Cancelled operations in ‘black alert’ cost KGH almost £170,000

Cancelled operations in ‘black alert’ cost KGH almost £170,000 A Freedom of Information request by the Northants Telegraph revealed that 116 operations were cancelled while the hospital was on ‘black alert’ between November 2016 and January 2017.

The cost of cancelling these operations was £169,731, with all of them rearranged to a new date.

Kettering General Hospital’s chief operating officer, Rebecca Brown, said: “The trust would like to apologise to all patients who have had their operations rearranged to a new date because of emergency pressures on the trust this winter.

“We fully appreciate how disruptive and distressing this can be.

“This has been our busiest winter on record. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Developing women’s leadership on the road to gender parity

Developing women’s leadership on the road to gender parity During a routine programme review at The King’s Fund in 2016, questions were raised as to whether we still needed our flagship Athena programme for senior women leaders. Hasn’t the glass ceiling already been broken by a number of women?

In traditionally male-dominated industries women are making progress: Karren Brady is vice-chair of West Ham Football Club, Angela Knight is a former Chief Executive of the British Bankers’ Association and Cressida Dick has just been appointed as Scotland Yard’s Commissioner – the first time a woman has held the post in the Yard’s 188-year history. But while individual women are making progress, a closer look at the statistics reveals there is still a long way to go to achieve true gender balance. The King's Fund

Let NHS off £1,000 overseas doctors charge, urge unions

Let NHS off £1,000 overseas doctors charge, urge unions Two leading health unions are calling on the home secretary to make the NHS exempt from a new charge which will be payable on overseas doctors and nurses.

The British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing say the Immigration Skills Charge, coming into effect in April, threatens NHS budgets.

It will mean the NHS must pay £1,000 per year for any worker coming to the UK from outside the European Union.

The government has said it is committed to building home-grown skills.

Nurses remain on an official list of occupations of which the UK has a shortage. BBC News

See also:

• Immigration Skills Charge - Impact on the NHS and health and social care workforce (joint letter) British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing
• Immigration skills charge British Medical Association
• NHS could lose millions to immigration charge British Medical Association
• Non-EU worker fee risks adding to staffing crisis Royal College of Nursing
• New Immigration Charge ‘Could Cost NHS Millions Of Pounds’ Huffington Post UK

Lesbians wrongly 'told they did not need cervical screening'

Lesbians wrongly 'told they did not need cervical screening' Women who have sex with women are often wrongly told they do not need a cervical screening test, say LGBT groups.

This results in half of all eligible lesbian and bisexual women never having had a smear test, they said.

The human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers, can be transmitted through lesbian sex.

Cervical cancer charities say all women, no matter their orientation, should have regular cervical screening.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups say women regularly face barriers to accessing healthcare and can have poor experiences when they do.

For example, in a survey of lesbian, bisexual and other women who have sex with women, 36% said a doctor or nurse had assumed they were heterosexual. BBC News

Prison psychiatrists warn care is ‘at breaking point’

Prison psychiatrists warn care is ‘at breaking point’ Prison psychiatrists are feeling so frightened at work that many are finding it “impossible” to provide a basic level of care to inmates, according to the latest research to document the deteriorating conditions inside Britain’s jails.

Another instance of the ongoing crisis arrived as dozens of prisoners were evacuated from HMP Guys Marsh after an inmate torched his clothes on the building’s roof, triggering a “large fire”. Although no one was hurt it emerged that during the Dorset jail’s last inspection, investigators concluded it was in “crisis”, that managers and staff had “all but lost control” and violence was so endemic inmates lived in fear.

This follows other prison riots, including one at Winson Green prison in Birmingham last year.

Declining safety levels insde the penal system are underlined by a new survey that found assaults on psychiatrists, and that up to 30 healthcare appointments a day have been cancelled in some jails because there are not enough officers to escort staff between cells and clinics. Continue reading... The Guardian

Drug addiction isn't going away so why are treatment centres being slashed?

Drug addiction isn't going away so why are treatment centres being slashed? Our most desperate clients lead chaotic lives and this hurts our performance targets - they now have to jump through hoops before getting any help

You may not know that your local authority is responsible for funding drug and alcohol treatment. And unless you, a friend or family member have been personally touched by addiction you might not think that these services should be a funding priority for cash-strapped councils.

We're left to manage a host of intractable problems that we're not qualified or able to deal with. Continue reading... The Guardian

Technology could redefine doctor-patient relationship

Technology could redefine doctor-patient relationship Artificial intelligence is already making inroads into the NHS and could have profound effects on the medical workforce

Advances in clinical uses of artificial intelligence (AI) could have two profound effects on the global medical workforce.

AI, which mimics cognitive functions such as learning and problem-solving, is already making inroads into the NHS. In north London it is piloting use of an app aimed at users of the non-emergency 111 service, while the Royal Free London NHS foundation trust has teamed up with Google’s DeepMind AI arm to develop an app aimed at patients with signs of acute kidney injury. The hospital claims the project, which uses information from more than 1.6 million patients a year, could free up more than half a million hours annually spent on paperwork. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Eight technologies that could change healthcare beyond recognition The Guardian
• Robots don’t challenge surgeons such as me – they challenge dogmatic practice The Guardian

Brexit threats over hospital food to the cash-strapped NHS

Brexit threats over hospital food to the cash-strapped NHS Ten food firms, including Marmite maker Unilever, claim the fall in sterling since the Brexit referendum has driven up their costs – and they are determined to pass the hit on to the Health Service. The Daily Mail

Diktat for every hospital to change NHS logo ignored objections from chief executives and PR experts

Diktat for every hospital to change NHS logo ignored objections from chief executives and PR experts Hospitals were ordered to change their logo despite warnings from health service executives that the move would “cost an absolute fortune,” a report reveals.

Every hospital has been issued with instructions to alter their publicity materials, moving the “NHS” lozenge so it is above the name of the trust, instead of beside it.

The move - revealed by the Telegraph last month - prompted fury from patients groups, with concern about the use of resources when the NHS is facing the greatest financial crisis in its history.

The measure is being introduced by an “NHS identity team” following a two year review.

Health officials said the changes would reduce “confusion and concern” among the public, claiming that current inconsistencies in use of the format could be fuelling pressure on Accident & Emergency units. The Daily Telegraph

Rationing rules restricting surgery to those in most pain must be axed, NHS officials rule

Rationing rules restricting surgery to those in most pain must be axed, NHS officials rule “Arbitrary” rationing measures restricting NHS surgery to those in most pain must be lifted, health officials have ruled.

NHS England has warned clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to stop denying hip and knee operations to patients using criteria which only allow surgery to those in the worst discomfort.

Health officials intervened after warnings from the Royal College of Surgeons of “alarming” restrictions on surgery, with patients told they could only have surgery on the NHS if pain left them unable to sleep or carry out daily tasks.

NHS England has now issued advice that such restrictions are not allowed, with local health officials told they should follow guidance from central rationing bodies. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS chiefs call for an end to rationing of hip operations The Daily Mail