Friday 13 April 2018

Parents worried as specialist Northampton respite care centre faces uncertain future

Parents worried as specialist Northampton respite care centre faces uncertain future The parents who use a specialist Northampton respite care centre for children are worried the service may come to an end after a 32 per cent reduction in funding.

The contract, which ends in July, to run the John Greenwood Shipman Centre was put up for tender in March and parents were told by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) that it didn't see a way it could safely look after the children within the restructured financial model.

Northamptonshire County Council has advised it will continue to provide £2.1m per year along with co-funders Nene and Corby Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), whose share of funding has reduced in 2018/19. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

University ground staff offer a helping hand to Northampton mental health patients

University ground staff offer a helping hand to Northampton mental health patients Ground staff at the University of Northampton recently teamed up with St Andrew’s Healthcare to offer patients the opportunity to gain work experience.

1st Degree Facilities, the company which maintains the University of Northampton estate, has offered work placements for people using St Andrew’s employment support service, Workbridge. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The New Care Models Programme and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

The New Care Models Programme and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) and the NHS England New Care Models team have developed a joint statement on the new care models programme highlighting the importance of multi-professional working, and examining the key issues on which groups must work together to better support clinical staff.

The report outlines what a multi-professional team approach looks like and how it could be achieved.

Investigation of maternity incidents by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

Investigation of maternity incidents by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch Last November, the Health and Social Care Secretary announced that the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) will investigate certain categories of maternity incidents during 2018/19.

The HSIB will be rolling out this programme by region starting in April 2018 with full national coverage to be achieved by April 2019. Until HSIB formally notifies them in writing, providers should continue to investigate maternity incidents in the usual way. CCGs should be aware of the situation as they are the legal entities responsible for local oversight of serious incidents.

Student suicide rates overtake non-students

Student suicide rates overtake non-students The suicide rate among UK students is higher than among the general population of their age group, say researchers.

A study from the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention says it means for the first time students have a higher suicide rate than non-students.

The Hong Kong-based researchers say that female students were particularly likely to have a higher suicide rate.

Researcher Edward Pinkney says it shows a "real problem in higher education". BBC News

Health 'Sexual safety' review of NHS mental health wards launched

Health 'Sexual safety' review of NHS mental health wards launched A review of “sexual assault and harassment” on NHS mental health wards has been launched by England’s health and social care watchdog, after a snapshot survey identified 900 incidents or risks reported by staff in a three-month window.

It was triggered after Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found “sexual incidents” reported by staff at a trust that was already being investigated for housing men and women on the same ward - a clear breach of guidance. The Independent

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Revealed: the 82 'ghost wards' containing 1,400 empty NHS beds

Revealed: the 82 'ghost wards' containing 1,400 empty NHS beds NHS England figures show hospitals are mothballing more wards despite beds crisis

Hospitals are mothballing scores of wards, closing them to patients despite the NHS’s ongoing beds crisis, new figures reveal.

At the last count in September 82 “ghost wards” were recorded containing 1,429 empty beds, the equivalent of two entire hospitals, according to data provided by hospital trusts across England. It represents a sharp increase on the 32 wards and 502 beds that were unused four years earlier, statistics obtained under freedom of information laws show. Continue reading... The Guardian

Majority of voters back tax rises to bolster NHS

Majority of voters back tax rises to bolster NHS Social attitudes survey records leap from 41% support for higher taxes in 2014 to 61% in 2017

Voters are ready by nearly two to one to pay more tax to bolster the NHS. A large face-to-face survey carried out before the winter crisis struck the health service in November has recorded the biggest-ever shift of opinion on the issue.

The poll, carried out by the respected British Social Attitudes research centre, has recorded a jump from 41% support for higher taxes in 2014 to 61% at the end of last year. An even higher proportion, nearly nine in 10 people, thought there was a funding crisis. Continue reading... The Guardian

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A&E waiting time figures reveal 'eternal winter' for NHS

A&E waiting time figures reveal 'eternal winter' for NHS NHS emergency departments in England in March report worst performance since records began

A record low in A&E treatment performance by the NHS has prompted warnings that the health service is in an “eternal winter” as hospitals cannot cope with rising patient need.

Just 76.4% of patients needing urgent care were treated within four hours at hospital accident and emergency units in England in March – the lowest proportion since records began in 2010 and down on the 76.9% figure in February. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Hospitals spending just £3 a day on patients’ meals  

Hospitals spending just £3 a day on patients’ meals Hospitals are spending as little as £3 a day on food for patients, despite rising numbers of cases of malnutrition, new figures show.

Data reveals 13 trusts spending less than £5 a day on food, with just £2.61 a day spent by one NHS hospital – little more than the daily spend in prisons.

Labour on Wednesday pledged to introduce new legal minimum standard for hospital food, to ensure patients were better nourished.

Records show the number of patients admitted to hospital suffering from malnutrition has more than doubled since 2009/10, with 8,458 cases where it was the primary or secondary diagnosis in 2016/17. The Daily Telegraph