Friday 18 May 2018

What has the STP or ICS ever done for me?

What has the STP or ICS ever done for me? Since they were introduced in 2016, sustainability and transformation plans, and the partnerships (STPs) that have evolved from them, have taken up a considerable amount of NHS leaders’ time. Those STPs assessed as being most advanced by NHS England have been designated as integrated care systems (ICSs), of which there are currently 10 in England. Others are expected to be announced soon. Over time, NHS England hopes that all STPs will progress to become ICSs, recognising that the geographical footprints they cover may change in the light of developing understanding of their role. The King's Fund

#StatusOfMind Social media and young people's mental health and wellbeing

#StatusOfMind Social media and young people's mental health and wellbeing A report examining the positive and negative effects of social media on young people’s health.

The report includes a league table of social media platforms according to their impact on young people’s mental health. YouTube topped the table as the most positive, with Instagram and Snapchat coming out as the most detrimental to young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Royal Society for Public Health

Guidance: Health and wellbeing of lesbian and bisexual women (LBWSW)

Guidance: Health and wellbeing of lesbian and bisexual women (LBWSW) This report provides an overview of the evidence of health inequalities affecting lesbian and bisexual women and other women who have sex with women (LBWSW). It highlights a range of opportunities for action across the breadth of the public health system to improve the health of these women and reduce their burden of disease. Public Health England

The fifteen steps for maternity- Quality from the perspective of people who use maternity services

The fifteen steps for maternity - Quality from the perspective of people who use maternity services This document, focusing on maternity, is part of a suite of toolkits for the “Fifteen Steps Challenge”, which help to explore the experience of people who use maternity services and are a way of involving them in quality assurance processes. NHS England

Primary care home: community pharmacy integration and innovation

Primary care home: community pharmacy integration and innovation This report aims to inspire further integration of community pharmacy within primary care homes to improve patients’ health and support them to manage their conditions. The paper concludes that by learning from those leading the way and exploring innovative ways of working together they could have a bigger impact on improving the health and care needs of their local population. National Association of Primary Care

A&E statistics 'worse than reported'

A&E statistics 'worse than reported' The official monthly accident and emergency figures in England for the final months of last year claim more than 85% of patients were treated or assessed within the four-hour target - but those figures are almost certainly wrong.

Estimates by NHS England - taking account of factors that have since come to light - suggests December's figure was 84.9%.

At the time, this would have been the worst on record, but February's figure was even lower. BBC News

Exploring dementia through art and science

Exploring dementia through art and science It is like watching an awakening. Baton in hand, an elderly resident of a care home in north London is "conducting" a trio of professional musicians, a broad smile on his face.

Like the other residents in the room, he has advanced dementia. BBC News

Growing resistance to antifungal drugs 'a global issue'

Growing resistance to antifungal drugs 'a global issue' Scientists are warning that levels of resistance to treatments for fungal infections are growing, which could lead to more outbreaks of disease.

Intensive-care and transplant patients and those with cancer are most at risk because their immune systems cannot fight off the infections.

Writing in Science, researchers said new treatments were urgently needed.

Fungal infections had some of the highest mortality rates of infectious diseases, an expert said. BBC News

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Death in data: What happens at the end of life?

Death in data: What happens at the end of life? Scientists are expecting a spike in deaths in the coming years. As life expectancies increased, the number of people dying fell - but those deaths were merely delayed.

With people living longer, and often spending more time in ill-health, the Dying Matters Coalition wants to encourage people to talk about their wishes towards the end of their life, including where they want to die. BBC News

I wanted to find out how my baby died. Instead I got dishonesty and hostility | James Titcombe

I wanted to find out how my baby died. Instead I got dishonesty and hostility | James Titcombe The revelation of years of failures at Furness general hospital is bad enough, the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s shameful response compounds it.

In November 2008 my nine-day-old son, Joshua, died in truly terrible circumstances, as a consequence of failures in his care at Furness general hospital, part of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS foundation trust. Joshua’s death instantly turned my life upside down. But as I began to seek answers as to what exactly happened and why, nothing could have prepared me for the years of dishonesty, obfuscation and, at times, outright hostility that followed.

Critical records of Joshua’s care went missing, statements from staff were dishonest, investigations were superficial, the organisations that should have been taking action to ensure the maternity services at Morecambe Bay were safe instead acted to reassure each other that everything was OK. Continue reading... The Guardian

Cancer patients waiting up to 18 months for NHS treatment 

Cancer patients waiting up to 18 months for NHS treatment Cancer patients are waiting up to 18 months for treatment amid soaring NHS delays, new figures show.

The statistics released following Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show one patient waited 541 days for treatment after being referred urgently with suspected cancer by their GP. Another waited 446 days, against a target to complete treatment within 62 days.

Labour - which carried out the research - said the figures reflected an “abject failure” by Government to invest in health services, and prevent short staffing. The Daily Telegraph

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NHS hit squads crack down on payments from overseas patients 

NHS hit squads crack down on payments from overseas patients Hit squads will be sent into hospitals who are failing to charge overseas patients for treatment, following orders from regulators.

NHS watchdogs are targeting 50 trusts who between them have failed to recover £44m owing to them from patients who are not entitled to free care.

Senior officials said the hospitals should do more to recoup the funds, with NHS funding under “increasing pressure” and a need for money to be spent carefully. The Daily Telegraph