Hospital beds crisis in Northamptonshire can be tackled with help of new computer system

Hospital beds crisis in Northamptonshire can be tackled with help of new computer system A new computer system is expected to help prevent patients from spending ‘too long’ in local hospital beds.

Northamptonshire County Council’s cabinet is set to agree to allow the authority to procure the system, which is currently a prototype and will soon go live.

It comes after recent research found that up to a third of 1,000 hospital beds in the county are occupied by a person who could have been discharged. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Approaches to better value: improving quality and cost

Approaches to better value: improving quality and cost The NHS is increasingly focusing on how it can improve the value of its services, to deliver the highest quality health outcomes for patients at the lowest cost possible. This report shares learning and insight from three NHS hospital trusts that have developed organisation-wide strategies for value improvement. The King's Fund

Reviewing the Better Care Fund: time to be bold?

Reviewing the Better Care Fund: time to be bold? The Prime Minister’s announcement in June of a new funding settlement for the NHS included a requirement for what Jeremy Hunt later described as ‘the full integration’ of the NHS and social care. Less attention was given to the announcement that the Better Care Fund (BCF) would be reviewed to make sure it supports that goal. The King's Fund

National mortality case record review: annual report 2018

National mortality case record review: annual report 2018 This report reveals that hospitals are using a standardised review approach to learn from adult acute deaths and improve patient care. It cites a number of case studies where the structured judgement review process has made positive contributions to improving healthcare for patients. Royal College of Physicians

Human body parts 'pile up' in NHS waste backlog

Human body parts 'pile up' in NHS waste backlog Hundreds of tonnes of human body parts and medical waste is piling up after a disposal company working for the NHS has struggled to incinerate it.

The government confirmed the waste had not been properly disposed of by Healthcare Environmental Services.

A spokeswoman said there was no risk to the public, but the waste material had not been incinerated in a timely fashion.

The anatomical waste is stored on sites in secure and refrigerated containers. BBC News

See also:

• NHS waste backlog: Criminal probe over body parts 'pile up' BBC News
• Human body parts being stockpiled in their hundreds of tonnes by NHS-contracted waste firm The Daily Telegraph
• Body parts pile up as NHS supplier fails to dispose of human waste The Guardian
• Trusts alerted as firm stockpiles clinical waste and body parts Health Service Journal
• Government reviewing procurement process after 'human body parts' scandal Health Service Journal
• Human body parts and organs among tonnes of medical waste stockpiled by NHS contractor The Independent

Tighter cyber security deemed ‘not value for money’

Tighter cyber security deemed ‘not value for money’ The government is set to ignore recommendations from its top national cyber body that the NHS must meet a “minimum bar” for cyber security, even as the service continues to come under online attack.

A government commissioned review of the NHS response to the WannaCry global ransomware attack, published in February, recommended that all NHS organisations meet a cyber security standard, known as a cyber essentials plus, by June 2021. Health Service Journal

The NHS doctor facing deportation after 16 years

The NHS doctor facing deportation after 16 years Highly skilled workers who want to live and work in Britain will get priority – that’s according to the Government’s immigration policy, outlined at the Tory conference this week.

And, just today, the NHS launched a drive to recruit more than 1200 doctors from Australia – to help boost GP numbers.

Yet a popular, highly qualified doctor in east Surrey, who’s lived here for 16 years, is now facing deportation after her application for indefinite leave to remain was refused. Channel 4 News

Fifth of UK adults fear catching flu from jab, study finds

Fifth of UK adults fear catching flu from jab, study finds A new study claims some of the most common myths about being ill include “starve a fever” and “the flu jab gives you flu”.

A poll of 2,000 adults found one-fifth of the population fear catching flubecause they have had the flu jab.

This belief could be the reason why only 37 per cent of Britons are planning to be vaccinated against the virus this year. The Independent 

NHS strikes deal for cutting edge cancer treatment for adults with lymphoma

NHS strikes deal for cutting edge cancer treatment for adults with lymphoma Patients with a type of cancer who have just months to live are to have access to a “game-changing” new treatment on the NHS in England, health chiefs say.

Up to 200 adults a year with a form of lymphoma will be able to receive the therapy as hospitals in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, London and Newcastle prepare to provide it.

The treatment offers new hope to patients with cancer of the lymphatic system who have run out of other options, experts believe. The Independent

See also:

• NHS England strikes deal for ground breaking cancer treatment in a new European first NHS England

Women have wrongly been told they are pregnant as thousands of tests recalled

Women have wrongly been told they are pregnant as thousands of tests recalled Thousands of pregnancy testing kits are being recalled after women were wrongly informed they were expecting.

About 60,000 of the potentially faulty Clear & Simple digital pregnancy tests have been distributed in the UK and an unknown number have been found to give a false positive result.

China-based manufacturer Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech announced the recall following an investigation, admitting that a production error had led to its results “misleading consumers”. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Digital pregnancy tests recalled in new alert amid false positive results Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
• Digital pregnancy tests recalled over inaccurate results BBC News

GPs being asked to run cookery classes to help battle Britain's obesity crisis

GPs being asked to run cookery classes to help battle Britain's obesity crisis GPs have been urged to prescribe healthy recipes in a bid to combat Britain’s obesity crisis.

Doctors are also being asked to run weekend cookery classes at their practices, in a bid to teach families how to eat a balanced diet.

Medics at the Royal College of GPs’ annual conference said doctors needed to take a bigger role in helping patients to choose their meals more wisely. The Daily Telegraph

NHS will recruit doctors from Australia as it 'pulls out all the stops' to try and hire more GPs

NHS will recruit doctors from Australia as it 'pulls out all the stops' to try and hire more GPs The NHS will offer Australian doctors a 'relocation package' of up to £18,500 to move to the UK as it tries to hire more GPs to battle a staffing crisis.

The health service will target GPs who previously left the UK for Australia and are looking to return home, as well as Australian GPs who want to live in the UK.

NHS England's director of care says the UK is 'pulling out all the stops' as it tries to bring in doctors from a country where training and quality are as high as at home.

Figures last week revealed as many as 2.5 million patients are at risk of losing their surgeries in the next five years because so many doctors are close to retiring. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS to recruit doctors from ‘Down Under’ NHS England