Monday 21 May 2018

Northamptonshire Council Council: Grant bill may be £16m

Northamptonshire Council Council: Grant bill may be £16m A troubled council is facing a bigger bill over its use of ring-fenced public health money than previously thought.

Northamptonshire County Council has been under investigation over claims it spent the cash on other services.

An auditor's report has now revealed the figure was £16m - 60% more than previously reported.

A council spokesman said: "We have been working closely with Public Health England, providing evidence. We await the final outcome of the review." BBC Northampton

Time to end the neglect of community services

Health services overloaded despite support pledges, claims report A report by NHS Providers says promises to bring more patient care closer to home by prioritising NHS community services have fallen flat.

National strategies under successive governments have concluded that the NHS must do more to help people stay well in their own homes and communities, avoiding the need for hospital treatment, if the health service is going to be financially sustainable.

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End of life care in England: A briefing paper

End of life care in England: A briefing paper The purpose of this short briefing paper from the  Institute for Public Policy Research is to:
  • provide a brief summary of issues around end of life care, including an overview of evidence regarding the impact of location on the quality and cost of care
  • analyse data on the current location and cost of end of life care in England, how this compares at an international and sub-national level 
  • appraise the current policy agenda of the UK government and NHS England with regard to end of life care, and suggest key areas where improvements should be made
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Artificial intelligence can be weapon in cancer fight, PM to say

Artificial intelligence can be weapon in cancer fight, PM to say The diagnosis of cancer and other diseases in the UK can be transformed by using artificial intelligence, Theresa May is to say.

The NHS and technology companies should use AI as a "new weapon" in research, the PM will urge in a speech later.

Experts say it can be used to help prevent 22,000 cancer deaths a year by 2033 while aiding the fight against heart disease, diabetes and dementia.

High-skilled science jobs will also be created, Mrs May is to pledge. BBC News

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Patients lose hip replacement court case

Patients lose hip replacement court case Hundreds of patients have lost the first round of a legal battle for compensation at the High Court over allegedly "defective" hip implants.

A judge ruled that manufacturer DePuy was not liable to the 312 patients who claimed they had been injured by the implants. BBC News

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GMC to tell doctors how to avoid reflective notes being used against them

GMC to tell doctors how to avoid reflective notes being used against them Advice on how doctors can avoid reflective notes being used against them will be published this autumn jointly by the GMC and leading medical organisations, following the damaging Bawa-Garba case. GPonline

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    NHS warns patients they could lose text alerts as GDPR deluge continues

    NHS warns patients they could lose text alerts as GDPR deluge continues Health service joins UK firms in rushing to comply with new data protection rules.

    The National Health Service is texting patients to warn they could lose alerts about hospital and doctor appointments, joining the deluge of more than 1bn “GDPR” messages currently hitting personal inboxes to meet an EU deadline this week.

    GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation, has been described as the biggest overhaul of online privacy since the birth of the internet, and comes into force on Friday May 25. It gives all EU citizens the right to know what data is stored on them and to have it deleted, plus protect them from privacy and data breaches. If companies fail to comply, they can be hit with fines of up to €20m (£17.5m) or 4% of global turnover.

    The European Union's new stronger, unified data protection laws, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will come into force on 25 May 2018, after more than six years in the making. Continue reading... The Guardian

    Poor lose doctors as wealthy gain them, new figures reveal

    Poor lose doctors as wealthy gain them, new figures reveal Number of GPs opting to work in deprived areas is falling, despite £20k ‘golden hellos’

    Fewer GPs are choosing to work in poorer areas but more are joining surgeries that look after wealthier populations, new official figures reveal.

    The exodus, uncovered by Labour MP Frank Field, is exacerbating the existing “under-doctoring” of deprived populations – the lack of family doctors in places where poorer people live.

    We desperately need more GPs right across the country... People in deprived areas often need more access to GP services. Continue reading... The Guardian

    NHS to divert 'frequent flyers' to A&E with coffee and counselling 

    NHS to divert 'frequent flyers' to A&E with coffee and counselling  “Frequent flyers” to Accident and Emergency departments are being kept away under a new scheme to offer a coffee and counselling to those coming to casualty for the wrong reasons.

    The initiative, which is set to be rolled out nationwide, comes amid soaring emergency admissions to hospitals, which have risen 50 per cent in a decade.

    Paramedics in the North East are among those who have introduced schemes which attempt to identify those who repeatedly call 999 or turn to A&E - and get to the root of their problems. The Daily Telegraph

    Hospital staff disciplined after Ed Sheeran data breach

    Hospital staff disciplined after Ed Sheeran data breach One member of hospital staff has been sacked and another has been given a written warning for accessing Ed Sheeran’s personal details without authorisation, it has emerged.

    The singer was admitted to Ipswich Hospital on October 16 last year. Ipswich hospital said both staff members “accessed patient information without legitimate or clinical reason”, according to information obtained by the BBC using freedom of information laws. The Daily Telegraph

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    The battle to contain Ebola - experts scramble to prevent its international spread

    The battle to contain Ebola - experts scramble to prevent its international spread The Department of Health is deploying a UK rapid response team to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to contain the Ebola outbreak in the country.

    The risk to health posed by the outbreak has also been raised to “very high” by the World Health Organization (WHO). The risk assessment is specific to DRC where a total of 45 Ebola cases have been reported in the last two weeks, including 25 deaths. The Daily Telegraph 

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    Diabetes testing kits are urgently recalled amid fears they give false readings

    Diabetes testing kits are urgently recalled amid fears they give false readings Diabetes testing kits are urgently recalled amid fears they give false readings and could put lives at risk.

    Patients have been advised to urgently stop using and return specific lots of Accu-Chek Aviva and Accu-Chek Performa test strips due to concerns they may give falsely high or low readings.

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it is estimated that more than 260,000 packs have been affected. The Daily Mail

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