Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Fire service scheme helps Northamptonshire people stay safe and independent at home

Fire service scheme helps Northamptonshire people stay safe and independent at home A pilot scheme providing health and wellbeing advice to help vulnerable and older people stay safe and independent at home is being expanded by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS).


The Safe and Well initiative was developed as a national concept by the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, with guidance from Public Health England, to address the link between fire and health and social care factors.

In Northamptonshire, it has been piloted as an expansion of an existing home safety visit scheme, where firefighters visit homes to provide fire safety advice and is primarily aimed at older people, especially those who live alone. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Sustainability and transformation plans and partnerships

Sustainability and transformation plans and partnerships This House of Commons Library briefing covers the context in which STPs have been developed, their funding and accountability arrangements as well as their progress so far. A key role of these partnerships was the creation of local blueprints for delivering the 5YFV, known as sustainability and transformation plans (STPs). This briefing therefore explores how these plans were developed, as well as research and debate surrounding the content and implementation of these plans.

New Deputy Chief Medical Officer appointed

New Deputy Chief Medical Officer appointed The Department of Health has confirmed the appointment of Professor Jonathan Van-Tam as the new Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England.

Professor Van-Tam will take up the position on 2 October 2017. He replaces Professor John Watson who is retiring after 4 years in the role.

The Deputy Chief Medical Officers are senior public health leaders who support the Chief Medical Officer – the most senior adviser on health and medicine to the UK government.

Professor Van-Tam is an internationally recognised flu, vaccine and respiratory expert. During his 25-year career, he has advised the World Health Organization, the UK Government and The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on influenza and other respiratory virus infections.

Latest trends in district nurse student numbers

Latest trends in district nurse student numbers The aim of this research is to measure how many nurses are undertaking this specialist education at any one time and how many are likely to graduate in the near future. Some students study full time over the course of one year, whereas others study part time over the course of two years.

The QNI originally began to research the number of District Nurse SPQ students in education, due to concerns that numbers were falling over time and that the quality of patient care would be impacted by this loss of skills in the District Nursing workforce. The Queen's Nursing Institute

Flu vaccine: NHS patients wanted to test 'universal' jab

Flu vaccine: NHS patients wanted to test 'universal' jab Researchers are seeking about 500 NHS patients to try out a new "universal" vaccine against seasonal flu.

The experimental vaccine works differently from the one currently available, which has to be remade each year based on a "best guess" of what type of flu is likely to be about.

The new jab targets part of the virus that does not change each year.

This means the vaccine should work against human, bird and swine flu, say the team at University of Oxford.

It will offer people better protection, they believe. BBC News

Mental health: 10 charts on the scale of the problem

Mental health: 10 charts on the scale of the problem At any one time, a sixth of the population in England aged 16 to 64 have a mental health problem, according to statistics body NHS Digital.

Whether it is family or friends, neighbours or work colleagues, the chances are we all know someone who is affected.

And bearing in mind the figure leaves out less common conditions and is a snapshot in time, you could easily argue it is even more prevalent than that. Indeed many do.

With Prime Minister Theresa May expected to announce plans to improve care next week, these 10 charts show the extent of the challenge. BBC News

NHS privatisation exposed: Scale of treatment for paying patients at NHS hospitals revealed

NHS privatisation exposed: Scale of treatment for paying patients at NHS hospitals revealed An investigation by The Independent has exposed the extent of creeping NHS privatisation, leaving experts warning that state patients risk being sidelined as beds are diverted to private users.

Data obtained under Freedom of Information law shows income from private patients at one of London’s best-known cancer-specialist hospitals doubled in six years as the law was changed to allow NHS trusts to do more paid work.

Statistics quietly released by the Government show the situation is not isolated, with the total amount of income NHS England made from private patients leaping by a third between 2011-12 and 2016-17.

Dementia is a terrible word. Why do people still use it?

Dementia is a terrible word. Why do people still use it? It’s important to get an early diagnosis but the word is offensive and takes power away from people

Dementia is a word with a horrific impact.

I’m talking about the word and its origins, not the disease. I have observed people living well with dementia and this antiquated and negative term belittles the contribution to society that they can make. I am in my third year of a PhD and my research is based in care homes where I get to observe good care that challenges, includes and promotes a sense of purpose for residents with dementia. Before this I worked as a community nurseContinue reading... The Guardian

Protesters stage London demo against plans for patient ID checks

Protesters stage London demo against plans for patient ID checks Critics fear checks will destroy relationship NHS staff have with patients and create climate of fear that stops people accessing care

Protesters gathered at St Thomas’ hospital in central London on Saturday to voice opposition to the introduction of ID checks at hospitals and up-front charges for patients not eligible for NHS care.

People from overseas are already liable for the cost of treatment, but new rules will require hospitals, community interest companies and charities receiving NHS funds to identify such patients before treatment in order to bill them. Continue reading... The Guardian


NHS is not fit for the 21st century hospital chief inspector warns 

NHS is not fit for the 21st century hospital chief inspector warns The NHS is not fit for the 21st century, the new chief inspector of hospitals has said - warning all trusts to take urgent steps to make Accident & Emergency departments safe.

Prof Ted Baker said it was “not acceptable” to keep “piling patients into corridors” as he urged hospital leaders to act swiftly to guard the safety of those in their care.

In his first interview as chief inspector, he said too many hospitals had normalised “wholly unsatisfactory” arrangements which endangered patients, as well as denying basic privacy and dignity. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

NHS accused of 'culling the sick' as free transport to dialysis stopped

NHS accused of 'culling the sick' as free transport to dialysis stopped The NHS has been accused of “cullling the sick” after drawing up plans to stop funding transport for dialysis patients.

Under the rationing proposals, patients with kidney failure living in rural areas will be expected to make their own way to treatment, which some say will cost them hundreds of pounds in buses and taxis.

Charities described the plans as “outrageous” - and said they were “extremely worried” that patients - especially the elderly and vulnerable - would die as a result of the changes, planned across the NHS in Cornwall. The Daily Telegraph

Bed-blocking 'is causing 8,000 deaths every year'

Bed-blocking 'is causing 8,000 deaths every year' Up to 8,000 people die every year because of bed-blocking on NHS wards, experts claim.

The toll is the result of so-called delayed discharges, in which there are no beds for those who need surgery because patients who have been treated and are medically fit to go home cannot leave hospital.

This leads to the cancellation of operations, which may not be rescheduled for weeks. Research by experts at the universities of Oxford, Liverpool, York and Glasgow suggests this may lead to thousands of deaths.

Using NHS figures from August 2010 to March 2016, the team found that when delayed discharges rose sharply between 2014 and 2015 the number of deaths in the wider population soared as well. The Daily Mail

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Middle England's £623million bailout for the NHS

Middle England's £623million bailout for the NHS Britain's hard-pressed middle class is being forced to plunder savings and rack up huge debts to pay a staggering £623 million for vital operations that NHS hospitals are struggling to perform.

Record numbers of patients are shelling out up to £15,000 a time, after being told they must wait many months for treatment despite being in extreme pain, according to a hard-hitting report.

They are cashing in ISAs and pensions, taking out loans, borrowing from families and friends, and 'maxing out' credit cards to fund treatment they should have had sooner on the NHS, say experts. The Daily Mail