Plan to cut £230m from the NHS in Northamptonshire over the next five years needs 'improvement'

Plan to cut £230m from the NHS in Northamptonshire over the next five years needs 'improvement' The NHS's plans to meet its multi-million savings targets in Northamptonshire will be among the most difficult to achieve, a national report has found.

It has now been eight months since health chiefs in the county released their Sustainability Transformation Plan (STP) to shake up the way care is delivered by 2020.

The NHS in Northamptonshire needs to change the way it works in order to meet a projected £230 million shortfall from the Government.

But the plans, which include delivering more care from home and reducing A&E emissions were largely criticised for being difficult to understand, for lacking consultation and for the fact consultants were paid £720,000 to help draw them up.

A report by NHS England, looking at the progress of STPs nationwide, states that Northamptonshire's proposals will be among the most difficult to deliver.

It is one of only five STP areas labelled "needs most improvement". Northampton Chronicle and Echo

STP progress dashboard

STP progress dashboard This report outlines baseline data for each STP area in England relating to progress so far on STP plans against nine domains. The nine domains focus on hospital performance, patient-focused change and transformation. NHS England

Focus on physicians: census of consultant physicians and higher specialty trainees 2016-17

Focus on physicians: census of consultant physicians and higher specialty trainees 2016-17 This report outlines the findings of a wellbeing survey and it finds that only one in four substantive consultant physicians in the UK feel valued by the hospital in which they work. Respondents also reported a desire for more time for teaching, research and patient care in their workload. Royal College of Physicians

Decommissioning health care: identifying best practice through primary and secondary research a prospective mixed-methods study

Decommissioning health care: identifying best practice through primary and secondary research a prospective mixed-methods study This study aims to formulate theoretically grounded, evidence-informed guidance to support best practice in effective decommissioning of NHS services. It finds that there is a lack of robust evidence to guide decommissioning, but among experts there is a high level of consensus for three good-practice principles: establish a strong leadership team, engage clinical leaders from an early stage and establish a clear rationale for change. National Institute for Health Research

Measuring and monitoring of safety framework e-guide: better questions, safer care

Measuring and monitoring of safety framework e-guide: better questions, safer care This guide has been produced in conjunction with Advancing Quality Alliance, UK Improvement Alliance, Health Improvement Scotland and the Improvement Academy.

The guide contains a range of useful resources to help health and care professionals to take a more holistic approach when looking at the safety of care. It also offers detailed case studies and practical templates spanning roles from board to ward, and across ambulance, acute, mental health and primary care settings. Haelo

Vlogger: I'm using magnets to treat depersonalisation

Vlogger: I'm using magnets to treat depersonalisation Dodie Clark suffers from a mental health condition called depersonalisation which leaves her feeling depressed. She has tried a rare new treatment to help her with the condition.

The treatment is called trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. It sends electromagnetic pulses to the brain. BBC News

See also:

• 'Spaced out' BBC News

Length of fitness to practise hearings will be reduced, says MPTS

Length of fitness to practise hearings will be reduced, says MPTS The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) will 'reduce the length' of hearings and offer more support to affected doctors over the next year, it has told parliament. GPonline

The NHS and social care must stop bickering over funding | Niall Dickson

The NHS and social care must stop bickering over funding | Niall Dickson With both parts of the system under pressure, blaming each other will do nothing to help those who rely on services.

A comprehensive settlement for funding social care remains elusive. Successive governments have placed it in the “too difficult” pile and, given the role that social care played in the election campaign and its outcome, it is difficult to envisage the government being able to solve it anytime soon.

Now, as a result of repeated failures to address this fundamental issue, we have a growing dispute between health and local government about how new money announced in the budget earlier this year should be allocated. While there may be those who wish to cast aspersions on either side, the reality is that this dispute reflects the fact that both parts of the system are under intolerable pressure. Yet it is in no one’s interest, least of all those who rely on our services, for the NHS and local government to be at loggerheads about how funding is allocated. Continue reading... The Guardian

Women damaged by surgical mesh furious at NHS report

Women damaged by surgical mesh furious at NHS report Women damaged by surgical mesh used to treat post-childbirth incontinence have reacted with fury to a Government report investigating the problem.

At least 7,800 women say they’ve suffered lacerations and nerve damage because the mesh has broken into tiny fragments.

The report, which is unpublished but has been seen by Good Health, is the result of a three-year investigation by NHS England. It confirms that many more women have complained of injuries than previously suggested and calls for a helpline to support victims. The Daily Mail

Shortfall in hospital doctors causing devastating problems

Shortfall in hospital doctors causing devastating problems Anyone who’s tried to get an appointment with their GP lately will know there aren’t enough family doctors to go round.

The average wait to see a GP is now 13 days, according to a survey by Pulse, the GP magazine, and last week the NHS announced it will recruit an extra 2,000 GPs from overseas to help make up the shortfall.

But it’s not only GPs who are thin on the ground. Many vital specialties, including paediatrics, emergency medicine and mental health, are struggling with severe staff shortages. The Daily Mail

NHS concerns as critically ill people being turned away

NHS concerns as critically ill people being turned away Trusts across the country are introducing 'front-door streaming' by the autumn, with GPs stationed at casualty units to identify the least sick patients in an attempt to relieve overcrowding. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS to review plans to divert patients from hospital A&E departments The Independent

Charlie Gard's parents spend 'last precious moments' with son after ending legal fight

Charlie Gard's parents spend 'last precious moments' with son after ending legal fight Charlie Gard's parents are spending their "last precious moments" with the terminally ill little boy after abandoning attempts to persuade a judge to let him travel to America for experimental therapy.

Lawyers representing Chris Gard and Connie Yates say they want to spend the "maximum amount of time they have left with Charlie".

The little boy would turn one year old on August 4, but Charlie's parents say he "unfortunately won't make his first birthday". The Daily Telegraph