing Britain: two-fifths of NHS budget is spent on over-65s
Ageing Britain: two-fifths of NHS budget is spent on over-65s
Data produced for the Guardian shows how health spending is split across age groups, with costs set to rise as people live longer
More than two-fifths of national health spending in the UK is devoted to people over 65, according to estimates produced for the Guardian by the Nuffield Trust – a figure that is only likely to increase with the nation’s ageing demographic.
The data shows that an 85-year-old man costs the NHS about seven times more on average than a man in his late 30s. Health spending per person steeply increases after the age of 50, with people aged 85 and over costing the NHS an average of £7,000 a year. Spending on health services across all age groups is £2,069, according to Treasury analysis.
Guardian
Continue reading...
Data produced for the Guardian shows how health spending is split across age groups, with costs set to rise as people live longer
More than two-fifths of national health spending in the UK is devoted to people over 65, according to estimates produced for the Guardian by the Nuffield Trust – a figure that is only likely to increase with the nation’s ageing demographic.
The data shows that an 85-year-old man costs the NHS about seven times more on average than a man in his late 30s. Health spending per person steeply increases after the age of 50, with people aged 85 and over costing the NHS an average of £7,000 a year. Spending on health services across all age groups is £2,069, according to Treasury analysis.
Guardian
Continue reading...
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