Nurse at Northampton hospital sacked after giving double dose of medication to vulnerable patient

Nurse at Northampton hospital sacked after giving double dose of medication to vulnerable patient A mental health nurse gave twice the amount of a sleeping pill to a Northampton patient.

Gloria Spraggett was working at Meadow Ward of St Andrew's Hospital in September 2017 when she performed a night medicine round that included 'Patient B'.

Despite a doctor reducing her sleeping pill dose from 7.5mg to 3.75mg the day before, Mrs Spraggett gave her the previous amount. She did the same thing the following night, both times falsely recording in the patient's electronic medical notes that the proper amount had been administered.

After an investigation, she was sacked and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for a tribunal hearing. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Mental health funding squeeze has lengthened waiting times, say NHS finance leads

Mental health funding squeeze has lengthened waiting times, say NHS finance leads Eight out of ten NHS trust finance directors say that funding pressures have led to longer waiting times for people who need mental health treatment, according to The King’s Fund’s latest quarterly monitoring report.

New analysis for the report also shows that despite NHS England meeting its commitment to increase its investment in mental health, nearly a quarter of mental health trusts recorded a reduction in income between 2016/17 and 2017/18. An analysis of mental health trusts’ financial accounts carried out for the report found that, while mental health trusts as a whole reported an overall increase in funding, 21 per cent recorded a reduction in income last year, up from 13 per cent the previous year. The King's Fund

Chief Medical Officer annual report 2018: better health within reach

Chief Medical Officer annual report 2018: better health within reach Professor Dame Sally Davies's tenth report as Chief Medical Officer considers what the state of the public’s health in England in 2040 could look like.

The report concludes that there are reasons to be optimistic but that greater effort to improve the health environment is required – it should be easier to take the healthy option.Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Tax junk food high in sugar and salt, says top doctor BBC News
• Britain's top doctor calls for new taxes on salt and sugar The Daily Mail
• Call me chief nanny if you want, says top doctor as she calls for slew of taxes on chocolate, crisps and sweets The Daily Telegraph
• Chief medic calls for food taxes to cut salt and sugar intake The Guardian
• Crisps and chocolates should be taxed to pay for harm to NHS and public, says England's top doctor The Independent

Government 'Sneaks Out' £85m Cut To Public Health On Last Day Before Parliamentary Recess

Government 'Sneaks Out' £85m Cut To Public Health On Last Day Before Parliamentary Recess Funding for public health services like sexual health clinics and mother and baby support has been cut by £85m in an announcement “sneaked out” by ministers on the last day of the parliamentary term.

The slashing of grants for councils will affect community and prevention services also including ‘stop smoking’ clinics, schemes to tackle obesity, and drug and alcohol misuse services for children and young people.

The grants are being cut by nearly £2 per person to £3.134bn - a 3.3% fall - in just one year, health minister Steve Brine confirmed on Thursday. Huffington Post UK

See also:

• 2019-20 Ring-fenced Public Health Grant to Local Authorities :Written statement UK Parliament 
• Public health grants to local authorities: 2019 to 2020 Department of Health and Social Care
• Cuts to public health are “unnecessary, undesirable and unacceptable” The Association of Directors of Public Health
• New reductions to the public health grant will heap more pressure on local authorities The Health Foundation
• Councils respond to cut in public health grants allocation Local Government Association 

Have waits for GP appointments got longer?

Have waits for GP appointments got longer? Members of the BBC NHS Health Check Facebook group report waits of three weeks or more are common.

Lisa Johns said: "Ours book five weeks ahead. For the last three weeks, I've been trying to book a standard appointment and can't get one, as they go in seconds."

Another member posted: "I booked a non-urgent appointment with my GP last week.... for 22 January 2019."

Their experiences are backed up by statistics. BBC News

Pharmacy chain leaks personal details of 24,000 workers

Pharmacy chain leaks personal details of 24,000 workers A major pharmacy chain has apologised after admitting sensitive employee information was leaked.

The details of more than 24,000 staff and locum workers employed by the Manchester-based Well Pharmacy group were accidentally included in an email.

The leaked data included names, addresses, phone and payroll numbers and email addresses.

The company has stressed that no patient information formed part of the data. BBC News

'Extreme concern' for NHS staffing crisis over 'unrealistic' immigration white paper threshold

'Extreme concern' for NHS staffing crisis over 'unrealistic' immigration white paper threshold NHS leaders have spoken out against the new immigration laws over fears that the NHS’s staffing problems will descend into crisis following the announcement of a new white paper.

Home secretary Sajid Javid announced the new post-Brexit immigration rules which will see tens of thousands of low-skilled immigrants potentially come into the UK to work for up to a year.

But the announcement attracted criticism from NHS Providers and NHS Employers due to its minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for all migrants, including those from the EU, for new five-year working visas – which they argue will affect low-skilled migration. National Health Executive

Nearly 600 homeless people died last year, figures show

Nearly 600 homeless people died last year, figures show Nearly 600 homeless people died last year in England and Wales, according to government figures published for the first time.

The figure marks a 24 per cent increase over the last five years, according to the data.

Only two days ago, a homeless man was found collapsed yards from parliament. He later died in hospital, prompting claims ministers were ignoring the growing problem of street homelessness on their doorstep.

Another homeless man died in the same place during a freezing cold night in February.

The latest figures, collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show more than half of all deaths of homeless people in 2017 were due to drug poisoning, liver disease or suicide. The Independent

See also:

• Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales: 2013 to 2017 Office for National Statistics

NHS England puts up £300,000 for Christmas 'drunk tanks'

NHS England puts up £300,000 for Christmas 'drunk tanks' Initiative aims to take pressure off A&E and will be run by local groups and the health service

The NHS is paying for a big expansion of “drunk tanks” to stop A&E units and ambulance crews being overwhelmed by intoxicated people over the festive season.

NHS England is putting up to £300,000 into creating units where those who have drunk too much can undergo medical checks without having to be taken to hospital. The Guardian

Medical colleges criticise charging migrants upfront for NHS care

Medical colleges criticise charging migrants upfront for NHS care Representatives of more than 70,000 doctors have urged ministers to suspend regulations that force hospitals to charge overseas visitors upfront for NHS care.

Three royal medical colleges and one faculty say the charging regime is harming people’s health by deterring them from seeking NHS help when they fall ill. Payments in advance are “a concerning barrier to care”, they say.

They have voiced particular concern about pregnant women being denied care and children missing out on treatment for life or death illnesses. The Guardian

See also:

• Royal colleges call for suspension of NHS overseas visitor charges pending review Royal College of Physicians 

Nearly all hospitals are 'dangerously' busy, experts warn

Nearly all hospitals are 'dangerously' busy, experts warn The NHS is under crippling pressure heading into the Christmas period with nearly all hospitals 'dangerously' busy, experts have warned.

Despite improved performance from the first week of winter, there is still 'massive stress' on the NHS and the situation is expected to worsen.

The Labour Party, Royal College of Nursing and the Society for Acute Medicine all voiced concerns after seeing NHS statistics for last week.

All but three English hospitals have more beds full than is safe, and 20,032 people waited in an ambulance for more than half an hour in the past fortnight. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS data shows “massive stress” on system Society for Acute Medicine

NHS needs an army of volunteers to cope with the burden of the UK's rising elderly population

NHS needs an army of volunteers to cope with the burden of the UK's rising elderly population The president of the Royal College of Physicians Professor Andrew Goddard said that it is an ‘inescapable truth’ that the NHS will increasingly require more help as the population ages. The Daily Mail

No country in Europe is hitting crucial flu vaccination targets among older people, report reveals

No country in Europe is hitting crucial flu vaccination targets among older people, report reveals Countries in Europe have been urged to ensure more older people receive their annual flu jabs.

Experts recommend at least 75 per cent of people in vulnerable groups, including over-65s, receive the seasonal jab.

But none of 22 countries included in a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reached the recommended level last year. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Seasonal influenza vaccination and antiviral use in EU/EEA Member States European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control