Delayed discharge: 'It’s not just about the money'

Delayed discharge: 'It’s not just about the money' Sustained concern about the state of adult social care – most recently expressed by Conservative-controlled county councils such as Surrey and Kent – has led the Prime Minister to ask the Cabinet Office to look at options for a more sustainable social care system in the longer term. And with A&E pressures currently in the headlines, it is not surprising that delays in discharging patients who need social care have come under the spotlight. The King's Fund

A&E figures for January 'worst ever', leaked data suggests

A&E figures for January 'worst ever', leaked data suggests Record numbers of patients spent more than four hours in accident and emergency units in England in January, figures leaked to the BBC suggest.

During a difficult winter for the NHS, January appears to be the worst performing month since the four-hour target was introduced.

The figures also suggest record numbers of people waited longer than 12 hours for a hospital bed once seen in A&E.

The BMA said the prime minister could no longer "bury her head in the sand".

And it accused the government of failing to grasp the seriousness of the situation in the NHS.

But a spokesman from the Department of Health said the vast majority of patients were seen and treated quickly, and busy periods in hospitals were supported by an extra £400 million of funding. BBC News

See also:

• 10 charts that show why the NHS is in trouble BBC News
• Keeping up with the matron BBC News
• NHS doctors call on prime minister to increase spending BBC News
• England's A&E units suffered worst performance last month since target was introduced 13 years ago, document suggests The Daily Telegraph
• Hospital trust accused of fiddling A&E wait time figures The Daily Telegraph
• Patients at hospital 'admitted to virtual ward to avoid missing A&E target' The Guardian
• NHS hospitals now have 'corridor nurses' because of overfull A&E departments The Independent

Stranded: Longest hospital delays exposed

Stranded: Longest hospital delays exposed A BBC investigation finds some patients in England face delays of months - and in one case over a year - to leave hospital. BBC News

BMA slams ‘wholly unacceptable’ mental health underfunding

BMA slams ‘wholly unacceptable’ mental health underfunding The BMA has raised concerns about the underfunding of NHS mental health hospitals after claims that the budgets these trusts have shrunk by £150m over the last four years.

Research conducted for the BBC’s Panorama programme by the Health Foundation revealed the fall despite the government’s claims that wider health service funding has increased by £8bn in that time.

A Freedom of Information survey sent to 33 mental health trusts by the Health Foundation as part of its research also found a 50% rise in unexpected mental health deaths at the trusts between 2012-13 and 2015-16. National Health Executive

Isis-linked hackers attack NHS websites to show gruesome Syrian civil war images

Isis-linked hackers attack NHS websites to show gruesome Syrian civil war images Islamist hackers linked to Isis carried out an attack on a series of NHS websites in a cyber-attack exposing serious flaws in security systems meant to protect sensitive information, The Independent has learnt.

Graphic, brutal images of violence from Syria’s war were put up on the sites by a group based in North Africa which declared it was carrying out the electronic raid in retaliation for the West’s aggression in the Middle East.

This is believed to be the first time that an Isis-linked group has carried out a concerted attack on the NHS. The Independent

Blood, S&M and vomit: what it’s really like to be an ambulance driver

Blood, S&M and vomit: what it’s really like to be an ambulance driver The hours are long and stress levels are high. But Kit Wharton, ambulance driver and author of a new memoir, tells Nick Duerden that the job is where he belongs. Just don’t mention Mr Stinky… iNews

Jeremy Hunt to consider merging health regulation bodies

Jeremy Hunt to consider merging health regulation bodies Health secretary to publish consultation paper that could lead to medical professions no longer having their own dedicated regulators

Ministers are considering a controversial shake-up of health regulation that could see nine bodies merged into one new super-watchdog covering around a million health professionals.

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is preparing to publish a consultation paper that could lead to the medical and nursing professions no longer having their own dedicated disciplinary bodies. Continue reading... The Guardian

What can be done to tackle the youth mental health treatment gap? | Paul Burstow

What can be done to tackle the youth mental health treatment gap? | Paul Burstow Too few children and young people are getting the care they need. A new commission at Birmingham university aims to address the problem

By 2020 one in three teenagers will have access to cancer treatment in England. Think about that: only one in three. There would be an outcry. It would be scandalous, horrifying, unacceptable.

It is not true, however. Unless you delete the word “cancer” and insert “mental health”, and then it is.

Related: Growing crisis in children and young people's mental health demands action

Our ambition is to look beyond treatment and containment towards prevention and early intervention. Continue reading... The Guardian

Elderly people are forced to wait up to one year for care

Elderly people are forced to wait up to one year for care Elderly people who are told they qualify for home care are having to wait up to a year for their first visit from a carer, shocking figures revealed last night.

A survey of councils revealed many vulnerable people routinely face delays of more than six months before they get the help they need with tasks such as washing, dressing, cleaning and cooking.

Under one authority, the delay for delivery of an adult social care package stretched to longer than a year. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Reality Check: Who gets social care and who pays for it? BBC News
• Elderly left to wait a year for the care needed, investigation finds The Daily Telegraph
• The Guardian view on social care: all councils need more cash | Editorial The Guardian
• Investigation reveals the desperate wait elderly and vulnerable face for social care ITV News

Screen all new mothers for depression after giving birth, says watchdog

Screen all new mothers for depression after giving birth, says watchdog Doctors should screen all mothers for depression and anxiety in the weeks after giving birth, according to the NHS advisory body.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said staff are too often confusing symptoms of mental health disorders, such as sleep disruption and changes to appetite, with “what is considered normal” in postnatal women.

The body is calling on GPs to routinely assess the psychological state of all women who have recently given birth to prevent conditions being missed. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NICE seeks to support new mothers with mental health problems National Institute for Health and Care Excellence