Wednesday 26 April 2017

Confessions Of A Junior Doctor shows impact of A&E crisis

Confessions Of A Junior Doctor shows impact of A&E crisis Junior doctors have been filmed making potentially life-threatening errors during patient assessments - which they made while ‘under pressure’ to free up hospital beds.

A revealing TV documentary will this week expose the impact that the A+E crisis is having on Britain’s youngest doctors, as they make a series of errors when their hospital in Northampton reaches full capacity and becomes ‘completely stretched’. The Daily Mail

Proposal for KGH extension moves one step closer

Proposal for KGH extension moves one step closer A bid to build an extension to KGH has taken a step forward. Northamptonshire Telegraph

What does improving population health really mean?

What does improving population health really mean? Everybody in NHS policy seems to be talking about population health. New care models are being developed to improve population health.

Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) – the local plans for redesigning NHS and social care services – will, we are told, develop into partnerships to improve population health. And health care leaders in other countries, such as the United States, are also using the language of population health to define the aims of their health systems. But what does improving population health really mean? And what does it mean for the NHS? The King's Fund

DH publishes response to 'safe space'

DH publishes response to 'safe space' The Department of Health (DH) has published a response to the providing a 'safe space' in healthcare safety investigations consultation. NHS Employers

The impact of housing problems on mental health

The impact of housing problems on mental health This report, conducted with ComRes, reveals that over the last five years one in five adults suffer mental health problems due to housing pressures. The research also surveyed the experiences of 20 GPs who highlighted the number of patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression directly due to housing issues and that GPs required greater help to support patients with housing problems. Shelter

Updated confidentiality guidance comes into force for doctors

Updated confidentiality guidance comes into force for doctors All doctors practising medicine in the UK are now expected to follow revised, expanded and restructured General Medical Council (GMC) ethical guidance on confidentiality.

Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information has been updated following an extensive consultation exercise, and is now more explicit than previously published guidance* about working with patients. General Medical Council

General election 2017: Labour promises pay rises for NHS staff

General election 2017: Labour promises pay rises for NHS staff NHS staff will get higher pay and there will be no tuition fees for student nurses and midwives under a Labour government, the party is promising.

Labour said the policies would help address staffing shortages in England that had become a "threat to patients".

The promises mark the first of what are expected to be a series of policy announcements on the NHS by Labour.

But the Conservatives said Labour's nonsensical economic policies would put the health service at risk. BBC News

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Scientists create 'artificial womb' that could save premature babies' lives

Scientists create 'artificial womb' that could save premature babies' lives Extremely premature babies could be kept alive in future using an “artificial womb” that scientists plan to test in humans after a successful study involving unborn lambs.

A plastic bag filled with artificial amniotic fluid – the nutrient-rich liquid that sustains a foetus in the womb – allowed foetal lambs to develop at an age equivalent to 23 weeks in humans.

Human infants born at 23 weeks have just a 15 per cent chance of survival, according to pregnancy research charity Tommy’s. This rises to 55 per cent at 24 weeks, while babies born at 25 weeks have an 80 per cent chance of survival. The Independent

Burnout, depression and anxiety – why the NHS has a problem with staff health

Burnout, depression and anxiety – why the NHS has a problem with staff health Despite efforts from NHS England to improve the wellbeing of its staff, progress has been inconsistent and employee ill-health remains widespread

When Laura-Jane Smith took time out of her clinical training for a PhD, she found she was constantly unhappy, and suffered from palpitations, nausea, severe headaches, and breathlessness among other physical symptoms.

The hospital doctor’s days were dominated by negative thoughts. She recalls: “I once walked for 30 minutes with ‘I hate my life. I hate my life’ on a loop of internal monologue that I feared had no end.” Eventually, Smith was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and ended up leaving the PhD. Continue reading... The Guardian

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How a digital NHS saves time and money – and transforms care | Afzal Chaudhry

How a digital NHS saves time and money – and transforms care Our hospital trust has introduced systems that released appointments and allow staff to spend more quality time with patients

Imagine this scenario: a patient arrives at hospital for an appointment or an emergency, or is admitted for treatment and the clinical team can see their medical record in its entirety, wherever and whenever they need to.

At Cambridge University hospitals NHS foundation trust, that is what we set out to achieve when, seven years ago, we decided to invest in a sustainable digital future for our hospitals. Rather than relying on paper-based processes and simply replacing outdated technology as it became obsolete, we wanted to transform the way we care for our patients.

The EPR has 3,200 concurrent users and every single one looks at the most up-to-date version of patient records Continue reading... The Guardian

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