A joined-up approach to recruitment

A joined-up approach to recruitment Andrew Belcher, clinical resource planning manager at Northampton General Hospital, explains how healthcare providers in his county have come together collectively to address the skills crisis.

The shortage of nurses and doctors is a national issue. The Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive and general secretary, Janet Davies, recently revealed there are 40,000 nursing vacancies in England, with 96% of hospitals in the UK having nursing shortages. It was also reported that GP recruitment has slumped by 20%, adding to the pressures on A&E doctors because people have trouble accessing a GP.

In Northamptonshire, four leading NHS healthcare providers have partnered with the University of Northampton to collectively address the skills crisis.

Northampton General Hospital has partnered with the University of Northampton, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS FT, Kettering General Hospital and St Andrew’s Healthcare to launch the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ recruitment campaign. National Health Executive

See also:

• Nurses needed across Northamptonshire News-Medical.Net

Corby Urgent Care Centre contingency plan ‘no longer an option’

Corby Urgent Care Centre contingency plan ‘no longer an option’ Corby CCG says it is unable to make any reassurances over provision for the town’s urgent care centre when the current contract ends in nine weeks.

The site in Cottingham Road has been at the centre of an ongoing row over funding, with operators Lakeside+ saying a new contract to start on October 1 doesn’t offer enough money.

Corby CCG put the contract out to tender but the only bidder withdrew - and it’s now been revealed that that bidder was the same organisation which was earmarked as a contingency operator when Lakeside+ threatened to walk away in March. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Practical value in the NHS

Practical value in the NHS ‘Value’ sounds like a familiar concept but it can mean different things to different people. One definition of value in the health and care sector is ‘health outcomes per dollar spent’, so attempts to increase value can look at either improving quality or reducing cost.

The King’s Fund has previously highlighted the fact that addressing waste and variability in clinical work can create better value in the NHS. But what does value mean to people working in the NHS – and how it is being applied in practice?

Are STP mental health plans destined to fail?

Are STP mental health plans destined to fail? Norman Lamb MP warns that it would be a huge mistake to waste the opportunity sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) present to fix struggling mental health services and encourage parity of esteem. National Health Executive

Nursing associate case studies published

Nursing associate case studies published Health Education England has now published a range of case studies on the pilot nursing associate role programme, featuring the new trainees.

Using data to improve nurse retention case study

Using data to improve nurse retention case study A new case study looking at how staff from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust used data to reduce nurse turnover by 2 per cent and the costs relating to recruitment of temporary and agency staff. NHS Employers

‘Top up stealth tax’ forced on older people entitled to free care

‘Top up stealth tax’ forced on older people entitled to free care A new report has revealed that the families of a quarter of care home residents whose care is supposed to be free are being forced into paying top up fees.

When a person is moving into a care home they take the means-test to decide whether they are able to pay for their own care or whether the council should pay. To qualify for state-funded support, they must show that they have modest assets - which currently can only be up to the value of £23,250.

In its latest 'Behind the headlines' report, Age UK has revealed that even those who have met these strict conditions to pass the means test are now being made to pay ‘top up fees’. These fees are paid by the care home resident to supplement the council’s payment of their care.

GPC warning ignored as CCGs roll out bans on GPs prescribing OTC drugs

GPC warning ignored as CCGs roll out bans on GPs prescribing OTC drugs CCGs are imposing bans on GPs prescribing drugs available OTC just days after NHS England began a consultation on the issue, despite warnings that GPs refusing to prescribe medicines their patients need could be in breach of their contracts. GPonline

NHS accused of shrouding £500m of planned cuts in secrecy

NHS accused of shrouding £500m of planned cuts in secrecy BMA says patients deserve to know the impact of savings in healthcare across England

Doctors’ leaders have accused NHS bosses of shrouding controversial plans for £500m of cuts to services across England in “totally unacceptable secrecy”.

Patients deserve to know how hospitals being told to “think the unthinkable” as part of the savings drive will affect their access to healthcare, the British Medical Association (BMA) said on Friday. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Refusal to discuss 'unthinkable' cuts British Medical Association
• Secret NHS cuts will cause uproar once revealed, doctors claim ITV News

I’m an NHS doctor: understaffing is putting my patients at risk | Anonymous

I’m an NHS doctor: understaffing is putting my patients at risk | Anonymous The government has broken its word and, despite all the warnings, seems to be ignoring the danger of a Mid Staffs-style scandal on a national scale• Anonymous is a junior hospital doctor

A new joke is doing the rounds in my hospital. How many doctors does it take to change a lightbulb? The answer is 11. One to do the actual changing, the other 10 invented by Department of Health spin doctors in response to the latest headlines about NHS understaffing.

This week, those headlines could not have been more stark. Data from NHS Digital revealed that there are more than 86,000 vacant posts in NHS England – a rise of 15.8% on last year, and the highest number on record. But not one of the doctors and nurses I work with was remotely surprised by the news. One day’s fleeting headlines are our everyday lived and breathed reality.

Keeping everyone safe will demand superhuman efforts that I’m not sure I have the stamina to keep providing much longer Continue reading... The Guardian

My son died of sepsis. He'd still be alive if I'd known what it was

My son died of sepsis. He'd still be alive if I'd known what it was There is a gaping hole in public, and clinical, awareness of the condition. Information about sepsis needs to be put into parents’ hands

My son Sam should be 10 years old. I say “should” because on 23 December 2010 he died suddenly and avoidably from sepsis. When he came down with flu-like symptoms the week before Christmas I wasn’t overly concerned as he was still behaving like Sam would when he was ill.

But the morning of 22 December was different. He didn’t perk up as normal after medicine. He looked very pale, wasn’t interested in anything and was incredibly thirsty. What struck me as most odd was that his very high temperature had dropped almost to normal, but he looked so much more ill. I thought a lowering temperature meant he should be getting better – it didn’t make sense. I had never heard of sepsis. Continue reading... The Guardian

Capita to blame for NHS data loss of 100,000 patients

Capita to blame for NHS data loss of 100,000 patients More than 100,000 patients were caught up in NHS data blunders in the last 12 months, official figures reveal.

Sacks of medical records were delivered to the wrong surgeries, emails sent to private firms and confidential details published on websites.

The number of serious ‘data’ incidents has doubled in a year and they are now occurring at a frequency of one every three weeks.

According to the NHS’s own figures, some 18 serious errors were reported in 2016/17 affecting just under 101,000 patients.

In one case last July a health trust mistakenly sent confidential information about 100,000 patients to an unnamed ‘third party. The Daily Mail

Blunders behind NHS baby deaths risk cover-ups under new plans

Blunders behind NHS baby deaths risk cover-ups under new plans NHS blunders which leave babies stillborn will be brushed under the carpet under government plans to limit legal fees, safety campaigners have warned.

Health officials have drawn up plans to cap legal costs for claims where damages are worth less than £25,000. This includes the deaths of newborns, and stillbirths - where Britain’s record is among the worst in the developed world.

But patients’ groups say the plans will worsen safety in the NHS, fuelling a soaring bill for catastrophic maternity errors because lessons are not being learned. The Daily Telegraph