Friday 20 April 2018

Have your say on the future of Northamptonshire's children's centre services under library cuts

Have your say on the future of Northamptonshire's children's centre services under library cuts Families with young children are being invited to tell the council what should happen to universal children's centre services under the potential of closure libraries of in Northamptonshire.

The county council voted to cease running 21 libraries in February and has offered to hand them over to community groups.

But the move also threatens universal children's centre services for under-fives such as meetups and play and learn sessions, which are run by the council through libraries. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

New lifelike training for KGH staff

New lifelike training for KGH staff Kettering General Hospital has started work on a £600,000 project to improve simulation training for its staff including doctors and nurses.

The trust is building a new High Fidelity Simulation Suite complete with realistic full-sized patient manikins - which are computerised and can be programmed to simulate real medical emergencies. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS Genomics threatened by ethics, IT and funding

NHS Genomics threatened by ethics, IT and funding The deployment of the UK’s world-leading genomics capabilities in the NHS is being held back by NHS digital infrastructure delays and reduced training budgets, and risks losing public support due to low public awareness of the benefits on offer.

Genomic medicine has the potential to transform the NHS, and the transformation has been made possible by the 100,000 Genomes Project – which has established the UK as a world-leader in the field. Nevertheless, issues around digital infrastructure, staff training and ethical concerns over the collection and use of patient data risk making the planned NHS Genomic Medicine Service unable to deliver upon this potential. Commons Science and Technology Select Committee

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Pensioners face crippling care bills because of a postcard lottery which denies them NHS funding

Pensioners face crippling care bills because of a postcard lottery which denies them NHS funding Those with the most complex medical needs still face a postcode lottery of getting their full care costs outside hospital paid by NHS ‘continuing healthcare’ funding in England, Which? analysis has found.

The latest 2017-18 figures show that there are huge differences between regions when it comes to the proportion of patients whose care costs are fully funded.

NHS funders (known as local clinical commissioning groups, or CCGs) for South Reading funded 8.78 patients per 50,000 of the population, while Salford CCG funded 25 times as many at 220.38 per 50,000 of the population.

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Ex-MP Tessa Jowell first to donate data to medical database

Ex-MP Tessa Jowell first to donate data to medical database Baroness Tessa Jowell has become the first person to donate her medical information to a new global database.

The ex-culture secretary, who has an aggressive brain tumour, said she hoped that the Universal Cancer Databank would help develop better treatments.

She feels a "sense of responsibility" to pave the way for others, her daughter Jess Mills said.

Researchers will be able to access the anonymised data in the UCD, set up by an Australian billionaire, for free. BBC News

Hospitals recruit managers faster than doctors and nurses

Hospitals recruit managers faster than doctors and nurses Hospitals in England have recruited managers at a higher rate than doctors and nurses, BBC analysis of official figures reveals.

Since 2013, an additional 3,600 managers started at NHS trusts compared with 8,300 more doctors and 7,000 more nurses.

It means management increased by 16% while the number of doctors and nurses increased by 8% and 2% respectively.

NHS Improvement said there were still "too few" managers.

However the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has described the figures as "galling" and said a failure to train enough nurses had contributed to a "shortage". BBC News

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Majority of GP practices report cuts to public health funding

Majority of GP practices report cuts to public health funding More than three quarters of GP partners have experienced a reduction in funding for public health services over the past year, a GPonline survey has found - with smoking cessation the worst-hit service.

An alarming rise in mental-health sectioning in Britain

An alarming rise in mental-health sectioning in Britain Fewer psychiatric beds and growing risk-aversion among doctors may be to blame.

The number of detentions under the Mental Health Act in England rose from 43,463 in 2009 to 63,622 in 2016. The process requires two doctors and one approved mental-health professional, like a social worker or nurse, to agree that a patient needs hospital treatment for a mental-health disorder, and that they may pose a danger to themself or others. The Economist

Sore throats and false nails - the ambulance call-outs that cost millions

Sore throats and false nails - the ambulance call-outs that cost millions Ambulance call-outs are increasing, resulting in services operating under enormous, and probably unsustainable, pressure. While most calls do need an emergency response, far too many don’t. A study of 300 consecutive emergency ambulance arrivals to an accident and emergency department in London found that only 54 per cent of the patients legitimately needed an ambulance. The Independent

Windrush scandal: Albert Thompson still in dark about cancer treatment despite May's promise

Windrush scandal: Albert Thompson still in dark about cancer treatment despite May's promise Londoner still has not received any appointment date for radiotherapy – or an apology

Albert Thompson, the Londoner whose case has come to epitomise the Windrush scandal, has spoken of his anguish as he remains uncertain about whether he is to get radiotherapy for his cancer a day after he heard Theresa May announce on television that he would “be receiving the treatment he needs”.

As the fallout from the scandal continued to emerge, Thompson told the Guardian he was distressed to have no clarity, and upset that he had had no apology from the Royal Marsden hospital for the ongoing interruption to his cancer treatment. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS hospital in London bans patients from wearing pyjamas in the day

NHS hospital in London bans patients from wearing pyjamas in the day An NHS hospital has banned patients from wearing pyjamas during the day in an attempt to get them better sooner.

Patients at Whittington Hospital in north London now have to wear their 'normal clothes' in daylight hours.

The pyjama ban, enforced by the hospital's chief nurse, comes alongside a national NHS campaign to help patients recover quicker. The Daily Mail