Northampton parents call for change in the law after being denied independent inquest as baby son was ruled stillborn

Northampton parents call for change in the law after being denied independent inquest as baby son was ruled stillborn A couple from Northampton were forced to sue a hospital for negligence over the death of their son so the tragedy could be investigated independently. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS trusts' deficit estimated at £2.3 billion as NHS financial crisis deepens

NHS trusts' deficit estimated at £2.3 billion as NHS financial crisis deepens NHS trusts are forecasting an end-of-year net deficit of around £2.3 billion finds the latest quarterly monitoring report from The King’s Fund. The estimate, based on survey responses from 83 trusts, comes as NHS national bodies are imposing stringent financial controls in an effort to reduce the deficit to £1.8 billion by the end of the financial year. This underlines the risk that the Department of Health will breach parliamentary protocol by overspending its budget.

The regular survey of NHS finance directors carried out for the report also highlights increasing concerns about quality of care as the financial crisis deepens. For the first time since the survey began in 2011, more than half of trust finance directors (53 per cent) said that quality of care in their local area has worsened in the past year. Nearly as many (48 per cent) clinical commissioning group finance leads agreed. The King's Fund

See also:

• The story behind the figures: what NHS finance directors are telling us The King's Fund
• Health service finances 'getting worse' BBC News
• NHS finance directors warn care deteriorating as budgets are squeezed The Independent
• NHS: General practice also suffering from cash crisis, experts argue The Independent
• NHS providing poorer care as funding crisis deepens, says survey The Guardian
• General practice key to survival of NHS, say experts OnMedica

Will the Mental Health Taskforce report make it off the shelves?

Will the Mental Health Taskforce report make it off the shelves?  Dubbed ‘The five year forward view for mental health’, the much-awaited report from the independent Mental Health Taskforce chaired by Paul Farmer is an important document.

It gives an honest diagnosis of current shortcomings in mental health care in England, and a detailed analysis of how best to target available resources in the future. It follows hot on the heels of last week’s report from the Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care, which gave a similarly frank assessment of the need for improvement. The King's Fund

At the heart of health: realising the value of people and communities

At the heart of health: realising the value of people and communities This report explores the value of people and communities at the heart of health, in support of the NHS Five Year Forward View vision to develop a new relationship with people and communities. It finds that person- and community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing have potential to improve outcomes for individuals, support the development of strong and resilient communities and, over time, help reduce demand on formal health and social care services. Nesta

NHS delivers ambitious IT project - believed to be the biggest of its kind

NHS delivers ambitious IT project - believed to be the biggest of its kind An NHS IT project has successfully completed the final phase of its plan to move the entire technological backbone of the NHS from a private company to in-house, public sector management. Health and Social Care Information Centre

NHS 'never events' total a 'disgrace'

NHS 'never events' total a 'disgrace' More than 1,000 NHS patients in the past four years have suffered from medical mistakes so serious they should never happen, according to analysis by the Press Association. BBC News

See also:

• Scalpels left inside bodies, wrong organs removed and patients falling out of windows: The 1,200 victims of serious NHS blunders in the past year The Daily Mail
• Testicle removal mistake among 1,100 NHS 'never events' The Daily Telegraph
• Serious errors such as operating on wrong patient still occurring in NHS The Guardian

Mum shares photo of dead girl's meningitis

Mum shares photo of dead girl's meningitis A mother shares an image of her two-year-old daughter before her death from meningitis to campaign for vaccines to be given to all children. BBC News

See also:

• Parents release heartbreaking image of girl, two, dying of meningitis as 250,000 sign vaccine petition The Daily Telegraph
• Parents share tragic image of two year old daughter dying of meningitis The Independent

GP two-week cancer referrals need 'root and branch' overhaul, say hospital doctors

GP two-week cancer referrals need 'root and branch' overhaul, say hospital doctors The two-week wait cancer pathway is overwhelming hospitals with inappropriate referrals and delaying access to vital treatments, say surgeons who have called for an overhaul of the process. GP Online

Drug trials not reported in line with ethical and legal demands, British Medical Journal says

Drug trials not reported in line with ethical and legal demands, British Medical Journal says Less than one in three of completed clinical trials led by investigators were published within two years of completion. The Independent

The number of doctors applying to work abroad surged by 1,000 per cent on the day Jeremy Hunt imposed new contract

The number of doctors applying to work abroad surged by 1,000 per cent on the day Jeremy Hunt imposed new contract The Health Secretary has been accused of acting as a recruiting agent for Australian hospitals. The Independent

Hospital trusts threatened with cuts if they refuse to impose new contracts

Hospital trusts threatened with cuts if they refuse to impose new contracts Health Education England says implementation of contract will be key criterion for making decisions on investment in training.

The government has told hospital foundation trusts that they could lose funding for training programmes if they refuse to impose the new contract for junior doctors.

The threat comes in a letter from Health Education England, the Department of Health body responsible for education and training, to chief executives of NHS trusts in England. It states that decisions on awarding funding for training posts will hinge in part on whether a trust decided to rebel against Jeremy Hunt over the new national contract. Continue reading... The Guardian

Unpaid carers can't keep on plugging gaps in the NHS and social care

Unpaid carers can't keep on plugging gaps in the NHS and social care More people need care than get it, and the gap is growing. Support for family carers is vital.

The Care Act, which came into force in April 2015, for the first time puts unpaid carers on an equal footing with those they care for. So what has the impact been on the lives of carers?

Over the next few months I will be working with the Carers Trust and a team of experts by experience and professionals to try and answer that question. The Care Act: One Year On Commission will be holding hearings, calling for evidence and listening to carers of all ages. We are keen to get the views of frontline practitioners, and ask carers to complete a quick online survey.

It is family and friends, who out of love, solidarity, circumstance or duty find themselves taking on a caring role Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Take the budget of Spectre, times by 660: that's what carers save the UK every year The Guardian

Teenage boy with no arms and legs told to 'prove' his disability by Department for Work and Pensions

Teenage boy with no arms and legs told to 'prove' his disability by Department for Work and Pensions Edward Bright lost his limbs to meningitis when he was seven. The Daily Telegraph

Third of panel overseeing NHS drugs procurement being paid by pharmaceutical firms

Third of panel overseeing NHS drugs procurement being paid by pharmaceutical firms Ten senior officials on the Department of Health's Pharmaceutical Market Support Group also act as consultants to drugs companies. The Daily Telegraph