Corby Mind opens ‘crisis cafe’ for those with mental health conditions

Corby Mind opens ‘crisis cafe’ for those with mental health conditions A new project aiming to support people with mental health conditions has opened in Corby.

The Sanctuary @ Corby Mind has opened The Sanctuary Crisis Cafe, at 18 Argyle Street, Corby, which will be open for three evenings a week (Thursdays 6pm to 10pm, Fridays and Saturdays 7pm to 11pm) and a Sunday late afternoon (3pm to 7pm).

During these hours residents are free to drop in and sit and chat with the Mind team over a hot drink. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Learning from human guinea pigs: creating open, supportive organisational cultures

Learning from human guinea pigs: creating open, supportive organisational cultures As well as being the 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the legalisation of abortion and the partial de-criminalisation of homosexuality, 2017 marks 50 years since the publication of Human guinea pigs: experimentation on man, which lifted the lid on unethical medical research. The King's Fund

Measuring quality of health care in the NHS: Giving a voice to the patients

Measuring quality of health care in the NHS: Giving a voice to the patients The high profile role that the NHS played in Brexit and recent general election campaigns demonstrates that the health care system remains foremost in the minds of all political parties when considering how to present their policies.

These campaigns put a spotlight on the sustainability of the health care system, but may have also fuelled a fear over deteriorating health system performance. The Health Foundation

Guidance: NHS funds held on trust

Guidance: NHS funds held on trust This guidance gives an introduction to the general principles determining the financial responsibilities of trustees of NHS charities. It outlines how funds held on trust are handled and managed, including the processes for transferring funds to other bodies. Department of Health

A toolkit for school nurses

A toolkit for school nurses This toolkit provides school nurses with information, examples of good practice, templates and useful websites to support and develop professional practice. It considers varying policy and practice which applies across the UK and the range of settings in which school nurses work. Royal College of Nursing

Virtual reality game takes on dementia

Virtual reality game takes on dementia Scientists have developed a virtual reality computer game as part of the world's biggest dementia research experiment.

It is designed to test one of the first things to go with dementia - the ability to navigate.

The original smartphone app had 3 million players, but the move to virtual reality should allow scientists to investigate in greater detail.

Alzheimer's Research UK says the goal is a new way of diagnosing the disease. BBC News

Operations cancelled as cyber attack hits NHS Lanarkshire hospitals and GPs

Operations cancelled as cyber attack hits NHS Lanarkshire hospitals and GPs Operations have been cancelled after hospitals and GP practices run by NHS Lanarkshire were hit by a cyber-attack.

The health board confirmed malicious software had been detected in IT systems, causing appointments and procedures to be postponed.

It said it "took immediate action" to put a solution in place and minimise disruption. Patients are asked not to attend hospital unless it is essential.

It is unclear whether the health board was deliberately targeted. BBC News

See also:

• Ransomware behind NHS Lanarkshire cyber-attack BBC News
• NHS trust hit by cyber attack cancels operations and asks patients not to come to hospital 'unless it is essential' The Independent

Police dealing with record level of phone calls on mental health

Police dealing with record level of phone calls on mental health Forces left to pick up pieces, with senior officer saying cuts and rising demand mean NHS is struggling to cope

Britain’s biggest police force received a phone call relating to mental health every five minutes last year, an escalating level of demand caused by NHS services struggling to cope.

The number of calls handled by the Metropolitan police in which someone was concerned about a person’s mental health hit a record 115,000 in the last year: on average 315 a day, or about 13 an hour.

A woman on crutches walked a mile to smash a shop window in Hereford, then called the police herself, believing that was the best way to get access to mental health services. Continue reading... The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt continues war of words with Stephen Hawking over NHS

Jeremy Hunt continues war of words with Stephen Hawking over NHS Health secretary says scientist is ‘once again wrong in his characterisation of policy’ after Hawking’s latest criticism

The battle of words between the scientist Stephen Hawking and the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, over the health of the NHS has continued with Hunt writing that Hawking “is once again wrong in his characterisation of government policy towards the NHS”.

On Saturday, after a week of angry exchanges, Hawking wrote in the Guardian: “Hunt’s statement that funding and the number of doctors and nurses are at an all-time high is a distraction. Record funding is not the same thing as adequate funding. There is overwhelming evidence that NHS funding and the numbers of doctors and nurses are inadequate, and it is getting worse.” Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• I share Stephen Hawking’s passion for the NHS. But he is wrong on our policy | Jeremy Hunt The Guardian
• Hunt says Hawking is 'wrong' over NHS OnMedica

Online pharmacy targets patients with 'confusing' marketing blitz

Online pharmacy targets patients with 'confusing' marketing blitz Britain’s largest online pharmacy has been accused of “blitzing” people with unsolicited marketing material which some patients may confuse for official NHS correspondence.

Patients have reported mistakenly signing up to Pharmacy2U’s repeat prescription service thinking they have been contacted by their local GP surgery or high street chemist, meaning longstanding prescription arrangements are automatically cancelled.

The Sunday Telegraph understands that in some cases, people have received up to four letters in a matter of weeks, making them believe they must act urgently to avoid losing access to medication.

Hospital to screen all newborns for genetic diseases

Hospital to screen all newborns for genetic diseases A major project at Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust will screen the newborns for inherited conditions or illnesses and provide early treatment. The Daily Mail