Meningitis W: Students urged to get vaccine

Meningitis W: Students urged to get vaccine Young people starting university or college this autumn are being urged to get a vaccine against meningitis.

Public Health England says the jab will help protect against meningitis W in particular - a sometimes deadly strain that is on the rise.

Officials say new students are at risk as they often mix closely with groups of unfamiliar people - some who may unknowingly carry the bug.

Scotland and Wales have also renewed calls for students to take up the jab.

The injection - known as the Men ACWY vaccine - was first introduced for new university students in the UK last year. BBC News

See also:

• Men ACWY vaccine NHS Choices
• Students urged to get vaccinated as cases of new MenW strain of meningitis soar The Daily Telegraph

New drugs for dementia

New drugs for dementia This briefing outlines the challenges in developing new drugs to treat dementia, and provides an overview of UK and international research activities to accelerate progress in this field. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Ageing gracefully: the PACE approach to caring for frail elders in the community

Ageing gracefully: the PACE approach to caring for frail elders in the community This case study is one in an ongoing series examining programs that aim to improve outcomes and reduce costs of care for patients with complex needs, who account for a large share of U.S. health care spending. The Commonwealth Fund

New data shows EU rules on language testing of health staff putting patients at risk

New data shows EU rules on language testing of health staff putting patients at risk Leading dentists and surgeons are concerned that patient safety is being put at risk because testing of the clinical English language skills of dentists, doctors and nurses from the European Economic Area (EEA) is insufficient due to EU rules. They say the Government should use post-Brexit negotiations to rectify the situation. Royal College of Surgeons

See also:

• Patient safety at risk because language tests for medics 'not stringent enough' The Guardian

Better GP receptionist training might boost patient experience/satisfaction

Better GP receptionist training might boost patient experience/satisfaction Better GP receptionist training in good communication skills might help boost measures of patient experience and satisfaction with their surgery’s performance, suggests the first study* of its kind, published in the British Journal of General Practice.

Patients in some practices are having to ‘push’ for effective service, when calling GP surgeries, rather than automatically being provided with options and alternatives, when their needs can’t be met, the findings show. OnMedica

See also:

• Calling the GP surgery: patient burden, patient satisfaction, and implications for training (open access) British Journal of General Practice
• Unhelpful GP receptionists lead to lower patient satisfaction scores GP Online

Only one in five medical claims win compensation

Only one in five medical claims win compensation Only around a fifth of negligence claims are awarded compensation, the Medical Defence Union’s (MDU’s) Annual Report for 2015* shows.

While complaints may be common, around 80% of those defended by the MDU are defended successfully, the document reveals. OnMedica

How can care homes ensure a good death for residents?

How can care homes ensure a good death for residents? Research reveals that care home staff, healthcare professionals, residents and their families may not always agree on end-of-life care

No one goes into a care home with the express intention of dying. At the same time, most residents have a limited life expectancy and the majority will die within two or three years of moving to a home.

There is a long list of challenges facing all those involved in providing the best possible support for the 460,000 people living in UK care homes. They become even greater when it comes to caring for the eight out of 10 residents likely to suffer from dementia. They are also compounded by the fact that as many as 27 different NHS services can visit to provide care and treatment for residents. Continue reading... The Guardian

The NHS cannot afford to ignore bullying any longer

The NHS cannot afford to ignore bullying any longer Bullying undermines safe patient care, demoralises staff and leads to less effective teams

Do you work in the NHS? Please take our survey and tell us whether bullying is a problem and how it affects your work.

“It ground me down. I lost some of my hair. I began shaking at the thought of going to work and eventually retired on ill health grounds. My manager was not disciplined because although it was agreed he had bullied me, he ‘didn’t intend’ to bully me.”

This nurse left her job and will never work for the NHS again. I have met too many fine staff with similar stories while advising staff who raised concerns about patient care or discrimination. Continue reading... The Guardian

Care home fees top £30k for the first time - and are rising at 10 times the rate of pensioner incomes

Care home fees top £30k for the first time - and are rising at 10 times the rate of pensioner incomes Elderly people needing to go into a care home now face average fees of £30,000 a year, as costs are rising ten times faster than pensioner incomes, a study has found.

A study by Prestige nursing, one of the UK's biggest care agencies, has shed light on the UK's "desperate and worsening" care crisis, with the annual cost of a care home room increasing by £1,536, or 5.2pc over the past year.

This is almost ten times more than the average £156 (1pc) income gains earned by pensioners over the same period, suggesting that paying for care without spending savings is becoming affordable even for the wealthiest pensioners. The Daily Telegraph