Walk-in service scrapped as GPs are asked to refer to 'overflow hub' An urgent care centre in Corby is replacing their walk-in service with an appointment-only GP hub service from March 2019, allowing GPs to refer there when they have no free appointments, Pulse can reveal.
NHS Corby CCG has approved plans to set up a new system, which will see patients ring their GP practice and speak to a ‘trained navigator’ who will book them into same-day appointments at their GP practice or a ‘same day access hub’ run via an APMS contract if no appointments are available elsewhere. Pulse
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
KGH nurses help fight deadly disease among refugees in Bangladesh
KGH nurses help fight deadly disease among refugees in Bangladesh Four nurses from Kettering General Hospital have helped fight a potentially deadly outbreak of diphtheria among refugees in Bangladesh.
Head of nursing for urgent and emergency care David Anderson, advanced clinical practitioner Mandy Blackman, A&E matron Melanie Donelan and staff nurse Pippa Coe have all spent up to three weeks as part of a UK Emergency Medical Team deployed to Cox’s Bazar. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Head of nursing for urgent and emergency care David Anderson, advanced clinical practitioner Mandy Blackman, A&E matron Melanie Donelan and staff nurse Pippa Coe have all spent up to three weeks as part of a UK Emergency Medical Team deployed to Cox’s Bazar. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Mental health trusts’ income lower than in 2011-12
Mental health trusts’ income lower than in 2011-12 Mental health trusts have less money to spend on patient care in real terms than they did in 2012, official figures analysed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists show.
The College is calling for mental health trusts to be given more money and for better ways of tracking where mental health money is being spent. It fears some of that money is failing to reach the frontline.
Mental health trusts’ income is lower in England now than it was in 2011-12 once inflation is taken into account, according to the latest available figures.
This is despite the Government’s assertion that mental health spending is at “record” levels.
It comes as demand for services soars, with some trusts saying a lack of funds has forced them to cut services.
The picture across the UK is similar, with mental health spending in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all lower now than it was in recent years.
See also:
The College is calling for mental health trusts to be given more money and for better ways of tracking where mental health money is being spent. It fears some of that money is failing to reach the frontline.
Mental health trusts’ income is lower in England now than it was in 2011-12 once inflation is taken into account, according to the latest available figures.
This is despite the Government’s assertion that mental health spending is at “record” levels.
It comes as demand for services soars, with some trusts saying a lack of funds has forced them to cut services.
The picture across the UK is similar, with mental health spending in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all lower now than it was in recent years.
See also:
Your attention please: The social and economic impact of ADHD
The social and economic impact of ADHD This report estimates that the hidden costs of undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to the economy could amount to billions of pounds every year, and calls for urgent action to uncover the true economic costs to individuals, families and society as a whole. Demos
Derby junior doctors take break-time test case to court - BBC News
Derby junior doctors take break-time test case to court A test case could have a "dramatic" impact on the NHS and junior doctors, a court has been told.
A group of doctors claims Royal Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust did not ensure they had proper breaks.
The High Court heard the staff should get a half-hour break for every four hours they are continuously on duty or be paid double for the time.
NHS lawyers said this could cost the trust £250,000 and open up claims from junior doctors across England. BBC News
A group of doctors claims Royal Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust did not ensure they had proper breaks.
The High Court heard the staff should get a half-hour break for every four hours they are continuously on duty or be paid double for the time.
NHS lawyers said this could cost the trust £250,000 and open up claims from junior doctors across England. BBC News
WHO warns of soaring rates of measles in Europe
WHO warns of soaring rates of measles in Europe Europe has seen a big surge in measles cases in 2017, which the World Health Organization says is a tragedy after a record low of 5,273 cases in 2016.
Cases increased four-fold, with more than 20,000 people affected and 35 deaths.
Fifteen European region countries, including the UK, had large outbreaks. Measles cases were highest in Romania, Italy and Ukraine.
People shunning vaccination is part of the problem, say experts.
Although research published 20 years ago about a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been discredited, the scare it created damaged some people's trust of the vaccine.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be deadly. BBC News
Cases increased four-fold, with more than 20,000 people affected and 35 deaths.
Fifteen European region countries, including the UK, had large outbreaks. Measles cases were highest in Romania, Italy and Ukraine.
People shunning vaccination is part of the problem, say experts.
Although research published 20 years ago about a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been discredited, the scare it created damaged some people's trust of the vaccine.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be deadly. BBC News
Woman pleads guilty after Tunstall ambulance abuse note
Woman pleads guilty after Tunstall ambulance abuse note A 26-year-old woman who verbally abused paramedics and left a foul-mouthed note on their ambulance in Stoke-on-Trent has admitted a public order offence.
Kirsty Sharman, of Parsonage Street, also accepted writing the handwritten message, which said she did not care "if the whole street collasped [sic]" .
Paramedics were dealing with a 999 call in her street in Tunstall on Sunday.
At North Staffordshire Justice Centre, chairman of the magistrates said it was an "absolutely despicable incident". BBC News
Kirsty Sharman, of Parsonage Street, also accepted writing the handwritten message, which said she did not care "if the whole street collasped [sic]" .
Paramedics were dealing with a 999 call in her street in Tunstall on Sunday.
At North Staffordshire Justice Centre, chairman of the magistrates said it was an "absolutely despicable incident". BBC News
Debtors with mental health problems need 'breathing space'
Debtors with mental health problems need 'breathing space' Thousands of people with mental health issues are trapped in a spiral of escalating debts, a charity says.
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said that in 2017, some 23,000 people were being pursued while in hospital for mental health problems.
Thousands more were in a similar position while receiving mental health crisis support in the community.
A coalition of debt groups wants the government to allow "breathing space" for people with mental health troubles.
The government is considering whether to allow individuals in problem debt up to six weeks' grace from interest, charges and enforcement action by debt collectors if they seek help and financial advice.
Charities want the breathing space scheme extended to anyone accessing psychiatric in-patient care or the care of a Crisis Resolution Team. BBC News
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said that in 2017, some 23,000 people were being pursued while in hospital for mental health problems.
Thousands more were in a similar position while receiving mental health crisis support in the community.
A coalition of debt groups wants the government to allow "breathing space" for people with mental health troubles.
The government is considering whether to allow individuals in problem debt up to six weeks' grace from interest, charges and enforcement action by debt collectors if they seek help and financial advice.
Charities want the breathing space scheme extended to anyone accessing psychiatric in-patient care or the care of a Crisis Resolution Team. BBC News
General practice given just 4% of NHS winter bailout money - Pulse
General practice given just 4% of NHS winter bailout money GPs were allocated just 4% of the total amount of winter resilience funding given to NHS organisations this year, with the rest going to secondary care.
In mid-December, NHS England released a £20m fund to add extra appointments up until Easter in areas without GP Access schemes, in an effort to ease winter pressures.
However, GP leaders have said the money was 'far too little' in comparison with the amount given to hospitals this year. Pulse
In mid-December, NHS England released a £20m fund to add extra appointments up until Easter in areas without GP Access schemes, in an effort to ease winter pressures.
However, GP leaders have said the money was 'far too little' in comparison with the amount given to hospitals this year. Pulse
The town that’s found a potent cure for illness - community
The town that’s found a potent cure for illness - community Frome in Somerset has seen a dramatic fall in emergency hospital admissions since it began a collective project to combat isolation. There are lessons for the rest of the country
It could, if the results stand up, be one of the most dramatic medical breakthroughs of recent decades. It could transform treatment regimes, save lives, and save health services a fortune. Is it a drug? A device? A surgical procedure? No, it’s a newfangled intervention called community. This week the results from a trial in the Somerset town of Frome are published informally, in the magazine Resurgence & Ecologist. (A scientific paper has been submitted to a medical journal and is awaiting peer review). We should be cautious about embracing data before it is published in the academic press, and must always avoid treating correlation as causation. But this shouldn’t stop us feeling a shiver of excitement about the implications, if the figures turn out to be robust and the experiment can be replicated. Continue Reading... The Guardian
See also:
It could, if the results stand up, be one of the most dramatic medical breakthroughs of recent decades. It could transform treatment regimes, save lives, and save health services a fortune. Is it a drug? A device? A surgical procedure? No, it’s a newfangled intervention called community. This week the results from a trial in the Somerset town of Frome are published informally, in the magazine Resurgence & Ecologist. (A scientific paper has been submitted to a medical journal and is awaiting peer review). We should be cautious about embracing data before it is published in the academic press, and must always avoid treating correlation as causation. But this shouldn’t stop us feeling a shiver of excitement about the implications, if the figures turn out to be robust and the experiment can be replicated. Continue Reading... The Guardian
See also:
- Social prescribing can help give some patients a 'sense of purpose', says College Royal College of General Practitioners
- Lonely patients are being 'prescribed' coffee mornings The Daily Mail
Health department 'ignoring UK life expectancy concerns'
Health department 'ignoring UK life expectancy concerns' Academics call for investigation into effects of NHS underfunding and austerity politics
The Department of Health and Social Care has been accused of ignoring repeated warnings about stagnating life expectancy, from academics who are demanding an urgent inquiry into whether austerity policies could be driving the trend.
The academics said that in recent years there had been “one of the greatest slowdowns [in life expectancy improvements] for both sexes since the 1890s”, with rates even declining for some groups. Continue reading... The Guardian
The Department of Health and Social Care has been accused of ignoring repeated warnings about stagnating life expectancy, from academics who are demanding an urgent inquiry into whether austerity policies could be driving the trend.
The academics said that in recent years there had been “one of the greatest slowdowns [in life expectancy improvements] for both sexes since the 1890s”, with rates even declining for some groups. Continue reading... The Guardian
A mixed-sex ward is better than a trolley in A&E
A mixed-sex ward is better than a trolley in A&E When hospitals are stuffed to the rafters, it can be hard to maintain best practice. What matters is that the care is good and respectful
Nearly 2,000 patients slept in a mixed-sex ward in hospitals in England last month. It’s the highest figure since 2010 when the government pledged to wipe out the practice. So is it a national disgrace or a sensible response to winter pressures? Would you object to being in a mixed ward? Or just be pleased to get a bed at all if you needed one? Is it a gender issue or is sharing with either sex a ghastly thought?
A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied.
For me, gender is less of an issue than whether patients scream through the night or hurl abuse at staff Continue reading... The Guardian
Nearly 2,000 patients slept in a mixed-sex ward in hospitals in England last month. It’s the highest figure since 2010 when the government pledged to wipe out the practice. So is it a national disgrace or a sensible response to winter pressures? Would you object to being in a mixed ward? Or just be pleased to get a bed at all if you needed one? Is it a gender issue or is sharing with either sex a ghastly thought?
A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied.
For me, gender is less of an issue than whether patients scream through the night or hurl abuse at staff Continue reading... The Guardian
Hospitals 'waste more money' after hiring management consultants
Hospitals 'waste more money' after hiring management consultants NHS trusts which hire management consultants in a bid to cut costs end up spending more, new research suggests.
The study led by Bristol University said health service spending on such firms doubled between 2010 and 2014.
And analysis of spending by 120 NHS trusts suggests that the more they spend on management consultants, the less efficient they became.
Every £100,000 spent on such firms was associated with extra costs of around £900, the research found - amounting to losses of around £11,000 for the average trust. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
The study led by Bristol University said health service spending on such firms doubled between 2010 and 2014.
And analysis of spending by 120 NHS trusts suggests that the more they spend on management consultants, the less efficient they became.
Every £100,000 spent on such firms was associated with extra costs of around £900, the research found - amounting to losses of around £11,000 for the average trust. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
- The impact of management consultants on public service efficiency (open access) Policy and Politics
- Hospitals are paying £1million a year to 'efficiency experts' who are actually making things WORSE The Daily Mail
Pacemakers, other devices at risk for hacking, study says
Pacemakers, other devices at risk for hacking, study says Life-saving medical devices such as pacemakers and insulin pumps are incredibly vulnerable to hacking by fraudsters who could blackmail victims, a new study warns.
With the growing number of medical devices that rely on software in the past decade, there has been an increase in concern for the security of these tools and their networks.
Now, the American College of Cardiology's Electrophysiology Council has issued a report warn not enough is being done to curb this gaping flaw on a manufacturing level.
The warning comes as St Jude Medical still faces claims dating back to 2016 after a defect in a batch of pacemakers resulted in two deaths. The Daily Mail
See also:
With the growing number of medical devices that rely on software in the past decade, there has been an increase in concern for the security of these tools and their networks.
Now, the American College of Cardiology's Electrophysiology Council has issued a report warn not enough is being done to curb this gaping flaw on a manufacturing level.
The warning comes as St Jude Medical still faces claims dating back to 2016 after a defect in a batch of pacemakers resulted in two deaths. The Daily Mail
See also:
- Cybersecurity For CIEDs: What Should You Know? American College of Cardiology
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)