Kettering Hospital doctors’ picket line gains public support

Kettering Hospital doctors’ picket line gains public support Junior doctors staging a strike outside Kettering General Hospital say support from the public has been overwhelming. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Almost a third of NGH staff have been bullied harassed or abused by a colleague in last 12 months

Almost a third of NGH staff have been bullied harassed or abused by a colleague in last 12 months A total of 29 per cent of Northampton General Hospital staff have been bullied abused or harassed by a work colleague, a survey suggests. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Tackling the growing crisis in the NHS: an agenda for action

Tackling the growing crisis in the NHS: an agenda for action This briefing identifies three big challenges for the NHS in England: sustaining existing services and standards of care; developing new and better models of care; and tackling these challenges by reforming the NHS ‘from within’. It aims to offer some practical solutions to help the NHS address one of the biggest crises in its history. The King's Fund

See also:

• Action to tackle the growing crisis in health and social care is essential for a sustainable future The King's Fund

Are opportunities still limited for black and minority ethnic staff in health care leadership?

Are opportunities still limited for black and minority ethnic staff in health care leadership? I was recently asked to chair a round-table event for the Health Service Journal on ethnic diversity and equality in health care leadership.

Out of interest I researched the origin of the term ‘round-table’ and discovered that it came from a speech made by HRH Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, to the British Industries Fair in 1927. He urged ‘young business and professional men… to get together round the table and adopt methods that have proved sound in the past, adapt them to changing needs and wherever possible, improve them’. Setting aside the gender focus of the original use, I would like to reflect on issues that were discussed at this particular round-table event in 2016 – namely what leaders in the NHS can adopt, adapt and improve to enable black and minority ethnic (BME) staff to achieve their potential as leaders. The King's Fund

Open consultation: Changing how healthcare education is funded

Open consultation: Changing how healthcare education is funded The government has proposed that from 1 August 2017, all new nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students on pre-registration undergraduate and post-graduate courses will receive their tuition funding and financial support through the standard student support system, rather than NHS bursaries and tuition funded by Health Education England.

This consultation seeks views on how these reforms can be successfully implemented.

Further guidance about the NHS bursary reforms is available. Department of Health

Our ageing population presents the NHS with its greatest challenge – Dr Martin Vernon

Our ageing population presents the NHS with its greatest challenge – Dr Martin Vernon In the latest of a series of blogs introducing a number of senior appointments within NHS England, the newly appointed National Clinical Director for Older People and Integrated Care looks at what he sees as his main challenges. NHS England

Sustainability and transformation plans: a major new development in commissioning health and care

Sustainability and transformation plans: a major new development in commissioning health and care July 2016 sees the deadline for the production of Sustainability and Transformation Plans - joint plans produced by NHS providers, CCGs, Local Authorities, and other health and care services (including VCSE partners) for 44 ‘footprint’ geographical areas across England. These will form the basis for long term, place based planning and commissioning of services. This briefing provides more details and provides guidance on how to get involved in your area. Regional Voices

Fresh junior doctor talks 'ruled out'

Fresh junior doctor talks 'ruled out' Fresh talks to break the deadlock in the junior doctor dispute in England have been ruled out by the government as the latest strike nears its end. BBC News

See also:

• Junior doctors join 140 pickets as BMA demands talks to end contract dispute GP Online
• Exclusive: Pay cuts under imposed junior doctor contract 'a disaster' for GP training, says BMA GP Online
• Hunt insists he will impose new contract on NHS doctors The Guardian
• Junior doctors' strike continues as ministers urged to resume talks The Guardian

Alcohol related deaths likely to rise, warn experts

Alcohol related deaths likely to rise, warn experts England’s alcohol deaths will rise in contrast to rest of UK. OnMedica

Death rate rise blamed on increase in people suffering from flu and dementia

Death rate rise blamed on increase in people suffering from flu and dementia A flu jab blunder, which left elderly people exposed due to an unexpected mutation of the main influenza strain, contributed to the massive spike last year. The Independent

See also:

• Spike in deaths 'due to dementia and flu' BBC News
• Dementia and an ineffective flu jab are blamed for record spike in deaths for 50 years The Daily Mail
• Flu jab blunder fuelled biggest spike in deaths since 1960s The Daily Telegraph

Jeremy Hunt is in trouble. This is his IDS moment | Chris Ham

Jeremy Hunt is in trouble. This is his IDS moment | Chris Ham The health system cannot survive under these financial pressures. The health secretary will struggle too.

The NHS in England is facing the biggest crisis in its history. Hospitals are running up large and growing financial deficits, missing targets for waiting times, and under pressure from rising demand at a time of constrained resources.

The government’s immediate priority is to restore stability to finances and performance. A large part of the additional funding announced in last autumn’s spending review will be used to reduce deficits in hospitals and support hard-pressed NHS providers trying to hit patient-care targets.

The unwillingness to recognise publicly what is well understood privately is storing up much bigger problems Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Health chief tears into Jeremy Hunt's NHS policies The Guardian

Eating disorders: people 'wait up to 182 days for treatment' in England

Eating disorders: people 'wait up to 182 days for treatment' in England Average waiting times at mental health services for adults vary dramatically across the country, according to NHS figures.

People with eating disorders in England can wait for up to 182 days for mental health treatment, according to new NHS figures.

The average waiting time for adults in England can vary from 20 to 182 days depending on the mental health trust, BBC Breakfast found after making freedom of information requests. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• NHS queue for anorexic and bulimia sufferers is now 6 months to see a specialist The Daily Mail
• 'What hope is there?': five readers on being failed by mental health services | Guardian readers and Sarah Marsh The Guardian

NHS looks to India for GPs in attempt to make up shortfall

NHS looks to India for GPs in attempt to make up shortfall Health Education England and Apollo Hospitals chain sign memorandum of understanding to share clinical staff

The NHS is looking at recruiting GPs from India in an attempt to tackle the serious shortage of family doctors.

Health Education England, the NHS’s training and recruitment agency, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Apollo Hospitals chain in India about lending clinical staff between them. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• RCGP response to Pulse story on recruiting doctors from overseas Royal College of General Practitioners
• NHS to recruit 400 doctors from India in desperate bid to plug staffing crisis The Daily Mail
• NHS to recruit Indian doctors to plug gaps in GP services The Daily Telegraph
• Hundreds of GPs recruited from India to help Government meet pledge to add 5,000 family doctors by 2020 The Independent