Thursday 30 November 2017

Son concerned at treatment of elderly patients after his mum is readmitted to Northampton General four times in two months

Son concerned at treatment of elderly patients after his mum is readmitted to Northampton General four times in two months A son will lodge an official complaint to Northampton General Hospital after his mother was readmitted four times only a matter of days after being sent home.

Raymond Hughes, 64, who lives with his mother Sheila, 79, in Daventry will also write to his MP Chris Heaton-Harris, health minister Jeremy Hunt and the Care Quality Commission to raise his concerns.

Mr Hughes feels aggrieved that his mother, who has dementia, was discharged due to a shortage of beds despite her ill health.

“I want something done about this,” said Mr Hughes.

“The way they treat old people is despicable. Mum deserves to be treated like anyone else.

“I’m not saying it’s the hospital’s fault because they are under a lot of pressure and have to meet Government targets.” Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Why have improvements in mortality slowed down?

Why have improvements in mortality slowed down? Until recently, mortality rates in England and Wales had been falling steadily. However, since 2011, the rate of improvement has slowed and trends in mortality have become more erratic (Figure 1). Strikingly, a sharp rise in mortality in 2015 meant that life expectancy at birth actually fell, before it recovered in 2016. What is causing these changes in the long-term trend? The King's Fund

Open consultation: Restraint and restrictive intervention: draft guidance

Open consultation: Restraint and restrictive intervention: draft guidance The Department of Health is consulting on draft guidance on reducing the need for restraint and restrictive intervention for children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder and mental health needs.

The consultation is seeking views on how well this draft guidance helps a range of settings and services to support children recognised as being at higher risk of restraint. The guidance applies to health and care settings and special educational settings.

The Department of Health and the Department for Education commissioned the Council for Disabled Children to draft this guidance.

Destination GP: medical students’ experiences and perceptions of general practice

Destination GP: medical students’ experiences and perceptions of general practice The Destination GP project aimed to build the evidence base on medical students' perceptions of general practice, and how and where they are exposed to misconceptions and negative views. Based on these findings, this report sets out a series of recommendations where further work is needed to tackle the spread of misconceptions and negativity surrounding general practice. Royal College of General Practitioners

Significant improvment in NHS stroke care, new study finds

Significant improvment in NHS stroke care, new study finds Patients are receiving significantly improved NHS stroke care, an independent report published today has revealed.

The fourth annual report, commissioned by NHS England, states that patients are getting much quicker access to the vital tests and treatment they need when they have a stroke, greatly improving their chances of recovery.

On the key indicators for stroke care, significant quality improvements have been made including on waiting times and specialist care. NHS England

Psychosocial pathways and health outcomes

Psychosocial pathways and health outcomes Unequal distribution of the social determinants of health, such as education, housing and employment, drives inequalities in physical and mental health. There is also extensive evidence that ‘psychosocial’ factors, such as work stress, influence health and wellbeing.

This report highlights the current evidence that exists about the relationships between social
determinants, psychosocial factors and health outcomes. It also provides a conceptual
framework that focuses on the psychosocial pathways between factors associated with social,
economic and environmental conditions, psychological and psychobiological processes, health
behaviours and mental and physical health outcomes. Institute for Health Equity

NHS pay rise: Are there strings attached?

NHS pay rise: Are there strings attached? The headlines following the Budget were clear on NHS pay - nurses were to receive a pay rise after six years of restraint.

The announcement was widely welcomed by not just nurses, but other staff groups on what is known as the Agenda for Change contract. They include everyone from midwives and radiographers to porters and administrative staff.

In total, 1.3 million workers are on that deal, which has been subject to a succession of pay freezes or 1% pay caps since 2010.

It has had a devastating effect, unions argue.

Average nurse pay has fallen by over 14% in real terms, the Royal College of Nursing says, prompting thousands to leave the profession or have to take on second jobs in supermarkets and bars.

But it now looks like the pay rise will come with strings attached. BBC News

NHS plans to ration care access in bid to force through extra funding

NHS plans to ration care access in bid to force through extra funding Board meeting will discuss plan to ration and delay patients’ access to care after receiving less than half the amount called for in this year’s budget

NHS bosses are to meet to discuss plans to ration and delay patients’ access to care, which could set them on a collision course with ministers over health funding.

NHS England’s board will publicly debate what the service will and will not be able to afford to do next year after Philip Hammond gave it less than half the extra money it said it needed. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

The NHS is standing up for itself about underfunding. About time too

The NHS is standing up for itself about underfunding. About time too | Rachel Clarke Perhaps tired of being the government’s whipping boy, the health service head, Simon Stevens, is speaking out. Jeremy Hunt should be worried

When the NHS excels, the government is only too keen to grab a slice of the glory. Manchester, Westminster, London Bridge, Grenfell. This year has been punctuated by acts of terror and disaster to which the NHS has stepped up magnificently – and ministers have flocked for their photo ops, like flies to nectar, full of gushing tributes and praise.

Only a fortnight ago, the prime minister described her “humbling gratitude” for the “incredible people” who staff the NHS when she visited the hospitals who cared for the victims of each of these atrocities. “In every instance,” she wrote in the Daily Mail, “what struck me was not only the medical expertise of the staff, but the compassion with which people were treated and the way the NHS, in an emergency, clicks into action.”

No more is Stevens colluding with Hunt in the fiction that the NHS is performing safely Continue reading... The Guardian

Health chief hits out at Coca-Cola truck tour of 'tooth decay and obesity hot spots'

Health chief hits out at Coca-Cola truck tour of 'tooth decay and obesity hot spots' Coca-Cola should reflect on whether it should stop its red truck tour as it hampers efforts to tackle childhood obesity, the chief executive of Public Health England has warned.

Duncan Selbie said local authorities which are allowing the signature red truck to stop in their towns and cities should "reflect on whether it's in the best interests of the health of local children and families".

The drinks giant's UK truck tour is now in its seventh year, visiting 42 locations.

It started on November 11 in Glasgow and will end in Lakeside, Essex, on December 17. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

NHS trust is fined more than £300,000 for safety breaches

NHS trust is fined more than £300,000 for safety breaches An NHS trust has been fined more than £300,000 after five elderly patients died from falls.

The judge in the case told hospital bosses that had they been a private company the fine would have been at least £1 million.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust admitted failing to ensure the safety of the five elderly people following a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The Daily Mail