Northampton's nursing teams in the running for two national awards for work with disabled patients in surgery

Northampton's nursing teams in the running for two national awards for work with disabled patients in surgery A Northampton General Hospital project to support adults with complex needs when they have surgery has been shortlisted for a national award.

It is one of two entries from the hospital in the running for the Nursing Times Awards 2017, hosted by The Times newspaper.

Northampton's nursing teams have been listed for the "learning disabilities" award, as well as the "theatres" award for another scheme that trains nurses to work in an operating theatre.

It comes after NGH was rated as "good" in a CQC inspection published in May, up from a "requires improvement" rating in 2014. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

HEE asks for help to get junior doctors back into training

HEE asks for help to get junior doctors back into training We are committed to developing a supportive, high quality learning environment for all doctors in training, regardless of their personal circumstances. We have launched a call for ideas to help us develop a programme of activities to better support junior doctors returning to training after time out. Health Education England

Improving new starter turnover: case study

Improving new starter turnover: case study This case study outlines how East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust worked to improve experiences of staff in their first year of employment at the trust. The trust improved the overall on-boarding experience including starting induction before day one in the role and introducing an online portal for new starters, along with the benefits and the challenges of doing so. This work has resulted in an improvement in new starter turnover of nearly 20 per cent. NHS Employers

Are cardboard baby boxes safe for a sleeping baby?

Are cardboard baby boxes safe for a sleeping baby? Baby boxes are a range of products, usually made from cardboard with a mattress inside, intended for use as a baby’s sleeping place.

It is not possible for baby boxes to fully comply with safety standards, as current British and EU safety standards for nursery furniture only exist for traditional cots cribs and bassinets and there is currently no specific standard for the use of a cardboard box as a sleeping place for an infant.

We are concerned about claims that the cardboard boxes, inspired by those distributed by the Government in Finland, are being promoted as a product parents can use to help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The Lullaby Trust

See also:

• Cot death charity raises concerns over baby boxes BBC News
• Cot death charity raises concerns over Finnish-style 'baby boxes' The Guardian

Mental health patients stranded in units for years

Mental health patients stranded in units for years Mental health patients across the UK are spending years stranded in acute units awaiting discharge, figures show.

Over the past two years, at least 91 patients have waited more than a year to be discharged, with at least seven patients waiting more than two years.

At least 320 patients had to wait at least 100 days to be discharged, BBC Freedom of Information requests show.

Experts say a lack of suitable accommodation and wrangling over budgets are to blame for the delays. BBC News

See also:

• Mental health patients wait more than three years to be discharged from units The Daily Telegraph

Sexual health services 'at tipping point' in England

Sexual health services 'at tipping point' in England Sexual health services in England are "at a tipping point", according to local councils in England, who say visits to clinics have increased while funding has been cut.

The Local Government Association warns that patients could face longer waiting times.

But the latest data shows diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have fallen in the past year.

The government said more than £16bn was being invested in public health. BBC News

See also:

• Sexual health services at tipping point warn councils Local Government Association
• Government cuts 'leave sexual health services at tipping point' The Guardian

Human embryos edited to stop disease

Human embryos edited to stop disease Scientists have, for the first time, successfully freed embryos of a piece of faulty DNA that causes deadly heart disease to run in families.

It potentially opens the door to preventing 10,000 disorders that are passed down the generations.

The US and South Korean team allowed the embryos to develop for five days before stopping the experiment.

The study hints at the future of medicine, but also provokes deep questions about what is morally right. BBC News

'My bursary was essential': readers on ending healthcare training bursaries

'My bursary was essential': readers on ending healthcare training bursaries Scrapping NHS bursaries will free up £800m a year for more nursing roles, but you say introducing tuition fees could make recruitment more difficult

From Tuesday, anyone who wants to train to become a midwife, a nurse, or to go into other allied healthcare professions like speech or physiotherapy will have to start paying tuition fees, and will no longer have access to an NHS bursary to cover their living costs.

The department of health says replacing the bursaries with student loans will free up about £800m a year to create additional nursing roles by 2020, but the NHS is already struggling to fill 40,000 vacant nursing posts. Continue reading... The Guardian

Playing ball: how new partnerships could be the future of joined-up care

Playing ball: how new partnerships could be the future of joined-up care Accountable care systems are being talked up as the new way of keeping older people out of hospital. Or are they just privatisation by the back door?

“My life now is 100% better. In my old flat I was socially isolated and didn’t get out much. But here I have as much privacy but also as much activity and company as I want. And I feel safe here.” Michael James is describing life at Priory View, a sheltered accommodation block in Dunstable, Hertfordshire, that is trying to keep its 83 elderly, often disabled, residents as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Dozens of residents attend its two-hour chair-based exercise class every Thursday, and almost as many turn up for the gadget sessions, where iPad and iPhone skills are taught, to help people stay in touch with friends and loved ones.

“I go out to the supermarket at the front of the complex to collect a newspaper every morning for myself and six others, and have a chat when I deliver them to people who aren’t as mobile as me. It keeps me active and takes me about 75 minutes,” says James, 70, who has walked with a stick since breaking his back in a car crash in 2014. Bingo sessions, as well as book, knitting and gardening clubs offer opportunities to socialise that few residents would have had in their old homes. The year before he moved into Priory View, James – who takes 49 tablets a day for a range of ailments – got four birthday cards; this year he received 48. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS investigation reveals service is rationing wheelchairs

NHS investigation reveals service is rationing wheelchairs The NHS is refusing to supply wheelchairs for tens of thousands of vulnerable patients, an investigation has found.

Some health trusts are turning down as many as two thirds of adults and children referred by GPs for wheelchair services.

And many of those deemed eligible for wheelchairs are having to wait more than four and a half months for them to arrive.

More than 6,600 adults and children had to wait longer than the target 18 weeks in the last three months alone.

The investigation by Buzzfeed News exposes the extent to which cost-cutting NHS trusts are looking for new ways to save cash.

Many are already denying patients hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery unless they meet strict eligibility rules. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The UK’s hidden shame: disabled people trapped at home with no wheelchair The Guardian

'Trainspotting generation' most at risk of drug death

'Trainspotting generation' most at risk of drug death The "Trainspotting generation" in their 40s are now most at risk of death from drugs, ONS data shows.

Figures show that for the first time those aged between 40 and 49 have the highest incidence of drug-related deaths, overtaking those in their 30s.

Deaths reached an all-time high of 3,744 in 2016, an increase of 70 from the previous year.

Rosanna O'Connor, director of drugs, alcohol and tobacco at Public Health England, said: "Many of these deaths can be explained as the ‘Trainspotting’ generation, often with poor physical and mental health, sadly losing their battle with long term addiction to drugs." The Daily Telegraph