Northamptonshire County Council backs £40m budget cuts A financially-troubled council has agreed a budget involving nearly £40m of cuts.
Protesters at the meeting called the Conservative-controlled Northamptonshire County Council a "ship that has hit the iceberg".
Councillors agreed the budget, which includes plans to shut 21 libraries and freeze staff pay, by 35 votes to 13.
The council is currently facing a government inspection into allegations of financial mismanagement.
It has emergency spending controls in place. BBC Northampton
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Row over future of Corby’s Urgent Care Centre continues
Row over future of Corby’s Urgent Care Centre continues Making Corby’s Urgent Care Centre appointment-only should have been consulted on before a decision was taken, according to a campaign group.
The move was approved by Corby CCG’s governing body at the end of January, with the site being renamed the Same Day Access Hub. Official Hansard documents show an assurance was given in Parliament that changes would be consulted on - but the CCG say the plans did not require consultation because ‘no major service change was taking place’.
But Maria Bryan, from the Save Our Urgent Care Centre action group, disagrees. Northamptonshire Telegraph
The move was approved by Corby CCG’s governing body at the end of January, with the site being renamed the Same Day Access Hub. Official Hansard documents show an assurance was given in Parliament that changes would be consulted on - but the CCG say the plans did not require consultation because ‘no major service change was taking place’.
But Maria Bryan, from the Save Our Urgent Care Centre action group, disagrees. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Vital equipment stolen from ambulance in Corby
Vital equipment stolen from ambulance in Corby Heartless thieves stole equipment from an ambulance in Corby while its crew cared for a patient.
The incident took place between 4.30am and 5am on Weenesday when a satellite navigation system and a mobile data terminal screen, used to send virtual information to clinicians about the location and condition of a patient, were stolen from the ambulance when it was parked in Lincoln Way.
The crew returned to the ambulance to take the patient to hospital only to find all the cupboards in the ambulance open and the electrical equipment missing. Northamptonshire Telegraph
The incident took place between 4.30am and 5am on Weenesday when a satellite navigation system and a mobile data terminal screen, used to send virtual information to clinicians about the location and condition of a patient, were stolen from the ambulance when it was parked in Lincoln Way.
The crew returned to the ambulance to take the patient to hospital only to find all the cupboards in the ambulance open and the electrical equipment missing. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Multiple unhealthy risk factors: why they matter and how practice is changing
Multiple unhealthy risk factors: why they matter and how practice is changing Seven in ten adults in England in 2008 had two or more risk factors of poor diet, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking. Previously, The King’s Fund has looked at the prevalence of multiple unhealthy behaviours, and now we are revisiting this area by looking at how some services are developing a response to the reality that most people experience risk factors in combination. Developing approaches to tackling multiple risk factors is crucial.
The impact of Brexit: patient access to medical research
The impact of Brexit: patient access to medical research This briefing sets out how patients across Europe have benefited from pan-European collaboration on medical research. It outlines what is at stake if this collaboration is set back and how UK and EU decision-makers can mitigate the risks. NHS Confederation
Social care must adapt to funding and policy change
Social care must adapt to funding and policy change Social care providers must adopt new approaches if they are to survive the challenges of funding cuts and policy changes, according to a new publication.
The VODG discussion paper, Challenges can fuel change, outlines what social care providers believe are the future hopes for the sector as well as the barriers that block progress. The publication is a contribution to Civil Society Futures, the national independent inquiry into English civil society. Voluntary Organisations Disability Group
The VODG discussion paper, Challenges can fuel change, outlines what social care providers believe are the future hopes for the sector as well as the barriers that block progress. The publication is a contribution to Civil Society Futures, the national independent inquiry into English civil society. Voluntary Organisations Disability Group
Just under half of all referrals that completed psychological therapy in 2016-17 recovered, new report shows
Just under half of all referrals that completed psychological therapy in 2016-17 recovered, new report shows Just under half (49.3 per cent) of those referrals finishing treatment for anxiety and depression in 2016-17 recovered, according to official statistics published today by NHS Digital.
This is the highest rate of recovery since 2012-13 when figures were first recorded.
Of the 525,000 referrals that finished treatment in the year having started as clinical cases of anxiety or depression3, 259,000 (49.3 per cent) recovered.
Psychological Therapies: Annual Report on the use of IAPT services, England, further analyses on 2016-17, examines activity, waiting times and outcomes for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
It provides a very detailed breakdown by user and service type, including some new analysis on ethnicity.
This is the highest rate of recovery since 2012-13 when figures were first recorded.
Of the 525,000 referrals that finished treatment in the year having started as clinical cases of anxiety or depression3, 259,000 (49.3 per cent) recovered.
Psychological Therapies: Annual Report on the use of IAPT services, England, further analyses on 2016-17, examines activity, waiting times and outcomes for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
It provides a very detailed breakdown by user and service type, including some new analysis on ethnicity.
SACN statement on diet, cognitive impairment and dementia
SACN statement on diet, cognitive impairment and dementia This position statement by Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition provides an overview of the currently available evidence on nutrition and cognitive impairment and dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) in adults. It considers evidence relevant to the prevention - not the treatment - of cognitive impairment or dementia.
The position statement concludes that:
The position statement concludes that:
- the evidence base in this area is very limited
- there is no evidence that specific nutrients or food supplements affect the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia
- there is some observational evidence that greater adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern may be associated with reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia
NHS: How unhappy is the public?
NHS: How unhappy is the public? Opinion polls can be fickle and hard to read - but for the NHS one carries a fair amount of clout.
The British Social Attitudes Survey has a track record going back to 1983 and so is a fascinating guide to long-term trends.
The latest publication suggests a significant downturn in public satisfaction with the NHS, which had been holding up in recent years
So does this herald a game-changing trend in the debate over the NHS, with important implications for the government and health service leaders?
Is the quality of care now affecting the public perceptions of hospitals and GP surgeries? BBC News
The British Social Attitudes Survey has a track record going back to 1983 and so is a fascinating guide to long-term trends.
The latest publication suggests a significant downturn in public satisfaction with the NHS, which had been holding up in recent years
So does this herald a game-changing trend in the debate over the NHS, with important implications for the government and health service leaders?
Is the quality of care now affecting the public perceptions of hospitals and GP surgeries? BBC News
Waist size bigger heart attack risk in women, report says
Waist size bigger heart attack risk in women, report says Women with bigger waists relative to their hips are at more risk of heart attacks than men of a similar "apple shape", research from the George Institute for Global Health says.
The study showed waist-to-hip ratio to be a better heart attack predictor than general obesity - 18% stronger than body mass index in women and 6% in men.
The report found a high BMI was linked to heart disease risk in both sexes.
The researchers interviewed nearly 500,000 UK adults aged 40 to 69. BBC News
See also:
The study showed waist-to-hip ratio to be a better heart attack predictor than general obesity - 18% stronger than body mass index in women and 6% in men.
The report found a high BMI was linked to heart disease risk in both sexes.
The researchers interviewed nearly 500,000 UK adults aged 40 to 69. BBC News
See also:
- Sex Differences in the Association Between Measures of General and Central Adiposity and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction: Results From the UK Biobank Journal of the American Heart Association
Mental health patients treated far from home 'less likely to recover'
Mental health patients treated far from home 'less likely to recover' NHS watchdog expresses concern over wellbeing of thousands of patients and cost to NHS of ‘out of area’ care
Thousands of people with serious mental health problems are being locked up in treatment units far away from their homes, and left isolated and less likely to recover, the NHS’s care watchdog has warned.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is concerned that such patients’ chances of making a full recovery are being hit because they are denied regular contact with relatives and friends. Continue reading... The Guardian
See also:
Thousands of people with serious mental health problems are being locked up in treatment units far away from their homes, and left isolated and less likely to recover, the NHS’s care watchdog has warned.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is concerned that such patients’ chances of making a full recovery are being hit because they are denied regular contact with relatives and friends. Continue reading... The Guardian
See also:
Immigration officials to continue to seek NHS England patient data
Immigration officials to continue to seek NHS England patient data Ministers reject calls to suspend practice amid fears it is stopping migrants seeking medical help
Ministers have rejected a call from MPs to immediately suspend the disclosure of confidential NHS patient data to the Home Office to trace potential immigration offenders despite evidence it is deterring migrants in England from seeking medical help.
A joint letter from Home Office and health ministers to the chair of the Commons health select committee discloses that 1,297 requests for non-clinical details of patients, including home addresses, were made in the past three months by immigration officials trying to trace individuals with whom they had lost contact. Continue reading... The Guardian
Ministers have rejected a call from MPs to immediately suspend the disclosure of confidential NHS patient data to the Home Office to trace potential immigration offenders despite evidence it is deterring migrants in England from seeking medical help.
A joint letter from Home Office and health ministers to the chair of the Commons health select committee discloses that 1,297 requests for non-clinical details of patients, including home addresses, were made in the past three months by immigration officials trying to trace individuals with whom they had lost contact. Continue reading... The Guardian
Video GP services risk fuelling antibiotic resistance, study warns
Video GP services risk fuelling antibiotic resistance, study warns WEBCAM GP services may not be safe and risk fuelling antibiotic resistance, research suggests.
The study by Imperial College London examined the work done by private online GP services, which have sprung up in recent years, offering near-instant appointments often via link-ups such as Skype.
The research found such companies were heavily promoting access to antibiotics, sometimes “in minutes”.
Internet searches for antibiotics also led consumers straight to the GP sites, none of which carried any warnings about over-use of the drugs, the study found. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
The study by Imperial College London examined the work done by private online GP services, which have sprung up in recent years, offering near-instant appointments often via link-ups such as Skype.
The research found such companies were heavily promoting access to antibiotics, sometimes “in minutes”.
Internet searches for antibiotics also led consumers straight to the GP sites, none of which carried any warnings about over-use of the drugs, the study found. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
- The impact of private online video consulting in primary care (open access) Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
- Experts call for more evidence to test impact of GP video consultations MedicalXpress
Number of NHS managers soars while nursing shortage grows
Number of NHS managers soars while nursing shortage grows The number of bureaucrats hired by the NHS has soared, while the number of nurses fell, official figures show.
The statistics show a seven per cent rise in the number of senior managers on the NHS payroll in one year, at a time of growing nurse shortages.
The total number of managers rose to 32,000, the statistics show, a rise of almost one quarter in four years.
The sharpest rise was among senior managers, whose pay normally starts at £65,000 a year.
The seven per cent rise in one year saw their total numbers reach 10,300, the figures from NHS Digital show. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
The statistics show a seven per cent rise in the number of senior managers on the NHS payroll in one year, at a time of growing nurse shortages.
The total number of managers rose to 32,000, the statistics show, a rise of almost one quarter in four years.
The sharpest rise was among senior managers, whose pay normally starts at £65,000 a year.
The seven per cent rise in one year saw their total numbers reach 10,300, the figures from NHS Digital show. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
- Statistics show change in NHS workforce over time NHS Digital
- NHS hires 1,300 more penpushers The Daily Mail
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