Monday 30 April 2018

Northamptonshire County Council: Adult service users 'in crisis'

Northamptonshire County Council: Adult service users 'in crisis' Users of a cash-strapped council's adult social services are in "crisis" and its staff are "stressed", according to a former employee.

Nicki Slawson, a nurse and ex-care manager at Northamptonshire County Council, works for a law firm taking on cases where people are struggling to access social care funding.

In March, an inspector's report said the council "should be scrapped".

The authority said the service is "making good progress". BBC Northampton

Survey launched asking Northamptonshire's teenagers if they know where to go for help with their mental health

Survey launched asking Northamptonshire's teenagers if they know where to go for help with their mental health Children and young people in Northamptonshire are being asked to shape how they can find help with their emotional health and wellbeing.

A survey asking Northamptonshire's young people about their wellbeing has been launched to find if they have the support they need in the county. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Alcohol and mental health: policy and practice in England

Alcohol and mental health: policy and practice in England This report highlights that people who have difficulties with alcohol and mental health are still not getting the help and support they need. It is based on a survey and seminar session held with professionals working in mental health and/or alcohol services across the country. It finds that co-morbidity is a barrier to treatment, and support for people with co-occurring alcohol and mental health problems is too often poor and fragmented. Centre for Mental Health

NHS medicines provision: a tricky balancing act

NHS medicines provision: a tricky balancing act Providing new medicines costs money. Indeed, the introduction of new technologies, including drugs, is one of the main causes of the growth in spending on health care. But at a time when the NHS budget is rising very slowly this creates a tension which has potentially significant implications for patients. The King's Fund

Cancer workforce in England: A census of cancer, palliative and chemotherapy speciality nurses and support workers in England in 2017

Cancer workforce in England: A census of cancer, palliative and chemotherapy speciality nurses and support workers in England in 2017 Macmillan commissioned a census in order to better understand the specialist adult cancer nursing and support workforce in England. It provides a snapshot of the workforce on a single day: 9 October 2017. NHS Trusts submitted data from their organisations. Macmillan Cancer Support

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Health bosses criticise visa rules for doctors

Health bosses criticise visa rules for 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. BBC News

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Body cameras deter attacks and abuse at Welsh hospitals

Body cameras deter attacks and abuse at Welsh hospitals Body cameras are being used to record attacks and abuse towards hospital staff at five of Wales' health boards in a bid to deter violent behaviour.

Aneurin Bevan is the latest to give security staff the cameras after 15,113 incidents in the last five years.

One A&E nurse said he was threatened on a weekly basis and once had a patient grab him by the throat.

He said the cameras meant "it's no longer just our word against theirs". BBC News

'The NHS treatment that caused my cancer'

'The NHS treatment that caused my cancer' A High Court judge is starting work this week as chairman of a public inquiry into the biggest treatment scandal in NHS history. Tens of thousands want answers after being infected with hepatitis C and HIV from contaminated blood products.

"It's become a life of sickness, illness, worry, anxiety," Steve Dymond tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.

"It is not the life I imagined, in terms of dreams, in terms of ambitions."

In 2016, Steve had a tumour removed from his liver. BBC News

DJ found in contempt of court after NHS compensation bid

DJ found in contempt of court after NHS compensation bid A DJ who tried to claim £837,000 from the NHS for negligence has been found in contempt of court.

Sandip Singh Atwal, 33, from Birmingham, went to hospital for injuries to his hands and lip after being attacked in 2008.

He said the treatment he received was negligent, and had left him unemployed and dependent.

But the DJ was filmed working as a courier and dancing in a music video for a single he also released.

It is thought to be the first time an NHS trust has brought such proceedings. BBC News

NHS frontline staff watch children die, but managers tell us to keep it to ourselves

NHS frontline staff watch children die, but managers tell us to keep it to ourselves I find it naive a data manager can tell me that, having kept a stiff upper lip at work during an awful shift, I cannot tell the person closest to me a bit about my day. The Independent

Supermarket breast cancer screening to be offered by NHS 

Supermarket breast cancer screening to be offered by NHS Women will be offered breast cancer screening while they shop, under NHS plans to harness space technology.

Breast screening vans will be sent to supermarkets across the country in schemes to drive up detection rates, meaning women can receive results within days.

Officials hope that making checks more convenient will mean thousands of cases are picked up earlier - when the disease is more treatable. The Daily Telegraph

Lots of talk but little action means we risk losing the arms race against superbugs

Lots of talk but little action means we risk losing the arms race against superbugs Next month will mark the two-year anniversary of the publication of the review into antimicrobial resistance(AMR) that I led for the then Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Leading that review was possibly the most stimulating job I have ever done, not only because of its importance, but also because of the global nature of the antimicrobial resistance threat, and the complexity and diversity of issues the challenge presented.

In our review we outlined a scenario showing that, if we lose the arms race against bacteria, 10 million lives could be lost globally by 2050. Yes, 10 million, on top of the accumulated economic cost of those deaths and lost productivity to the world economy of $100 trillion. The Daily Telegraph

Homeopaths are offering 'fake' autism cures

Homeopaths are offering 'fake' autism cures Homeopaths across the UK are offering a ‘bogus’ therapy that claims to heal autism.

The National Autistic Society has strongly criticised CEASE therapy, which is based on the belief that vaccines contribute to autism and prescribes massive amounts of vitamin C to ‘nourish the brain’.

The Professional Standards Authority, which oversees homeopaths, has said it is concerned that CEASE - which stands for Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression - ‘strongly implies the ability to cure autism’. The Daily Mail