New ward block planned for Northampton hospital would result in loss of 62 parking spaces

New ward block planned for Northampton hospital would result in loss of 62 parking spaces A large two-storey ward block has been planned for Northampton General Hospital, but would be built on top of its Accident and Emergency department's car park and result in a loss of 62 parking spaces.

The hospital has submitted a planning application to the borough council through a local architects firm, seeking consent to build the block in a bid to cope with the large numbers of patients using its A&E department. Northants Herald and Post

Decision on possible closure of Northampton care home will be taken next week

Decision on possible closure of Northampton care home will be taken next week Councillors will discuss a proposal next week to close Ecton Brook care home in Northampton. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The labour market for nurses in the UK and its relationship to the demand for, and supply of, international nurses in the NHS

The labour market for nurses in the UK and its relationship to the demand for, and supply of, international nurses in the NHS This report examines the recruitment of non-European Economic Area (EEA) nurses at a trust level in the NHS in England. Institute for Employment Studies

See also:

• Nurse shortage 'could last for years' BBC News

NHS financial temperature check - July 2016

NHS financial temperature check - July 2016 This briefing sets out finance directors’ views on the financial issues facing the NHS in the UK. It draws on the responses to a survey of finance directors and CFOs of NHS trusts and CCGs from across the English NHS. It provides a national picture of NHS finance directors’ and CFOs’ views of the financial outlook and main challenges NHS finance staff are facing. Please note that registration is required to access this publication. Healthcare Financial Management Association

Best start in life: promoting good emotional wellbeing and mental health for children and young people

Best start in life: promoting good emotional wellbeing and mental health for children and young people Tackling mental illness in children should begin before they are born, at a time when expectant mothers can suffer mental health problems, this report suggests. It says that early interactions and experiences directly affect how a child's brain develops and concludes it is vital that intervention is made at this critical stage to reduce the chances of mental illness developing in children. Local Government Association

Personal well-being in the UK: 2015 to 2016

Personal well-being in the UK: 2015 to 2016 Since 2011, the Office for National Statistics have asked personal well-being questions to adults in the UK, to better understand how they feel about their lives. This report presents headline results from the fifth year of data collection, covering the financial year ending March 2016, together with how things have changed over the 5 years. It finds that:

• there has been no improvement in ratings of happiness, anxiety and feeling that things in life are worthwhile over the 1 year period between the years ending March 2015 and 2016
• reported personal well-being has improved across each of the measures over the 5 year period between the years ending March 2012 and 2016
• those living in London reported lower average ratings of life satisfaction, anxiety and feeling things in life are worthwhile compared with UK overall
• people in Northern Ireland continue to give higher average ratings of personal well-being for all measures except anxiety, when compared with the other UK countries
• although women reported higher life satisfaction and worthwhile levels when compared with men, they also reported higher levels of anxiety

See also:

• Women are happier in life and feel more worthwhile but also suffer more anxiety The Daily Mail
• We're wealthier and healthier than ever before but no happier: Report on nation's wellbeing shows first lull in 5 years The Daily Mail

Heart surgery: Three hospitals told to stop complex treatment

Heart surgery: Three hospitals told to stop complex treatment Three major hospitals across England are being ordered to stop providing complex heart care because of concerns over standards. BBC News

See also:

• Congenital heart Disease: NHS England takes action to deliver consistent and high quality services now and for the future NHS England
• Action on Congenital Heart Disease services – Will Huxter NHS England
• NHS bosses to axe a third of children's heart units: Outrage of doctors and parents at plans to shut eight centres in bid to improve standards and safety' The Daily Mail
• One in three children's heart surgery units to be cut due to safety fears The Daily Telegraph
• NHS plan to shut child heart surgery units causes outcry The Guardian

GMC wants views on changes to online medical register

GMC wants views on changes to online medical register The professional regulator plans to transform the online medical register (also known as the List of Registered Medical Practitioners) and wants doctors’ and the public’s feedback on how best to do this.

The GMC register is the only up-to-date, publically accessible database of the 270,000 doctors who are registered and licensed to practise in the UK. Last year alone, nearly seven million searches of its content were made by doctors, employers and patients. OnMedica

Poor diagnosis and treatment mean repeat admissions for acute pancreatitis

Poor diagnosis and treatment mean repeat admissions for acute pancreatitis Patients with acute pancreatitis all too often end up being readmitted to hospital, simply because doctors have failed to diagnose or properly treat the cause of their condition, finds the latest report from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD).

Acute Pancreatitis: Treat the Cause is the first large scale assessment of the quality of care given to patients suffering with acute pancreatitis that has ever been carried out in the UK. OnMedica

How digital technology will make people powered health a reality

How digital technology will make people powered health a reality Various studies and projects have already recruited thousands of people, contributing millions of data points

Shop online? Watch movies online? Book your flights online? Keep in touch with friends online? Manage your health online? If you’re like most people, you’ll have answered “yes” to four of those questions but probably not to the last and arguably most important one. But change is happening that will soon make digital health management normal, expected and demanded by each of us.

During the last three years at uMotif, we’ve been working with clinicians, academics, patients and patient groups across 14 clinical conditions in the UK, US and Australia. We’ve been building, testing and refining our platform for digital health management. This work has proven to us that there is huge demand and potential for digital technology to empower and engage people in self-management and enhancement of their care. Continue reading... The Guardian

A viable shot at a better NHS has been killed off by privacy paranoia | Polly Toynbee

A viable shot at a better NHS has been killed off by privacy paranoia | Polly Toynbee Care.data could have advanced medical knowledge but our collective fear of data collection has caused it to be abandoned. It will be our loss

Yesterday the NHS care.data plan was abandoned after years of trying to get it off the ground, killed off by a fashionable paranoia about data collection that risks destroying so much potential good. Continue reading... The Guardian

You’re MORE likely to survive hospital if your nurse has a degree, professor claims

You’re MORE likely to survive hospital if your nurse has a degree, professor claims Roger Watson, Professor of Nursing at the University of Hull, claims graduate nurses are better at caring for patients - therefore supporting UK government policy that all nurses should have a degree. The Daily Mail