Friday 27 April 2018

The Montefiore Health System in New York: integrated care and the fight for social justice

The Montefiore Health System in New York: integrated care and the fight for social justice The Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, New York, has found ways of helping even the most deprived by stepping beyond the bounds of conventional health services. The King's Fund

Facing the future audit 2017: standards for acute general paediatric services

Facing the future audit 2017: standards for acute general paediatric services This report highlights the struggle hospitals face to meet standards that provide children with high quality, safe and consistent healthcare. It calls on the government to expand the consultant workforce to help units increase consultant presence at peak times and improve the standard of hospital care. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Are NHS mental health therapies working for everyone?

Are NHS mental health therapies working for everyone? A recently published briefing on mental health statistics in England looked at on how common mental health problems are, and how NHS mental health services are performing.

Here is a discussion on one key finding: mental health treatments appear to be working much better for some groups of people, while minority groups are experiencing worse outcomes. This raises questions as to whether NHS psychological therapies in England are working for everyone. House of Commons Library

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Migrant rules 'leaving NHS short of doctors'

Migrant rules 'leaving NHS short of doctors' Immigration rules are hampering the ability of the NHS to recruit doctors, health leaders are warning.

The number of skilled non-EU workers granted UK visas is capped - with the Home Office arguing the restriction is in "the national interest".

But NHS bosses say increasing numbers of doctors are being refused permission, worsening rota gaps and the waits patients face for treatment.

It comes amid a row after visas for 100 Indian doctors were refused. BBC News

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'Don't panic' over medicines' link to dementia, says expert

'Don't panic' over medicines' link to dementia, says expert A study has suggested that taking some medicines increases the risk of patients getting dementia.

However, Dr Ian Maidment of Aston University, who is one of the investigators, has told people "not to panic" and to consult their doctors as the risks of not taking certain drugs can be outweighed by the benefits of staying on them. BBC News

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NHS hospitals dealing with thousands of pest problems and sewage leaks as outstanding maintenance bills top £17m

NHS hospitals dealing with thousands of pest problems and sewage leaks as outstanding maintenance bills top £17m NHS trusts are having to pay millions in maintenance bills to tackle pest infestations and leaky sewage pipes and roofs, after funding for repairs was instead raided by ministers to keep the health service running. The Independent

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NHS preparing to offer ‘game-changing’ cancer treatment

NHS preparing to offer ‘game-changing’ cancer treatment Health service chief calls for affordable access to CAR-T, which modifies immune system to destroy cancer cells

The NHS is preparing to fast-track a “game-changing” cancer treatment into hospitals, its chief executive has said, calling for the manufacturers to help by setting an affordable price.

Simon Stevens said CAR-T therapy, which has been licensed in the US but not yet in the UK, could be approved for use this year. The treatments, which are hugely expensive, work by genetically engineering the patient’s immune system’s killer T-cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells.Continue reading... The Guardian

Of course we can pay for the NHS. We can’t afford not to

Of course we can pay for the NHS. We can’t afford not to The message from the Darzi review is clear: politicians must stop treating the health and social care system as a liability

“You’re always playing catch-up, from the minute you start. What we used to consider a busy day 10 years ago … is now quite nice. You worry you’re not giving people the care they deserve. You’re giving [them] the bare minimum you can … It’s not what you go into nursing for. If somebody said to me now that they wanted to go into nursing, I would say don’t.”

That’s the view of one nurse with over 10 years’ experience working in the NHS. Spring is upon us, but this year’s winter crisis – officially the worst on record – is still fresh in the minds on NHS staff. Operations cancelled, queues outside A&E, and people waiting on trolleys in corridors for treatment. Experts such as the British Medical Association suggest that this is “the new normal”: pressures on the NHS during the summer are set to equal those of winters in years gone by. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Skype GP consultations will be the norm within 10 years, head of NHS review says 

Skype GP consultations will be the norm within 10 years, head of NHS review says Virtual consultations with doctors could be more common than seeing medics in person within a decade, the man leading a review of NHS technology has said.

Genetist Dr Eric Topol has been commissioned by the Health Secretary to examine the NHS approach to genomics, robotics and artificial intelligence. The Daily Telegraph

Figures reveal emergence of pan-resistant infections 

Figures reveal emergence of pan-resistant infections Untreatable superbugs have affected 36 patients in England, new figures obtained by the Telegraph show.

Public Health England (PHE) recorded 36 cases of pan-resistant-infections between April 2013 and February 2018, this includes the patient who picked up "super-gonorrhoea" in south east Asia which was resistant to the two most commonly used antibiotics. The Daily Telegraph

Hospital boss bans employees from telling patients trust is short-staffed

Hospital boss bans employees from telling patients trust is short-staffed A hospital boss has come under fire for banning his employees from telling patients that wards are short-staffed.

Nick Hulme, chief executive of Colchester General Hospital, gave the order after it emerged patients felt they didn't see enough nurses on duty.

Speaking at a meeting of the trust's board of directors, he said: "No member of staff should ever tell a patient we are short-staffed". The Daily Telegraph

Leaked NHS documents reveal a large backlog of unreported scans

Leaked NHS documents reveal a large backlog of unreported scans Hospitals have reported a surge in the number of patients waiting for the results of X-rays and scans, leaked documents show.

On average, there were 2,800 'unreported' scans per NHS trust at the end of the 2016-17 year, an increase of 130 per cent.

But experts warn the true situation could be 'very much worse' as many radiologists are too busy to review scans - leading to a rise in 'auto-reporting'.

The NHS Benchmarking report, leaked to the Health Service Journal, looked at data from 95 anonymised NHS trusts. The Daily Mail