Kettering General Hospital 'filtered' data to remove waiting list patients

Kettering General Hospital 'filtered' data to remove waiting list patients A hospital accused of "fiddling" its waiting lists to meet targets has admitted it "filtered data".

Whistleblower David Phelan claimed patients were removed from lists at Kettering General Hospital because national targets were being missed.

The hospital said it used data filtering to get a "true picture of the size of its waiting list" but the practice had stopped in December 2015.

It said its data management had been "well intended, if misguided". BBC Northampton

See also:

• KGH apologises for waiting list handling errors – but report finds no evidence of fraud Northamptonshire Telegraph

KGH buildings deemed safe after post-Grenfell Tower check

KGH buildings deemed safe after post-Grenfell Tower check All clinical and non-clinical buildings at KGH have been found to be safe after a review of potential fire risks.

Organisations up and down the country have been checking their buildings after the Grenfell Tower disaster, which claimed the lives of at least 80 people.

KGH says all clinical and non-clinical buildings have passed the review, although one staff building was found to have potentially flammable insulation. That building will no longer be used - although a KGH spokesman stressed that the decision was not because of the fire risk. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Best of Both Worlds campaign to get doctors and nurses to work in Northamptonshire

Best of Both Worlds campaign to get doctors and nurses to work in Northamptonshire Four Northamptonshire-based NHS healthcare providers and the University of Northampton have joined forces to launch a recruitment campaign.

The campaign is aimed at enticing doctors and nurses to relocate and work in the county. Recruiter

A Mile in My Shoes

A Mile in My Shoes In 2016, the Health Foundation teamed up with the Empathy Museum to develop a collection of stories from people working in, and using, health and social care in the UK. A Mile in My Shoes, invites you to step into someone else’s shoes and embark on a mile-long physical, emotional and imaginative journey to see the world through their eyes. This collection of stories showcases the remarkable contribution and challenges faced by those working in, and using, our health and social care system.

Report on transition of care between childhood and adulthood for people with diabetes

Report on transition of care between childhood and adulthood for people with diabetes A new report that charts the care of young people with Type-1 diabetes as they move from paediatric to adult services has been published for the first time today by NHS Digital.

The National Diabetes Transition Audit (NDTA) links datasets from the adult and paediatric national diabetes audits and examines whether the transition between childhood and adulthood has an effect on care.

The report includes figures on the percentage of people who are receiving the nine NICE recommended care processes, as well as the percentage of people who have met the NICE treatment targets for diabetes care.

The defibrillator drone that can beat ambulance times

The defibrillator drone that can beat ambulance times A drone which could deliver a defibrillator to a person suffering from a cardiac arrest is being tested by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Trial flights have the shown the drones can arrive at a destination four times faster than an ambulance.

After cardiac arrest, the chances of survival decrease by 10% for every minute that an individual goes without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation. BBC News

Government fails to track mental health in UK prisons amid soaring suicide and self-harm rates, finds report

Government fails to track mental health in UK prisons amid soaring suicide and self-harm rates, finds report The Government does not know how many people in prisons have a mental health illness, a report has warned, prompting calls for “urgent” action amid soaring suicide rates and self-harm incidents among inmates.

Prison authorities’ response to rising suicide and self-harming rates in British jails has been “poor”, according to research by the National Audit Office (NAO).

Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS), NHS England and Public Health England have set ambitious objectives for providing mental health services, but they are failing to collect enough data on inmate’s wellbeing, the report states. The Independent

See also:

• Mental health in prisons National Audit Office

'Without this, I would have killed myself': gardening helps heal refugees' trauma

'Without this, I would have killed myself': gardening helps heal refugees' trauma An NHS-run therapeutic gardening project in London is helping to alleviate symptoms of severe mental health problems

It was around a year after Fatu Mangeh* arrived in the UK that she considered taking her own life.

In 2002 she fled the civil war in Sierra Leone where she had been raped and tortured – scars are still visible on her hands 15 years later. Her parents were killed and the only family she had left was her two-year-old daughter. She was lured to the UK by a man who promised to marry her but abandoned her, leaving her destitute and with no support. Wandering the streets, she came across a woman from Sierra Leone who offered to help; she took her to the Home Office to claim asylum and registered her with a GP. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS staff taking more sick days than ever

NHS staff taking more sick days than ever As the NHS comes under increasing strain, the number of staff taking time off has risen, with mental health conditions among the main reasons

NHS staff are taking more time off work because of illness, with the total now close to 17m days a year. Continue reading... The Guardian

Thousands with long-term conditions skipping treatments

Thousands with long-term conditions skipping treatments Thousands of people with long-term health conditions are skipping medications because of prescription costs, charities have claimed.

Research for the Prescription Charges Coalition suggests 30 per cent of people who have conditions such as asthma and arthritis, and are not eligible for free prescriptions, sometimes skip their drugs or reduce their dose because of cost.

Of those, 43 per cent cite the cost of their prescription as a reason for doing so, and 59 per cent admit skipping doses has had a negative impact on their health.

Some 34 per cent of those who have missed or reduced their dose have required extra medical treatment - such as GP or hospital appointments - as a result. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Still paying the price: Prescription charges and people with long term conditions Prescription Charges Coalition
• Call for free prescriptions for long-term ill BBC News

GPs allowed to close their doors when they get busy

GPs allowed to close their doors when they get busy Up to 250 doctors voted in favour of the policy, similar to that of a 'black alert' used by hospitals, at the British Medical Association's annual conference in Bournemouth. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Sicknote Britain: One in four visits to a GP is avoidable BBC News
• BMA to develop GP 'black alert' system for practices facing unsafe workload GPonline

Scotland to introduce 'soft' opt-out organ donation system

Scotland to introduce 'soft' opt-out organ donation system Scots will have to actively opt out of donating their organs after death under a controversial new system that aims to increase donation rates.

Aileen Campbell, the Scottish Public Health Minister, said legislation would be tabled to introduce a “soft” opt-out system whereby people will have deemed to have consented to the removal of their organs unless they say otherwise. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Scotland to introduce soft opt-out system for organ donation The Guardian