Monday 12 June 2017

Locum doctors at Northampton hospital cancelled A&E shifts at short notice because new tax rules cut pay

Locum doctors at Northampton hospital cancelled A&E shifts at short notice because new tax rules cut pay Some stand-in emergency department doctors cancelled their shifts at Northampton General Hospital because new tax rules led to a decrease in pay. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Cransley care home rated outstanding

Cransley care home rated outstanding A care home in Cransley for people with learning disabilities and autism has been rated outstanding by inspectors. Northamptonshire Telegraph

European drug report: trends and development 2017

European drug report: trends and development 2017 This report presents a top-level overview of the drug phenomenon in Europe, covering drug supply, use and public health problems as well as drug policy and responses. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

NHS commissioning of specialised services

NHS commissioning of specialised services This briefing looks at the commissioning of specialised services by the NHS in England, for patients with rare or complex conditions. How the commissioning process works is set out in further detail, as well as analysis of the financial management and transparency of specialised commissioning, and recent reforms introduced by NICE and NHS England, including reforms to the Cancer Drugs Fund. House of Commons Library

Hospital long waits highest since 2008

Hospital long waits highest since 2008 The number of patients in England waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine treatment is the largest since September 2008, official figures show.

The data showed there were over 382,000 patients waiting longer than the target timeframe in April out of a total of 3.78 million on the waiting list.

Problems also continued to be seen in waiting times for A&E and cancer.

The NHS England figures had been due out on Thursday, but were postponed to avoid being published on polling day.

Clare Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said she expected the situation to get worse given NHS England said earlier this year it was willing to see waiting times increase so it could prioritise A&E and cancer. BBC News

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40,000 homes for medics and staff ‘could be built on spare NHS land’

40,000 homes for medics and staff ‘could be built on spare NHS land’ Leaders call on government to create £10bn fund to revive the tradition of the health service providing homes for its staff

The NHS should release its large reserves of spare land to create up to 40,000 new homes for doctors, nurses and other key staff who are being affected by a serious housing shortage, health service leaders say.

Modern versions of nurses’ homes, once a common feature of NHS hospitals, would be built under the proposals by the NHS Confederation, which represents 560 health service organisations. Continue reading... The Guardian

As a paediatrician I've seen first-hand the shocking human cost of staff shortages

As a paediatrician I've seen first-hand the shocking human cost of staff shortages Thousands of children’s operations are being cancelled as political short-termism savages the NHS. Solutions exist, but are being ignored

This week, figures published in the Guardian provided another sorry illustration of how NHS services have been pushed to the brink. More than 46,000 children’s operations were cancelled during the period 2013-14 to 2017-18, and that was just in the 53% of eligible NHS trusts that reported their figures. The numbers are shocking, all the more so as they clearly reflect only the tip of the iceberg. Children’s operations are not conducted without good clinical reason: delays are harmful, and for some children the damage may be long-term.

The reasons cited by the NHS trusts are predominantly related to workforce. As a frontline clinician I witness first-hand the human cost of staff shortages, and last month the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), of which I am president, also published a workforce report identifying serious staffing shortages nationwide, which has forced several children’s services to close temporarily. There are currently about 240 paediatric consultant-level posts empty and children’s services have an average junior doctor vacancy rate of 14%. Continue reading... The Guardian

Less than 1 in 5 people get their 'five a day'

Less than 1 in 5 people get their 'five a day' Fewer than one in five Britons eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, research reveals.

Experts last night said the results were a ‘huge cause for concern’, warning they spelled dire consequences for the nation’s health.

Only 18 per cent of people polled by the Diabetes UK charity had eaten their five-a-day the day before they were questioned.

Some 82 per cent had failed to meet the guidance, which is recommended by the NHS as the minimum target for a healthy and balanced diet. The Daily Mail

Don’t ask me about fitness... ask Google, says top GP

Don’t ask me about fitness... ask Google, says top GP Dr Clare Gerada said that patients needed to take more responsibility for themselves and research health and fitness issues on the internet. The Daily Mail

'The victims were almost emotionless...they were stunned': NHS heroes relive night of London Bridge attack 

'The victims were almost emotionless...they were stunned': NHS heroes relive night of London Bridge attack The Telegraph's Health Editor Laura Donnelly spoke to the medics who saved the lives of victims of the London Bridge terror attack. All 48 victims who made it to hospitals have survived, health officials say, though some remain in a critical condition. The Daily Telegraph

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