REVEALED: Northamptonshire’s best and worst GP’s surgeries as rated by you

REVEALED: Northamptonshire’s best and worst GP’s surgeries as rated by you Today we can reveal the north of the county’s best and worst GP surgeries, as rated by their own patients. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Investigations underway after death of young child who had suspected swine flu in Northamptonshire

Investigations underway after death of young child who had suspected swine flu in Northamptonshire A public health investigation has been launched after the death of a young child who had suspected swine flu in Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Bonus payments for nurses who join Northampton General Hospital’s bank staff

Bonus payments for nurses who join Northampton General Hospital’s bank staff New incentives are being offered to nurses who agree to join Northampton General Hospital’s pool of bank staff. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Personal tragedies, public crisis The urgent need for a national response to early death in autism

Personal tragedies, public crisis The urgent need for a national response to early death in autism (download) A report into the high levels of early mortality in people with autism. Based on a large Swedish study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, it shows a 16 year difference in life expectancy, compared to the general population. The report calls for an immediate national mortality review by the NHS and an increase in research funding. Autistica 

See also:

• Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder British Journal of Psychiatry (OpenAthens password required)
• RCGP response to Autistica report on premature death in autism Royal College of General Practitioners
• People with autism 'die younger' BBC News
• £10m study by charity will probe why autistic adults die decades prematurely The Daily Mail
• People with autism die 16 years earlier than expected, study finds The Daily Telegraph
• Premature autism deaths are 'hidden crisis' says charity The Guardian
• Autism: Why do many autistic people die before the age of 40? The Independent 

Helping drive multispecialty community provider (MCP) vanguards forward

Helping drive multispecialty community provider (MCP) vanguards forward As the New Care Models Programme marks its first anniversary, National Care Model Lead, Louise Watson, reflects on how their work is already paying dividends. NHS England

Get well soon: reimagining place-based health

Get well soon: reimagining place-based health This report argues that the NHS must construct a 15 year plan to shift money out of hospitals and into investment in communities. It demonstrates that the health service in its current form is not sustainable, and sets out a new plan for shifting the system to focus on preventing illness, shorten stays in hospitals and help people live independently for longer. Place-Based Health Commission.

Public sector pensions change in Budget criticised

Public sector pensions change in Budget criticised Health and education will be squeezed by more than £1bn because of changes to the way public sector pensions are funded, figures seen by the BBC show.

It comes after George Osborne announced in the Budget that employers would have to contribute more to pensions for NHS staff, teachers and the police. BBC News

Inside Bethlem Royal Hospital

Inside Bethlem Royal Hospital Convicted criminals receiving treatment at Bethlem Royal Hospital are being reintroduced into the community, under supervision.

The men, who have committed violent crimes when suffering from a mental illness, are considered for release if they get better.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Tim McInerny explains how doctors judge whether someone is safe to re-engage with society. BBC News

Physios 'can take pressure off GPs'

Physios 'can take pressure off GPs' GPs could spend longer with their patients if physiotherapists worked alongside them at their surgery, says the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. BBC News

Austerity measures linked to increased pensioner death rates

Austerity measures linked to increased pensioner death rates Cuts to pension credits were followed by rising mortality rates of pensioners aged 85 plus. OnMedica

Sugar tax on its own will fail to combat childhood obesity, says Government's own health department

Sugar tax on its own will fail to combat childhood obesity, says Government's own health department Introducing a sugar tax on its own will fail to combat childhood obesity, according to the Government’s own department responsible for the nation’s health. The Independent

See also:

• What is the UK's most sugary drink? BBC News
• Sugar tax: How bold is it? BBC News

Six months trapped in a secure mental health unit – how the system failed one autistic 15-year-old | Frances Ryan

Six months trapped in a secure mental health unit – how the system failed one autistic 15-year-old | Frances Ryan Matthew Garnett was sent to a secure unit for six weeks. He stayed there for half a year as mental health services struggled to cope.

“Matthew’s bed at home’s been empty for six months,” Isabelle Garnett says from the family house in south London as she tells me about her son. “I can’t walk by his bedroom.”

Since September 2015, 15-year-old Matthew Garnett – who has autism, ADHD and anxiety – has been held two hours’ drive away from his home in a secure mental health treatment unit in Woking, Surrey. Or as his mum puts it to me, “the equivalent of being left on an A&E trolley for six months”.

Held long-term in the unit, Matthew is regressing Continue reading... The Guardian