Integrating housing, health and care

Integrating housing, health and care Last month Simon Stevens announced NHS England’s Healthy New Towns programme. The programme, which is supported by Public Health England, will work with 10 new housing developments to shape the health of communities, and to rethink how health and care services can be delivered.

It was clear from Stevens that it’s quite novel for the NHS to be involved in planning right from the start, deciding how these new sites develop and piloting creative solutions for the health and care challenges that society is facing, including obesity and dementia. And he was right – the NHS is usually late to the table and as a result health and care needs can be an afterthought in new housing developments.

The programme offers important opportunities to embed healthy living into everyday lives – one argument being that if we enable healthy living, thus preventing ill health, we’ll reduce the burden on the over-stretched NHS. Healthy New Towns is a sensible programme but it’s also a long-term one, and we might not be able to measure the benefits of this approach for a number of years. In the meantime, how else should we improve health and care through one of the most fundamental parts of our lives – our homes? The King's Fund

See also:

• Housing, care and health infographics The King's Fund

Policy paper: UK lessons from Ebola outbreak

Policy paper: UK lessons from Ebola outbreak The government welcomes the committee’s report and its focus on the importance of sharing information and expertise and having a coordinated research response.

The government continues to work with the World Health Organization and the wider international community to ensure that we have in place the best possible information to be able to assess the onset and spread of diseases such as Ebola and more recently Zika.

In addition, in the field of research, the government has set up the £1 billion Ross Fund which will enable us to encourage and coordinate action to tackle malaria and other infectious diseases. Department of Health

Guidance for commissioners of psychiatric intensive care units

Guidance for commissioners of psychiatric intensive care units This guidance was produced in partnership with the National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units (NAPICU) to support the commissioning of high-quality psychiatric intensive care units (PICU) and improve patient experience. NHS Clinical Comissioners

'Death risk' warning over birth options

'Death risk' warning over birth options A senior coroner has warned of a risk of future deaths if the NHS favours vaginal delivery over caesarean sections on the basis of cost. BBC News

BMA calls urgent meeting for doctors to tackle NHS crises

BMA calls urgent meeting for doctors to tackle NHS crises UK-wide doctors to discuss NHS concerns and evidence-based solutions to protect care. OnMedica

Scans show severe brain damage in Zika-affected babies

Scans show severe brain damage in Zika-affected babies Extremely severe brain abnormalities indicate poor neurological prognosis, say doctors. OnMedica

See also:

• Zika virus 'does cause birth defects' NHS Choices

Children's rotting teeth cost hospitals £35m a year

Children's rotting teeth cost hospitals £35m a year Study says excessive consumption of fizzy drinks and foods high in added sugar are main reasons why more children are having teeth removed. The Independent

See also:

• VIDEO: Children miss school due to poor teeth BBC News
• Doctors reveal toddlers are being sent to hospitals with mouths full of cavities The Daily Mail

British man to have NHS-funded surgery in France

British man to have NHS-funded surgery in France Timothy Brierley is first patient under deal with Centre Hospitalier de Calais, and he says wait time has been hugely reduced

A British man will become the first NHS patient to undergo surgery at a Calais hospital, under a new scheme that saw his waiting time for the procedure reduced from nearly 10 months to a few weeks.

Last year, Centre Hospitalier de Calais won the right to provide services for NHS patients, signing an agreement with South Kent Coast NHS whereby patients would travel at their own expense to France but with the health service covering the cost of the surgery.  Continue reading... The Guardian

Children's medicine 'at risk' as doctors' dispute puts off trainees

Children's medicine 'at risk' as doctors' dispute puts off trainees Top paediatrician warns of worrying signs of exodus of trainees from the specialty, exacerbating existing shortage

The care of sick children in the NHS is in danger of becoming unsafe because the junior doctors’ dispute is driving so many medics from entering the specialty, Britain’s top paediatrician has warned.

There are worrying signs of an exodus of trainee doctors from children’s medicine that will exacerbate an already serious shortage of staff, according to Prof Neena Modi. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS 'on its knees' with worst ever performance on A&E and 111

NHS 'on its knees' with worst ever performance on A&E and 111 The NHS has had its worst ever performance against Accident and Emergency and 111 targets, while missing swathes more standards, official figures show.

Labour said the data showed the health service “on its knees” with patients stuck on trolleys for hours in overcrowded casualty departments.

Latest statistics show the 111 phoneline left record numbers of patients waiting for a call back in February, while failing to hit its targets to directly transfer cases which were most urgent. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• The King's Fund responds to the February performance statistics published today by NHS England The King's Fund
• Statement on the monthly performance statistics for February 2016 NHS England
• Can the NHS get on top of demand? BBC News
• A&E waiting times soar to worst EVER levels with over 5,500 patients a DAY left unseen for more than 4 hours The Daily Mail
• NHS England records worst performance for second month in a row The Guardian