Suicide prevention plan led by Northamptonshire County Council will 'hopefully save many lives'

Suicide prevention plan led by Northamptonshire County Council will 'hopefully save many lives' Northamptonshire County Council is heading up a group of countywide organisations to help prevent suicides in the area.

In 2016-17, there were 55 deaths recorded as suicide in Northamptonshire, with the rate in the county broadly mirroring the average in England, and around a third of people who die by suicide are known to mental health treatment services. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton General Hospital patients paid £1.2 million in parking charges last year

Northampton General Hospital patients paid £1.2 million in parking charges last year Northampton General Hospital raked in £1.2 million from parking charges paid by patients and visitors last year, it has been revealed.

The trust made a further £550,690 from charges and penalty fines incurred by NHS workers during the same period.

Patients’ rights campaigners the Patients Association has criticised the existence of parking charges for patients, describing them as “a charge on people who are unwell, levied on them because they are unwell.”

However, chief executive Rachel Power said they were a way for hospitals to generate revenue at a time when they are under “immense” financial pressure. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Council squeeze blocking progress on health and care integration

Council squeeze blocking progress on health and care integration There is widespread consensus that integration and joint working is the right way forward for the health and social care system to deliver the best and most effective outcomes for people and their families.

Government still lacks effective overall strategy or plan to achieve aim of integrating sectors. It should set out a costed 10-year plan for social care to go with its 10-year plan for the NHS. Public Accounts Committee

See also:

• Interface between health and adult social care Public Accounts Committee
• Social care can’t wait for 2020 for government to reverse damaging healthcare cuts, MPs warn The Independent

The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care

The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care Outlines what is needed to enable the health and care system to make the best use of technology to support preventative, predictive and personalised care. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Hancock sets out NHS tech vision Computer Weekly
• No new funding for Hancock’s NHS tech vision Computer Weekly
• Hancock’s new tech vision at odds with GDE playbook Digital Health
• NHS digitisation expected to cost up to £13bn – report Digital Health
• Hancock’s ‘tech revolution’ to include mandatory open standards Digital Health
• Brace yourself, Britain: Health minister shares 'vision' for NHS 'tech revolution' The Register

Care staffing in the NHS, the good, the bad and the promising

Care staffing in the NHS, the good, the bad and the promising The NHS is the biggest employer in England and the fifth biggest in the world. But it is struggling to recruit enough nurses and care staff.

In 2018, BPP approached 220 NHS trusts in England - of which 89% responded as part of this report. While it is clear that NHS trusts are having to deal with budgetary pressures and a skills shortage which may be exacerbated by Brexit, they are also facing significant changes to their traditional training models. This includes factors such as cuts to bursaries and the declining numbers of those applying for nursing degrees.

This report gives an insight into nursing and HCA numbers. This includes data on gender, regions and how staff numbers vary by type of trust. BPP University School of Nursing

See also:

• Hospitals 'plugging' shortages of nurses by using cheaper workers, experts fear The Daily Telegraph

Committee shocked by low uptake of flu vaccine

Committee shocked by low uptake of flu vaccine The Science and Technology Committee publishes its report on the flu vaccination programme in England.

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee was shocked by survey results which showed that the flu vaccination uptake in social care settings was at best around 25%.

The Committee was prompted to undertake this inquiry as a result of the high disease burden of flu in 2017/18, high hospitalisation rates and discussions on the variable uptake of the flu vaccination.

In March 2018 the Committee held a one-off oral evidence session on the flu vaccination programme and heard from Public Health England, NHS England, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and others.

See also:

• Care home workers 'must have a flu jab to protect the elderly' as only one in four get vaccinated The Daily Mail

NHS 'could have prevented' road rage death

NHS 'could have prevented' road rage death An NHS trust could have prevented the killing of a man who was stabbed to death by a mental health patient, a report has found.

Matthew Daley, 35, killed Donald Lock on the A24 in Findon, near Worthing, in 2015 after the 79-year-old ran into the back of Daley's vehicle.

In the report, NHS England said Daley did not receive proper treatment for his psychotic behaviour.

Sussex Partnership NHS Trust apologised and admitted it "got things wrong". BBC News

See also:

• NHS admits that road rage killing could have been prevented with proper treatment The Daily Telegraph

Doctors 'need to start early conversation with patients about dying'

Doctors 'need to start early conversation with patients about dying' Doctors need to get better at having difficult conversations with dying patients and not just in their final days, according to a report from the Royal College of Physicians.

It says doctors should talk to people who could die within 12 months, who may be frail or terminally ill, and give them choices over their future care.

But the report says that rarely happens and doctors should be more proactive. BBC News

See also:

• New report asks why doctors find it so hard to talk to patients about dying Royal College of Physicians
• Doctors are told to 'talk to terminally ill patients about death' The Daily Mail

Wakefield's Pinderfields Hospital smokers shamed via loudspeaker

Wakefield's Pinderfields Hospital smokers shamed via loudspeaker People who ignore 'no smoking' signs by the doors of a Wakefield hospital are being shamed through a loudspeaker.

Staff, visitors and patients can activate the pre-recorded messages, which are then played through a speaker outside Pinderfields Hospital. BBC News

EpiPen shortage: Chemists told to quiz parents on children's need

EpiPen shortage: Chemists told to quiz parents on children's need Chemists have been told by the NHS to check whether young children are in urgent need of adrenaline pens before dispensing the devices.

Pharmacists must ask parents and carers how many auto-adrenaline injectors they have before deciding how many to give.

Only children who have no pens - including expired but usable devices - should get the standard prescription of two pens, the guidance says.

It follows a shortage of EpiPens, the adrenaline pen most often prescribed. BBC News

NHS warned of 'crippling' PFI charges over the next decade

NHS warned of 'crippling' PFI charges over the next decade The NHS has been warned of “crippling” cost pressures from its PFI contracts over the next decade, when aggregate repayments on the deals will reach their peak.

The warning has been issued in new research which explores various policy changes to ease the pressures, while concerns have also been raised by a former chief executive of NHS Improvement.

Analysis by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest found the annual “unitary payments” on private finance initiative contracts held by all government departments peaked at around £10.5bn in 2017-18. Health Service Journal

Breakthrough cancer and depression treatments just months away from approval could be delayed by Brexit

Breakthrough cancer and depression treatments just months away from approval could be delayed by Brexit Scores of drugs just months away from approval for use by British patients – including breakthrough treatments for depression and cancer – could be delayed indefinitely by Brexit, The Independent can reveal.

Manufacturers who have pending European licences have been told they will have to reapply to the UK’s medicines watchdog if their products have not been approved at the time of Brexit unless a deal is struck on drugs regulation.

One in three young people suffering mental health troubles, survey finds

One in three young people suffering mental health troubles, survey finds Depression, anxiety and restless sleep reported by Action for Children charity

One in three young people is suffering from mental troubles such as depression, negative feelings or inability to focus, a survey of more than 5,500 British teenagers has found.

The findings suggest that more school-age children than previously thought are struggling with their mental and emotional wellbeing, including problems sleeping properly. The Guardian

See also:

• Third of 15 to 18-year-olds suffer mental health problems, research suggests The Independent

Civil servants acted to stop watchdog's checks on Carillion projects

Civil servants acted to stop watchdog's checks on Carillion projects Officials working for Jeremy Hunt lobbied to alter oversight of failing hospital schemes

Civil servants working for Jeremy Hunt successfully lobbied the Cabinet Office to stop failing Carillion hospital projects from being overseen by an independent watchdog, an official report has disclosed.

A National Audit Office report said the Department of Health intervened in 2015, which meant the Cabinet Office took responsibility for oversight of Carillion’s health construction projects including the Midland Metropolitan hospital. Hunt was health secretary at the time. The Guardian

Autistic woman allowed to have sex with numerous men 'despite not being aware of dangers'

Autistic woman allowed to have sex with numerous men 'despite not being aware of dangers' Social workers have defended their handling of a case in which a young woman with autism was allowed to have sex with several men despite not always being aware of the potential dangers.

There were fears the woman, who has severe learning disabilities and an IQ of 52, was repeatedly exploited during a two-month trial period this summer in which random men were permitted to visit her Manchester home between 10am and 4pm each day. The Daily Telegraph

'Unthinkable' that the NHS won't buy life-saving children's drug

'Unthinkable' that the NHS won't buy life-saving children's drug Children under the age of two are dying of a curable disease because the NHS won't buy the new 'wonder drug' which can stop it, doctors say.

The creators of Spinraza, which is proven to cure spinal muscular atrophy, this week won a $3million (£2.29m) prize for their life-saving work.

And medics say it is 'unthinkable' that health bosses in the UK refuse to pay for the £450,000-a-year drug which could help the 1,300 Britons estimated to have SMA. The Daily Mail