Monday 16 January 2017

Husband died at Northampton General Hospital after delays in blood vessel surgery

Husband died at Northampton General Hospital after delays in blood vessel surgery A Northamptonshire woman wants to highlight the signs of her husband's fatal condition to stop others suffering the same fate. Bryan McKim, 65, underwent successful surgery on a swelling of the aorta in 2012, but was taken unwell again in February, 2013 after bringing up blood. Mr McKim was rushed to Kettering General Hospital on February 7, 2013 for diagnosis and but was referred immediately to vascular specialists at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) for urgent surgery. However, despite KGH's assessment, the operation never happened and Mr McKim died the following morning after a “catalogue of errors.” Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Majority support raising National Insurance to support struggling NHS

Majority support raising National Insurance to support struggling NHS Twice as many support raising National Insurance to boost NHS funding than oppose it. YouGov

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National guardian publishes her ‘first 100 days’ report

National guardian publishes her ‘first 100 days’ report Dr Henrietta Hughes, national guardian for speaking up freely and safely in the NHS has published a new report, which outlines the progress made since her appointment in October 2016.

Over the last 100 days, Dr Hughes has set up the national office and established a national network of Freedom to Speak Up guardians. NHS Employers

Transfer of care delays threaten to capsize the NHS

Transfer of care delays threaten to capsize the NHS Doctors face a struggle every day and everywhere in England: the fight to secure social care for patients well enough to leave hospital.

Even officially it worsens month by month, increasing harm to patients and financial strain on the NHS, at a time when it’s least needed.

The latest figures, aiming to size up the problem, broke records in October. Patients spent 200,000 days in beds they did not need that month, a rise of 25 per cent on the same month in 2015.

Known as ‘delayed transfers of care’, the NAO (National Audit Office) estimated that, in the case of older patients in England, the unnecessary days in hospital cost more than £800m last year.

As bad as it is, this official tally of costly and unnecessary hospital stays undercounts the problem ‘significantly’, the NAO admits in a study this year, by a factor of almost three. British Medical Association

Referral centres cause 'dangerous' NHS delays, BMA warns

Referral centres cause 'dangerous' NHS delays, BMA warns NHS patients face "dangerous" treatment delays due to a 10-fold increase in "crude, expensive" referral management centres, doctors have warned.

The centres, sometimes run by private firms, vet GP referrals and decide if patients should receive hospital care.

The British Medical Association (BMA) called them "inefficient" and a "block between the GP and patient treatment".

NHS Clinical Commissioners said "in many cases" the centres "provide a useful and effective role". BBC News

NHS patient caught selling his drugs in undercover film

NHS patient caught selling his drugs in undercover film A patient has been caught in an undercover BBC film illegally selling prescription drugs which cost the NHS £10,000 a year. BBC News

How the ‘humanitarian’ crisis in the NHS is paving the way for private healthcare

How the ‘humanitarian’ crisis in the NHS is paving the way for private healthcare It has been a calamitous winter inside the NHS. Last week, three people tragically died at Worcestershire Royal hospital with a women dying of a heart attack after waiting for 35 hours on a trolley. A similar picture has developed across the country with patients on trolleys due to lack of beds, many hospital trusts on red alert and ambulances missing targets for life-threatening emergencies. The British Red Cross declared a humanitarian crisis in the NHS. The Independent

Hospitals across UK cancelling 'urgent' cancer operations as NHS winter crisis worsens

Hospitals across UK cancelling 'urgent' cancer operations as NHS winter crisis worsens Hospitals across the UK are cancelling "urgent" cancer operations as the NHS winter crisis worsens.

Some patients have reportedly been told with just a day's notice that their surgery has been postponed, with a leading surgeon saying it was "extremely worrying" that hospitals had resorted to the decisions.

Cancer operations have previously held a protected status but the demand for beds and lack of social care capacity has encroached on that. The Independent

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Number of NHS bureaucrats on MORE than PM's £150k salary doubles in three years  

Number of NHS bureaucrats on MORE than PM's £150k salary doubles in three years The number of NHS bureaucrats earning more than the Prime Minister has doubled in three years.

Ninety-three officials took home more than Theresa May's £149,440 salary last year – up from 48 in 2013.

Seven of those on the list, which was published by the Cabinet Office, earned more than £200,000. The official figures came after Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, told MPs the Health Service was underfunded. The Daily Mail

A&E crisis: Four in 10 NHS hospitals declared a major alert in their A&E departments amid mounting pressure

A&E crisis: Four in 10 NHS hospitals declared a major alert in their A&E departments amid mounting pressure Overall, NHS hospitals issued 226 serious alerts in the first week of 2017, saying they were experiencing major pressures in their A&E departments. The Daily Mail

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Theresa May to tell GP surgeries to give patients appointments when they want them or face funding cuts

Theresa May to tell GP surgeries to give patients appointments when they want them or face funding cuts GP surgeries will be forced to give patients appointments when they want or face funding cuts, Theresa May has announced as she attempts to relieve the pressure on crisis-hit Accident & Emergency units.

The Prime Minister will demand that GP surgeries meet the Government’s pledge to open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week unless they can prove that there is not demand in their area.

A major package of Government funding will be “contingent” on GPs being able to “demonstrate” that they are offering appointments “when patients want them”, ministers will say. The Daily Telegraph

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Largest NHS trust hit by cyber attack

Largest NHS trust hit by cyber attack The largest NHS hospital trust in England has been infected with a virus affecting thousands of sensitive files.

A message sent to staff at Barts Health Trust on Friday morning warns that the trust’s four hospitals are experiencing a “ransomware virus attack.”

The victims of blackmail ransomware usually receive phishing messages in an attempt to elicit money in order to restore access to the computer system.

The trust said it was making “every effort” to avoid disruption to patients treated at its four hospitals in east London: The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s, Whipps Cross and Newham. The Daily Telegraph

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