Wednesday 25 October 2017

‘You need a whole system to work for the whole system to work’

‘You need a whole system to work for the whole system to work’ Recently, the Fund hosted a visit by leaders of the health system in Canterbury, New Zealand. In this guest blog – the second of three drawing on experiences shared during the visit – David Meates, Chief Executive of the Canterbury District Health Board, explains how organisations within the Canterbury health system have moved from playing the ‘blame game’ to working together to provide the best possible care for the local population. The King's Fund

Towards an effective NHS payment system: eight principles

Towards an effective NHS payment system: eight principles This report sets out eight principles for a future payment system, primarily arguing that clarity of purpose is required to refocus the system’s many objectives. It argues that that now is the ideal time to review the system, with vanguards and STPs already changing the way that care is delivered, while a two-year fixed payment by results tariff offers space for reform. The Health Foundation

Children and young people's mental health – the role of education: government response

Children and young people's mental health – the role of education: government response In May 2017, two Commons Select Committees published a joint report which examined key issues relating to children and young people's mental health across education and health care. This report outlines the government's response to the recommendations arising in the original inquiry report. House of Commons Education and Health Committees

Use of resources assessment: a brief guide for acute non-specialist trusts

Use of resources assessment: a brief guide for acute non-specialist trusts The Use of resources assessment framework aims to improve understanding of how effectively and efficiently NHS providers are using their resources. By the end of 2019, all acute non-specialist trusts will have undergone an assessment. This briefing provides an overview for non-specialist acute trusts on the agenda for the onsite visit and other useful information. NHS Improvement 

Postnatal depression: Call for new fathers to be screened

Postnatal depression: Call for new fathers to be screened A man who suffered depression after the birth of his son has called for all new fathers to be screened for the illness.

"I remember I was in a car park one day and I just broke down crying," said Mark Williams of Bridgend-based Fathers Reaching Out charity.

Both Mr Williams and his wife suffered from postnatal depression after the traumatic birth of their child.

He wants mental health checks for all new parents but there are currently no plans to change the guidelines. BBC News

E-cigarettes: Cross-party group of MPs launches inquiry

E-cigarettes: Cross-party group of MPs launches inquiry MPs are to carry out an inquiry into e-cigarettes amid concerns there are "significant gaps" in what is known about them and how they are regulated.

The science and technology committee will look at their effectiveness as a stop-smoking tool and the impact of their growing use on health.

Nearly three million people in the UK now "vape" regularly - four times more than in 2012. BBC News

Hackers breach top plastic surgery clinic

Hackers breach top plastic surgery clinic A high-profile plastic surgery clinic has said it is "horrified" after hackers allegedly stole data during a cyber-attack.

London Bridge Plastic Surgery (LBPS) said its IT experts and police found evidence of the breach.

A group claiming to be behind the breach said it had "terabytes" of data, the Daily Beast news site reported.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the attack. BBC News

Ambulances failing to reach the most seriously ill patients in time

Ambulances failing to reach the most seriously ill patients in time Ambulances are failing to reach dying and critically ill patients fast enough with the system at breaking point, an ITV News investigation has found.

Paramedics are expected to reach the most serious emergencies - such as cardiac arrests or strokes - within eight minutes.

But our research has revealed that thousands of patients in England have had to endure delays well in excess of that target, with some forced to wait for several hours.

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Jane Flint: ‘Having an atheist chaplain is about patient choice’

Jane Flint: ‘Having an atheist chaplain is about patient choice’ The first non-religious pastoral carer in the NHS on why patients need someone to just be there – to hear their stories or bear witness to their pain, whatever their beliefs.

The stress of coming into hospital can take its toll on patients and relatives alike and Jane Flint’s role as a member of the chaplaincy at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS trust is to offer emotional and spiritual support to patients, visitors and staff. The difference between her and the other 12 chaplains is that she is an atheist. Duties are the same as for the other chaplains bar offering prayers, rituals or a religious perspective. “It was wonderful to have you with me. Just knowing that there was someone available who had similar beliefs to mine and that you were coming to see me or I could ask for a visit made such a difference to the rest of my time in hospital,” wrote a former NHS patient.

Like them, Flint will see non-religious and religious people alike who request her services. The role, says Flint, is about “just being there”, whether to hear people’s life stories, to provide a sounding board, or to bear witness to somebody’s pain. It can be about conducting a service for a miscarried child, or for a person who was all alone in life; it can be to provide company, or to give someone time. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Could science fiction save NHS data and improve our health?

Could science fiction save NHS data and improve our health? The most persistent fear for healthcare in 2100 was about the exploitation of genetic data. But health data could be a huge force for good. We need an open debate now

The NHS lurches its way through funding crises and organisational dilemmas. It faces the challenge of antibiotic resistance and it must ponder the deeply conflicted question of the uses and abuses of new technology. Its short-term horizon is so thronged with urgent problems that it would be a surprise if anyone had the spare capacity to consider how things could look by the end of the century.

A new social enterprise, Kaleidoscope Health & Care, however, decided it would be useful to try to raise the collective medical gaze into the very long term. Last year it organised a science fiction short story competition and invited writers to consider healthcare in 2100. The winners are announced on Thursday. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Homeowners offered £1,000 to host NHS patients in spare rooms in 'Airbnb-style scheme'

Homeowners offered £1,000 to host NHS patients in spare rooms in 'Airbnb-style scheme' The NHS is piloting a new ‘Airbnb’-style scheme in which homeowners will be paid £1,000 a month to ‘host’ patients in their spare rooms in a bid to combat bed blocking.

Start-up company CareRooms is working with trusts and councils in Essex to link up members of the public with patients who have had a minor procedure - such as a knee operation - but who live alone or have no family to help them convalesce.

In return for fees of up to £1,000 a month, hosts are asked to ‘welcome the patient, cook three microwave meals a day, and offer conversation,’ the Health Service Journal (HSJ) has discovered. The Daily Telegraph

£15,000 robot to look after elderly in Southend care home

£15,000 robot to look after elderly in Southend care home Care homes plan to use robots to interact with the elderly – raising fears they could become a cheap replacement for staff.

A £15,000 robot is to patrol care homes and seek out elderly residents in Southend to talk to.

And a separate British trial starting this month will use robots to bolster staff at homes in the UK, Poland and Greece.

It is hoped that they will eventually be able to monitor pulses and signs of illness in order to alert staff. The Daily Mail

Three people bitten by crocodiles in England last year

Three people bitten by crocodiles in England last year Three people were rushed to hospital after being bitten by crocodiles in England last year, Government figures show.

One adult was even attacked by the dangerous reptile in a 'residential institution', often used in statistics to define a care home.

The bizarre incidents, normally seen in parts of Africa, Asia and Australia, were released by NHS Digital and formed part of a table of the weirdest hospital admissions. The Daily Mail

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