Friday 19 May 2017

Chance to put mental health at heart of NHS services could be missed

Chance to put mental health at heart of NHS services could be missed A key opportunity to revolutionise mental health care could be missed because flagship NHS schemes are not doing enough to put it at the heart of services, according to a new report by The King’s Fund and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The report, Mental health and new models of care, looks at mental health in vanguard areas – flagship NHS schemes that bring services together. These include groups of GP surgeries working collaboratively to cater for up to 50,000 patients and NHS organisations coming together to deliver the full range of health care in their area.

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NHS efficiency map

NHS efficiency map This map is a tool that aims to promote best practice in identifying, delivering and monitoring cost improvement programmes in the NHS. It contains links to a range of tools and guidance to help NHS bodies improve their efficiency. Healthcare Financial Management Association

Election briefing : a sustainable workforce - the lifeblood of the NHS and social care

Election briefing : a sustainable workforce - the lifeblood of the NHS and social care This is the third in a series of Health Foundation briefings ahead of the June 2017 general election. It focuses on the challenges facing the NHS and social care workforce in England, pointing to a combination of issues around recruitment, retention and morale. It highlights that the future workforce for the NHS and social care sector is at risk without urgent action from the incoming government to establish a sustainable and joined up workforce strategy. The Health Foundation

New report reveals the value of occupational health for the UK workforce

New report reveals the value of occupational health for the UK workforce A new report published by the Society of Occupational Medicine sets out the value proposition for occupational health services and the benefits of occupational health.

Occupational health: the value proposition cites evidence that shows organisations most commonly rank occupational health involvement as the most effective method for managing the problem of employee long-term absence from work. The document also reports that a healthy workplace culture and the adoption of a systematic approach to occupational health can contribute to the success of an organisation.

Meeting the needs of deaf people who have mental health problems

Meeting the needs of deaf people who have mental health problems As many as two in three deaf people in the UK struggle with mental health problems, but most find it too difficult to access psychological therapy.

Produced for the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the charity SignHealth, Guidance for commissioners of primary care mental health services for deaf people calls for improvement to deaf people’s access to mental health services and offers practical steps to be taken by commissioners. The British Psychological Society

Treating children with electroconvulsive therapy

Treating children with electroconvulsive therapy Electroconvulsive therapy - in which a small electric current is passed through the brain causing a seizure - is now used much less often than it was in the middle of the last century. But controversially it is now being used in the US and some other countries as a treatment for children who exhibit severe, self-injuring behaviour. BBC News

Chester hospital baby deaths to be investigated by police

Chester hospital baby deaths to be investigated by police Baby deaths at a neonatal unit with a "higher than usual" mortality rate are to be investigated by police.

Countess of Chester Hospital reported "a greater number of baby deaths and collapses than normally expected" between June 2015 and July 2016.

The police probe will focus on eight deaths, but a further seven during the same period will also be reviewed.

The hospital trust contacted police after a clinical review found no "definitive explanation" for the rise.

Six non-fatal collapses - where a baby's breathing or heart rate drop to dangerous levels - will also be reviewed, Cheshire Constabulary said. BBC News

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Whose election promise adds up for the NHS?

Whose election promise adds up for the NHS? "Billions more for the NHS," is a familiar election battle cry.

This time, the pledges from the main political parties have been much anticipated because of the warnings about mounting pressures on the service.

Those commitments have now been made and, perhaps unsurprisingly, comparing them is like apples and pears.

As always with public spending figures, there's a need to dig into the detail beneath the headlines to work out exactly what each party means. BBC News

Global standards on reporting clinical trial results agreed

Global standards on reporting clinical trial results agreed The large majority of clinical trials will have to be published in the future following a landmark agreement.
A group of the world's largest funders of medical research and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have agreed on new standards requiring all clinical trials they fund or support to be registered and results made public.

The joint statement was issued by the UK Medical Research Council, Indian Council of Medical Research, Norwegian Research Council, the Médecins Sans Frontières research arm Epicentre, PATH, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Institut Pasteur, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. OnMedica

From bursaries to gender balance: what needs to change in nursing?

From bursaries to gender balance: what needs to change in nursing? Our expert panel took a constructive look at the state of nursing in the UK. Here are the best bits of the discussion

See the full exchange, including readers’ questions, here

On International Nurses’ Day, we brought together a panel of students, qualified nurses and educators to answer readers’ questions on the state of the profession. After a drop in student applications following NHS bursary cuts; a post-Brexit exodus of EU staff; and a possible strike by the Royal College of Nursing, there was plenty to discuss. Here’s what we learned. Continue reading... The Guardian

As a doctor I couldn't cure Jane but could grant her dying wish

As a doctor I couldn't cure Jane but could grant her dying wish Even when conventional medicine can offer no more, a thoughtful deed can give patients something worth living for

I hated my first job as a junior doctor on the medical wards. The district general hospital was busy and understaffed. I often felt out of my depth, trying to look after so many elderly and frail patients and found it hard to approach the terrifying registrar who bullied me, or the consultant who told me to “pull myself together” when I cried in a meeting. The long, lonely ward rounds of each day merged into the next. I often wondered if I was actually making any difference at all, in between clerking patients, prescribing medications, inserting cannulas and certifying the dead.

One patient changed all that. Continue reading... The Guardian

Pollution claims more lives in UK than other EU countries

Pollution claims more lives in UK than other EU countries Filthy air killed 6.5million people worldwide in 2012. Toxic emissions are responsible for an average of 25.7 deaths per 100,000 in the UK compared to just 0.4 in Sweden. The Daily Mail

NHS care 'among the worst in Europe' due to poor investment

NHS care 'among the worst in Europe' due to poor investment The NHS is among one of the worst health care systems in Europe due to poor cancer investment, a major study has found.

Britain has been ranked 30th in a global list of countries assessed for health care quality and access lagging behind many of its European neighbours.

Experts have blamed the low score on its lack of investment in specialist cancer care.

Researchers who analysed death-rate data from 195 nations judged the UK to be on a par with the Czech Republic and Portugal.

But Britain was beaten by Finland, Sweden, Spain (all 90) and Italy (89), all of which have similar health systems to the NHS, said researchers. The Daily Telegraph

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