Northamptonshire NHS Foundation Trust gets improved CQC rating

Northamptonshire NHS Foundation Trust gets improved CQC rating One of the largest providers of NHS services in Northamptonshire has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Outstanding regarding whether services were caring. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Care Quality Commission
• Caring NHS staff rated 'outstanding' - but Northamptonshire's mental health trust scores 'requires improvement' for safety Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton surgery has been trying to fill the same doctor vacancy for THREE YEARS

Northampton surgery has been trying to fill the same doctor vacancy for THREE YEARS Not one GP has applied for a doctor's vacancy at a Northampton surgery in three years, a practice leader has revealed, after the health secretary agreed to hold crisis talks over its waiting times. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Receptionists chased with scissors during terrifying ordeal at Northampton surgery

Receptionists chased with scissors during terrifying ordeal at Northampton surgery A schizophrenic who threatened doctor's surgery receptionists with a pair of scissors when they refused his prescription has been sectioned. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton hospital reminds families who block patient discharge that they have 'a role to play'

Northampton hospital reminds families who block patient discharge that they have 'a role to play' Northampton General Hospital say medically-fit patients are blocking beds because families are arguing over transfer of care, failing to turn up to meetings and even going on holiday rather than helping their loved ones leave hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

What does it take to lead in the NHS?

What does it take to lead in the NHS? Nish Manek is a GP trainee and clinical fellow who took part in a leadership 'open space’ event earlier this month. The event brought together previous participants of The Kings Fund’s clinical leadership programmes. Here Nish reflects on what she learned from the day about the challenges and opportunities of taking on leadership roles in the NHS. The King's Fund

A year of plenty? An analysis of NHS finances and consultant productivity

A year of plenty? An analysis of NHS finances and consultant productivity This report finds that the NHS used almost half of the £2bn real terms increase in funding it received in 2015-16 to commission care form non-NHS organisations and to support the social care system. The report also highlights that the focus on meeting rising demands for emergency care means that NHS hospitals are receiving lower financial returns which is making it increasingly difficult for NHS trusts to break even. The Health Foundation

Self-inflicted deaths among female prisoners

Self-inflicted deaths among female prisoners This bulletin was prompted by the recent dramatic and depressing rise in self-inflicted deaths of women in prison. It looks at 19 investigations between 2013 and 2016 of instances where women took their own lives.

This small sample cannot explain this apparently rising toll of despair, but the bulletin does identify a number of important areas of learning. This learning focuses on improving suicide and self-harm prevention procedures, better assessment and management of risk, addressing mental health issues, combating bullying and ensuring timely emergency responses. Prisons and Probation Ombudsman

See also:

• Twofold rise in female prisoner suicides linked to 'inadequate' mental health support in prisons, report finds The Independent

Cancer diagnosis: 'Looking for needle in a haystack'

Cancer diagnosis: 'Looking for needle in a haystack' New measures to improve diagnosis of cancer are expected to be published this week as part of NHS England’s delivery plan for the next two years.

Presenter Nick Robinson, who has been treated for cancer himself in recent years, visited University College London Hospital to see how it is trying to pioneer new ways to improve survival rates.

The hospital’s chief medical officer, Kathy Pritchard-Jones, explained to the Today programme how services had been put in one place to help make diagnosis quicker. BBC News

MPs slam government strategy to cut child obesity

MPs slam government strategy to cut child obesity A new report by the influential House of Commons Health Select Committee says the Government must do more to reduce the number of cut-price and multi-buy offers on unhealthy food to help combat childhood obesity.

It also calls for rules on junk food advertisements to be made tougher and says that government plans to tackle childhood obesity contain "vague statements" that are "inadequate" and that ministers had consistently rejected the committee's advice. The committee also recommends that the levy on sugary drinks should be extended to milk-based drinks that have added sugar.

The report calls for the government to set clear goals. Health Committee chair, Dr Sarah Wollaston, who is also a GP, said: "We are extremely disappointed that the government has rejected a number of our recommendations. These omissions mean that the current plan misses important opportunities to tackle childhood obesity. OnMedica

EU nurses no longer want to work in Britain. Brexit is poisoning the NHS

EU nurses no longer want to work in Britain. Brexit is poisoning the NHS The number of nurses signing up to work in the UK has dropped dramatically. Is it any wonder when Theresa May’s government is so hostile to EU nationals?

How will Brexit impact the NHS? It already has. Nurses from the EU are much less keen to come and work here. Today the Times reported that in the last four months of 2015, an average of 797 EU nurses per month signed up to work in the UK; over the same period last year, that number fell to 194 a month. We currently have a huge shortage of nurses, with 24,000 jobs unfilled in England alone. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• NHS nurses are being cast into a perfect Brexit storm The Guardian
• Brexit could make NHS shortage of nurses worse, says report The Guardian

The NHS sets leaders up to fail – and then recruits more in the same mould

The NHS sets leaders up to fail – and then recruits more in the same mould People being hired in management positions don’t have the skills to tackle the health service’s current problems

It’s my job to support and develop senior NHS managers. And I’m deeply worried that we’re setting them up to fail – then recruiting more in the same mould.

I’m a former primary care trust director; I now work as an executive coach, helping NHS executives to improve their skills. Many of my clients lead trusts whose leadership has been deemed “inadequate” or “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission – but few of them are genuinely bad leaders. The problem is that they were hired to do one job, and the requirement is now for something quite different. Yet they’re not being helped to change their approach, and when their trusts run into trouble they are being replaced with people likely to encounter exactly the same set of problems.

The characteristics once seen as assets have become liabilities Continue reading... The Guardian

A million patients take anti-depressants 'they don't need'

A million patients take anti-depressants 'they don't need' Patients are left on the drugs for months or years at a time, fuelling a growing epidemic of addiction to prescription medicines. The Daily Mail

No more painkillers and gluten-free food on the NHS as health service head launches cost-cutting drive

No more painkillers and gluten-free food on the NHS as health service head launches cost-cutting drive The NHS will no longer pay for everyday medicines, including painkillers and cough mixture, the head of the health service has said.

Simon Stevens has outlined plans for patients to have to pay for basic items, like hay fever drugs, indigestion pills and gluten-free food, in a money-saving drive.

The cuts are part of new measures to reduce £1 billion of costs in the health service, which is struggling to cope with a surge in demand caused by an expanding population. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS funding review for gluten-free food BBC News
• Dramatic drive to cut NHS costs unveiled The Daily Mail
• NHS draws up list of items to be banned from prescriptions The Guardian
• Travel jabs and gluten-free food may no longer be available on NHS under ‘low-value’ prescription crackdown The Independent
• NHS funding review: What medicines could be affected? ITV News