Wednesday 15 November 2017

KGH up for food waste management award

KGH up for food waste management award Kettering General Hospital has been shortlisted for an award for how it manages food waste.

The Waste2Zero awards are the first of its kind in the food waste sector, being specifically designed to showcase best practice and recognise excellence in the sector.

KGH has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Waste Management Project Award (Food)’ which celebrates how food waste is managed.

The hospital cares for more than 371,000 patients a year with a staff of 3,200 people, and serves 1,800 meals a day to patients. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Winter is coming. How much would it cost to keep the pressure down?

Winter is coming. How much would it cost to keep the pressure down? The evenings are drawing in, and NHS minds are once again focusing on the impending winter pressures.

Over the last few years, even the best run hospitals have faced increasing problems achieving the national target to treat people within four hours of arriving at A&E. The number of people attending A&E has continued to grow, as has the proportion admitted as an emergency. But as funding fails to keep pace with demand, the prospect of hitting the four-hour target seems to slip further away every year. Hospitals are now struggling to meet the A&E target all year round, leading the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation to say the winter crisis is now an all year round crisis. The Health Foundation

A reduction in new HIV diagnoses is no reason to reduce effort

A reduction in new HIV diagnoses is no reason to reduce effort It is six months since we published our report on The future of HIV services in England. One of the reasons we were interested in HIV services was the fast pace of change in this area in terms of new treatments, changing needs of an ageing cohort of people living with HIV as well as changing epidemiological patterns.

That fast pace has certainly continued since our study was published. The King's Fund

Nursing staff stretched to breaking point over pay

Nursing staff stretched to breaking point over pay An RCN survey today lays bare the extent of financial pressure on the nursing workforce, as the College calls for a “clear signal” on pay in next week’s Budget.

Nursing staff are suffering such financial hardship that nearly three out of four say they feel worse off than they did five years ago, while almost a quarter have had to take on another job simply to make ends meet.

These are some of the findings from the RCN’s biennial employment survey, published today.

The results come ahead of next week’s Budget, when the Chancellor is being urged to address the issue of public sector pay. Royal College of Nursing

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Commuters urged to help stop suicides through small talk

Commuters urged to help stop suicides through small talk Commuters are being urged to step in if they see vulnerable people near railway tracks, as part of a campaign to prevent suicide.

Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) and Samaritans hope the "Small Talk Saves Lives" campaign will give travellers the confidence to intervene.

BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said engaging someone in conversation could "make all the difference".

In 2016/17, 273 people died in suicide incidents on the UK's railways.

Ian Stevens from Network Rail, who manages the industry's suicide prevention programme, said: "Given that nearly five million journeys are made by train every day, we are asking for passengers to work alongside our staff as the eyes and ears of the railway, helping us to keep everybody safe." BBC News

Should healthcare be rationed for patients who smoke or are obese?

Should healthcare be rationed for patients who smoke or are obese? Is it right for patients to be prevented from having certain types of treatment, unless they quit smoking or lose weight?

Some health trusts argue this is a way to improve results of non-emergency operations, but critics claim it is also a way to deal with the pressure on NHS budgets by rationing care. BBC News

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Health insurance tax hike pushes 200000 people from private cover to NHS, research finds - The Independent

Health insurance tax hike pushes 200000 people from private cover to NHS, research finds A tax hike on health insurance could be putting more strain on the NHS by causing almost 200,000 people to ditch their private cover in the last three years, new research has suggested.

Insurance Premium Tax (IPT), which is levied on some types of policies, including health insurance, has doubled to 12 per cent since 2015.

According to the study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), which was commissioned by private healthcare provider Bupa, the rises have contributed to thousands of people giving up policies which covered treatment for conditions including cancer, heart and joint surgery. The Independent

New trackable pill knows when it has been taken and can talk to doctors

New trackable pill knows when it has been taken and can talk to doctors US regulators are allowing doctors use the first intuitive medicine, which knows whether or not it has been taken.

The “trackable” pill can talk to doctors and tell them whether their patients have taken the drugs they need.

The pill was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2002 to treat schizophrenia, and the sensor technology was allowed to be marketed in 2012. Now the FDA says the two can work together – by sending a message from a sensor in the pill to a patch the patient wears – to digitally-enhance people’s treatment. The Independent

A&E units, GP surgeries and walk-in centres to close as cash crisis bites

A&E units, GP surgeries and walk-in centres to close as cash crisis bites NHS bodies have decided in the last four months alone to shut or downgrade 70 services, says campaign group 38 Degrees.

Dozens of A&E units, GP surgeries and walk-in centres have been earmarked for closure because of the NHS’s money problems, understaffing and modernisation plan, a new report reveals on Wednesday.

NHS bodies have decided in the last four months alone to shut or downgrade at least 70 services across England, the campaign group 38 Degrees has found. Continue reading... The Guardian

Long NHS delays can be 'devastating' for patients with eating disorders

Long NHS delays can be 'devastating' for patients with eating disorders Charity helping people suffering from anorexia and bulimia reveals people waiting up to five years to start treatment

People with an eating disorder are waiting as long as five years to start treatment on the NHS, putting their recovery in peril, according to a report.

Beat, a charity which helps people suffering from anorexia and bulimia, warns that delays to access vital care can have a “devastating” impact on those with eating disorders. Continue reading... The Guardian

'We are a force to be reckoned with': voices of newly qualified nurses

'We are a force to be reckoned with': voices of newly qualified nurses Those entering nursing now are faced with increased responsibility in a challenging NHS environment. Here’s what they think.

Nursing isn’t what I expected it to be, there’s never enough time for patient contact which really saddens me. Nurses are now mainly office-based and have to delegate the patient contact to healthcare workers. I often class a good shift as one where I have managed to sit down and talk to someone who needed me. I finish most shifts feeling guilty and wake up in the middle of the night and remember things I didn’t have time to do. The stress of the job is unbelievable.

It seems more of an uphill battle to get what is deserved and to get the kind of respect nurses used to get Continue reading... The Guardian

Hospital risk for elderly unable to see the same GP

Hospital risk for elderly unable to see the same GP Elderly people who are passed around different GPs are at a greater risk of being rushed to hospital with surprise medical conditions, according to a new study.

A survey of 10,000 patients by Bristol University found those unable to see the same family doctor were more than twice as likely to require emergency admission.

Experts believe that patients having to repeat their medical history to each new practitioner wastes valuable minutes meaning symptoms of serious illness go undetected. The Daily Telegraph

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NHS patient's 812 days waiting as delays 'out of control'

NHS patient's 812 days waiting as delays 'out of control' Patients are waiting up to two weeks longer for routine operations than a year ago, an investigation has found.

Some have been languishing on hospital waiting lists for more than two years when they are meant to be treated within 18 weeks.

The average wait for a knee replacement in 2016/17 was 114 days – nearly four months - compared to 100 days in 2015/16.

For hip replacements, the average wait was 108 days, a rise from 96 days the year before. The Daily Mail

Parkinson's pandemic is on the horizon, experts warn

Parkinson's pandemic is on the horizon, experts warn A Parkinson's disease pandemic is on the horizon with cases of the disease more than doubling in just 25 years.

Scientists have warned it is now the world's fastest growing neurological disorder - ahead of dementia - and shows no signs of slowing.

There are now about 6.9 million Parkinson's patients worldwide and, by 2040, the number will grow to 14.2 million as the population ages.

Neurologists are now demanding sufferers of the disease take action and protest on the streets to raise awareness in the hope of eventually finding a cure. The Daily Mail

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