"Only use A&E if it is a real emergency": KGH and NGH issue warning ahead of biggest junior doctors strike so far

"Only use A&E if it is a real emergency": KGH and NGH issue warning ahead of biggest junior doctors strike so far People using A&E at Northamptonshire’s two general hospitals have been told to only attend if it is a real emergency during next week’s two-day junior doctors strike. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• County's health leaders issue advice ahead of junior doctors' strike Northampton General Hospital

Why does winter in A&E get worse every year?

Why does winter in A&E get worse every year? England’s A&E system will not survive without significantly more investment in the form of funding, capacity and staffing in the coming years, according to a report by The Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

The report, Why does winter in A&E get worse every year? highlights the current pressures being faced by emergency departments throughout the year and shows how winter unmasks the pressures and constraints within the emergency care system.

See also:

• Better funding and capacity vital for A&E to survive OnMedica

Privatisation and independent sector provision of NHS healthcare

Privatisation and independent sector provision of NHS healthcare The NHS is facing unprecedented financial pressures. Every area where spending is increasing needs to be rigorously evaluated.

Every year for the past five years, the amount of money spent by the NHS England on healthcare that is provided by the independent sector has increased, with the current yearly total at nearly £7bn, totalling 6.3% of the total NHS budget.

In response to the British Medical Association has released a report examining the increasing extent of privatisation within the NHS, including:

• examining the amount of NHS England budget that is spent on independent providers
• looking at case studies of where independent providers have taken over NHS services and the effect it has had on healthcare provision
• undertaking a survey of doctors asking for their opinions of independent sector provision of NHS healthcare
• using the survey results, as well as data from a number of privatisation indicators, to make eight recommendations for independent sector provision of NHS healthcare

See also:

• NHS forced to treat 6k patients a year for botched surgery at PRIVATE hospitals The Daily Mail
• BMA demands tougher checks on private provision of NHS services GP Online
• Majority of doctors fear growing ‘privatisation’ of NHS OnMedica

Untapped potential: bringing the voluntary sector's strengths to health and care transformation

Untapped potential: bringing the voluntary sector's strengths to health and care transformation This research was commissioned by the Richard Group of Charities and it assessed the findings of 175 evaluations into how the voluntary sector's offer can integrated into the health and care system of the future. The project also aimed to design a framework for a shared language to help charities describe their work and its value to give commissioners and policymakers a way to identify aspects of charities' work that most clearly matches their needs. New Philanthropy Capital

NHS bullying made me want to kill myself and forced me to quit

NHS bullying made me want to kill myself and forced me to quit I will never forget what happened to me and four years on I still suffer trauma whenever I go near the hospital where I once worked

Waking up on a gloomy Monday morning, I was filled instantly with nausea and severe panic. It wasn’t the usual blues one gets at the beginning of a new working week – it was something more sinister and surprising for a woman in her mid 30s. It was the result of 18 months’ worth of workplace bullying in the NHS.

I had worked nearly all my adult life in a hospital setting. I loved all aspects of my job, but patient contact and customer care were the two areas I enjoyed the most. I had good relationships with the people I worked with and the patients I saw on a regular basis. My job was my life and I often worked over my contracted hours for no extra pay because I was dedicated to patient care. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also

• I loved being a midwife but bullying, stress and fear made me resign The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt ramps up rhetoric over imposing contract on doctors

Jeremy Hunt ramps up rhetoric over imposing contract on doctors Health secretary’s response to question in Commons raises uncertainty about his legal right to impose terms

Jeremy Hunt has revived his threat to “impose” a new contract on junior doctors, despite government lawyers and his own ministry having said that he was merely “introducing” it.

His stance deepened the confusion over the government’s tactics towards NHS trainee medics and the uncertainty surrounding his legal right to impose updated terms and conditions on them. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Statesmanship among medical leaders could help resolve the junior doctors’ dispute The King's Fund
• BMA doctors union split over all-out strike over junior doctors pay The Daily Mail
• Hunt pleads with junior doctors to break strike if A&Es can't cope The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt 'backtracking' over contract imposition, say junior doctors GP Online

NHS snubs new lung drug that could transform the lives of cystic fibrosis suffers

NHS snubs new lung drug that could transform the lives of cystic fibrosis suffers UK MPs and charities have hit out at a decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to reject a new drugs for cystic fibrosis sufferers because it is 'too costly'. The Daily Mail