Thursday 28 June 2018

NHS funding: what we know, what we don’t know and what comes next

NHS funding: what we know, what we don’t know and what comes next As the dust settles on the new NHS funding announcement, it is a good time to set out our understanding of exactly what is included, what is yet to be determined and outline what we can expect to happen over the next few months as the ’plan’ for spending this money is developed. The King's Fund

Resources to support safer modification of food and drink

Resources to support safer modification of food and drink A resource alert has been issued to eliminate use of the imprecise term ‘soft diet’ and assist providers with safe transition to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework, which introduces standard terminology to describe texture modification for food and drink. NHS Improvement

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This could cost lives: a frontline view on the funding of supported housing

This could cost lives: a frontline view on the funding of supported housing This report is based on a survey of 117 staff members who work in supported housing services for people with mental illness. It reveals that 84 per cent of those surveyed believe that the Government’s new funding proposals would mean their service would probably close. Rethink Mental Illness

Student mental health support must improve, universities told

Student mental health support must improve, universities told Universities are being told to "dramatically improve" support for students with mental health issues.

The government is announcing it will award a certificate of excellence to institutions which meet new standards of mental health care.

It also wants universities to give students an opt-in service for vice chancellors to contact parents.

This would mean if students find themselves in a mental health crisis their relatives can be alerted. BBC News

Babylon claims its chatbot beats GPs at medical exam

Babylon claims its chatbot beats GPs at medical exam Claims that a chatbot can diagnose medical conditions as accurately as a GP have sparked a row between the software's creators and UK doctors.

Babylon, the company behind the NHS GP at Hand app, says its follow-up software achieves medical exam scores that are on-par with human doctors.

It revealed the artificial intelligence bot at an event held at the Royal College of Physicians.

But another medical professional body said it doubted the AI's abilities.

"No app or algorithm will be able to do what a GP does," said the Royal College of General Practitioners. BBC News

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Noel Conway: Terminally-ill man loses assisted dying challenge

Noel Conway: Terminally-ill man loses assisted dying challenge A terminally-ill man who wants to be helped to die has lost his legal challenge at the Court of Appeal.

Noel Conway, 68, who has motor neurone disease, has fought a legal battle for the right to a "peaceful and dignified" death.

The retired lecturer challenged an earlier High Court rejection of his case at a hearing in May.

Mr Conway, from Shrewsbury, said he now intends to take his fight to the Supreme Court. BBC News

Gosport doctor implicated in deaths of 456 patients says she was 'doing her best for patients'

Gosport doctor implicated in deaths of 456 patients says she was 'doing her best for patients' The doctor implicated in the deaths of at least 456 patients over 12 years working at Gosport War Memorial Hospital has said she was “doing her best for patients” in a pressurised part of the NHS.

Last week a major inquiry concluded Dr Jane Barton was “responsible” for the practice of prescribing powerful and unnecessary opiates which killed as many as 650 patients between 1988 and 2000.

Dr Barton and her husband, Tim Barton, stepped out from their Gosport home on Wednesday and in a statement read by Mr Barton maintained that a lack of hospital funding had been a factor in the deaths. The Independent

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Nico Reed: report details series of failings in care home death

Nico Reed: report details series of failings in care home death Reed, who had cerebral palsy, died aged 23 at an NHS-run facility in Oxfordshire

Failure to provide prompt emergency treatment was among a host of shortcomings that contributed to the death of Nico Reed, a 23-year-old disabled resident at an Oxfordshire care home, an independent investigation has concluded.

The report, commissioned by the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), also criticises the way Reed’s family were treated by officials after his death, saying they failed to provide appropriate communication and support. Continue reading... The Guardian

Theresa May got it wrong with her cash boost for the NHS. Here's why

Theresa May got it wrong with her cash boost for the NHS. Here's why Assessing what the health service needs is essential before giving it more money to meet demand

Four key things were missing from Theresa May’s announcement of extra money for the NHS.

There was no admission that there is an NHS crisis that needs tackling. Or that money is needed now for both the the health service and social care. Without this emergency cash injection, there will be insufficient time and resource to make the necessary preparations to avoid a repeat – or indeed worsening – of last year’s winter crisis in the NHS and social care with the trail of waits, delays, suffering and extra deaths that accompanied it. Continue reading... The Guardian

GPs dole out fewer antibiotics when paid bonuses to cut rates

GPs dole out fewer antibiotics when paid bonuses to cut rates GPs are doling out fewer antibiotics after being paid bonuses for cutting prescribing levels, research shows.

Under the schemes, groups of doctors can receive an extra £5 for every patient on their list if they meet targets to cut antibiotic prescribing.

A study by Imperial College London and Public Health England found that the financial rewards helped to reduce antibiotic prescriptions for common respiratory tract infections by three per cent. The Daily Telegraph

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Doctors call for final vote on Brexit

Doctors call for final vote on Brexit Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees Mogg has accused the British Medical Association of ignoring the will of their patients by calling for a final vote on any deal secured by the government to leave the EU. The Daily Mail

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