Vulnerable children facing 'catastrophe' over crisis-hit councils

Vulnerable children facing 'catastrophe' over crisis-hit councils Vulnerable children cannot get help from some cash-strapped councils, the Children's Commissioner for England has warned.

Anne Longfield said she feared the financial crisis at Northamptonshire County Council would have "catastrophic consequences" for some children.

Both Northamptonshire and East Sussex councils are planning major service cuts due to funding shortfalls.

Ms Longfield wants the government to protect children from any council cuts. BBC Northampton

See also:

• From coffee mornings to food banks: County council cuts could leave Northamptonshire's volunteer-run groups in 'meltdown' Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Former Northamptonshire County Council leader launches attack on MPs and fellow councillors in new interview Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Landmark High Court ruling opens up future Corby walk-in centre to public

Landmark High Court ruling opens up future Corby walk-in centre to public A CCG’s attempts to turn a local walk-in centre into an appointment-only provider has been overturned following a landmark decision by the High Court.

Legal action was brought forward last month from campaigners against Corby CCG after it outlined plans to change the service from a walk-in unit to become appointment-only, with the commissioning group claiming the decision should not go to a public review.

The decision from Corby CCG was made after Corby Urgent Care Centre’s operator, private firm Lakeside Plus Ltd, could no longer afford to operate services due to insufficient funding from the commissioning group.

Following the judge’s decision to take the case to a Judicial Review, the High Court ruled that there must be a full public consultation to the changes to Corby’s centre. National Health Executive

Opt-out organ donation 'in place by 2020' for England

Opt-out organ donation 'in place by 2020' for England A new opt-out system for organ donation will be in place by 2020 in England, if Parliament approves "Max's Law".

Under the plans detailed by ministers, adults will be presumed to be organ donors unless they have specifically recorded their decision not to be.

The government said it would save up to 700 lives each year.

In the UK in 2017, 411 people died before the right donor was found, and more than 5,000 people are currently on the waiting list in England. BBC News

NHS told 'offer transgender fertility treatment' or face legal action

NHS told 'offer transgender fertility treatment' or face legal action A watchdog is threatening NHS England with legal action if it does not begin offering fertility treatments to transgender patients as standard.

Transitioning can lead to fertility loss, but many patients are not offered a chance to have eggs or sperm stored.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said this is "outdated" discrimination as patients with other conditions routinely get that option.

NHS England says it is a matter for government ministers to decide upon. BBC News

See also:

• NHS must offer fertility treatment to trans patients or face legal action, human rights watchdog says The Daily Telegraph
• NHS told: give trans patients equal access to fertility service The Guardian
• NHS threatened with legal action unless it offers transgender people fertility treatment The Independent
• NHS threatened with legal action over transgender fertility policy Sky News

NHS England's top GP resigns following Pulse comments

NHS England's top GP resigns following Pulse comments The NHS England director of primary care Dr Arvind Madan has resigned following his interview with Pulse.

He admitted that he had been posting provocative comments under the pseudonym ’Devil’s Advocate’ on the Pulse Today website.

In a statement, he apologised to small practices following his interview in Pulse, where he suggested GPs should be ’pleased’ when small practices closed. 

See also:

• Statement from Dr Arvind Madan NHS England
• England's top GP forced to resign after using fake account to troll doctors The Daily Telegraph
• England’s most senior GP quits over anonymous online posts The Guardian
• Most senior NHS GP resigns after inflammatory online comments exposed The Independent

Hospital admissions for self-harming girls double in 20 years, figures show

Hospital admissions for self-harming girls double in 20 years, figures show Girls were admitted to hospital for self-harming nearly twice as regularly last year compared to two decades ago, figures have revealed.

Charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) described the statistics as "heartbreaking", while an expert suggested social media could have contributed to the rise.

NHS data shows girls were admitted to hospital 7,327 times in 1997, compared to 13,463 times in 2017. The Independent

See also:

• Hospital admissions for teenage girls who self-harm nearly double The Guardian

Anger and confusion as ‘complex’ NHS pay deal disappoints staff

Anger and confusion as ‘complex’ NHS pay deal disappoints staff Workers across service complain they have not had promised wage rises and GMB calls for talks to be reopened

Some NHS staff have been angered by the recent pay deal for more than a million workers, complaining that they are not receiving the increases they had been promised.

One union has been forced to apologise and hold an emergency meeting after admitting to misleading members over the deal, and some NHS staff are complaining that they are either seeing a tiny increase in their pay packets or a fall. Continue reading... The Guardian

Fears for NHS as apprenticeships fail to plug gaps left by Brexit brain drain

Fears for NHS as apprenticeships fail to plug gaps left by Brexit brain drain The promise was 1,000 trainee nurses a year, but data shows a serious shortfall for registered and nursing associate programmes

The total number of people starting NHS apprenticeships has fallen by more than a third in the past three years, raising new concerns about shortages of key staff such as nurses after Brexit.

Figures released by the Department for Education show a 36% drop in the number of people taking up NHS apprenticeships between 2015/16 and 2017/18, with take-up of such positions falling way short of government predictions. Continue reading... The Guardian

How Virgin became one of the UK's leading healthcare providers

How Virgin became one of the UK's leading healthcare providers Virgin’s rapid expansion into healthcare has seen it winning contracts for services from immunisation to sexual health

In early 2000, the Labour government realised it had a problem with the NHS.

Alan Milburn, the then health secretary, wanted fresh ideas to help make hospitals more patient-friendly – and he asked for them from a rather unusual place: Sir Richard Branson. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Virgin awarded almost £2bn of NHS contracts in the past five years The Guardian

Scottish figures 'point to hidden UK crisis in tranquiliser abuse'

Scottish figures 'point to hidden UK crisis in tranquiliser abuse' Doctors, counsellors and charity workers say increasing numbers are seeking help with prescription drug addiction

A rise in prescription drug use across the UK could be fueling a hidden crisis affecting millions, experts have said, as Scottish government data shows a dramatic rise in deaths linked to tranquilisers.

Doctors, drug counsellors and charity workers say a growing number of people coming through their doors are seeking help for prescription drug addictions.
It comes as new data shows a surge in deaths in Scotland linked to Alprazolam, a benzodiazepine tranquiliser used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, and sold under the trade name Xanax. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• ‘Then Xanax came into it’: Anne McDermott on her son Scott’s death The Guardian
• Xanax misuse: doctors warn of 'emerging crisis' as UK sales rise The Guardian

Warning over online GPs as struck-off doctor discovered using loophole to prescribe 'unsafe' drugs

Warning over online GPs as struck-off doctor discovered using loophole to prescribe 'unsafe' drugs The health care regulator is calling for greater powers to protect patients from online GPs after a struck-off doctor was discovered using a loophole to prescribe "unsafe" drugs.

An online company set-up by former doctor Julian Eden prescribed "dangerous" drugs to patients whose own GPs would be highly unlikely to prescribe to them, an investigation by Panorama found.

It will reveal how a loophole in legislation allows Eden's company, EuroRX, to prescribe medication because it is based overseas. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• 'Dangerous' prescription drugs sold to UK patients and addicts without checks through regulation loophole, investigation finds The Independent

Feuding surgeons put patients at risk at heart surgery unit, report finds

Feuding surgeons put patients at risk at heart surgery unit, report finds A "toxic" feud between two rival camps at a troubled heart-surgery unit left staff feeling a high death rate was inevitable, according to a leaked report.

St George's Hospital heart unit was consumed by a "dark force" and patients were put at risk by a dysfunctional team of surgeons, an investigation concluded last month.

The damning review was written by former NHS England deputy medical director Mike Bewick in response to higher mortality rates at the hospital. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Surgeons' 'toxic' rows added to mortality rate, says report BBC News
• Heart surgeons accused of 'toxic feud that put patients at risk' The Guardian

Hundreds of lives are being saved thanks to a TEXT service which alerts doctors to cases of sepsis

Hundreds of lives are being saved thanks to a TEXT service which alerts doctors to cases of sepsis Pioneered by a leading teaching hospital, the system has led to a seven-fold increase in the number of patients getting life-saving drugs. The Daily Mail