Thursday 22 June 2017

Kettering General Hospital whistleblower resigns as governor

Kettering General Hospital whistleblower resigns as governor A whistleblower who alleged that patients were removed from a hospital's waiting lists to "fiddle" the system has resigned as a governor.

David Phelan, a Kettering General Hospital Trust governor, said patients were removed from lists because national targets were being missed.

The governors were due to look at a resolution claiming his behaviour had breached its code of conduct.

But Mr Phelan decided to resign from his position as a governor.

The governors had stressed the decision to take action against him was not connected to his whistleblowing. BBC Northampton

Share your experiences with Northamptonshire's maternity services and reshape pregnancy care

Share your experiences with Northamptonshire's maternity services and reshape pregnancy care A survey has been opened to gather feedback on Northamptonshire's childbirth services for a national review to make pregnancy and labour a "personalised, kinder, professional and family friendly" experience.

Anyone or their partner who is pregnant or has recently given birth has been invited to complete the survey and share their experiences. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

You can find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JR9V2R2 

Corby survey finds majority of people are unaware of planned NHS changes

Corby survey finds majority of people are unaware of planned NHS changes Fewer than one in five people in Corby have heard of a major plan which could radically change local health services, according to a survey.

NHS Corby Clinical Commissioning Group carried out its healthcare survey across the population it commissions health services for. It found that just 16 per cent of respondents had heard of the county’s Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).

The five-year STP contains proposals for a joining of health and social care in the county, but there has been criticism of a lack of transparency surrounding the drawing up of the plans.

The CCG says that although this is a small proportion, it is still notably higher than that indicated in national polls. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The hidden half: Bringing postnatal mental illness out of hiding

The hidden half: Bringing postnatal mental illness out of hiding It’s time to get postnatal mental illness out of hiding.

It’s common for new mothers to suffer from postnatal mental illness, but only half receive the treatment they need. This can be fixed with some simple and low-cost changes to our health system.

We surveyed 1,000 women who had recently had a baby and found that half had had a mental health or emotional problem postnatally or during pregnancy.

Read the full report here.

Of these women, nearly half hadn’t had their problem identified by a health professional and hadn’t received any help or treatment.

Many of these new mothers said they were too embarrassed or afraid of judgement to seek help.

95% of mothers who had a mental health problem said that this had an impact on their ability to cope as a mother or on their family. National Childbirth Trust

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Queen's speech 2017

Queen's speech 2017 A summary of the areas that impact on the NHS workforce, from the Queen's speech at the state opening of parliament. NHS Employers

A healthy state of mind: improving young people's mental fitness

A healthy state of mind: improving young people's mental fitness This report argues for reform of the mental health system to provide greater support for the majority of young people who will not receive treatment from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) whilst ensuring that those in desperate need of clinical intervention receive immediate help. Localis

First NHS proton beam machine arrives at Christie hospital

First NHS proton beam machine arrives at Christie hospital The machine that will enable the NHS's first proton beam therapy (PBT) unit to treat cancer patients will arrive later.

Manchester's Christie hospital will be the first NHS unit to provide the treatment, meaning patients needing PBT will no longer have to go abroad.

Up to 750 patients will use the new unit due to open in August 2018.

University College London Hospital (UCLH) is due to open its own PBT centre in 2020.

The government has invested £250m into building the two new NHS centres. Currently, only low-energy treatment is available in the UK for rare eye cancers.

Last year, the NHS sent 210 patients abroad for PBT - mostly to the US and Switzerland - at a cost of about £114,000 each. BBC News

Ninth avoidable baby death at NHS trust

Ninth avoidable baby death at NHS trust A ninth avoidable baby death has been uncovered by BBC News at a troubled NHS trust.

Maddison Dawn Wilkins Jackson died in 2013 after staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital could not find her mother a bed on the labour ward.

The health secretary ordered an investigation into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in April.

The trust says it has apologised to Maddison's family for her death.

A new report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says that poor care was responsible for hundreds of babies across the UK either dying in labour or suffering severe brain injuries.

The report's conclusions appear to chime with the experience of Maddison's parents. BBC News

GP recruitment is rising and more on track to hit target levels, says HEE

GP recruitment is rising and more on track to hit target levels, says HEE 'Good progress' has been made on GP recruitment, with more than 100 additional places filled compared to last year, Health Education England (HEE) has said. GPonline

Britain's unregulated plastic surgery industry 'targeting children and causing mental health problems'

Britain's unregulated plastic surgery industry 'targeting children and causing mental health problems' The largely unregulated British cosmetic surgery industry is a “cause for serious concern”, especially for children targeted by advertising and online plastic surgery games, health experts have warned.

A new report from the Nuffield Council of Bioethics highlights increasing concerns over anxiety related to unachievable appearance ideals – with young people said to be “bombarded” by promotion of breast implants, nose jobs, and non-surgical procedures such as botox and laser hair removal.

The think tank called for all cosmetic surgeons to be properly trained and certified, for a ban on non-medical invasive procedures for patients under 18, and for evidence of safety and effectiveness to be required for dermal fillers and implants. The Independent

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Cheshire cancer patients 'could die sooner' if NHS cuts are forced through

Cheshire cancer patients 'could die sooner' if NHS cuts are forced through Cost-cutting plans could see waiting times shoot up and risk patients’ chance of survival, doctors and charities warn

Cancer patients in Cheshire could die sooner because they will end up waiting longer for urgent hospital treatment if NHS regulators push through controversial cost-cutting plans, it has been claimed.

Doctors and cancer charities have criticised recommendations by NHS England and NHS Improvement that hospitals in the county cut the amount of endoscopies – internal examinations used to diagnose illness – they undertake by 25%. Continue reading... The Guardian

I’m at the sharp end of A&E. The recent attacks make it like working in a war zone | Saleyha Ahsan

I’m at the sharp end of A&E. The recent attacks make it like working in a war zone | Saleyha Ahsan In the emergency services we’re constantly braced for the next big disaster. Everyone has to pull together against the odds – but we need more support

You can’t move for breaking news headlines these days and within the emergency services we brace ourselves for what it might be. It’s not just news for us – we could end up being directly involved.

This week we woke to news of the attack in Finsbury Park. The result – one death and 10 injured, all distributed to major trauma centres within London. One trauma call will need manpower of up to 10 people around the bed, then you’ve got those needed for the CT scans to run, the urgent blood tests, blood supplies and the labs urgently cross matching samples. It can, in those early hours, take at least 20 people. And that’s without including the surgical and intensive therapy unit (ITU) teams needed for poly-trauma patients, typical from a major incident, so multiply that number by 10. But we don’t have 200 people in one place to do all that. So things get shared, redistributed and there’s plenty of concurrent activity. It’s an exercise of open communications, thinking on your feet and leadership. Sadly, the teams are getting used to it. Continue reading... The Guardian

Draconian NHS plans to save £200 million

Draconian NHS plans to save £200 million The plans have been drawn up by managers running the 'North Central London' area which serves the London boroughs of Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. The Daily Mail

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