Tuesday 13 December 2016

Safe Sleeping campaign for babies relaunched by Northamptonshire health experts

Safe Sleeping campaign for babies relaunched by Northamptonshire health experts Share a room, not a bed – that’s the advice to parents of newborn babies from the organisation responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Learning, candour and accountability: A review of the way NHS trusts review and investigate the deaths of patients in England

Learning, candour and accountability: A review of the way NHS trusts review and investigate the deaths of patients in England The Secretary of State for Health asked us to look at how acute, community and mental health NHS trusts across the country investigate and learn from deaths to find out whether opportunities for prevention of death have been missed, and identify any improvements that are needed.

We looked at the processes and systems trusts use to identify, investigate and learn from the death of a person using their services. We looked particularly closely at how trusts investigate the deaths of people with a mental health problem or learning disability. Care Quality Commission

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Medical professionalism matters report

Medical professionalism matters report The report is the culmination of 18 months of events and conversations with the medical profession, from GPs, consultants and trainees who work on the ground, to royal colleges, training providers and employers.

As is widely acknowledged many doctors feel the current environment is the most challenging of their careers, as the pressures of day-to-day practice rise with the often conflicting demands of doctors’ employers and the patients they care for. General Medical Council

A Cry for Health: Why we must invest in domestic abuse services in hospitals

A Cry for Health: Why we must invest in domestic abuse services in hospitals SafeLives calls on every hospital in England and Wales to have specialist domestic abuse support onsite. Health providers must be part of the long-term solution to tackle domestic abuse.

The findings of SafeLives' research, which provides evidence from over 4,000 victims supported in hospital and community settings, show that we are missing opportunities to identify victims of domestic abuse – particularly the most vulnerable – and that locating a team of Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (Idvas) within a hospital is a key way to address this.

Charity warns of FGM 'parties' taking place in England

Charity warns of FGM 'parties' taking place in England Girls are being taken to female genital mutilation (FGM) "parties" in cities across England, a charity has warned.

The Black Health Initiative in Leeds says midwives from Africa are being flown into the country to carry out the illegal practice.

West Yorkshire Police said they were aware girls were being subjected to FGM locally.

Latest NHS figures show more than 8,000 women across England have recently been identified as being victims of FGM. BBC News

Social care funding shortfall 'urgent' says Lib Dem Norman Lamb

Social care funding shortfall 'urgent' says Lib Dem Norman Lamb Liberal Democrat Health spokesman, Norman Lamb, urges government action on the crisis in social care funding. BBC News

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The doctor on your Xbox? The NHS needs more digital ambition

The doctor on your Xbox? The NHS needs more digital ambition Patients and staff use a wide range of new technologies, from smart watches to virtual gaming. Let’s see how the NHS can use it

Imagine a world where doctors and nurses glance at their watch to see patient updates, where virtual reality headsets are used to consult on medical procedures, or where patients could interact with their doctor through their television or media console.

All of this, and a great deal more, is achievable with the technology we have today, but both the NHS and its technology suppliers are yet to embrace what’s possible and make these scenarios happen.

Chat apps could be used to book an appointment at the doctors’ surgery or the hospital Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS England sending anorexic patients to Scotland for treatment

NHS England sending anorexic patients to Scotland for treatment Mental health experts voice concern over growing trend and say it could increase vulnerable patients’ chances of dying

The NHS in England is sending patients who are seriously ill with eating disorders to Scotland for treatment because chronic bed shortages mean they cannot be cared for in England.

Vulnerable patients, mainly teenagers and young adults, are being taken hundreds of miles from their homes in order to receive residential care in Glasgow and near Edinburgh. Continue reading... The Guardian

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The chemists running out of lifesaving drugs because they have all been sold abroad

The chemists running out of lifesaving drugs because they have all been sold abroad As a result of drug shortages in the UK patients are being harmed and even hospitalised, according to a survey of GPs and pharmacists for the parliamentary All-Party Pharmacy Group (APPG). The Daily Mail

Syphilis could become impossible to treat after a common strain of the STI has become resistant to antibiotics

Syphilis could become impossible to treat after a common strain of the STI has become resistant to antibiotics Researchers from the University of Zurch, Switzerland, have found 90 per cent of a new strain of syphilis samples they analysed were resistant to antibiotics. The Daily Mail

Retired carer left to die after hospital replaced 'old-fashioned' whiteboard with computer system

Retired carer left to die after hospital replaced 'old-fashioned' whiteboard with computer system A grandmother who was admitted to hospital with a broken arm died after an email mix-up meant she was not seen for three days because doctors did not know she was there.

Patricia Fowler, 75, was left lying in pain in a cardiac ward for three days before she was seen by a consultant because she had the same first name as another patient.

By then, Mrs Fowler had developed pneumonia and sepsis, which led to her death.

An inquest heard the mix-up occurred after the hospital switched from using old fashioned white boards to an email system. The Daily Telegraph

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