Friday 24 February 2017

Specialist cardiac scanning service improves care for more than 1,000 at KGH

Specialist cardiac scanning service improves care for more than 1,000 at KGH A specialist scanning service at Kettering General Hospital has helped improve care for more than 1,000 local people with heart problems since its launch. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Transforming community care

Transforming community care Chris Gregory, head of clinical systems for LGSS Local Health and Care Shared Service — a public sector organisation providing back-office services including IM&T to local government and health organisations across Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Norfolk — explains how mobile solutions are transforming the work of community-based health teams.

As the IT provider to Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS FT, LGSS has been involved in delivering mobile working solutions to a number of community-based health teams, including health visitors and district nurses, and for providing similar solutions in local government. National Health Executive

Tackling cyberbullying in the NHS

Tackling cyberbullying in the NHS A briefing from NHS Employers explores how the NHS currently tackles cyberbullying through examining results of a study conducted by a charity.

Productivity, technology and the NHS: a Newchurch paper

Productivity, technology and the NHS: a Newchurch paper This paper looks at the NHS in England approach to productivity improvement half-way through the implementation of NHS England's 'Five Year Forward View' (5YFV). It discusses the prevailing approach to productivity and technology in the NHS and the local Sustainability and Transformation Plans, intended to implement the 5FYV and concludes not only that the 5YFV's aspirations are unlikely to be achieved but that the acceptance of sub-optimal productivity is the default position for the NHS. Newchurch

SAS doctor development: summary of resources and further work

SAS doctor development: summary of resources and further work The British Medical Association, Health Education England, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and NHS Employers have worked together to produce this guidance on the development of specialty and associate specialist (SAS) doctors in the NHS in England. It aims to help ensure that this group of doctors are helped to remain fit to practice and develop in their careers. Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

Breast screening coverage rises for first time in five years

Breast screening coverage rises for first time in five years More than three in four women aged 53 to 70 have undergone breast screening within the last three years, with uptake rising for the first time in five years in 2015/16, official data show. GP Online

Care of the dying compromised by NHS pressures

Care of the dying compromised by NHS pressures Over two thirds of UK nurses feel they don’t have sufficient time to provide high quality care for patients who are dying.

A survey of nearly 1,000 nurses and healthcare assistants by palliative care charity Marie Curie in association with the Nursing Standard magazine reveals that the day-to-day pressures of working in the NHS are compromising efforts to care for patients at the end of their lives.

More than two thirds (67%) surveyed said they did not have sufficient time to provide high quality care to dying patients. OnMedica

Five HIV patients left 'virus-free' with no need for daily drugs in early vaccine trials

Five HIV patients left 'virus-free' with no need for daily drugs in early vaccine trials A new vaccine-based treatment for HIV has succeeded in suppressing the virus in five patients, raising hopes further research could help prevent Aids without the need for daily drugs.

Researchers combined two innovative HIV vaccines with a drug usually used to treat cancer in the trial, conducted over three years at the IrsiCaixa Aids Research Institute in Barcelona.

After receiving the treatment, the virus was undetectable in five out of 24 participants and its spread was stopped by their immune systems, reported the New Scientist. One of them has been drug-free for seven months. The Independent

The suicidal patient who taught me the value of time

The suicidal patient who taught me the value of time She arrived at A&E in a desperate state. I held her for ages while she sobbed. What happened later made it all worthwhile

The ambulance pulled in but unusually the crew came into the hospital alone. They informed us that a high risk mental health patient was on their way to the department, and was being accompanied by the police. This set alarm bells in my head.

I qualified as a staff nurse a few years previously. We received no mental health training, but we do look after people in real crisis. In my experience patients with severe mental health problems do not usually want to be in A&E. Continue reading... The Guardian

Kids eat 20 chocolate chip cookies worth of sugar a DAY

Kids eat 20 chocolate chip cookies worth of sugar a DAY Experts say the vast majority of the sugar children eat is hidden in common foods such as cereals and soft drinks, making it hard for parents to control what they consume. The Daily Mail