Careless smoker causes fire at Corby Urgent Care Centre

Careless smoker causes fire at Corby Urgent Care Centre Firefighters were called to Corby's Urgent Care Centre on Wednesday after a careless smoker set a plant alight. The incident took place outside the health centre in Cottingham Road at about 4.15am.

Lorna Garner, general manager at Lakeside Plus which runs the centre, says it could have been a lot worse and urged people not to smoke outside. Northamptonshire Telegraph

What should the new government prioritise for health and social care?

What should the new government prioritise for health and social care? The new government’s in tray is unusually full of pressing challenges, but what should it do on health and social care in England in this parliament?

No surprise that health didn’t feature prominently in today’s Queen Speech. Commitments were made to reform mental health legislation, as well as a framework to help improve patient safety. And the government is to press ahead with at least a consultation on improving social care.

Clearly preparations for Brexit and the cooling economic situation are rightly major preoccupations, and the legislative schedule will be pretty jammed with the former. In the meantime, the NHS has a Five Year Forward View and needs to get on with it without new priorities or distracting political interventions. The Health Foundation

Adult weight management: guidance for commissioners and providers

Adult weight management: guidance for commissioners and providers This collection of guidance, interventions and datasets aims to support commissioners and providers of tier two adult weight management services. The guidance outlines findings from qualitiative research providing insight into patient experience of weight management services, evidence to support commissioning, and further information on evidence-based behaviour change techniques. Public Health England

Review of two decades of social care policy

Review of two decades of social care policy This House of Commons Library briefing considers the policy proposals of successive Governments since 1997 for how individuals should pay for their social care.

What on earth is a vanguard?

What on earth is a vanguard? Cutting through modern-day NHS jargon is no mean feat, but one up-and-coming TV broadcaster has succeeded where the Jeremy Paxmans of this world have failed… meet Healthwatch Harriet. The tenacious 10-year-old has turned her sights on the NHS England new care models programme. NHS England

'Remarkable' drop in new HIV cases among men

'Remarkable' drop in new HIV cases among men For the first time, new diagnoses of HIV have fallen among men who have sex with men in England, according to data from Public Health England.

They have decreased from 2,060 in 2014-15 to 1,700 in 2015-16, while in London there was an even steeper drop.

PHE said increased testing, fast treatment with HIV therapy and the use of preventative drug Prep have all contributed to the trend.

New HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals have remained stable.

While huge advances have been made in treating HIV/Aids, there has been frustration at a lack of progress in reducing the number of men being diagnosed each year.

New infections in the UK had been stuck at about 3,000 every year in the five years up to 2015. BBC News

See also:

• Fall in HIV among gay men could spell end for Britain's epidemic, say experts The Guardian

Danger map reveals health threat zone

Danger map reveals health threat zone South America is a hotbed of potential viruses that could be the next major threat to the world's health, according to "danger maps".

The EcoHealth Alliance in New York looked at mammals, the viruses they harbour and how they come into contact with people.

It revealed bats carry more potential threats than other mammals.

The researchers hope the knowledge could be used to prevent the next HIV, Ebola or flu.

Some of the most worrying infections have made the jump from animals to people - the world's largest Ebola outbreak seemed to start in bats, while HIV came from chimpanzees. BBC News

Cost of NHS negligence claims likely to double by 2023, says study

Cost of NHS negligence claims likely to double by 2023, says study Medical society calls for legal changes, saying spiralling £1.5bn annual bill diverts significant funding from frontline care.

The annual cost to the NHS in England of settling clinical negligence claims is equivalent to training 6,500 doctors and is expected to double by 2023, according to the Medical Protection Society.

Further increases in the £1.5bn bill will render such payments unsustainable and divert significant amounts of funding away from frontline patient care, the organisation has warned in a report. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Clinical negligence costs at tipping point - urgent reform needed Medical Protection Society
• Soaring NHS negligence bill could have paid for 6500 more doctors The Daily Telegraph
• Legal overhaul needed to fix unsustainable GP indemnity costs, experts warn GPonline

My friend's suicide, bureaucracy and cuts: why I quit as an NHS manager

My friend's suicide, bureaucracy and cuts: why I quit as an NHS manager I was driven to the brink by the poor care my friend received. I finally left over pointless tasks

The first time I thought I should leave the NHS and never return was at my friend’s inquest. After struggling with mental health issues for many years he had taken his own life. At his inquest, I learnt that in the period leading up to his suicide his mental health appointments had all been with support workers and he had not once seen a qualified mental health nurse. I also discovered that his last five appointments had been with four different members of staff. The coroner asked about the level of the service he had received. The manager of the service cited difficulties with a large geographical patch and described the service he received as usual practice. As an NHS manager myself, I could see it may have been usual practice, but it was far from good enough.

As I drove home from the inquest my head was spinning with dissonant thoughts and questions. I was angry and upset. I was concerned for the service manager. I was furious with government cuts. I was worrying about the service I managed. I needed the noise in my head to stop. I found myself contemplating killing myself. I did not sleep that night. I knew I was unwell and so the next day I saw my GP. I needed three months off work for severe depression and anxiety. I had excellent talking therapy via my GP surgery and my counsellor continued to support me through and beyond my return to work. Continue reading... The Guardian

Award for mental health professional who shared her own struggle with depression

Award for mental health professional who shared her own struggle with depression A former NHS mental health director has won an award for speaking out about her own breakdown.

Mandy Stevens told her story to Bryony Gordon on the Telegraph’s Mad World podcast, recalling a bout of depression so severe that she spent three months being treated as an in-patient.

She has received the Special Achievement Award from the Cavell Nurses’ Trust in recognition of her work de-stigmatising mental health. The Daily Telegraph