Northamptonshire carers honoured for outstanding work

Northamptonshire carers honoured for outstanding work Carers from Northamptonshire were honoured for the outstanding work they do for others at the annual Jane Roebuck Carers Awards at Barton Hall in Kettering. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Kettering baby’s catastrophic injuries could have been prevented had fractures been spotted

Kettering baby’s catastrophic injuries could have been prevented had fractures been spotted Catastrophic injuries which a Kettering baby suffered at the hands of her parents could have been prevented had earlier rib fractures been noticed, a case review has found. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Child N - Serious Case Review Northamptonshire Children Safeguarding Board
• Chances to stop 'sickening' assaults on baby missed BBC Northampton
• KGH: “We profoundly regret the missed opportunities to escalate safeguarding concerns” Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Kettering baby abuse case one of the most serious I’ve dealt with, says safeguarding board chairman Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Quality improvement: learning from innovations in the vanguards

Quality improvement: learning from innovations in the vanguards I have recently returned from an exciting, whirlwind tour of another set of new care models sites. This was my fourth such tour. My goal for these visits, which I make as an International Visiting Fellow for The King’s Fund, is to attempt to understand what the vanguard organisations are trying to do, how well they are faring, and how they might progress even better and faster. On this trip, the additional question was: ‘How can these lessons and models be spread more widely across the NHS?’

Let me recount a few of the many highlights, and then summarise some general conclusions about the new care models investment. The King's Fund

Research and analysis: Drug misuse treatment in England: evidence review of outcomes

Research and analysis: Drug misuse treatment in England: evidence review of outcomes This review gives policy makers and local areas an objective assessment of what drug treatment outcomes are achievable, and compares outcomes in England to the evidence and to other drug treatment systems

It reviews the impact of housing problems, unemployment and social deprivation on treatment engagement and outcomes. The review also considers how drug treatment will need to be configured to meet future need and recommends an appropriate set of measures or indicator for treatment evaluation.

It was commissioned by the Department of Health and was based partly on 3 rapid evidence assessments commissioned from independent academics. Public Health England

Building on the industrial strategy: briefing for the NHS

Building on the industrial strategy: briefing for the NHS The government published its long-awaited industrial strategy green paper on 23 January 2017. The forthcoming departure from the EU has given the industrial strategy added importance, with the 2016 referendum vote highlighting regional disparities in economic prosperity.

This briefing focuses on the implications and opportunities for NHS organisations arising from the industrial strategy. NHS Confederation

New confidentiality guidance published by the GMC

New confidentiality guidance published by the GMC The General Medical Council (GMC) has published revised, expanded and reorganised guidance on confidentiality for all doctors practising in the UK.

Outcome-focused integrated care: lessons from experience

Outcome-focused integrated care: lessons from experience This paper captures some of the learning and experience from work on developing integrated practice. It aims to offer guidance to those embarking on a significant period of change on what they may need to consider. It draws on IPC’s practice-based experience of integration across a range of different organisational set-ups and cultures. Institute of Public Care

NHS equality boss and Devon CEO faces jail for fraud

NHS equality boss and Devon CEO faces jail for fraud A former NHS equality boss has been warned she could face jail for swindling £11,000 by diverting funds to her husband.

Paula Vasco-Knight, 53, broke down as she changed her plea on the second day of her trial at Exeter Crown Court.

She used £11,072 of NHS cash to pay her husband Stephen, 46, for work on an equality and diversity publication called Transform, which never existed.

Her husband also changed his plea to admit fraud. BBC News

Health professionals vary hugely in disability assessments

Health professionals vary hugely in disability assessments Healthcare professionals vary hugely in how they assess people’s eligibility for disability benefits, even the same claimant, international research has revealed. The researchers behind the ‘disconcerting’ review,* published online today by The BMJ, found there was better reproducibility when experts used a standardised evaluation procedure, and they have called for substantial and urgent investment in research to improve assessment of disability. OnMedica

FGM clinic hailed as 'life-changing' to close after losing funding

FGM clinic hailed as 'life-changing' to close after losing funding A “life changing” clinic which helps women and girls subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) could be forced to close in March after losing its council funding.

The Acton FGM Community Clinic in West London – where FGM figures are the highest in the country - is the only facility in the country to offer reversal of the practice.

Ealing Council and Imperial NHS Trust have funded the service for the past decade, but the council is withdrawing money for rent of the space and other costs - and health commissioners have refused to plug the gap. The Independent

Royal College of Surgeons slam plans to cut back on hip and knee replacements

Royal College of Surgeons slam plans to cut back on hip and knee replacements Three clinical commissioning groups propose only operating on patients that have such severe levels of pain they cannot sleep or carry out daily tasks

The Royal College of Surgeons has hit out at cost-cutting plans to ration who can receive hip and knee replacements.

Three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the West Midlands have proposed slashing the number of people who qualify for hip replacements by 12% and introducing a 19% cut over who is eligible for knee replacements. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• NHS denies hip or knee operations for those who can sleep The Daily Mail
• Hip operations only for those in so much pain they can't sleep under new NHS rationing plans The Daily Mail

We are rightly proud that our NHS is free. Let’s keep it that way

We are rightly proud that our NHS is free. Let’s keep it that way A group of GPs has suggested that some treatments could be paid for. But the profit motive would taint the precious trust between patient and doctor

Imagine you have a big, greasy, warty growth on your back. It’s embarrassing, catches on your clothes and means you avoid swimming or exposing your back on holiday. Your GP confirms that it’s not cancer and says it’s a seborrhoeic wart. That’s great, but you’d like it removed. Your GP says you can’t be referred for removal on the NHS because it’s a cosmetic problem. Continue reading... The Guardian