Wednesday 10 February 2016

Ecton Brook care home closure edges nearer despite opposition fears

Ecton Brook care home closure edges nearer despite opposition fears Moves to close Ecton Brook care home in Northampton took another step forward yesterday as county council cabinet members approved the launch of a consultation into axing the facility. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Designing more affordable and effective health care

Designing more affordable and effective health care This case study is part of ongoing research by The Commonwealth Fund to track how health systems are transforming care delivery, particularly to meet the needs of high-need, high-cost patients and other vulnerable populations. The Commonwealth Fund

NHS braced for 24-hour doctor strike

NHS braced for 24-hour doctor strike Hospitals in England are braced for another day of disruption as junior doctors take part in a second 24-hour strike over pay and conditions. BBC News

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Surge in number of children admitted to A&E for self-harm and mental illnesses

Surge in number of children admitted to A&E for self-harm and mental illnesses The number of children diagnosed with mental illnesses has more than doubled in five years and cases of intentional self-harm have also surged.

Recently published figures show the figure of patients under 18 who went to A&E and were diagnosed with having a mental disorder has grown each year from just under 7,000 in 2010/11 to almost 15,000 in 2014/15. The Independent

Doctors training as specialists at all-time low, leaked figures show

Doctors training as specialists at all-time low, leaked figures show Number of junior doctors applying to start training for key hospital-based specialities has dropped 8% in three years.

The number of young medics applying to continue their career in the health service by becoming specialists has plunged to a new low, according to leaked NHS figures that seem to bear out fears that the junior doctors’ dispute will hit recruitment.

Doctors’ leaders have described the figures as “very bad for the NHS”, especially as it is already struggling with shortages of key medical personnel in a number of areas, such as general practice and A&E. Continue reading... The Guardian

Yes, it’s tough at the top of the NHS. But leaders at all levels need support | Karen Lynas

Yes, it’s tough at the top of the NHS. But leaders at all levels need support | Karen Lynas Instead of spending £420m a year on management consultants, the NHS could more efficiently train and develop our own staff to improve care.

We know it’s lonely at the top of the NHS. Top jobs are highly pressured in any environment but try overlaying that with the imperative to provide safe and high-quality services for patients with complex needs in a climate of severe financial constraint, enormous public scrutiny and a feverish media, and the leadership pressure gauge has just rocketed off the scale.

But does it need to be? Continue reading... The Guardian

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NHS needs funding rise to make it envy of world again, says healthcare expert

NHS needs funding rise to make it envy of world again, says healthcare expert Damage caused by PFI, pay rows and the 2012 reorganisation needs reversing, says Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The NHS has been the envy of the world for its fairness, good outcomes and value for money, but it needs more funds and the dismantling of recent changes if it is to be so again, according to a leading expert on international health systems.

Healthcare in the UK still takes first place in the rankings of 11 wealthy nations put together by the Commonwealth Fund in the US. But Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says the real glory days of the NHS were in the 1980s. Other countries, such as Spain, Italy and Portugal, modelled their own systems on it.

Our child health outcomes are not as good as they should be Continue reading... The Guardian

Patients far more likely to die if nurses care for more than six, major study finds

Patients far more likely to die if nurses care for more than six, major study finds New research finds patients looked after by nurses coping with more than 10 patients have death rates 20 per cent higher than those with a case load of six. The Daily Telegraph

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