Urgent care company collapse leaves GPs just 10 days to find out-of-hours cover A number of GP practices are being forced to urgently seek replacement out-of-hours cover after the private company providing services on their behalf gave them just 10 days' notice of ceasing operations.
Primecare, which forms part of the financially struggling Allied Healthcare group, wrote last week to over 20 Birmingham GP practices for which it directly provides out-of-hours cover, informing them they would stop services by the end of the month.
The decison also affects a number of CCGs, which have been told the services they contract from Primecare will cease by mid-December.
NHS Walsall CCG, NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG, NHS Herefordshire CCG and NHS Nene CCG all hold out-of-hours and urgent care services contract with the company, while Primecare also forms part of a wider NHS 111 and out-of-hours contract covering more than a dozen West Midlands CCGs. Pulse
Tuesday 27 November 2018
Cancer care: England still lagging behind the best
Unfinished business: An assessment of the national approach to improving cancer services in England 1995–2015 This report looks at progress in cancer care over two decades. It finds that progress has been made on reducing mortality, and improving the chances of survival and the experience of care, for people in England diagnosed with cancer.
However, despite persistent ambitions to be the best in Europe and the world, the gap in survival rates has not been closed.
The report sets out recommendations to help close the gap in survival between England and other comparable countries. The Health Foundation
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However, despite persistent ambitions to be the best in Europe and the world, the gap in survival rates has not been closed.
The report sets out recommendations to help close the gap in survival between England and other comparable countries. The Health Foundation
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Shedding light on service design involving patients and the public
Shedding light on service design involving patients and the public One of the most satisfying aspects of patient and public involvement (PPI) is the ability to look back at a project and clearly see how the patient voice had meaningful impact. Using patient insight data to influence change is a lengthy process, with the ‘truth’ emerging slowly during systematic analysis of all the data that’s been gathered over the preceding weeks, months or years. Much rarer are the occasions when something emerges during a lone workshop or focus group that is clearly going to redefine the way you think about a particular problem; the 'lightbulb moment'. The King's Fund
Radical changes needed to tackle stalling health improvements
Radical changes needed to tackle stalling health improvements The King’s Fund has warned that, without radical change, progress in improving the population’s health is at risk of grinding to a halt.
Health improvements over the last century have meant that each generation has lived longer, healthier lives than their predecessors. But in a new report, The King’s Fund argues that this can no longer be taken for granted, highlighting a number of key measures against which progress has stalled.
Health improvements over the last century have meant that each generation has lived longer, healthier lives than their predecessors. But in a new report, The King’s Fund argues that this can no longer be taken for granted, highlighting a number of key measures against which progress has stalled.
Policing and mental health: Picking up the pieces
Policing and mental health: Picking up the pieces In 2017, we inspected all 43 police forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police on their effectiveness, as part of our PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) inspection programme.
One of the main areas we inspect in effectiveness is how well the police protect those who are vulnerable, and support victims. For the first time within this area, we inspected how effectively police respond to and support people with mental health problems. This report sets out our findings. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
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One of the main areas we inspect in effectiveness is how well the police protect those who are vulnerable, and support victims. For the first time within this area, we inspected how effectively police respond to and support people with mental health problems. This report sets out our findings. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
See also:
- Police cannot fix a broken mental health system Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
- Mental health: Five people called Met Police 8,655 times in 2017 BBC News
- Police taking calls on mental health issues every two minutes, watchdog warns The Daily Telegraph
- Police 'picking up pieces of mental health system', says watchdog The Guardian
- NHS failings 'forcing police to respond to mental health incidents rather than crimes', report finds The Independent
- Police stepping in for struggling mental health services Sky News
Less than a third of doctors involved in winter planning, new RCP poll finds
Less than a third of doctors involved in winter planning, new RCP poll finds Less than a third of doctors (29%) responding to a poll by the RCP say they have been asked to take part in planning for winter, despite last winter being one of the worst on record for the NHS and extra pressure over summer due to the heatwave.
This low level of involvement may explain why over half (56%) of participants say they are worried or very worried about the ability of their service to deliver safe patient care this winter, with only 17% saying they are confident or very confident. Royal College of Physicians
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This low level of involvement may explain why over half (56%) of participants say they are worried or very worried about the ability of their service to deliver safe patient care this winter, with only 17% saying they are confident or very confident. Royal College of Physicians
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Investigating recent developments in the commissioning system: final report
Investigating recent developments in the commissioning system: final report There is now a more complex local landscape of organisations all of which need to be involved in the planning of local services; and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) need to be able to find ways to engage with them effectively. This project investigated the initial stages of this process. The questions addressed by the research were: how are CCG internal processes of decision making changing?; what is the role of the individual CCG in the current commissioning landscape?; how is accountability maintained by CCGs in the current commissioning landscape?; how is competition and the current pricing regime relevant to CCGs’ commissioning decisions?; and how should commissioning develop? Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System
Safety concerns raised over breast implants
Safety concerns raised over breast implants An investigation has raised safety concerns about the most commonly used type of silicone breast implant in the UK.
Women in France are now being advised not to use "textured" silicone implants while authorities investigate links with a rare form of cancer.
British women are still having the implants put in and there has been no warning from the UK regulator to stop.
It says it will take action when it sees there is a problem. BBC News
Women in France are now being advised not to use "textured" silicone implants while authorities investigate links with a rare form of cancer.
British women are still having the implants put in and there has been no warning from the UK regulator to stop.
It says it will take action when it sees there is a problem. BBC News
LGBT+ people's health 'seen as less important to NHS', equalities committee warns
LGBT+ people's health 'seen as less important to NHS', equalities committee warns The NHS has been accused of treating the health needs of gay, transgender and other LGBT+ people as “less important” than the wider population by the head of parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee.
After receiving evidence from more than 60 groups as part of an inquiry into health and social care support for LGBT+ communities, the committee’s chair, Maria Miller MP, said the “NHS is not delivering”.
The committee is currently working on a report on the issue, but has published evidence on the “stark” inequalities that exist in access and health outcomes for LGBT+ people. The Independent
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After receiving evidence from more than 60 groups as part of an inquiry into health and social care support for LGBT+ communities, the committee’s chair, Maria Miller MP, said the “NHS is not delivering”.
The committee is currently working on a report on the issue, but has published evidence on the “stark” inequalities that exist in access and health outcomes for LGBT+ people. The Independent
See also:
- Health and social care and LGBT communities inquiry Women and Equalities Committee
NHS to save £300m on cost of most expensive drug
NHS to save £300m on cost of most expensive drug The NHS is set to save a record £300m after negotiating deals with five manufacturers on low-cost versions of the health service’s most costly drug.
The saving – the biggest in NHS history from a single drug negotiation – could pay for 11,700 more community nurses or 19,800 more breast cancer treatments for patients.
The deal has come about through the introduction of “biosimilar” versions of adalimumab, which is prescribed to more than 46,000 patients for hospital-treated, serious conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. The Independent
The saving – the biggest in NHS history from a single drug negotiation – could pay for 11,700 more community nurses or 19,800 more breast cancer treatments for patients.
The deal has come about through the introduction of “biosimilar” versions of adalimumab, which is prescribed to more than 46,000 patients for hospital-treated, serious conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. The Independent
NHS to look into deaths of 100,000 mental health patients a year
NHS to look into deaths of 100,000 mental health patients a year The NHS is to start investigating the deaths of more than 100,0000 mental health patients a year in a drive to cut the number of fatalities linked to poor care.
England’s 54 specialist mental health trusts have been told to start looking into every death in an effort to learn from mistakes.
In future they should more fully investigate cases in which the patient may have received poor or unsafe care, especially if they had bipolar disorder or an eating disorder. The Guardian
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England’s 54 specialist mental health trusts have been told to start looking into every death in an effort to learn from mistakes.
In future they should more fully investigate cases in which the patient may have received poor or unsafe care, especially if they had bipolar disorder or an eating disorder. The Guardian
See also:
- Landmark learning-from-deaths guidance launched Royal College of Psychiatrists
Thyroid patients left to battle weight gain as NHS bosses refuse to pay for crucial medication
Thyroid patients left to battle weight gain as NHS bosses refuse to pay for crucial medication Patients suffering from thyroid conditions are being routinely abandoned to gain weight because NHS bosses refuse to pay for unnecessarily expensive life-changing drugs, a report has found.
An investigation commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care reveals potentially thousands of patients are being left to battle excess weight as well as diabetes, depression and heart problems because of the back-door rationing. The Daily Telegraph
An investigation commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care reveals potentially thousands of patients are being left to battle excess weight as well as diabetes, depression and heart problems because of the back-door rationing. The Daily Telegraph
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