Northamptonshire County Council votes to scrap First for Wellbeing company just two years after setting it up

Northamptonshire County Council votes to scrap First for Wellbeing company just two years after setting it up The mutual company that looks after a range of health services for Northamptonshire County Council has been brought back in house just two years after its launch.

First for Wellbeing was set up as in April 2016, offering a range of clinical services such as smoking cessation, weight loss help, adult learning and support of isolated people.

The company, a partnership with the University of Northampton and the NHS, was intended to generate its own money on behalf of the council, which it would reinvest in services. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

‘Do no harm’: protecting the public’s health as we leave the EU

‘Do no harm’: protecting the public’s health as we leave the EU How might Brexit affect our health? John Middleton, President of the Faculty of Public Health, explains how the cross-party ‘do no harm’ amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill could help protect public health. The Health Foundation

NHS treatment of private patients: the impact on NHS finances and NHS patient care

NHS treatment of private patients: the impact on NHS finances and NHS patient care The Health and Social Care Act 2012 allowed NHS hospitals in England to generate up to 49 per cent of their income from private patients. This report looks at the impact of this change. It examines two questions: whether the treatment of private patients generates additional income for NHS hospital trusts, and whether the treatment of private patients risks disadvantaging NHS patients. Centre for Health and the Public Interest

Forward thinking: NIHR research on support for people with severe mental illness

Forward thinking: NIHR research on support for people with severe mental illness This review highlights a selection of NIHR-funded research on aspects of severe mental illness such as supporting early detection and intervention, crisis care, supporting recovery and managing physical and mental health. National Institute for Health Research

Instant messaging in the NHS: an exploration of the relationship between consumer messaging applications and modern healthcare delivery

Instant messaging in the NHS: an exploration of the relationship between consumer messaging applications and modern healthcare delivery This report reveals that 43 per cent of NHS staff rely on consumer instant messaging at work. It finds that WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and other unauthorised instant messaging apps are being used by 500,000 NHS staff at work, as a growing number turn to consumer tools to communicate with colleagues and sometimes patients. Common Time

Forgotten not fixed: a blueprint to tackle the increasing burden of malnutrition in England

Forgotten not fixed: a blueprint to tackle the increasing burden of malnutrition in England This report reflects on the increasing number of cases of malnutrition in hospital and associated deaths. It draws upon malnutrition data broken down by NHS Trust for 2015/16 and finds that more than half the hospital Trusts in England are significantly under-reporting malnutrition rates compared to accepted national estimates. British Specialist Nutrition Association

Frontline online: smarter blue light services

Frontline online: smarter blue light services This paper finds that police, ambulance and fire services can respond more swiftly and accurately to emergency calls with access to better information on callers and situations. It concludes that better collaboration over sharing data is essential to exploit new technology. Reform

Women missing from breast implant register

Women missing from breast implant register About one in three NHS clinics and one in four private ones offering breast implant surgery in England have not submitted any patient data to a national safety registry.

NHS Digital set up the service in 2016 after the PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) breast implants scandal.

Poor record-keeping at the time of the scandal meant many of the thousands of women affected were unable to find out if they had been given faulty implants.

The register is non-compulsory. BBC News

See also:

• Call for more data to be added to breast implant registry NHS Digital

Philip Hammond hints at 'headroom' for more NHS spending

Philip Hammond hints at 'headroom' for more NHS spending Philip Hammond has given his clearest hint yet that he is prepared to increase spending further on the NHS.

The chancellor told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg he recognised the pressures for more spending on health, local government "and other areas".

He said he would like to use any "headroom" ahead of the autumn Budget to find more cash for public services.

The NHS, he said, had got an extra £9bn since 2016 but an ageing society was creating "continuous upward pressures". BBC News

Discrimination against migrants in the NHS will make staffing problems worse | Amitava Banerjee

Discrimination against migrants in the NHS will make staffing problems worse | Amitava Banerjee The health service needs the best staff, regardless of where they were born or where they trained

“Can I see a doctor qualified in Britain?” inquired the woman.

“I qualified from Oxford,” I assured her. Continue reading... The  Guardian

NHS diet works: plump Britons see average weight loss of half a stone

NHS diet works: plump Britons see average weight loss of half a stone Overweight Britons given diet coaching by the NHS are losing an average of more than half a stone each, the head of the health service has said.

Simon Stevens said the flagship programme, soon to be offered in every part of the country, had already exceeded expectations.

Results from the first schemes show overweight patients who completed most of the sessions lost an average of eight pounds each - equivalent to the weight of 15 Big Macs.

Forecasts had predicted average weight loss of around five pounds. The Daily Telegraph

Antibiotic resistance is killing thousands in Britain today. My dad was one of them

Antibiotic resistance is killing thousands in Britain today. My dad was one of them  There are moments in life that can shake you to the core, when you know that life will never be the same again, but the one consolation is that you learn and form a new perspective.

My moment was the 11th November 2011. The day my wonderful dad died. Dad had always been my hero, he was a positive force of energy in my life, and at that moment, it was gone. The Daily Telegraph

Interactive map reveals how many weeks patients have to wait

Interactive map reveals how many weeks patients have to wait An interactive map today reveals how many weeks patients can expect to wait for routine operations at their local hospital.

NHS guidelines state that patients have a right to undergo a procedure within 18 weeks of being referred by their consultant.

However, the new tool, which uses data from each trust in England, shows a huge disparity in waiting times across the country.

Campaigners have today blasted the figures, which show thousands of patients in the South West and South East are facing waits of up to six months.

In comparison, those in the North East can expect to be seen by the NHS within 18 weeks, on average, according to the new maps. The Daily Mail

See also:

• RTT waiting times in England Tableau Public