The King’s Fund warns against further hospital bed cuts

The King’s Fund warns against further hospital bed cuts With hospitals full to capacity, NHS plans in some areas to cut hospital beds are undesirable and unachievable, warns The King’s Fund in a new report.

New analysis for the report finds that the total number of NHS hospital beds in England has more than halved over the past 30 years, from around 299,000 to 142,000, as more people with mental illness and learning disabilities are cared for in the community and medical advances have reduced the time many patients spend in hospital. Although it finds that most advanced nations have reduced hospital bed numbers in recent years, the report shows that the NHS now has fewer acute hospital beds per person than almost any other comparable health system. The King's Fund

See also:

• Hospital bed numbers – can the downward trend continue? The King's Fund
• Number of NHS hospital beds has halved in three decades The Daily Mail
• Number of NHS beds has halved in 30 years, major study warns The Daily Telegraph
• Struggling NHS faces 'unrealistic' bed cuts Sky News

Is investment in GP services increasing?

Is investment in GP services increasing? The government and the national NHS bodies have made attempts to recognise and address the issues facing general practice. In April 2016, NHS England published the General practice forward view, which outlined a range of initiatives and investment for general practice. Among the measures it introduced were a programme to address some of the administrative burdens placed on GPs, initiatives to improve mental health support for GPs and support to deal with rising indemnity costs. Many of the measures focused on recruitment, both through training more GPs and by recruiting from abroad, although figures so far suggest that the government’s target of 5,000 more GPs by 2021 will not be met. The King's Fund

Resilience and recovery: What the NHS can learn from the education and criminal justice sectors

Resilience and recovery: What the NHS can learn from the education and criminal justice sectors Following Mid Staffs and other high-profile failures of NHS care, the Health Foundation commissioned research into what the NHS can learn from other sectors.

A team from the University of Leicester and Cardiff University examined failure, recovery and resilience in the criminal justice system (policing, youth justice, prisons) and education. The research examined the journey to recovery for six previously failing or poorly performing organisations, to identify the key strategic themes and actions that are relevant for health care policy and practice.

Urgent action needed to tackle staffing crisis

Urgent action needed to tackle staffing crisis Hospitals and health care providers must examine whether they have enough staff to deliver safe patient care this winter as the RCN discloses the concerns of frontline nursing staff.

More than 30,000 members responded to a survey seeking to gain a snapshot of their experiences on the last shift they worked.

The results, published in a new RCN report, paint a perturbing picture of staff stretched to the limit and compromised patient care.

Over half said there were less nursing staff on shift than planned and that care quality suffered as a result. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• NHS staff shortages 'mean patients dying alone' in hospitals BBC News
• Patients are dying ALONE in hospitals, report reveals The Daily Mail
• Nurses so overworked they are forced to leave patients to die alone, survey finds The Daily Telegraph
• NHS nurses are too busy to care for patients properly, research shows The Guardian
• Shortages are compromising patient care, new report warns OnMedica

Adult and older adult mental health services 2012-2016: An analysis of Mental Health NHS Benchmarking Network data for England and Wales

Adult and older adult mental health services 2012-2016: An analysis of Mental Health NHS Benchmarking Network data for England and Wales What does the data show about the current state of secondary NHS mental health care?

The NHS Benchmarking Network have made their mental health data available to the Centre to provide an independent commentary on what the data suggests about mental health provision in England and Wales between 2012 and 2016. This briefing is the result of our analysis, and highlights some key findings. Centre for Mental Health

See also:

• Mental health services from 2012 to 2016: what do we know? Centre for Mental Health
• Mental health patients being failed as services face 'potent mix' of workforce cuts and rising demand, shows report The Independent

UK breast cancer progress 'stalling' as NHS continues to miss opportunities to prevent more deaths, landmark new report finds

UK breast cancer progress 'stalling' as NHS continues to miss opportunities to prevent more deaths, landmark new report finds Progress on breast cancer in the UK is “stalling” as a lack of leadership continues to prevent research breakthroughs from reaching patients and see the NHS miss clear opportunities to save lives, a major new report by leading charity Breast Cancer Now has found.

Amid unprecedented financial pressures for the NHS, the charity’s landmark ‘Good Enough? Breast cancer in the UK’report assesses the most up-to-date UK data to investigate the current state of play for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease on the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The full report outlines 18 key recommendations for immediate action needed across the UK – by October 2018 – to improve the management of breast cancer on the NHS.

See also:

• Treatment and funding shambles costs thousands of lives The Daily Mail
• Red tape rows leave 1,000 women a year to die from breast cancer The Daily Telegraph
• Cheap drug could cut 10% of UK breast cancer deaths, charity says The Guardian

More than a third unaware of the dangers of diabetes-related foot ulcers

More than a third unaware of the dangers of diabetes-related foot ulcers More than a third of people in the UK are not aware that foot ulcers are a serious complication of diabetes.

More than a third of people in the UK are not aware that foot ulcers are a serious complication of diabetes, despite being a leading cause of diabetes-related amputations, a new survey by Diabetes UK has revealed.

The survey of 2,055 adults, conducted for Diabetes UK by YouGov, found that while 79 per cent of people know that an amputation is a major complication of diabetes, 36 per cent did not know that foot ulcers were also a complication, which, when unhealed, are responsible for as many as four-in-five diabetes-related amputations.

See also:

• Obesity is causing 160 amputations A WEEK The Daily Mail

How you could help stop a flu pandemic

How you could help stop a flu pandemic We seem to be suffering from a global amnesia. Ask any passerby - as we did - “What was the most catastrophic cause of death in the last 100 years?” and you receive the usual suspects: WWII, perhaps WWI. There are also some less obvious replies: Chernobyl, the Boxing Day Tsunami, Hiroshima. Very, very rarely will anyone say Spanish Flu, and yet that particular pandemic killed up to 100 million people.

There have been three others since then. Even more astonishing is that the UK Government considers another flu pandemic so dangerous to our society that it tops the list of the newly updated National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies.

So it’s particularly timely that the BBC has just launched the BBC Pandemic App on the iOS App Store and Google Play.

This free app is part of the biggest experiment of its kind, a citizen science experiment that aims to spread a virtual pandemic - an outbreak of a simulated infectious disease around the entire country. BBC News

Third of young people say their mental health has deteriorated since Brexit vote, survey shows

Third of young people say their mental health has deteriorated since Brexit vote, survey shows One in three young people say their mental health has declined in the past year, with nearly half citing the Brexit vote as a cause of anxiety, new research shows.

A poll of more than 4,000 18-30 year-olds in England and Wales shows that a third of young people (32 per cent) feel more anxious now than this time last year, with leaving the EU, money worries and the cost of housing being the main reported causes.

The findings, carried out by Populus for charity the Young Women’s Trust, have prompted concerns that youthful optimism has been replaced by worry and anxiety due to financial troubles and uncertainty about the future. The Independent

Brexit in any form poses major risks to NHS, academics say

Brexit in any form poses major risks to NHS, academics say Paper in the Lancet says Brexit will damage the NHS whichever form it takes, with a ‘no deal’ potentially catastrophic

Brexit may seriously damage the NHS, whichever form it takes, with a no-deal outcome proving catastrophic, according to an analysis of the health consequences of Britain leaving the EU.

The paper in the Lancet claims that Brexit could have “profound effects” more widely for health in the UK and also hit access to healthcare for the estimated 190,000 British pensioners in the EU. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Health must be top of the agenda during Brexit negotiations says RCGP Chair Royal College of General Practitioners
• Brexit 'potentially catastrophic' for the health service, experts suggest in Lancet journal  The Independent

My seven broken bones inspired my dream career as a radiographer

My seven broken bones inspired my dream career as a radiographer My careers adviser told me to think about something else as a job. I’m glad I didn’t listen

A nasty fall from untied shoelaces, a severe whack from a hockey stick, an accidental punch in the nose, a minibus accident, a collision with a door frame, a party game gone wrong and a wild dodgem car ride – what do all these things have in common? These random, unfortunate events all led to me breaking a bone on each occasion – a grand total of seven bones during my childhood and early teenage years. Continue reading... The Guardian

Corby GPs urging at-risk patients to have flu jab

Corby GPs urging at-risk patients to have flu jab Corby’s GPs are urging at-risk patients to have the flu vaccine in September and October to get protected in time for the winter.

Most surgeries in Corby are offering Saturday morning flu clinics free of charge throughout September and October to at-risk groups including people who are aged 65 years or over, live in a residential or nursing home, have a learning disability, live with someone who is immunocompromised, are the main carer of an older or disabled person, or who are pregnant.

Surgeries including Great Oakley, Woodsend, The Studfall Partnership and Lakeside Healthcare will be all offering Saturday flu clinics in September and October. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Compassion and innovation in the NHS

Compassion and innovation in the NHS One of the most extraordinary characteristics of humans as a species is our capacity to innovate in response to challenges. But the right conditions have to be in place for innovation to bubble up.

Earlier this year, in Caring to change, we set out the cultural conditions needed for innovation to take place in NHS organisations. These included the need for a lived, inspiring vision that emphasises the importance of innovation and improvement; autonomy or freedom for staff to develop and implement new and improved ways of doing things – and a commitment to giving staff the skills they need to do this; collective, rather than command-and-control, leadership; and strong and unequivocal support from leaders as innovators address the challenges they face. The King's Fund

Five ways linking ambulance and A&E data could help to improve care

Five ways linking ambulance and A&E data could help to improve care My paramedic colleagues and I regularly provide life-saving care, but as soon as we hand over to the emergency department (ED), our knowledge about that patient stops. It’s like watching the first half of a play for the curtains to never open on the second act.

Ambulance services in England have a very limited understanding of what happens to the patients they treat. In most circumstances, even basic information such as admission and mortality rates are not known. It can be frustrating as an individual, not knowing whether the care you provided resulted in a good outcome, but there are also bigger opportunities being missed at a service, research and commissioning level. This is because there is currently no routine link between ambulance data and data from all other NHS organisations. The Health Foundation

Highest smoking quit success rates on record

Highest smoking quit success rates on record New data published in a University College of London (UCL) report shows quitting success rates at their highest for at least a decade, up to 19.8% for the first 6 months of this year, significantly higher than the average for the last 10 years (15.7%).

Success rates among the less well-off have for years remained consistently low, but in a major turnaround the sharp increase in success rates is being seen entirely among this group. For the first time, smokers in manual occupational groups have virtually the same chances of quitting as those in white collar jobs.

The report coincides with the launch of Stoptober quit smoking challenge, which has inspired over one and a half million quit attempts since 2012. The campaign is based on research that if you stop smoking for 28 days you are 5 times more likely to stop for good. Public Health England

Steering towards strategic commissioning: transforming the system

Steering towards strategic commissioning: transforming the system This report sets out CCGs’ vision for the future and what they need to get there at pace so they can deliver more for patients. It shows there is a strong belief that healthcare commissioning must continue to be clinically led, operate at a scale larger than a CCG footprint, retain its purchasing function and remain accountable to the local population. NHS Clinical Commissioners 

'Chemical embryo surgery' removes disease

'Chemical embryo surgery' removes disease Precise "chemical surgery" has been performed on human embryos to remove disease in a world first, Chinese researchers have told the BBC.

The team at Sun Yat-sen University used a technique called base editing to correct a single error out of the three billion "letters" of our genetic code.

They altered lab-made embryos to remove the disease beta-thalassemia, which were not implanted.

The team says the approach may one day treat a range of inherited diseases. BBC News

How To Reform The NHS? Leave It Alone - HuffPost UK

How To Reform The NHS? Leave It Alone - HuffPost UK The latest great reform for the NHS is now unveiled - the creation of Accountable Care Organisations. This sounds great doesn’t it?

• bring commissioners and providers together
• end contracting and the internal market
• focus on community and service integration
• improve efficiency with better data and innovation

I am not quite sure how this sounds to anyone outside the NHS. It may sound like a set of good ideas or just empty jargon. To those inside the NHS it promises yet another round of meaningless organisational change, personal confusion, management consultants, promotions for some and redundancies for others. Huffington Post UK

I had psychosis and was sectioned. Nurses saved me from the brink

I had psychosis and was sectioned. Nurses saved me from the brink Nurses provide the human side of healthcare and can explain problems in a way doctors often fail to do

A few years ago, I was suffering with psychosis and was admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act. I remained there for nearly two months. At the time I didn’t realise I was ill, despite hearing voices and experiencing major delusions. I have encountered many healthcare professionals since that time, but it has been the regular support from mental health nurses, especially out in the community, that has really kept me well, more than medication or appointments with psychiatrists or therapists.

A psychiatric ward can be a scary place for a patient; the nurses I came to know while living on the ward became beacons of stability. They encouraged us to get involved in activities; they chatted to us about mundane things; they didn’t press us on our delusions or misconceptions. They gently reinforced a day-to-day normality. One nurse brought in her manicure kit with over 30 polishes and painted our nails for us. Another organised meetings where patients could air their grievances and suggestions for improving the ward. At the time, my delusional mental state convinced me they were all actors and that I was in a fake secure unit. In contrast, I thought the psychiatrists were really military interrogators, based on my meetings with them. Continue reading... The Guardian

GP phone consultations do not save time or money: Cambridge study

GP phone consultations do not save time or money: Cambridge study NHS plans to force patients to have phone consultations with GPs will simply fuel more hospital admissions, instead of reducing pressures, a major study suggests.

Research by the University of Cambridge shows that practices which insist on a phone conversation with a family doctor to decide who can gets an appointment have a greater workload - and higher hospital costs.

Health officials have said such schemes are key to reducing strain on health services, at a time of unprecedented demand.

But the study of 147 practices which introduced “telephone first” schemes found that in fact they saw a two per cent increase in hospital admissions along with a sharp increase in the amount of time GPs spent on consultations. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Evaluation of telephone first approach to demand management in English general practice: observational study The BMJ
• Triaging patients using 'telephone first' approach may increase GP workload GPonline

Improving staff retention - a guide for employers

Improving staff retention - a guide for employers NHS Employers has launched an in-depth guide to staff retention, which brings together the lessons learned from the 92 participants in the retention collaborative run by the organisation since late 2016.

UK 'eliminates measles' for first time

UK 'eliminates measles' for first time The elimination of measles has been achieved in the UK for the first time, the World Health Organization says.

The global health body classes a country as having eliminated the disease when it has stopped it freely circulating for at least three years.

While there are still small clusters, many of these are brought in from abroad and they are not spreading.

But health experts said there should be no complacency, warning there were several large outbreaks across Europe. BBC News

Lack of secure mental health beds scandalous, says judge

Lack of secure mental health beds scandalous, says judge A teenager who was a risk to himself and the public could not be found a secure mental health bed for a month in England, Scotland or Wales, his father claims.

Secure accommodation was sought for Boy Y, from Norfolk, in July but none was available.

Mr Justice Holman, who ruled on an injunction over the case, said the lack of secure beds was "scandalous".

NHS England said improving mental health care was an "absolute priority". BBC News

'No convincing evidence' QOF helps patients with long-term conditions

'No convincing evidence' QOF helps patients with long-term conditions Performance-related pay as promoted through the QOF does not improve care of people with long-term conditions and may have a negative impact on patients, researchers have found. GPonline

Chanting fake mantras won’t save the NHS. Proper funding will | Stefan Stern

Chanting fake mantras won’t save the NHS. Proper funding will Belief is a wonderful thing – but channelling the spirit of David Brent is no way to fix the health service

It was a cry for help. At a meeting in London earlier this month NHS trust chief executives were forced to chant “We can do this” as a sign of their commitment to improving their hospitals’ poor A&E performance. Paul Watson, NHS England’s regional director for the Midlands and east of England, tried to lead colleagues in this chant, apparently urging them to “take the roof off” with the sound of their belief. “We can do this” was the four-word summary of a 40-slide presentation. The chant was meant to be “light relief”, Watson says, “but it does have the merit of being true.”

'We can do this' sounds like an advertising slogan from the 1970s Continue reading... The Guardian

Contaminated blood scandal victims allowed to sue government

Contaminated blood scandal victims allowed to sue government More than 500 claimants – surviving victims and families of the deceased – given permission to seek compensation

More than 500 victims of the NHS contaminated blood scandal have been given permission to sue the government for compensation.

The claimants, a mix of haemophiliac survivors and relatives of those killed by infected blood products over the past 30 years, were granted a ­group litigation order to begin proceedings in the high court at a preliminary hearing in ­London yesterday. The judge dismissed attempts by Department of Health lawyers to delay the claim. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Contaminated blood: Victims can launch court damages action BBC News

£37m compensation agreed for victims of rogue surgeon Ian Paterson

£37m compensation agreed for victims of rogue surgeon Ian Paterson A High Court judge has approved a £37 million compensation plan for hundreds of victims of the disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson.

Paterson was jailed for 20 years after he was found guilty in April at Nottingham Crown Court of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three further wounding charges.

Paterson’s trial heard how he lied to his patients and exaggerated or invented the risk of cancer to convince them to go under the knife. He also claimed payments for more expensive procedures.

Spire Healthcare, the hospital group where Paterson treated his private patients, will contribute £27.2 million to the compensation fund. A further £10 million is to be provided by Paterson's insurers and his former employers, the Heart of England NHS Trust. The Daily Telegraph

Medical experts 'complicit' over epilepsy drug which caused deformities

Medical experts 'complicit' over epilepsy drug which caused deformities Medical experts were “complicit” in allowing thousands of children to suffer deformity after resisting warnings on epilepsy drugs, campaigners have said.

A hearing in London yesterday heard that regulators knew in 1973 that taking the anti-epilepsy drug in pregnancy could cause babies to be born with disabilities, but waited 40 years before alerting the public to the risks.

Estimates suggest that around 20,000 babies in the UK suffered harm as a result of sodium valproate which can also cause brain damage and problems such as autism.

Sanofi, which manufactures the drug, has said it has always been transparent with regulators about the risks of the medicine. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• We've had no help - epilepsy drug victims BBC News
• Epilepsy drug risk hidden for 40 years harming thousands The Daily Mail

Research and analysis: Psychoactive substances in secure mental health settings

Research and analysis: Psychoactive substances in secure mental health settings This document reviews the impact of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in secure mental health settings, and makes recommendations for the management of NPS use in these settings. Public Health England

Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardian survey

 Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardian survey The National Guardian's Office has published a report outlining the findings of their first Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardian survey.

Action plan on hearing loss: what works guides

Action plan on hearing loss: what works guides The Action plan on hearing loss, produced in 2015, identified ways that services for people with hearing loss could be improved. This series of guides aims to support employers and service providers in delivering on the recommendations outlined in the plan. NHS England

Practical guidance on sharing of information and information governance for all NHS organisations specifically for Prevent and the Channel process

Practical guidance on sharing of information and information governance for all NHS organisations specifically for Prevent and the Channel process This guidance is intended to assist those involved in information sharing and information governance for the purpose of Prevent, a counter-terrorism safeguarding programme. It is designed to assist in the decision making process about the appropriateness of sharing information (particularly sensitive health information) such as the decisions made by Caldicott Guardians. NHS England

Bath Spa University 'blocks transgender research'

Bath Spa University 'blocks transgender research' A therapist says he is "astonished" by a university's decision to stop him studying people who decide to reverse gender reassignment operations.

James Caspian wanted to write a thesis on "detransition" as part of his master's degree in counselling and psychotherapy at Bath Spa University.

He said it was rejected by the university's ethics committee because it could be "politically incorrect".

The university said it couldn't comment until after an internal investigation.

Mr Caspian, a counsellor who specialises in therapy for transgender people, told Radio 4: "I was astonished at that decision.

"I think that a university exists to encourage discussion, research - dissent even, challenging perhaps ideas that are out of date or not particularly useful." BBC News

I'm reinventing mental health care by putting patients in charge

I'm reinventing mental health care by putting patients in charge My experiences as a mental health service user helped me to set up and run a suicide crisis centre

A feeling of powerlessness dominated my experience of mental health services. And this feeling was at its worst when I was sectioned. Sectioning replicated aspects of the traumatic experience that initially caused my suicidal crisis. I felt trapped, captive and utterly out of control. I couldn’t escape. .

The limited control I had over my interactions with mental health professionals also had a negative impact on me. In the psychiatrist-patient relationship, the power lies with the psychiatrist. And in the community, mental health teams decided how often I would be seen, what kind of care I would receive and when the care would end. Each of these things made me feel vulnerable. Continue reading... The Guardian

Hospital bosses forced to chant 'we can do this' over A&E targets

Hospital bosses forced to chant 'we can do this' over A&E targets Trust leaders say they were left feeling ‘bullied and humiliated’ by the incident at a meeting to improve performance

Hospital bosses were forced to chant “we can do this” by a senior NHS official in an effort to improve their accident and emergency performance in advance of what doctors have warned will be a tough winter for the NHS.

Hospital trust chief executives say they were left feeling “bullied, patronised and humiliated” by the incident last week at a meeting attended by Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, and Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS in England. Continue reading... The Guardian

Mental ill-health among children of the new century

Mental ill-health among children of the new century New research shows a quarter of girls (24%) and one in 10 boys (9%) are depressed at age 14.

Researchers from the UCL Institute of Education and the University of Liverpool analysed information on more than 10,000 children born in 2000-01 who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study.

At ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14, parents reported on their children’s mental health. Then, when they reached 14, the children were themselves asked questions about their depressive symptoms. National Children's Bureau

See also:

• Schools fear impact of budget cuts amid girls' mental health crisis The Guardian
• Falling number of NHS child psychiatrists provokes 'deep concern' The Guardian
• Stress and social media fuel mental health crisis among girls The Guardian

Developing support and services for children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both

Developing support and services for children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both This document provides guidance for Transforming Care Partnerships (and their local CCG or local authority partners) in commissioning support and services for children and young people with learning disability, autism or both. NHS England

Prevention in action

Prevention in action This report argues that local authorities in England must do more in their areas to provide services that prevent, reduce or delay the need for care and support. The report analyses the impact of the Care Act on the provision of preventative services and finds that the act's vision for prevention is not being fully realised. The report provides a national picture of local developments and highlights areas of good practice alongside areas for improvement. British Red Cross

Making the economic case for investing in actions to prevent and/or tackle loneliness: a systematic review: a briefing paper

Making the economic case for investing in actions to prevent and/or tackle loneliness: a systematic review: a briefing paper This research, carried out by the London School of Economics, reviews the evidence on the economic impact of loneliness interventions. It finds that up to £3 of health care costs can be saved for every £1 spent on an effective intervention on loneliness. Campaign to End Loneliness

Person-centred care in 2017: evidence from service users

Person-centred care in 2017: evidence from service users This report attempts to create a snapshot of the extent of person-centred care in the English health and care system, based on how people report their experience of treatment, care and support. This data was found through surveys of patients and service users. It concludes that NHS services do not give people adequate control of their own health and care, and there is no reporting of whether people’s care is coordinated across health and social care. National Voices

Intensive Outpatient Care Program: A Care Model for the Medically Complex Piloted by Employers

Intensive Outpatient Care Program: A Care Model for the Medically Complex Piloted by Employers The Pacific Business Group on Health’s Intensive Outpatient Care Program (IOCP) is a multidisciplinary team-based model that addresses patients’ medical, behavioral, and social needs, with care coordinators at the heart of the program. IOCP has reduced costs among commercially insured, medically complex patients by up to 20 percent, and external analysis of a two-year IOCP study showed improvements in patient activation, mental health, and physical functioning. The Commonwealth Fund

Abortion should not be a crime, says doctors' body

Abortion should not be a crime, says doctors' body Abortions should be treated as a medical issue and not a crime, the UK's leading pregnancy doctors say.

Currently in England, Wales and Scotland it is illegal to have a termination without approval from two doctors and could mean a prison term.

Abortions should be regulated in line with other procedures without criminal sanctions, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said. BBC News

See also:

• RCOG backs decriminalisation of abortion Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
• Pregnancy doctors back abortion on demand with no criminal sanctions The Daily Telegraph

Alarm as 'super malaria' spreads in South East Asia

Alarm as 'super malaria' spreads in South East Asia The rapid spread of "super malaria" in South East Asia is an alarming global threat, scientists are warning.

This dangerous form of the malaria parasite cannot be killed with the main anti-malaria drugs.

It emerged in Cambodia but has since spread through parts of Thailand, Laos and has arrived in southern Vietnam.

The team at the Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok said there was a real danger of malaria becoming untreatable.

Prof Arjen Dondorp, the head of the unit, told the BBC News website: "We think it is a serious threat.

"It is alarming that this strain is spreading so quickly through the whole region and we fear it can spread further [and eventually] jump to Africa."

Exposed: ‘secretive’ NHS cost-cutting plans include children’s care

Exposed: ‘secretive’ NHS cost-cutting plans include children’s care Documents reveal £5m cuts in South Gloucestershire will include cancer diagnostics and treatment for children with complex needs

Cancer diagnostics and treatment for children with complex needs are among services earmarked for cost-cutting plans considered by the NHS to plug a funding gap, according to documents seen by campaigners.

The plans, by South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group and released under a freedom of information request, show that waiting targets for non-urgent operations are also due to be relaxed under the “capped expenditure process” (CEP) as the health service seeks to balance its books in the current financial year. Continue reading... The Guardian

Nurses who failed English test aimed at curbing immigration set for a reprieve

Nurses who failed English test aimed at curbing immigration set for a reprieve Hurdle that included correct use of tenses and essay structure led to dramatic fall in skilled staff registering

Language rules introduced to curb immigration are set to be relaxed after they prevented native English-speaking nurses from working in the NHS.

The NHS has a shortage of 40,000 nurses and recruiters and NHS employers have been lobbying for looser language requirements so that thousands of nurses from countries such as Australia, India and the Philippines can work in Britain. Continue reading... The Guardian

Pressures on the NHS are holding back progress on mental health

Pressures on the NHS are holding back progress on mental health Major advances in mental health care cannot be sustained without fixing problems in primary care and hospitals

Are mental health services getting better or worse? The government repeatedly claims it is pumping money into rapid improvements, while a number of stories in recent days reinforces the impression that services are unravelling in the face of unparalleled demand.

The Education Policy Institute has revealed that more than a quarter of children referred to specialist mental health services in 2016-17 – tens of thousands – were turned away (pdf). Continue reading... The Guardian

A&E trolley waits soar in five years

A&E trolley waits soar in five years The number of patients languishing on trolleys before being admitted to A&E has soared in the last five years, new data reveals.

Doctors’ leaders have branded as “unacceptable” new figures showing 1,597 people had to endure waits of 12 hours or more in the first three months of this year, a 10,546 per cent increase since 2012.

They warned the situation is likely to deteriorate even further this winter, with the NHS braced for what is predicted to be the worst flu season in history. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Overstretched hospitals face winter flu crisis, doctors warn The Guardian

Patients screened by receptionists under NHS scheme

Patients screened by receptionists under NHS scheme Patients trying to see a GP are being screened by receptionists in a controversial scheme designed to cut the number of appointments.

Under an NHS drive to free up doctors' time, clerical staff are being trained as 'care navigators'.

They are being sent on a half-day course and taught how to direct patients to other health professionals, including nurses, pharmacists or physiotherapists.

The scheme was devised to reduce 'avoidable' appointments and is gradually being adopted by surgeries across England.

GPs say up to a quarter of consultations are unnecessary and taken up by patients who could look after themselves at home or see another health professional. The Daily Mail

Reassurances over Danetre Hospital as Daventry MP shares letter from NGH chief operating officer

Reassurances over Danetre Hospital as Daventry MP shares letter from NGH chief operating officer Danetre Hospital is not closing, Northampton General Hospital’s chief operating officer has said, after members of the public and Daventry’s MP wrote to her for clarification on the situation.

Deborah Needham, who is also the deputy chief executive at NGH, wrote a letter to Chris Heaton-Harris, which he has published on his website.

Although some services have been moved to Northampton, forcing patients to travel to the town for certain procedures, Danetre Hospital continues to operate. Daventry Express

Neonatal care improving, but key measures show variation in care

Neonatal care improving, but key measures show variation in care The latest National Neonatal Audit Programme report (NNAP), published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), shows improvements in care for preterm babies in England, Scotland and Wales, but also reveals variations in service delivery which means many babies are still not getting the care they need.

Commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), the NNAP report assesses whether babies requiring specialist neonatal care receive consistent high quality treatment. It is an annual audit which this year assessed the care given to nearly 100,000 babies, with 98% of neonatal units responding.

See also:

• Sick premature babies face a care 'postcode lottery'  The Daily Mail

Public sector pay: still time for restraint?

Public sector pay: still time for restraint? The government is considering easing the current restraint on the pay of public sector workers. It had previously announced in 2015 that public sector pay scales would only increase by an average of one per cent per year up to and including 2019–20. This briefing note describes the trade-offs faced by the government when deciding how to set public sector pay. Institute for Fiscal Studies

Mental health staff on long-term stress leave up 22%

Mental health staff on long-term stress leave up 22% The number of NHS mental health staff who have had to take sick leave because of their own mental health issues has risen by 22% in the past five years.

Those taking long-term leave of a month or more rose from 7,580 in 2012-13 to 9,285 in 2016-17, BBC freedom of information requests found.

The union Unite said cuts to staff and services were putting extra pressure on front-line mental health workers.

The Department of Health said it was transforming mental health care.

Out of 81 mental health authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, 58 provided the BBC with comparable information. BBC News

Epilepsy drug warnings 'not reaching women', survey shows

Epilepsy drug warnings 'not reaching women', survey shows Almost 70% of women surveyed about a powerful epilepsy drug have not received new safety warnings about the dangers of taking it during pregnancy, the BBC has been told exclusively.

Sodium valproate, known as Epilim, carries a 10% risk of physical abnormalities in unborn babies.

About 20,000 children have been harmed by valproate medicines in the UK since the 1970s.

The medicines regulator said the drug had been kept under constant review.

Babies exposed to the drug in the womb have a 40% risk of developing autism, low IQ and learning disabilities. BBC News

Almost 10,000 EU health workers have quit the NHS since Brexit vote

Almost 10,000 EU health workers have quit the NHS since Brexit vote Staff losses will intensify recruitment problems at health service, which now has 40,000 vacant nursing posts

Around 10,000 EU nationals have quit the NHS since the Brexit referendum, it has emerged.

NHS Digital, the health service agency that collects data on the NHS, found that in the 12 months to June, 9,832 EU doctors, nurses and support staff had left, with more believed to have followed in the past three months. Continue reading... The Guardian

Revealed: top 10 NHS trusts for unnecessary deaths

Revealed: top 10 NHS trusts for unnecessary deaths Patients are dying at a higher than expected rate at ten NHShospital trusts, raising “alarms” about their safety, new figures reveal.

Campaigners have condemned as “very troubling” official mortality data suggesting significant numbers of unnecessary deaths at seven per cent of all English trusts.

Five of these institutions, including two named in a national report into serious hospital failures, have shown an unexpectedly high number of deaths for the second year running in the 12 months up to March 2017. The Daily Telegraph

NHS emergency services spend thousands on fat mannequins

NHS emergency services spend thousands on fat mannequins Emergency services are forking out thousands on special 25-stone mannequins – so crews can practice rescuing plus-size patients without injuring themselves.

The super-size bariatric mannequins – known as 'Bariquins' – are being used by fire and ambulance staff because of the increasing number of obese casualties they treat.

Treating overweight patients injured 1,000 members of NHS employees between 2011 and 2015 and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds in payouts.

The creators of the plus-sized dummies now hope they will help reduce injury to workers and reduce the burden on the tax-payer. The Daily Mail

Agreement reached to keep Corby’s Urgent Care Centre open

Agreement reached to keep Corby’s Urgent Care Centre open An agreement to extend the contract to run Corby’s Urgent Care Centre has been reached.

Corby CCG and the site’s operators, Lakeside+, had been in a stalemate after a disagreement over funding levels to run the service in March this year.

Lakeside’s contract was due to end at the end of September with no bidders coming forward to take over, meaning the site faced potential closure.

But on Wednesday an agreement to extend the contract has been reached. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The world is running out of antibiotics, WHO report confirms

The world is running out of antibiotics, WHO report confirms A report, Antibacterial agents in clinical development – an analysis of the antibacterial clinical development pipeline, including tuberculosis, launched today by WHO shows a serious lack of new antibiotics under development to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

Most of the drugs currently in the clinical pipeline are modifications of existing classes of antibiotics and are only short-term solutions. The report found very few potential treatment options for those antibiotic-resistant infections identified by WHO as posing the greatest threat to health, including drug-resistant tuberculosis which kills around 250 000 people each year. World Health Organization

See also:

• World is running out of antibiotics, health leaders warn The Daily Mail
• Not enough new antibiotics are being developed to combat lethal drug resistance, warns WHO The Independent

Staffing crisis in NHS laid bare, as new BMA analysis shows that three quarters of medical specialities face shortage of doctors

Staffing crisis in NHS laid bare, as new BMA analysis shows that three quarters of medical specialities face shortage of doctors The British Medical Association (BMA) is today warning that patient care is at risk due to a chronic shortage of doctors across most areas of medicine.

Figures obtained by the BMA show that training places across three in four medical specialties in England went unfilled last year, with many specialties experiencing recruitment shortfalls year on year.

The figures, obtained through FoI requests, show that at each stage of the training process, from applications to medical school, to training as a specialist, fewer people are choosing to enter medicine or remain in the NHS as doctors.

See also:

• NHS workforce crisis as shortage of trainees and medical students grows GPonline

Neglected Minds: A report on mental health support for younger people leaving care.

Neglected Minds: A report on mental health support for younger people leaving care This report highlights that two thirds of care leavers identified as having mental health needs were not receiving any help from a statutory service. It also found that one in four had faced a mental health crisis since leaving care. Barnardo's wants clinical commissioning groups to invest more in services specifically aimed at meeting the needs of young people leaving care, such as embedding a mental health worker within leaving care teams.

Access and waiting times in children and young people's mental health services

Access and waiting times in children and young people's mental health services This report examines new data on access to specialist treatment for children and young people with mental health problems, and the waiting times they face. It finds that children with mental health problems face barriers when seeking access to mental health services. It also finds that, over the last year, overall waiting times (including both assessment and treatment) have fallen – yet there remains substantial variation across England. This data was obtained by EPI through a Freedom of Information request. Education Policy Institute

Quit smoking campaign Stoptober backs e-cigs for first time

Quit smoking campaign Stoptober backs e-cigs for first time The annual Stoptober campaign in England is embracing e-cigarettes for the first time - in a sign vaping is being seen as the key to getting people to quit.

Health experts have tended to shy away from explicitly promoting e-cigarettes.

But the government campaign during October will feature vaping in its TV adverts for the first time.

It comes after e-cigarettes proved the most popular tool for quitting during last year's campaign.

Some 53% of people used them, helping push the numbers of people taking part in Stoptober since its launch in 2012 to over 1.5 million. BBC News

See also:

• Models of delivery for stop smoking services: options and evidence Public Health England
• Smoking cessation interventions and services (draft guideline in consultation) NICE
• Health officials at odds over the safety of e-cigarettes, as TV ads launched The Daily Telegraph

Court ruling not needed to withdraw care, judge says

Court ruling not needed to withdraw care, judge says Legal permission will no longer be required to end care for patients in a permanent vegetative state, a judge has ruled.

Until now, even if medics and relatives agree to withdraw nutrition from a patient, a judge must also consent.

But a landmark decision by Mr Justice Jackson means those cases will no longer have to come to court.

The official solicitor, appointed by the state to act for such patients, is likely to appeal against the ruling. BBC News

MMR vaccine first-dose target met in England

MMR vaccine first-dose target met in England The percentage of children getting their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) by their fifth birthday has reached 95% for the first time, NHS data shows.

This meets a World Health Organization target. Coverage has been increasing in England for the past 10 years.

The NHS says children should have two doses of the vaccine before starting school.

But only 87.6% had received both doses by their fifth birthday. BBC News

The Government Has Failed On Mental Health For The Fourth Year In A Row

The Government Has Failed On Mental Health For The Fourth Year In A Row Where’s the money to make a reality of the Prime Minister’s oft-stated, but yet to be delivered, claim of parity for mental health?

New figures I have gathered through Freedom of Information requests to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across England reveal that, for the fourth year in a row, the government has failed to deliver on its promise to increase the money reaching the mental health frontline. In fact, for the second year in a row, over half of CCGs across England report that they plan to reduce the proportion of their budget they spend on mental health. It is wonderful that after years of embarrassed silence, more and more people are able to talk about mental health. Huffington Post UK

See also:

• Government accused of 'empty promises' on mental health as NHS plans to slash funding The Independent

One in seven GP practices in England failing on safety

One in seven GP practices in England failing on safety London has highest rate of practices needing to improve, but ‘super surgeries’ fare better, says Care Quality Commission

About 7 million people are being treated at GP surgeries in England that have severe safety problems, according to the first performance review of its kind by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

One in seven GP practices are failing on safety, even after CQC inspectors have told them to improve, the report found, with smaller practices more likely to be rated “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Findings from our programme of comprehensive inspections of GP practices Care Quality Commission
• GPs and teams should be congratulated as a result of CQC report Royal College of General Practitioners
• Nine in 10 GPs rated good or outstanding BBC News
• One in three GP surgeries found to be failing patients on safety The Daily Telegraph
• GPs maintaining high quality despite rising pressure, finds CQC analysis GPonline

App set to transform the lives of dementia patients

App set to transform the lives of dementia patients A 'revolutionary' smartphone app could transform the lives of dementia patients at just the click of a button by telling them how to change their homes.

Iridis gives sufferers feedback within 20 minutes on how to slash their risk of injuries and confusion in the comfort of their own home.

Hailed as 'exciting', it highlights possible dangers, such as wall colour clashing with that of grab rails in the bathroom or the need of better lighting.

Simple suggestions such as changing the colour of the toilet bowl to help patients find the loo easier are also offered - reducing the risk of an accident.

Recommendations to extend their curtain rods to allow more light into rooms and reducing reflective glares can also be made to boost their quality of life. The Daily Mail

Streamlining the organisation of the NHS without a top-down reorganisation

Streamlining the organisation of the NHS without a top-down reorganisation Two facts about today’s NHS are incontrovertible. The first is that providers in England are in the fifth year of running an aggregate deficit with financial balance or surplus an unlikely prospect. The second is that the organisation of the NHS is complex and fragmented and consumes a substantial amount of management time and cost. The King's Fund

The future of the mental health workforce

The future of the mental health workforce This report calls for reform of mental health services in order to develop a workforce that is able to meet people's needs in the future. The report describes commissioning of mental health services as in crisis with a diminishing workforce, growing expectations and increasing demand putting pressure on staff across the country. It recommends that all GPs should have significant and wide-ranging mental health training, and that mental health professionals should be given the time and training to consult with GPs and other public service staff to help them to respond to more people’s mental health needs. Centre for Mental Health

Quarter of 14-year-old girls 'have signs of depression'

Quarter of 14-year-old girls 'have signs of depression' A quarter of girls and nearly one in 10 boys show signs of depression at the age of 14, say UK researchers.

The findings come from more than 10,000 young people who shared their worries and emotions.

Surveys with their parents, however, suggested many were not attuned to the true anxieties of their teenage sons and daughters.

Parents often underestimated daughters' stress and had concerns about sons that the boys themselves did not voice.

Lead investigator Dr Praveetha Patalay, from Liverpool University, said teenagers, and particularly girls, were facing more mental health difficulties than previous generations. BBC News

Life-extending lung cancer drug approved

Life-extending lung cancer drug approved A life-extending lung cancer drug will be made immediately available to NHS patients in England, say advisers.

Campaigners, including the late Sunday Times restaurant critic AA Gill, have repeatedly called for access to the pioneering immunotherapy, which can add months to life.

Scotland already offers nivolumab to people with advanced disease who have also tried chemotherapy.

England's drugs watchdog had originally said nivolumab was too expensive. BBC News

Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say

Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say Doctors could be replaced by computers in analysing X-rays and samples of diseased tissue amid plans for further investment

Computers could start diagnosing patients’ illnesses within the next few years as artificial intelligence increasingly ousts doctors from their traditional roles, NHS leaders believe.

Machines may soon be able to read X-rays and analyse samples of diseased tissue, such as lumps that can indicate the presence of breast cancer, the NHS’s top doctor said. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS boss puts service on high alert in case of heavy winter flu burden

NHS boss puts service on high alert in case of heavy winter flu burden Simon Stevens says major winter outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand suggests NHS could struggle to cope with cases

Britain could face a significant increase in flu cases this winter, which would make it hard for hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes to cope, the chief executive of NHS England said on Tuesday.

Simon Stevens said Australia and New Zealand had just experienced a heavy burden of winter flu cases, raising concerns that Britain may experience the same in the next few months. Continue reading... The Guardian

Adult social care is in crisis mode. We need a clear long-term plan

Adult social care is in crisis mode. We need a clear long-term plan Every family is affected by the challenges of our ageing society. The government must act now to build health and care provision fit for all

This party conference season, all political parties will use their platforms to set out a post-election vision. Adult social care was one of the big general election issues, and the government has indicated that an adult social care green paper is likely next year. The next few months are critical for capturing the views of the public, the health and care sectors and charities working to support older people.

At Future Care Capital, we have launched a new policy report about the challenges facing our ageing society and the implications for every generation. Addressing three key themes – intergenerational fairness and the economics of ageing, health and care futures, and planning ahead – we invited leaders from the public, private and third sectors to contribute. They considered how policies and spending decisions that impact health and care outcomes could better reflect the challenges and opportunities we can expect in the next five, 10 and 15 years. Continue reading... The Guardian

Record NHS negligence payouts, fuelled by maternity blunders

Record NHS negligence payouts, fuelled by maternity blunders The NHS is facing record negligence bills for brain-damaged babies because midwives fail to carry out the right checks in two in three such cases, a major report shows.

The review of compensation claims shows the costs of catastrophic birth injury have almost doubled in the last five years, reaching almost £2bn.

The study by NHS litigation authorities examined 50 cases which between in depth.

It found that in 64 per cent of cases, devastating harm - leaving children in need of life-long, round-the-clock care - followed failures to monitor babies’ hearts, or to interpret the results of checks. The Daily Telegraph

Mass NHS data sharing plan will not allow 'simple opt out' despite ministers' pledges

Mass NHS data sharing plan will not allow 'simple opt out' despite ministers' pledges A controversial NHS data-sharing plan will not allow patients a “simple opt-out” despite ministers’ pledges, leaked documents suggest.

Last year the Government axed proposals for a national care.data scheme after it was critcised by privacy campaigners for failing to give the public a clear route to opt.

The plans had become mired in scandal after it was found that existing NHS data was already being sold to the insurance industry.

Last year ministers said the scheme would be scrapped. They promised that new plans would allow every patient a “single and simple” way to opt out if they did not want their medical information shared beyond their "direct care".

This had been recommended by a review, led by the NHS national data guardian. The Daily Telegraph

Obese patients and smokers are refused NHS operations

Obese patients and smokers are refused NHS operations Patients who are obese or smoke are being refused NHS operations and sent on a six month boot camp.

They will be referred onto a six month ‘health optimisation programme’ and taught to improve their behaviours before having surgery.

The scheme will be rolled out next month in the East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, a health trust in East Yorkshire serving 313,400 patients.

Managers are trying to save £11.5 million this year and claim patients will get more benefit from operations if they are in better health.

Patients awaiting surgery for cancer, the frail elderly or anyone with severe mental health problems will all be exempt from the policy.

But it will apply to all other non-urgent operations including hip and knee replacements or hernia procedures. The Daily Mail

The future of NHS commissioning: no map or clear destination

The future of NHS commissioning: no map or clear destination After more than 20 years of repeated reorganisations (culminating in one so big you can see it from outer space), policy-makers have finally navigated the purchaser–provider divide to focus their attention on the structure of health care providers. When the NHS five year forward view (Forward View) was published in 2014 (with its focus on developing new, locally designed integrated models for providing health and care) the broad thrust of English health policy shifted from commissioners and competition to providers and collaboration.

Although any pause in the cycle of top-down reorganisation is welcome, there is now a clear (and perhaps conscious?) gap in the policy landscape. How will clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) be affected as new integrated provider models such as accountable care organisations (ACOs) emerge and sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) and accountable care systems (ACSs) (that involve both commissioners and providers) are layered on top of an already complex NHS landscape? The King's Fund

A map for better care: making effective care pathways for people with interstitial lung disease

A map for better care: making effective care pathways for people with interstitial lung disease A new report finds that many people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) still aren’t getting the diagnosis, support or care they need.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is currently an incurable lung condition with no known cause. The average life expectancy in the UK after diagnosis is 3 years.

Yet access to services, treatment and support for patients with IPF is fragmented. This urgently needs to change. We need to make health systems work for everyone living with IPF.

Patients can’t afford to waste the precious time they have left going from service to service for help. They need speedy, seamless access to the care they need, when they need it. British Lung Foundaton

See also:

• NHS urged to end 'inhuman' treatment of IPF sufferers The Daily Mail
• Lung disease patients failed by system OnMedica

Getting flu jab is best way to protect everyone, says Public Health England

Getting flu jab is best way to protect everyone, says Public Health England Public Health England has stressed the importance of being vaccinated against flu, as NHS leaders are warned to brace themselves for a ‘pressurised’ flu season this winter. NHS Employers

See also:

• Weekly national flu reports Public Health England

Southern Health NHS Trust admits guilt over Connor Sparrowhawk's death

Southern Health NHS Trust admits guilt over Connor Sparrowhawk's death An NHS trust has admitted guilt over the death of a teenaged patient who drowned in the bath while in its care.

Southern Health Trust pleaded guilty at Banbury Magistrates' Court earlier to breaching health and safety law in the case of Connor Sparrowhawk, 18, who died at Slade House in Oxford in 2013.

His death led to the discovery the trust only properly investigated 272 unexplained deaths of 722 in its care.

Sentencing is due to take place on 12 October at Oxford Crown Court.

The trust was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following its investigation into the death of a patient under its care. BBC News

Record numbers of joint replacements carried out

Record numbers of joint replacements carried out A record number of joint replacement procedures have been carried out, new figures show.

In its report, published today, the orthopaedic joint replacement register for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man highlights a record number of procedures were carried out in the financial year 2016/17, with just fewer than 243,000 cases submitted to the National Joint Registry (NJR). This sees a significant increase of more than 20,000 joint replacement operations recorded in the registry on the previous period.

Today's National Joint Registry 14th Annual Report presents outcome data in relation to hip, knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle replacements. OnMedica

NHS spends £80m on private ambulances a year, data shows

NHS spends £80m on private ambulances a year, data shows Staff shortages and rising demand have forced NHS trusts to hire non-NHS ambulances, leading to fears of lower care standards

The NHS is spending almost £80m a year hiring private ambulances to answer 999 calls and take patients to hospital for appointments, new figures show.

Widespread shortages of paramedics and rising demand forced England’s 10 NHS ambulance trusts to spend £78.4m in 2016-17 on help from non-NHS providers to supplement their own services. That was down on the £79.7m trusts spent in 2015-16, but 22% more than their £64.2m outlay in 2014-15, according to data obtained by the Press Association under freedom of information laws. Continue reading... The Guardian

The NHS should see care homes as partners, not problems

The NHS should see care homes as partners, not problems Care homes provide the majority of long-term healthcare to older people but provision is uneven. Our study shows how services can work together better

Care homes provide the majority of long-term healthcare to older people. They rely on primary care for access to medical support and referral to specialist services, yet studies consistently show that healthcare provision for care home residents across England is unpredictable and uneven.

For the NHS, care homes are a conundrum; they provide care that used to be supplied by the health service, but are often perceived as a poor alternative that generates avoidable demand on hospitals. Continue reading... The Guardian

Sepsis: the truth about this hidden killer

Sepsis: the truth about this hidden killer Sepsis is responsible for more deaths in the UK than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. So why is so little known about it?

At the end of May, the World Health Organization adopted a new resolution mandating all of its member states to have national action plans in place to tackle sepsis, a disease being called the “deadliest killer you’ve never heard of”. Even conservative estimates place the annual death toll at 6 million worldwide, a health burden equivalent to that of tobacco. In the UK alone, sepsis is responsible for 44,000 deaths every year, more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. Despite this, a recent survey found that 44% of people in the UK have never heard of sepsis and have little idea that it is a life-threatening emergency.

So, what exactly is sepsis and why does it continue to slip through the net of our collective consciousness? The new international definition of sepsis describes it as a condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes organ dysfunction. “There’s a range of ways in which this can happen,” says Prof Anthony Gordon, chair in anaesthesia and critical care at Imperial College London, and an National Institute for Health Research professor investigating sepsis. “The body’s immune response can be simply overwhelmed by the infection, or there’s a dysfunctional response producing too much inflammation. The body may already be immunosuppressed due to a trauma or fighting an initial infection, so the immune response is too weak.” Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS chiefs read the riot act over poor A&E performance

NHS chiefs read the riot act over poor A&E performance NHS hospital chiefs have been hauled in by Jeremy Hunt over poor performance, in a desperate bid to head off an Accident & Emergency crisis.

It follows warnings that the NHS could be facing the worst flu season in its history, and orders to all NHS trusts to empty thousands of beds.

Ministers and health officials fear that one in three hospitals are struggling so badly that safety could be compromised as pressures mount.

Two chief executives have just been forced out, with around 60 more ordered to a mandatory all-day meeting yesterday, where they were warned to make urgent improvements. The Daily Telegraph

What does the public think about the NHS?

What does the public think about the NHS? This report, based on polling data carried out by Ipsos MORI, explores public attitudes towards the health service. It finds that despite the significant challenges it faces, the NHS still holds strong support amongst the majority of the general public with 66 per cent of respondents stating that they would be willing to pay more taxes in order to fund the NHS. The King's Fund

See also:

• Two-thirds support higher taxes to maintain NHS funding The Guardian

Getting into shape: delivering a workforce for integrated care

Getting into shape: delivering a workforce for integrated care The Government is rightly committed to a radical reshaping of NHS delivery, based on a shift to new care models and treatment in the community. Its management of the NHS workforce, however, has not delivered with nearly three times more doctors, and four times more nurses in the acute sector than in the community. Since 2009, the number of consultants has risen by nearly a third, whilst the number of GPs has fallen. Freedom of Information requests made for this report found that, across 61 acute trusts, only 6 per cent of consultants work in the community for at least one session per week.

As the Government and the NHS leadership have repeatedly said, the priority for the NHS is to increase its speed of innovation. To do this, the NHS is rightly seeking to devolve decision-making and to deregulate. For the workforce, however, policy remains highly centralised and tightly regulated. This paper shows how to bring the same reform ideas to the workforce as the NHS is applying to other areas. Reform

See also:

• Local NHS bosses should take control of staffing The Guardian

Guidance: Health matters: preventing drug misuse deaths

Guidance: Health matters: preventing drug misuse deaths This updated professional resource outlines how providers and commissioners can prevent deaths from drug abuse. Public Health England

Have you got the wrong impression about schizophrenia?

Have you got the wrong impression about schizophrenia? Schizophrenia does not mean you have a split personality or automatically become violent, a mental health charity has warned.

Rethink Mental Illness said a survey of 1,500 people showed that the condition is widely misunderstood.

Schizophrenia commonly causes hallucinations, such as hearing voices, or delusions and can make people lose interest in life.

But it should not be "a dirty word or a term of abuse", the charity said.

The organisation warned such myths are dangerous.

One in 100 people has schizophrenia, but 45% of those surveyed thought the illness was much more common. BBC News

See also:

• Rethink Schizophrenia: Challenging attitudes and changing lives Rethink Mental Illness

'Golden goodbyes' for NHS managers now costing £39 million as redundancies soar

'Golden goodbyes' for NHS managers now costing £39 million as redundancies soar Spending on so-called “golden goodbyes” and voluntary redundancy deals has shot up to £39 million a year at the Department of Health (DoH) - an eightfold increase on the previous year - official figures reveal.

A written parliamentary answer shows that more than 500 staff who left the DoH in 2016-17 because of restructuring and cost-cutting programmes received exit packages. In 2015-16, only nine people who were laid off from the department were given such settlements.

The figure of £39 million covers the whole of the department and its agencies and compares with a spend of £5 million for the previous year. The Independent

Unions call for 3.9% pay rise plus £800 for a million NHS staff

Unions call for 3.9% pay rise plus £800 for a million NHS staff Demand is based on inflation and seven years’ back pay, after lifting of prison and police officers’ pay cap

Unions have ramped up the pressure on Theresa May over public sector pay by demanding a 3.9% rise for 1 million NHS staff plus an extra £800 to make up for lost earning power during austerity.

Health service personnel from nurses and midwives to paramedics and therapists across the UK are urging Philip Hammond to ensure they receive a salary boost that would add an extra £3bn to the NHS pay bill. Continue reading... The Guardian

‘I was the first baby delivered by the NHS. It has saved my life eight times’

‘I was the first baby delivered by the NHS. It has saved my life eight times’ Aneira Thomas was named by her mother after the architect of the health service

It was coming up to midnight on Sunday 4 July 1948 and my mother, who had been in labour for 18 hours, was just about ready to give birth to me. She wanted to start pushing. But the doctors and midwives looked up at the clock on the wall and said, “Stop. Hold on, Edna, hold on.” They knew they were moments away from the start of the National Health Service and wanted me to be the first baby born into this new service. So my mother took a deep breath and held on. That’s how I was born at one minute past midnight on Monday 5 July 1948 – the first NHS baby.

That was in a cottage hospital in a little corner of west Wales called Glanamman. It was the staff there who told my mother, “You must call her Aneira,” the female form of Aneurin, after Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the NHS. They knew it was significant that Bevan’s dream of a health service that was free for everyone to use had come to fruition that day.

I never knew any of my grandparents because they died between the ages of 30 and 50. My mother lived until she was 95 Continue reading... The Guardian

‘Cut-price’ medics lured to the NHS from the US with promises of long holidays touring Europe

‘Cut-price’ medics lured to the NHS from the US with promises of long holidays touring Europe ‘Cut-price’ medics are being lured to the UK from the United States with promises of long holidays touring Europe, in a bid to plug widespread staffing shortages.

The NHS is attempting to train or recruit up to 3,200 “physician associates” who can carry out minor operations and carry out ward rounds, after just two years' training.

Medical leaders have issued new guidance in order to expand the programme, amid shortages of medics.

The new role is not supposed to substitute for a doctor, though the associates can carry out some of the tasks they normally do. The Daily Telegraph

Two junior doctors left to care for 436 patients amid dangerous staff shortages, NHS report warns

Two junior doctors left to care for 436 patients amid dangerous staff shortages, NHS report warns Just two junior doctors have been left to look after 436 patients amid a staffing crisis in the NHS, a report warns.

Medics said patients had been left at risk during a “very unsafe shift” at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

A safety report given to the trust’s board says one of the two doctors was pulled away from a day shift in breast surgery because otherwise there would have been just one medic left to cover the night shift.

Doctors said they were left angry that patients were let down, while one said they were left feeling ill with no breaks, and just “a couple of biscuits from the patient trolley” during a whole weekend. The Daily Telegraph