Northampton General Hospital aims to defuse A&E timebomb and reduce the number of beds it needs by more than 100

Northampton General Hospital aims to defuse A&E timebomb and reduce the number of beds it needs by more than 100 Significant reductions in NGH admissions will be seen by March, its chief has said, in what would be the first slackening of pressure on Northampton's ailing A&E services in five years.

Dr Sonia Swart has warned for some time that staff are in danger of being unable to cope with relentlessly increasing numbers of urgent cases and patients who are more acutely ill.

But she has now offered a light at the end of the tunnel for staff, saying that a new NHS programme will see a reduction in the time people spend in hospital - freeing up 113 beds -, reducing admissions by 10 people per day and slashing delayed discharges by 60 per cent. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS trust leaders warn staff shortages now outweigh fears over funding

NHS trust leaders warn staff shortages now outweigh fears over funding The largest ever survey of NHS trust chairs and chief executives has revealed rising concern over the growing NHS “workforce gap”.

Only one in four trust leaders (27%) are confident they have the right staff numbers, quality and skill mix to deliver high quality healthcare for patients and service users. Fewer still (22%) are confident about having the right staffing levels in six months’ time. These findings show that, for many trust leaders, worries over staffing are becoming even greater and more urgent than those over funding. NHS Providers

See also:

• The state of the NHS provider sector NHS Providers
• State of the NHS provider sector briefing NHS Providers
• NHS risks following the prison service into crisis, health chief warns The Daily Telegraph
• Stop asking us to deliver the impossible, NHS trusts urge ministers The Guardian

Levelling Up: tackling variation in diabetes care

Levelling Up: tackling variation in diabetes care This report is the result of a year-long inquiry into the causes and solutions to the variation in diabetes care. The report sums up the evidence collected from healthcare professionals, academics, commissioners and people with diabetes, making recommendations for how we can secure a better diabetes care for everyone. All Party Parliamentary Group on Diabetes Care

See also:

• MPs call for 'radical expansion' of structured diabetes education GP Online

Carers

Carers This briefing paper provides information about the number of carers in the UK and the issues they face. It also explains the rights, benefits and support available to carers and government policy on caring. House of Commons Library

Thousands 'miss out on stroke treatment'

Thousands 'miss out on stroke treatment' About 9,000 stroke patients a year are missing out on a treatment that can prevent disability following a stroke, say UK experts.

Clot retrieval can restore blood flow to the brain, preventing some lasting damage, but currently only 600 patients a year get this therapy, they estimate.

A national stroke audit reveals part of the problem is a lack of skilled staff to do the procedure.

NHS England says stroke patients are receiving high quality care. BBC News

See also:

• Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) Royal College of Physicians
• Stroke patients 'at risk in the NHS' as staffing levels need improvement The Daily Mail
• Stroke patients in UK 'missing out on treatment for brain clots' The Guardian

Will NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans work?

Will NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans work? Will the NHS's savings plan work? Mark Lobel reports. BBC News

Operating theatre fraudsters ordered to repay £650,000

Operating theatre fraudsters ordered to repay £650,000 Four operating theatre technicians who defrauded the NHS have been ordered to repay £650,000 or face extended jail sentences.

The four worked at Basildon Hospital’s Cardio Thoracic Centre as perfusionists – specialist operating theatre technicians. They worked the machinery to keep patients’ hearts and lungs functioning while they underwent major surgery such as heart bypasses.

They were also the directors of a private company, London Perfusion Science Ltd (LPS), a vehicle they used to work privately and profitably at numerous other NHS hospitals at times they were already being paid to work at Basildon Hospital. They only worked 55% of their contracted hours at Basildon and the court determined that they had failed to work 14,000 hours they had been paid for. OnMedica

End 'patronising and insulting' consultations for morning after pill, campaigners say

End 'patronising and insulting' consultations for morning after pill, campaigners say The morning after pill should be available to buy straight off the shelf without the need for an “unnecessary and embarrassing” consultation, a leading reproductive rights charity has said.

The current requirement for women to speak with their pharmacist before they can buy emergency contraception is “patronising and insulting,” according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas).

Bpas also demanded a drop in the price of the morning after pill, which usually costs around £25 to £30 at chemists, to bring the UK in line with other European countries where it is cheaper. The Independent

NHS patients told to lose weight and quit smoking or face operation delays

NHS patients told to lose weight and quit smoking or face operation delays NHS England approves plans from a Yorkshire health authority to restrict access to routine procedures

Obese people and smokers will be asked to lose weight and give up cigarettes or face delays to routine operations after a health authority’s proposals were approved by NHS England.

Patients with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 will be asked to lose weight or face a 12-month delay for elective surgery while smokers will be asked to quit for two months or face a six-month postponement, the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) announced. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also

• Obese patients and smokers face surgery delays in York BBC News
• Decision to deny surgery to obese patients is like 'racial discrimination' The Guardian

Hammond facing growing Tory rebellion over social care crisis

Hammond facing growing Tory rebellion over social care crisis MPs dismayed issue was not addressed in autumn statement amid warnings there could be a tax credit-style rebellion

Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is coming under mounting pressure from Tory MPs to bring forward help for the NHS and social care services, amid dire warnings that council budget cuts are causing unsustainable problems.

A string of Conservatives have begun to express dismay that Hammond did not address the issue in his autumn statement. Their voices add to the senior doctors, council leaders from all parties, two Tory former health secretaries and the Labour frontbench, who are warning that increasingly hospitals are unable to discharge elderly patients as struggling social care services are not able to make appropriate arrangements. Continue reading... The Guardian

Breast cancer drug that costs just 4p could save lives of women at high risk of the disease

Breast cancer drug that costs just 4p could save lives of women at high risk of the disease A pill that halves the risk of breast cancer among high risk women and costs just 4p per day should be offered on the NHS, the drugs watchdog will announce.

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will mean around 600,000 healthy women should be given the chance to take anastrozole.

The drug has been shown to halve the chances of developing breast cancer for high-risk post-menopausal women. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS watchdog urges doctors to offer breast cancer pill to high risk patients The Daily Mail