Friday 10 March 2017

Guidance: Smoking cessation in secondary care: acute and maternity settings

Guidance: Smoking cessation in secondary care: acute and maternity settings The self-assessment tool breaks down the NICE guidance into 4 areas:

  • systems required to implement the guidance
  • communication required
  • training that will help staff to successfully implement the recommendations
  • treatments that should be available to support staff and service users
This self-assessment tool supports all of the recommendations applicable to acute services in the NICE guidelines on Smoking cessation in secondary care. Public Health England

Local and national: how the public wants the NHS to be both

Local and national: how the public wants the NHS to be both The research conducted for this report shows that while people may have heard the term ‘devolution’, there is little public understanding of what it entails. It finds that while people believe that local control will improve healthcare and welcome public participation in NHS decisions, they are also deeply committed to the principle that healthcare entitlements and standards should not vary from place to place. It includes analysis of the research findings, and reports on the first experiments in NHS devolution, along with calls from authors for greater public accountability and involvement. Fabian Society

Emergency care and resuscitation plans

Emergency care and resuscitation plans A discussion of the ReSPECT model of  planning around do not resuscitate orders. BMJ

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NHS trusts record 15,000 excess deaths

NHS trusts record 15,000 excess deaths "Significantly high" death rates have been recorded at 19 of England's 133 NHS trusts, a BBC investigation has established.

There were 15,396 more deaths than expected at the trusts in the period between 2011 and 2016.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust had the highest number of excess deaths - 1,878 over the five years.

The analysis reveals a strong link between high mortality rates in England and lower than average doctor numbers. BBC News

Hunt demands NHS hits target for A&E care

Hunt demands NHS hits target for A&E care Jeremy Hunt has told NHS hospitals they must get back to meeting the target for seeing patients swiftly in A&E.

In a speech on Thursday, the health secretary said it was "critical for patient safety".

The target of seeing 95% of patients in four hours has been missed in England since July 2015. There was a record low of 85.1% in January.

Mr Hunt demanded progress this year and said the target should be hit next year after new funding in the Budget. BBC News

Budget ‘does nothing to plug hole in NHS funding’

Budget ‘does nothing to plug hole in NHS funding’ The chancellor’s spring budget has been slammed by doctors, and other stakeholders, for failing to address the “gaping hole in NHS finances”.

While the announcement of £2 billion for social care has been largely welcomed, many feel the budget does not go far enough to boost health finances.

Dr Mark Porter, British Medical Association council chair, said: “This budget does nothing to address the gaping hole in NHS finances. There is a £30 billion gap to fill and we should be increasing the UK’s health spending by at least £10.3 billion to match that of other leading European economies. The NHS and social care are at breaking point and have been failed by party politics for too long. We need politicians from all sides to come together to agree a long-term solution to the challenges facing health and social care.” OnMedica

NHS chiefs order hospitals to begin urgent overhaul of A&E care

NHS chiefs order hospitals to begin urgent overhaul of A&E care Plans requiring GPs to assess every patient when they arrive at A&E come as NHS England discloses worst ever performance in January

NHS chiefs have ordered hospitals to push through an urgent overhaul of A&E care, with GPs assessing every patient when they turn up to help the health service avoid another winter crisis.

The move comes as the NHS in England disclosed that it recorded its worst performance to date in January, missing vital treatment targets covering A&E, cancer and planned hospital care. Continue reading... The Guardian

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I went to a death cafe to learn how to talk to dying patients

I went to a death cafe to learn how to talk to dying patients Medical students do not learn how to talk about death. Junior doctors are forced to learn on the job – and that isn’t fair on patients or families

It is taboo in British culture to talk about death. We say someone has “passed away”, “kicked the bucket” or “left us” – anything to avoid even using the word. This has consequences. While 70% of people wish to die at home, half of us will actually die in hospital. Our reluctance to talk about death and make our wishes known is part of the reason for this.

So I didn’t expect to enjoy visiting a death cafe. As soon as I arrived, I knew I had made the right decision, however. The room hummed with a low level of chatter, and I felt prepared to practise talking about death and dying. Continue reading... The Guardian

Treat sepsis patients within an hour, watchdog tells NHS staff

Treat sepsis patients within an hour, watchdog tells NHS staff NHS staff must begin treating patients suspected of having potentially lethal sepsis within one hour, the watchdog has said in a bid to crack down on avoidable deaths.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence today says that anyone showing symptoms, such as increased temperature, heart rate and rashes, must be swiftly examined by a senior doctor and started on life-saving drugs. The Daily Telegraph

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Patients promised speedier access to GPs as long waits named and shamed

Patients promised speedier access to GPs as long waits named and shamed Patients will be promised speedier access to GPs with family doctors named and shamed for long waiting times, under new NHS plans.

The new targets come alongside a major overhaul of emergency care, with promises to increase the proportion of 111 calls assessed by medics, amid concern that too many decisions are being made by ill-trained handlers.

The plans come as official figures show record waits in Accident & Emergency departments, and warnings that the number of patients stuck on trolleys is “going through the roof”.

Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, has ordered hospitals to empty up to 3,000 beds as soon as possible, in order to relieve pressure on services. The Daily Telegraph

British doctor 'shocked' after fraudster worked in Australian hospitals using his ID

British doctor 'shocked' after fraudster worked in Australian hospitals using his ID A respected British rheumatologist has expressed “shock” after discovering that his identity was stolen by a fraudster who worked in hospitals in Australia for eleven years despite being unqualified.

In a case that is being investigated by the NHS and Australian health authorities, a fraudster allegedly stole documents in India which belonged to Dr Sarang Chitale, who lives near Manchester and works at Leigh Infirmary in Leigh, near Manchester, and several other clinics in the region.

The fraudster, whose real name is Shyam Acharya, used Dr Chitale’s documents to enter Australia and register with the medical board in the state of New South Wales. The Daily Telegraph