Friday 25 August 2017

REVEALED: The best and worst GP surgeries in East Northamptonshire as rated by you

REVEALED: The best and worst GP surgeries in East Northamptonshire as rated by you Irthlingborough’s Spinney Brook Medical Centre is the best GP surgery in East Northamptonshire, according to the results of a patient survey.

The High Street practice came out on top with 95 per cent of patients who go there saying they had a ‘good’ experience.

Nene Valley Surgery in Thrapston came second with 92 per cent echoing the good impression. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Yarn bombers cover Corby Urgent Care Centre

Yarn bombers cover Corby Urgent Care Centre Staff and visitors at Corby’s Urgent Care Centre were given a surprise this morning after turning up to see it covered in knitted decorations. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Developing accountable care systems Lessons from Canterbury, New Zealand

Developing accountable care systems Lessons from Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) is responsible for planning, organising, purchasing and providing health and care services for the largest and most highly populated region of New Zealand’s South Island. Like other health systems around the world, Canterbury has faced growing demand for hospital care, and a review in 2007 highlighted unaffordable projections for future hospital demand, poor performance in emergency and elective care, and financial deficits. To address these pressures, Canterbury DHB set out to transform the health system, fundamentally redesigning ways of working. The King's Fund

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Primary Care Home: Evaluating a new model of primary care

Primary Care Home: Evaluating a new model of primary care This is an evaluation report for the Primary Care Home (PCH) model – a way of organising care for groups of 30,000 to 50,000 patients. It was developed by the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), which commissioned this report.

Established last year, the model seeks to link staff from general practice, community-based services, hospitals, mental health services, social care and voluntary organisations to deliver joined-up care. The model was piloted in 15 rapid test sites, each of which qualified for £40,000 of start-up funding from NHS England. Since then another 170 sites have signed up.

Our formative evaluation was based on reviews in 2016/17 of 13 rapid test sites’ plans and priorities for building the PCH model, and an in-depth look at the progress and early successes in three case study areas.

The report looks at how sites can make early progress with implementing and evaluating their local PCH models, examines what might stand in the way of change and offers a number of broader lessons for the NHS as a whole. The Nuffield Trust

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On the road to Health 2020 policy targets: monitoring qualitative indicators - an update

On the road to Health 2020 policy targets: monitoring qualitative indicators - an update This report shows an overall improvement in the implementation of Health 2020 values and principles in the countries of the WHO European Region. Between 2010 and 2016, the share of responding countries that had policies addressing inequalities increased from 88 per cent to 98 per cent. Those that aligned national policies with Health 2020 also increased during this period, from 58 per cent to 92 per cent. World Health Organization

Home Care: what people told Healthwatch about their experiences

Home Care: what people told Healthwatch about their experiences Over the last year, the number of local Healthwatch citing improvements to home care services as a priority for their community has doubled. The new report explains what people have told Healthwatch about their experience of home care.

Stopping conflict 'boiling over' at children's hospitals

Stopping conflict 'boiling over' at children's hospitals In his final ruling on the distressing and tortuous legal case of baby Charlie Gard, the High Court judge said last month that mediation should be tried in all such cases.

Is it possible to defuse conflict between parents and hospital staff in these highly charged situations?

A project that began at Evelina Children's Hospital, in London, might hold some answers.

It has also been applied in Southampton, where the children's hospital was at the centre of a political and media firestorm three years ago. BBC News

Female veterans' mental health 'overlooked'

Female veterans' mental health 'overlooked' A much smaller proportion of female veterans are accessing mental health support than their male counterparts, the charity Forward Assist has said.

It says there is a "hidden population" of ex-servicewomen with mental health issues, which it is looking to support. BBC News

Portsmouth hospital 'fed patients pills in ice cream'

Portsmouth hospital 'fed patients pills in ice cream' Hospital staff secretly fed pills to patients by hiding them in their meals and in ice cream, the health watchdog has found.

Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth has been given a formal warning by the Care Quality Commission over its "very poor care".

In a separate incident, inspectors had to intervene and help a choking patient when two staff members failed to act.

The hospital said it was confident it would be able to improve.

Inspectors, who visited in February, rated medical care at the hospital as "inadequate". BBC News

Government cuts have caused 'human catastrophe' for disabled, UN committee says

Government cuts have caused 'human catastrophe' for disabled, UN committee says Government welfare cuts have created a “human catastrophe” for disabled people in the UK, the chairwoman of an influential United Nations committee has said.

Theresia Degener, who leads the UN's Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), said the UK Government has “totally neglected” disabled people.

Ministers are also accused of misleading the public about the impact of Government policies by refusing to answer questions and using statistics in an unclear way. The Independent

NHS accused of keeping secret its plans to cut services

NHS accused of keeping secret its plans to cut services Campaigners say freedom of information requests to NHS trusts and government have been turned down

The NHS has been accused of keeping the public in the dark about controversial plans to plug a £250m funding gap by rationing services.

The crowdfunded campaign group 38 Degrees submitted freedom of information (FOI) requests to the government, NHS leaders as well as trusts and clinical commissioning groups in the 13 areas affected but all except two refused to release details of planned changes. Continue reading... The Guardian

The NHS saved my little sister – so I decided to become a doctor

The NHS saved my little sister – so I decided to become a doctor A trip to accident and emergency as an eight-year-old 32 years ago was the inspiration for my career

For many doctors in the UK, this time of the year is the anniversary of the start of our careers. For me, 2017 is also the 32nd anniversary of the event that determined why I became a doctor.

In 1981, when my sister wasn’t even one year old, she contracted epiglottitis. She was very sick and was treated at Raigmore hospital in Inverness. She recovered but, four years later, in August 1985, she became sick again with a runny nose, fever, and raspy breathing. I was eight, but I remember that she looked toxic. Continue reading... The Guardian

School nurse shortage 'putting children's lives at risk'

School nurse shortage 'putting children's lives at risk' Royal College of Nursing calls on government and local authorities to properly fund school nursing services

Children’s lives are being put at risk because of the shortages of school nurses, experts have warned.

Austerity measures have resulted in more than 500 school nurses leaving the profession without being replaced. Continue reading... The Guardian

Half of hospital admissions for alcohol are baby boomers

Half of hospital admissions for alcohol are baby boomers Younger Britons are drinking far less than previous generations but alcohol is still a key part in the lives of their parents, they say. The Daily Mail