Mental health unit in Kettering recognised for good practice

Mental health unit in Kettering recognised for good practice A unit for patients with mental health issues has been given an industry seal of approval for its work.

The Forest Centre, a 24-bed unit for elderly patients who have mental health issues including dementia, is based at St Mary’s Hospital, Kettering. It has has been awarded an Acute Inpatient Mental Health Services (AIMS) accreditation for its dedication to providing high quality patient care. Northamptonshire Telegraph

No hospital is an island: new models of acute collaboration in the NHS

No hospital is an island: new models of acute collaboration in the NHS Encouraged in recent years through the NHS Five Year Forward View, the Dalton and Carter reviews and now Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs), hospitals are looking for creative solutions to clinical and financial challenges that they can’t solve on their own. NHS England

Mental health stigma is stopping young people asking for help

Mental health stigma is stopping young people asking for help More than one in three young people with mental health difficulties experience stigma, according to major new research released by youth charity, YMCA.

The I AM WHOLE report published in support of an NHS anti-stigma campaign being launched by UK music star Jordan Stephens (Rizzle Kicks), also shows that, of the young people who experience this stigma, more than a third say it happens at least once a week and 54% say it originates from their own friends.

Researchers spoke to more than 2,000 11 to 24-year-olds and found that 38% of those with mental health difficulties felt they were stigmatised. Of those, 56% said this stigma made them less willing to access professional support for their mental health difficulties and 70% were less likely to speak about their problems.

See also:

• I was told to cheer up while battling bulimia BBC News

Type 2 diabetes: Data reveals hotspots for cases

Type 2 diabetes: Data reveals hotspots for cases Prescriptions for type 2 diabetes rise by a third in England in the last five years, according to new analysis of NHS data. BBC News

Former Southern Health boss Katrina Percy quits

Former Southern Health boss Katrina Percy quits The former head of troubled Southern Health NHS trust, who was controversially moved to a new post in the organisation, has quit following months of pressure. BBC News

STPs could be blocked if GPs oppose them, says health minister

STPs could be blocked if GPs oppose them, says health minister Opposition from GPs could force a rethink on sustainability and transformation plans (STPs), health minister David Mowat has told the RCGP conference. GP Online

Dozens of NHS hospitals targeted by cyber blackmailers

Dozens of NHS hospitals targeted by cyber blackmailers The NHS is under increasing attack from cyber blackmailers attempting to extort ransoms from dozens of hospitals using internet viruses which encrypt data.

Health service trusts serving millions of patients have been hit by the “ransomware” attacks in the past 12 months, prompting concern that antiquated IT systems are leaving NHS data such as patient records vulnerable to exploitation by criminals. i News

See also:

• Blackmailing hackers 'increasingly targeting' NHS Trusts ITV News

Medical advances increase life expectancy but make people spend far more of their lives being ill

Medical advances increase life expectancy but make people spend far more of their lives being ill People are getting healthier, living longer – and spending more time with often debilitating illness and disability.

The gains in medical and health are masking an increasing amount of illness, disability and death from non-communicable diseases, according to a major new study.

Death rates from communicable diseases have fallen sharply, adding to a major overall increase in life expectancy. But that extra time appears to be spent more and more unhealthily. The Independent

NHS leadership needs to give staff a powerful voice in any system change

NHS leadership needs to give staff a powerful voice in any system change Sustainability and transformation plans are focused on structures and process but they are ultimately worthless without clinical buy-in and leadership.

Inevitably the NHS reform drive got caught up in the party conference crossfire. Diane Abbott, in her last few days as shadow health secretary, attempted to rebrand sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) as “secret Tory plans”, while prime minister Theresa May made the ludicrous assertion that the government had given the NHS “more than its leaders asked for”, conjuring up an image of NHS England trying to work out what to do with all the extra cash.

But clinicians as well as politicians are becoming increasingly vocal on the current round of reform. The Royal College of GPs is getting angry over the obsessive focus on sorting out hospital deficits rather than transforming care. At their annual conference this week, college chair Maureen Baker accurately pointed out that if there is insufficient investment in general practice, system transformation simply won’t happen, and the whole process will have been in vain. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Can health and care deliver changes and keep the public on side? The Guardian
• A lethal combination of secrecy and jargon has overshadowed NHS plans The Guardian

NHS is most widely held concern of UK adults, survey finds

NHS is most widely held concern of UK adults, survey finds Research for Ipsos Mori’s latest ‘issues index’ indicates worries about Britain’s health service are growing

The NHS has narrowly replaced immigration and Brexit as a key issue facing Britain in the minds of most voters, according to a new survey of public opinion by pollsters Ipsos Mori.

Two out of five (40%) mentioned the health service, hospitals or healthcare as a concern to them – more than cited any other issue. That was just ahead of the numbers who identified immigration or immigrants (39%) as either the most important or an important issue. Continue reading... The Guardian

I changed career to do mental health nursing but now I'm drowning

I changed career to do mental health nursing but now I'm drowning My job can be wonderful, but the reality is so much harder than I expected. It feels like it’s not safe sometimes

In my late twenties I decided to go back to university to study mental health nursing. I am now several months into my first position as a qualified nurse in an acute psychiatric hospital. There are days I question my decision and think: “What the hell have I done?” I sometimes feel trapped in a position I have worked so hard to achieve and I wonder if this is to be my life from now on.

Before I became a nurse I was a support worker looking after people with learning disabilities. I supported a service user who had physical and communication difficulties and she would fight, bite and scream at staff. However, when we were together we would laugh for hours and we developed an amazing relationship. I realised I had a knack for caring for people who were considered challenging and the whole nursing business escalated from there.

I knew I was entering a challenging yet rewarding career; I just never anticipated how tough it would be Continue reading... The Guardian

Vulture lawyers bleed the NHS for £418m: Their sickening fees in one year are enough to hire 19,000 nurse

Vulture lawyers bleed the NHS for £418m: Their sickening fees in one year are enough to hire 19,000 nurse Grasping law firms charged a record £418 million last year after pursuing cases of medical blunders against the NHS, a Mail on Sunday investigation reveals today.

And some greedy ‘ambulance chasers’ have been accused of pulling in ‘grossly inflated’ fees, many times what their clients actually received in compensation.

Our inquiries also expose how law firms are apparently prepared to brazenly overcharge for their services while bringing complaints against the NHS. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Taxpayer foots £1.5billion bill for legal cases against NHS in a year, figures reveal The Daily Telegraph

Grumpy doctors harm patients, whistleblowing champion says

Grumpy doctors harm patients, whistleblowing champion says NHS employees must be more positive at work because grumpiness can harm patients and contribute to a “toxic environment”, the new whistleblowing chief has said.

Henrietta Hughes called on “every single person” in the health service to make it a happier place of work as she urged staff to “start living…the NHS that they want to work in”. The Daily Telegraph