Wednesday 2 May 2018

East Midlands Ambulance Service asks for £20m to hit targets

East Midlands Ambulance Service asks for £20m to hit targets A troubled ambulance trust will meet with NHS bosses over its failure to hit targets for response times.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is reaching the most critically ill people in an average of nine minutes, two minutes short of its target.

It has asked local health commissioners for £20m a year, which would allow an extra 300 staff to be recruited but no agreement has yet been reached. BBC Leicester 

Northampton health centre with more than 30,000 patients left with just two parking spaces

Northampton health centre with more than 30,000 patients left with just two parking spaces A Northampton health centre with more than 30,000 registered patients has been left with just two parking spaces after a gym it shares its car park with has banned any non-members.

Exasperated patients at Weston Favell Health Centre, off Billing Brook Road, have been forced to risk fines on surrounding streets and the nearby shopping centre car park after Lings Forum Leisure Centre installed license plate recognition cameras on the shared lot. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

East Midlands woman told to pay £2,000 after calling 999 almost 100 times on Christmas Day

East Midlands woman told to pay £2,000 after calling 999 almost 100 times on Christmas Day A woman who called 999 with no medical need 740 times in three months has been told to pay £2,000 compensation to EMAS and banned from calling the emergency services for five years other than in a genuine emergency.

The frequent caller, whose actions cost the NHS £13,276, was sentenced at court earlier this month. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Measuring national wellbeing: Quality of Life in the UK, 2018

Measuring national wellbeing: Quality of Life in the UK, 2018 The review provides an update against specific wellbeing indicators including health, mental wellbeing and job satisfaction. This year, the review focused on comparing the results between different age groups. These results may help employers target their health and wellbeing strategies towards different age grouped employees in their organisation. Office for National Statistics

Weight loss and loose skin: Patients 'forgotten' by NHS

Weight loss and loose skin: Patients 'forgotten' by NHS  A senior plastic surgeon has told Newsbeat people who were obese and now have saggy skin are often "forgotten".

Mark Soldin thinks a lot of people should be able to get the treatment on the NHS - and he's been "fighting hard for patients to get better access".

The surgery can cost thousands of pounds.

The NHS says funding is not generally available for cosmetic surgery unless there is a medical need and it impacts quality of life. BBC News

UK's most polluted towns and cities revealed

UK's most polluted towns and cities revealed Some 47 towns and cities across the UK are at or have exceeded air pollution limits set by the World Health Organization, its new report has found.

The WHO data shows 32 areas have fine particle air pollution levels above 10 micrograms per cubic metre, with the remaining 15 at that limit.

Areas that exceeded the level include London and Manchester, with the Welsh steelworks town Port Talbot the worst.

Dirty air can cause debilitating diseases and hasten death. BBC News

Bid to overturn homeopathy crackdown

Bid to overturn homeopathy crackdown Campaigners are seeking to overturn a decision by NHS bosses to recommend GPs no longer prescribe homeopathy.

The British Homeopathic Association has won the right to have a judicial review of the move.

It was proposed last year by NHS England after a consultation, which the BHA is arguing was flawed.

Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, has described homeopathy as "at best a placebo and a misuse of scarce NHS funds". BBC News

Impact of revalidation remains unclear, finds GMC-backed review

Impact of revalidation remains unclear, finds GMC-backed review More than five years after it was launched, the impact of revalidation and the extent to which it has achieved intended outcomes remains unclear, a review backed by the GMC has found. GPonline

Theresa May 'blocking requests' to allow in more overseas doctors for NHS

Theresa May 'blocking requests' to allow in more overseas doctors for NHS Downing St defends immigration policy after May accused of refusing to allow visas for doctors to relieve NHS shortages

Downing Street has insisted it stands by the government’s strict immigration regime, after Theresa May was accused of blocking requests to allow more overseas doctors to come to Britain to fill staff shortages in the NHS.

The Evening Standard reported on Tuesday that at least three government departments – including the Home Office – had urged Downing Street to lift visa quotas temporarily. May turned down the requests.

This is where Theresa May's hostile environment leads. And will continue until the policy is scrapped. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

The last decade of health and social care in the UK – in 10 charts | Lord Ara Darzi

The last decade of health and social care in the UK – in 10 charts | Lord Ara Darzi Despite warnings of a crisis, the quality of care and patient outcomes have improved. But the NHS still needs a pragmatic plan to secure its future

This year is one of anniversaries. It’s 70 years since the NHS was created and 10 years since my last review of the service, which focused on the quality of healthcare. It seems, therefore, like the perfect moment to step back and reflect on where we find ourselves today.

With this in mind, I recently launched another review, commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and with analytical support from management consultancy Carnall Farrar. The review aims to assess the progress we have made and the challenges we face in the future. Telling the story of the last decade in the NHS, our interim findings are both interesting and important. Continue reading... The Guardian

Council cuts piling pressure on GPs as '90 per cent' reduce services

Council cuts piling pressure on GPs as '90 per cent' reduce services Councils are piling pressure on GPs by cutting services intended to prevent ill health, an investigation has found.

Ninety per cent of councils have cut funding to weight management, sexual health and addiction services in a bid to save cash, according to new research.

Some areas are scrapping the services altogether, a survey of 80 councils found, leaving GPs to try to cover the gaps. The Daily Telegraph

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NHS makes near record £19m payout to parents of girl left brain damaged after jaundice treatment went wrong 

NHS makes near record £19m payout to parents of girl left brain damaged after jaundice treatment went wrong  The NHS has made a near record £19m payout to the parents of girl left brain damaged after jaundice treatment went wrong.

The nine-year-old was born at King's College Hospital with severe jaundice and her lawyers claimed there was a negligent delay in giving her a total blood transfusion.

NHS lawyers accepted that there had been "shortcomings" in her care - and agreed to what is believed to be a near record settlement of her claim. The Daily Telegraph

Number of staff turning up when they are ill has trebled since 2010

Number of staff turning up when they are ill has trebled since 2010 A sore throat and a sniffle won’t keep Britons away from work, a new survey has revealed.

The number of employees still going into work when they’re ill has more than tripled since 2010, according to a survey of hundreds of British workers.

The rise in workers suggests employees feel increasingly under pressure to work longer and harder, even when their health is at risk, the Times reported.

The survey examined 1,021 companies, who represented 4.6 million workers.

In 2016 72 per cent of employees came into work ill, up from 26 per cent in 2010. The Daily Mail