Wednesday 22 August 2018

Getting the right leadership in place

Getting the right leadership in place ‘Your most important job will be replacing me’ said my chief executive when I started as Chair at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust four and a half years ago. There have been a few other challenges along the way, but fundamentally she’s right. Getting the right leadership team in place for the trust and keeping them there is the single biggest contributor to our success and the wellbeing of our patients and staff. It’s a job that is becoming more and more difficult as The King’s Fund and NHS Providers’ research into NHS leadership demonstrates.

NHS data security: protecting patient records

NHS data security: protecting patient records Using Freedom of Information legislation, sixty-eight NHS trusts were asked for information on patient records which were reported 'missing' over the 2017-2018 financial year. This revealed that nearly 10,000 patient records were lost over this period. Parliament Street

Maternal request caesarean research highlights postcode lottery

Maternal request caesarean research highlights postcode lottery Results of a nationwide Freedom of Information Act request show that the majority of Trusts in the UK make the process of requesting a caesarean lengthy, difficult or inconsistent adding anxiety and distress to women at a vulnerable time. And lawyers acting for the charity are concerned that at least one Trust may be acting unlawfully. Birthrights

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100,000 carers missing: how ending free movement could spell disaster for elderly and disabled people

100,000 carers missing: how ending free movement could spell disaster for elderly and disabled people Ending freedom of movement after Brexit could mean more than 100,000 fewer adult social care workers by 2026, and a 26% increase in the ratio of over-75s to care workers.

The findings come from a new analysis by think tank Global Future, which is making the case for continuing free movement after Brexit for low-skilled social care workers from the European Union to protect the adult social care sector and the millions of elderly and disabled people who rely on it.

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Children 'getting sight problems because of eye test delays'

Children 'getting sight problems because of eye test delays' Children are developing permanent problems with their vision because they are not being given eye tests early enough, optometrists have warned.

An Association of Optometrists survey of 1,200 people indicated a quarter of school-age children had not been taken for a sight test by their parents.

Of parents surveyed, 52% thought tests would be given in primary school.

While some schools do offer screening, the tests are less comprehensive than those provided free on the NHS. BBC News

Superdrug hack: Data thieves claim to have information on 20,000 customers

Superdrug hack: Data thieves claim to have information on 20,000 customers Superdrug has been targeted by hackers claiming they had access to tens of thousands of customers' personal details including dates of birth and phone numbers.

The high street chain it had been contacted by someone who claimed that they had obtained the details of approximately 20,000 customers.

The company confirmed that 386 of the accounts had been compromised and said was it was working to establish the exact number. The Independent

NHS unprepared for no-deal Brexit, leaked letter warns

NHS unprepared for no-deal Brexit, leaked letter warns Letter highlights risk of drug shortages and spread of disease

Hospitals face running out of drugs in a chaotic no-deal Brexit, the group that represents NHS hospital and ambulance service has privately warned.

Poor co-ordination by ministers and health service bosses means there has been a failure to prepare for the UK to be left without a Brexit deal, a leaked letter from NHS Providers said. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Anti-vaxxers are still spreading false claims as people die of measles

Anti-vaxxers are still spreading false claims as people die of measles | Helen Stokes-Lampard We still don’t have a full uptake of the MMR vaccine. As a GP I know how vital it is to regulate online misinformation and reassure parents

In the early 2000s, after the link between the MMR vaccine and autism was thoroughly debunked, healthcare professionals, including GPs and our teams, worked hard to re-establish public confidence in vaccinations. It took years to restore, but uptake rates in children receiving the MMR vaccine began to improve and there was a time, not so long ago, when we thought we had eradicated measles entirely.

That is why recent data about the surge in measles cases across Europe will come as distressing news – even to us here in the UK. However, it backs up concerns that were published last month in the British Journal of General Practice. The World Health Organization has reported that a total of 41,000 people in the European region were infected in the first six months of 2018 – up from 23,927 cases in 2017 and 5,273 in 2016. Of the cases reported so far this year, 37 deaths have been recorded.

Getting the public invested in the benefits of vaccination is key to its success Continue reading... The Guardian

Country's top nurse resigns in the wake of misleading NHS pay blunder

Country's top nurse resigns in the wake of misleading NHS pay blunder Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, announced she will step down from her role at the end of August. The college said they parted ways by 'mutual agreement'. The Daily Mail

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Outbreak of West Nile virus kills 22 in Europe

Outbreak of West Nile virus kills 22 in Europe Health officials have warned there has been a spike in mosquito-borne West Nile virus this year, with 401 recorded human cases across Europe, with most in Serbia, Italy and Greece. The Daily Mail

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