Monday 24 July 2017

Kettering Hospital patient data 'flawed for nine years'

Kettering Hospital patient data 'flawed for nine years' A hospital may have lost track of its patients for almost a decade, according to a report obtained by the BBC.

It was commissioned after Kettering General Hospital admitted "anomalies" with its waiting lists data.

The report said patient safety was seriously jeopardised and cost-cutting contributed to the problem.

A whistleblower claimed patients were removed from lists to help meet national targets, but investigators found no evidence of fraud.

In May, the BBC reported allegations by David Phelan, who was also a trust governor at the time, that data had been "fiddled" .

A hospital review found that 138 patients were harmed - including one who had substantial sight loss - as a result of the long waits.

The hospital admitted using "inappropriate filtering" of its data to remove patients but denied it was a deliberate attempt at making figures look better to avoid fines. BBC Northampton

Corby Urgent Care Centre raised in Parliament

Corby Urgent Care Centre raised in Parliament The plight of Corby Urgent Care Centre has been raised in Parliament by the town’s MP.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Tom Pursglove called for reassurance from the clinical commissioning group that the centre will not only be protected but improved.

In a post on his Facebook page, he wrote: “Earlier today, I again raised the Corby Urgent CareCentre, on the floor of the House of Commons.

“During a debate on matters to be raised before the Summer Recess, I spoke about the fantastic record that the Urgent Care Centre has, the pressures that it relieves on Kettering General Hospital, and what a valued and hugely important resource this is to our community." Northamptonshire Telegraph

More people will be able to give blood following scientific review

More people will be able to give blood following scientific review The government has announced changes to blood donation rules following a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO).

As a result of the latest clinical evidence, more people will be given the opportunity to donate blood without affecting the safety of the blood supply, from early 2018.

Current blood donation rules prevent people who engage in some sexual behaviours from giving blood for a 12 month period. As a result of scientific advances and improved understanding of the tests used, the deferral period for these people will now be reduced to 3 months.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) will also be looking at ways to allow more people to donate blood without impacting blood safety. Department of Health

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The NHS summer report says it could try harder

The NHS summer report says it could try harder Little publicised or trailed, the Department of Health's annual report and accounts were quietly released this week - on the face of it, not everyone's cup of tea or preferred sun lounger reading.

But it serves as an important in-depth account of the state of the NHS in England.

The opening pages, inevitably, emphasise the positives - just as a corporate annual report would do. Half a million more patients seen in A&E than in the previous year, more than one million appointments booked or cancelled online, an increase in the NHS workforce, almost £1bn invested over five years in infrastructure to boost research.

But read on and the more difficult truths begin to emerge. BBC News

'A misuse of scarce funds': NHS to end prescription of homeopathic remedies

'A misuse of scarce funds': NHS to end prescription of homeopathic remedies New guidelines mean homeopathic remedies and 17 other items will no longer be prescribed, for reasons ranging from low clinical effectiveness to low cost-effectiveness

Homeopathic remedies will no longer be available on prescription on the NHS according to newly-announced plans.

The move comes as part of the NHS England’s drive to save more than £190m a year through a new set of national guidelines, which are now open for public consultation. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Heavy drinking will kill 63,000 people over next five years, doctors warn

Heavy drinking will kill 63,000 people over next five years, doctors warn Doctors urge government to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol as research reveals extent of liver disease

Almost 63,000 people in England will die over the next five years from liver problems linked to heavy drinking unless ministers tackle the scourge of cheap alcohol, doctors are warning.

Senior members of the medical profession and health charities are urging the government to bring in minimum unit pricing of alcohol and a crackdown on drink advertising to avert what they claim is the “public health crisis” of liver disease deaths.

The evidence is clear: raise the price of the cheapest alcohol to save lives and save money Continue reading... The Guardian

Exclusive: National review of schemes to divert patients from A&E amid safety fears

Exclusive: National review of schemes to divert patients from A&E amid safety fears NHS officials have ordered a national review of schemes to divert patients away from Accident & Emergency departments, amid fears that desperately-ill cases are being put at risk.

Every NHS trust is under instructions to introduce “front-door streaming” by this autumn, with GPs stationed at casualty units to weed out the least sick patients.

The initiative is part of attempts to relieve hospital overcrowding, and stave off pressures on units across the country.

But an investigation by The Telegraph reveals that a national review of such schemes has been ordered following the death of a man turned away by a pilot scheme. The Daily Telegraph

Charlie Gard hospital calls in police over death threats to staff

Charlie Gard hospital calls in police over death threats to staff Health bosses have called in police after staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital have been bombarded with violent threats and abuse over the case of baby Charlie Gard.

Thousands of abusive messages, including death threats, have been sent to doctors and nurses at the children’s hospital in London, managers revealed on Saturday.

Staff have also been abused in the street, said the hospital.

Scotland Yard has been informed and the hospital has warned it will seek the prosecution of anyone suspected of threatening its staff. The Daily Telegraph

Exclusive: NHS told to close gender pay gap as 'BBC effect' engulfs public sector

Exclusive: NHS told to close gender pay gap as 'BBC effect' engulfs public sector Senior women in the NHS should be given pay rises while men should be passed over to close a widening gender gap, health officials have been told, as the “BBC effect” engulfs more of the public sector.

An official review of executive pay, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, found that, at the highest levels, female NHS managers are being paid almost 9 per cent less than male counterparts – an average gap of around £11,000 a year. The Daily Telegraph

Hospital staff 'sick with stress' over crippling parking fines racked up every week

Hospital staff 'sick with stress' over crippling parking fines racked up every week Dozens of doctors, nurses and support workers have been left suffering high levels of stress and sickness after a NHS trust authorised a private car park operator to pursue them through the courts over unpaid fines.

Several members of staff at the Cardiff trust are understood to have gone off work with stress-related illnesses, off sick with stress, with many others anxious about how they will cope with paying multiple fines for parking at work while saving lives. The Daily Telegraph