This blog covers the latest UK health care news, publications, policy announcements, events and information focused on the NHS, as well as the latest media stories and local news coverage of the NHS Trusts in Northamptonshire.
The report is the latest blow for the council, which declared effective bankruptcy last year and has spent the 18 months since then coming to terms with half a decade of chronic mismanagement and spending cuts. The Guardian See also:
Best-laid plans: will the NHS get it right this time? With 2019 so far seeing a few ‘plans’ for and within the NHS, Helen Buckingham takes a look at how set the health service is for success this time – and what it will take to get there. Nuffield Trust
Health inequalities: place-based approaches to reduce inequalities This guidance aims to reinforce a common understanding of the complex causes and costs of health inequalities and provide a practical framework and tools for places to reduce health inequalities. The accompanying documents include a slide set providing a summary and examples of how to use a place-based approach to reduce health inequalities. Public Health England
Patient insights on cancer care: opportunities for improving efficiency Almost 4,000 cancer patients and caregivers from more than ten countries across the world responded to a survey to share their experiences of cancer care. While most reported that their needs were sufficiently addressed during their care, they highlighted some specific areas where they encountered inefficiency. From the responses, four key opportunities for improvement were identified: ensure swift, accurate and appropriately delivered diagnosis; improve information-sharing, support and shared decision-making; make integrated multidisciplinary care a reality for all patients; and address the financial impact of cancer. All.Can
Research by HSJ suggests less than £100m has been distributed to local providers over the last two years – equating to just 3 per cent of the total funding listed in several headline-grabbing media announcements.
The findings are supported by data in published Department of Health and Social Care accounts. Health Service Journal
Alcohol rehab in England 'cut by £100m' Massive cuts to alcohol rehab services mean a "national epidemic" of alcohol-related problems is not being tackled, King's College London researchers say.
And people with drink problems in England are less than half as likely to receive the right help as those in Scotland and Wales.
More than £100m has been cut since services in England were reorganised in 2012, the study found. BBC News
Is routine genetic profiling coming closer? As genome sequencing costs continue to fall and artificial intelligence gets to work on analysing all this new data, the era of personalised medicine draws closer.
More than half of Icelanders have now had their precise genetic make-up sequenced and analysed.
Tens of thousands of their genomes have been fully sequenced by specialist firm Decode Genetics at a cost of around $600 (£487) a head. BBC News
After analysing the anonymous medical records of 8.4 million people from across the UK, scientists forecast that the total number of Lyme disease diagnoses in the UK could top 8,000 in 2019, compared with previousestimates of between 2,000 and 3,000 annual diagnoses. The Guardian See also:
Twenty staff have won a test case in the Court of Appeal, successfully arguing that the system used by nearly half of hospitals in England underestimated the hours they worked.
Junior doctors working under the 2002 contract are entitled to half an hours’ rest for every four hours they work. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Towards mental health equality: a manifesto for the next Prime Minister This manifesto focuses on five key asks of the new Prime Minister: take action to prevent mental illness; create a cross-government plan for mental health and establish a ‘mental health in all policies’ approach across government; reform the Mental Health Act; ensure everyone can access the right mental health support, in the right place, at the right time; and build a mental health workforce fit for the future. NHS Confederation
US experts say most in-flight incidents involve common conditions that should be easily treated - but airlines often fail to carry children's medicines.
They say their analysis should provide a "shopping list" for airlines.
A UK expert said parents preparing for their summer break should ensure they had suitable medications with them. BBC News
The sum represents the taxes paid by an average of more than 11,000 doctors and 31,000 nurses as well as savings on the cost of training British replacements, said medical firm Medbelle. The Independent
The appointment is likely to bring attention to Ms Dorries’ views on women’s reproductive rights, as she has repeatedly called for the time limit for abortions to be cut from 24 weeks to 20 and attempted to amend the law in 2011 to strip abortion providers of their role in counselling women. The Independent
Private catering firm Apetito provide around a fifth of all hot meals served at hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales, which are prepared at one factory in Wiltshire before being shipped across the country. The Daily Telegraph
Charities said older people were being put at risk by “a broken social care system and an overstretched NHS” as they urged ministers to act. The Daily Telegraph
After The Mail on Sunday exposed how people seeking help were being held in solitary confinement for years, violently restrained, pumped full of drugs and fed through hatches, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission asked the Department of Health and Social Care and the Care Quality Commission to explain what it was doing to end such practices. The Daily Mail
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has asked its ethics and law advisory committee to look into the increasing use of hormone blockers. The Daily Mail
The future of Kings Heath Practice, in North Oval, was uncertain in March this year after service provider Northants GP Alliance wrote to patients that it would no longer be responsible for the surgery. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Outpatients: a snapshot of the year The NHS Long Term Plan has set an ambitious aim of reducing the number of outpatient attendances by 30 million over the next 10 years. In part this is a reaction to the huge growth in appointments and attendances over the last decade, and partly due to possibly better ways of delivering care, reducing inefficiencies and improving patient experience and outcomes. Nuffield Trust
Primary care networks and mental health The creation of primary care networks (PCNs) is one of the most significant elements of the NHS long-term plan. Around 1,300 PCNs will become the hub (or ‘dock’ to quote Simon Stevens) around which community and mental health services will organise themselves – but are services ready for this? And are PCNs ready to take on the challenge of improving mental as well as physical health in the communities they serve? The King's Fund
NHS England annual assessment published The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has published his annual assessment of NHS England for 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019. Department of Health and Social Care
Involving patients and the public in research This learning report aims to build a better understanding of the role of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research, thereby helping ensure meaningful involvement that has tangible impacts and mitigate against undesired consequences. Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute
Health on the Shelf Obesity is a complex and multi-layered issue. It needs everyone – government, health professionals and industry – to find workable ways to solve the obesity epidemic and help the millions of people it already affects.
Retailers, and in particular supermarkets, have a hugely important role to play in tackling obesity. Supermarkets can create an environment which enables individuals and families to make healthier choices.
The report explores the public’s perception of supermarkets and the marketing strategies retailers use to boost sales. It also showcases how supermarkets can be health promoting spaces, and nudge customers to make healthier choices. Royal Society for Public Health
The new implant, by the drug company Merck, was tested in just a dozen subjects for 12 weeks. But experts were quite excited at its potential to revolutionise the long battle against HIV.
The research was described on Tuesday at an international AIDS conference in Mexico City. The Independent
Research has found 1,042,098 people in England paid the full price for more than 12 prescriptions, spending more than the cost of a prescription prepayment certificate. The Daily Mail
The Department of Health and Social Care said the move will flag which conditions people are at risk of getting before any symptoms appear.
This will then allow people to take preventative measures to stay healthier for longer, reducing the pressure on the NHS, ministers said. The Daily Mail See also:
Emergency admissions to hospital from care homes: how often and what for? Reducing emergency admissions from care homes has the potential to reduce pressure on hospitals. This is a significant national policy focus, as demonstrated by a strong commitment to improve support in care homes in the NHS Long Term Plan.
But to achieve change, we need to understand and monitor the quality of health care provided to residents, both to gauge the impact of national programmes and to help pinpoint areas of improvement. The Health Foundation See also:
Carers Action Plan 2018-2020: one-year on progress review This report highlights the progress that has been made in increasing support for carers. The cross-government action plan was published in June 2018. It sets out the government’s commitment to supporting carers through 64 actions across five priorities. Department of Health and Social Care
Health secretary announces £20m NHS young people careers funding The health and social care secretary has announced £20m funding to support 10,000 young people from all backgrounds to get a career in the NHS. This will be matched by £7m from the Prince’s Trust. National Health Executive
Parents 'missing out on new baby health visits' About one in four new parents in England is not seeing a health visitor when their baby turns one, increasing the risk of mental health problems going unnoticed, the NSPCC says.
The government has promised five home visits for every family - from pregnancy until the age of two.
But cuts to local authority budgets and fewer health visitors were having an impact, the charity said. BBC News
NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) told Pulse that some of its members 'are concerned’ their existing allocations do not go 'far enough' to deliver the £1.50 per patient as mandated in the new five-year GP contract.
Six months ago Aisha Okafor (not her real name), in her 30s, was ready to quit her job as a nurse and leave the NHS.
“I got to the point where I thought [nursing] wasn’t for me anymore, where I forgot what I was doing here – which was to care and look after the service users. I was starting to lose that motivation,” she says.
If you have more diversity, you're more likely to have inclusive patient care. The Guardian
The first doctor specialising in profound and multiple learning disabilities in the UK is set to be recruited later this year. Hull clinical commissioning group (CCG) took the decision to employ a specialist PMLD doctor to support adults with complex needs after the condition of a patient, Erica Carlin, improved dramatically following the care she had received for serious digestive and bowel problems from a palliative care doctor trained in learning disabilities. The Guardian
A survey of family doctors found more than one in three said they had failed to properly diagnose cases because they did not have enough time to fully assess them.
Typically, the time slot to see a patient is around 10 minutes. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has pledged to roll out a controversial scheme across the NHS – but there are fears it could 'cream off' young patients and increase the 'digital divide' in healthcare. The Daily Mail
Public health spending The government has published its much-trailed Green Paper (now an 'open consultation') on prevention. It contains warm words, some movement on existing issues such as childhood obesity – the prime one banning sales of energy drinks to children under 16 (on which the government has been consulting for some time) and setting out further intent – re-announced steps towards a smoke-free society and re-announcing the creation of a health index to rival GDP in government decision-making. The King's Fund
Genome sequencing and the NHS: the views of rare disease patients and carers Genomics England commissioned Genetic Alliance UK to seek the views of patients and carers around the introduction of whole genome sequencing (WGS) into the NHS. They also wanted to hear about people’s experiences of taking part in the 100,000 Genomes Project. This report will be used by Genomics England to inform the launch of mainstream WGS, as part of the new Genomic Medicine Service. Genetic Alliance UK
Health, care and the 100-year life A child born today has a one in three chance of living to 100. Increased longevity should be celebrated. However, it will bring a range of challenges for society. This is the first in a series of reports focusing on how the 100-year life may affect Britain’s society, economy and public services. This report focuses on health, care and medicine. Social Market Foundation
Who are the smokers that haven't quit? In 1974, almost half of all adults in the UK smoked. For many, spending time in smoke-filled homes, pubs and workplaces was simply a part of daily life.
‘I had chemo for breast cancer that never existed’ A woman who underwent a double mastectomy after doctors wrongly diagnosed her with an aggressive form of cancer has said the trauma will remain with her.
Sarah Boyle, 28, had chemotherapy and later needed reconstructive surgery before the mistake was noticed. BBC News
Healthcare leaders set out priority ‘to do’ list for new PM As Boris Johnson takes over from Teresa May as Britain’s next prime minister, healthcare leaders have set out a list of urgent priorities for the new leader to tackle straight away.
These include the NHS pensions issue, adequate funding of the Long Term Plan ambitions, addressing the social care crisis, and avoiding a ‘no deal’ Brexit. OnMedica
Government health plans criticised as ‘missed opportunity’ Doctors and health experts claim government plans to boost public health are too weak to deal with problems such as obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse that are claiming tens of thousands of lives a year.
The green paper on prevention of ill-health in England, which ministers slipped out quietly on Monday evening, includes proposals to end smoking by 2030, make food healthier and stop under-16s buying energy drinks.
But experts criticised the package of measures as inadequate, given the number of people dying avoidably from cancer, heart attacks and strokes linked to smoking and bad diet. The Guardian
A confidential, draft document circulated to NHS North West LondonCollaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups, which serves more than 2 million Londoners, admits the blueprint for one of the NHS’s largest planned reorganisations has failed.
Senior clinical staff said they were “walking a very thin line” amid shortages of supplies of hydration and nutrition for the most vulnerable.
The British manufacturer of the feed, known as Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), said hundreds of patients were affected by the problems, which resulted from an inspection by watchdogs. The Daily Telegraph
UK newborn baby screening 'not good enough' UK babies are missing out on checks for rare but serious health conditions, putting lives at risk, according to a report from the charity Genetic Alliance UK.
The NHS offers newborns a blood test to screen for up to nine conditions.
Many other European countries look for 20 or more illnesses and the US screens for more than 50, the charity says.
The UK National Screening Committee says its recommendations are based on evidence and are regularly reviewed. BBC News
The study's full findings have not been published - but early data showed some taking the drugs reported an increase in thoughts of suicide and self-harm.
The clinic said data was from a "small sample" and so no "meaningful conclusion" could be drawn from it. BBC News
Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that a lack of inpatient beds close to youngsters’ homes means they must be treated in units away from family and friends in other parts of the country.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists and the charity Young Minds said this can slow down recovery and be frightening for children, some of whom are at risk of self-harm or suicide. The Independent
Community nurse Gemma Hayes was on call and on a tight schedule. She left her car in the residents’ car park of a block where her last patient of the day lived and displayed her professional carer’s badge on the dashboard. When she returned she’d been charged £60.
“I was allocated 30 minutes for the call but spent an extra 45 minutes unpaid overtime as the elderly, housebound patient had additional needs,” says Hayes, who earns £24,200 and regularly works an extra unpaid hour on top of her eight-hour shifts. “I appealed, offering confirmation that I was carrying out a patient visit. It was rejected.
Changes in the law are unlikely to have any effect on rising charges. The Guardian
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, is facing questions after apparently burying important proposals aimed at tackling smoking, drinking and poor diets by releasing them on Monday evening without alerting the media.
The government’s green paper on the prevention of ill-health appeared on the gov.uk website at 7.22pm, hours after Hancock clashed with Theresa May, who had personally championed the plans. The Guardian See also:
Today ministers opened a consultation on changes to the operation of the scheme, amid a growing crisis as doctors refuse to work overtime.
Treasury rules means that high earners can end up paying tax rates of more than 90 per cent on earnings over £110,000 a year - which include rises in the value of pensions. The Daily Telegraph
The shocking figure emerged amid growing pressure on the new prime minister to tackle the social care crisis that burdens families with crippling dementia costs. The Daily Mail
The Eden Continuity of Care Team consists of six midwives who will be looking after 210 pregnant women from the Lakeside Practice in Corby over the next year.
The new team was officially launched on Friday, July 19) but since June 1 it has been working with mums who will benefit from the project. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Andrea Leadsom led the debate on early years family support after chairing the inter ministerial group focusing on improving support for parents and their babies in the 1001 'critical days' while Leader of the Commons. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Pay rise announced for thousands working in medicine The Health and Social Care Secretary has announced one of the biggest pay rises in a decade for thousands of NHS doctors and dentists. Department of Health and Social Care
New Deputy Chief People Officer to help make the NHS the ‘best place to work’NHS England and NHS Improvement have appointed Professor Em Wilkinson-Brice to the role of Deputy Chief People Officer. The new position will play a leading role in supporting delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan, by developing and implementing the NHS’ People Plan due to be published towards the end of the year.
Failures in communication or follow-up of unexpected significant radiological findings This report demonstrates where technology could play a pivotal role in reducing harm caused by failures in communication or follow-up of unexpected significant radiological findings. The investigation also makes three other recommendations in relation to following up unexpected significant radiological findings, to The Royal College of Radiologists, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and the Care Quality Commission. Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch
Surgeons call for breast implant illness warning Women who have experienced chronic pain and extreme fatigue after breast enhancement surgery have told the Victoria Derbyshire Programme they were not warned about the possible side effects.
Breast implant illness (BII) doesn't have an official diagnosis, but some women who believe they have the condition say they returned to full health after having their implants removed. BBC News
People with poor eyesight are being forced to wait almost six months for operations on the NHS to remove cataracts, official figures reveal.
Patients in Herefordshire are facing average delays of 168 days – five months and 17 days – for cataract surgery, according to data collected by NHS Digital, the health service’s statistical arm. Waiting times in Great Yarmouth and Waveney in Norfolk are the second worst in England at 163 days, while they now average 154 days in North Lincolnshire. The Guardian
The amount of the NHS budget going to private healthcare firms has reached unprecedented levels, despite the health secretary’s pledge to roll back outsourcing of patient care.
The Department of Health and Social Care handed a record total of £9.2bn last year to private providers such as Virgin Care and the Priory mental health group, its annual report shows. The Guardian
Almost three in ten (29%) said they had viewed content encouraging anorexia compared with 22 per cent who cited cyberbullying, according to the survey of almost 2,000 children. The Daily Telegraph
Experts warned that antibiotic resistance is fuelling the soaring numbers and warned parents to be extra vigilant for signs of the illness.
Official NHS data shows there were 350,344 recorded hospital admissions for sepsis in 2017/18, up from 169,125 three years earlier. The Daily Mail See also:
Waiting times have increased from one to six weeks at many hospitals – with some cases of cancer being missed as a result, a report said.
Top radiologists say lives are being put in danger as vital scans to determine the spread of cancer are left unread for weeks due to a backlog. The Daily Mail
Guidance on use of data for innovation The Department of Health and Social Care has issued guidance on how the NHS should engage with researchers and innovators when entering into data sharing arrangements.
The department has promised to set up a national centre of excellence assist in the development of data sharing agreements.
The private company, which runs the NHS's Primary Care Support England service, revealed in a statement that the error caused a delay to 16 women being invited to screening - but insisted no harm was caused. Pulse
A total of 3,462 people who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act went AWOL - absent without leave - from facilities between April 2018 and March 2019.
This is a 4.4% rise on the previous year during which 3,316 patients went missing. Sky News
This week we learned that parents who are unsure whether to have their children vaccinated against dangerous diseases are in the grip of “vaccine hesitancy”, a term that first appeared in print in 2008 but is becoming distressingly more common. It is not clear whether there is a symmetrically opposed group who are “vaccine curious”, but to call such waverers “hesitant” is at least gentler than calling them “deniers”. The Guardian
Health officials say delays by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in selecting the vaccine for this winter mean that some jabs will not be delivered to GP practices until the end of November.
Normally flu vaccinations are offered by the NHS from September. The Daily Telegraph
A study looked at salt intake in England before and after changes to legislation were introduced in 2011.
The 'tragic' Public Health Responsibility Deal saw the food industry set its own salt targets, rather than being monitored by an independent body. The Daily Mail
Report of the survey of liaison psychiatry in England This is the fourth Liaison Psychiatry survey of England. It concerns the Liaison Psychiatry services in acute hospitals with Emergency Departments in England. NHS England
Enhancing the experience of doctors - new reports from HEE Health Education England (HEE) has published two new reports setting out their commitment to improve the experience of doctors across the NHS through enhanced supervision and better support for transition in and out of foundation training.
We encourage employers to review both reports and understand the impact this will have on how they deliver training and support supervision. NHS Employers
Driving improvement through technology Technology in health and care services is growing in importance. Digitally-enabled care can offer significant benefits to people who use services and those who run and deliver them. These case studies illustrate some of the developments in use and testing. Care Quality Commission
Child mental health unit referrals 'up nearly 50%' Referrals to child mental health units from UK primary schools for pupils aged 11 and under have risen by nearly 50% in three years, the BBC has learned.
Replies to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from 46 health trusts indicate they rose from 21,125 to 31,531.
Seven trusts said they had rejected an individual pupil for treatment at least five times over the last four years.
The government says it is "determined to improve mental health support". BBC News
An investigation by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) revealed that coroners have issued ‘regulation 28’ reports calling on the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care, to take action to prevent future fatalities. Healthcare IT News
One in 20 patients exposed to preventable harm in medical care Around one in 20 patients are exposed to preventable harm in medical care – and one in eight of these cases are severe or led to death – even though early detection and prevention of patient harm in healthcare is an international policy priority, UK-led research published today in The BMJ has revealed. The researchers behind the study called for mitigation of major sources of preventable patient harm such as drug incidents, for evidence to be properly recorded across specialties including primary care and psychiatry, and for better assessment and reporting standards. OnMedica
Melanomas are rarer but more serious than non-melanoma skin cancers and rates have risen most steeply among men and the under-50s, a Cancer Research UK analysis found. The Independent See also:
People have been put at risk because the NHS has stopped funding the automatic investigation of all killings by mental health patients, according to psychiatrists and victims’ families.
Experts who had looked into every such homicide for 20 years had to stop doing so last year after NHS England stopped paying the £100,000-a-year cost involved, the Guardian has learned. The Guardian
Angela Merkel’s cabinet agreed on Wednesday to make vaccinations mandatory at all schools and kindergartens. As school is compulsory in Germany and home schooling is not permitted, parents will be obliged to vaccinate their children. The Daily Telegraph
That's the message from campaigners battling to bring urgent care provision to Northamptonshire's fourth biggest town.
Currently those in need of immediate medical attention in Wellingborough face a nine-mile trip to Kettering General Hospital, a 12-mile trip to Northampton General Hospital or, further afield, a 16-mile trip to Corby Urgent Care Centre. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Ensuring that the NHS can make the most of new, well-evidenced technologies is a policy priority. The Test Bed programme is an initiative that tries to do just that. It brings NHS organisations and industry partners together to test combinations of digital technologies with new ways of delivering services in real-world settings, and provides funding for them to do so. The ultimate ambition is to harness the potential of these technologies to improve the delivery of health care and the sustainability of services. Nuffield Trust
Can less be more? The new approach to social care in South Tyneside As our new report on the Wigan Deal illustrates, local authorities are increasingly adopting approaches to social care that aim to minimise the need for formal support by focusing on the resources already available to people in their families and communities. It’s an approach that requires a closer, better understanding of the individual, their strengths, their resilience and the assets around them, and – as the report suggests – there is reason to believe it could improve not just community-based social care, but also areas such as hospital discharge. The King's Fund
The British Association of Stroke Physicians (BASP) said there is a “significant and growing shortage of stroke consultants” in the UK, with around four in 10 hospitals providing stroke care having an unfilled consultant post – compared to less than three in 10 (26%) in 2014.
In its report, BASP said immediate access to procedures such as intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, which dissolve clots and restore blood flow to the brain, can significantly decrease the risk of long-term disability and save millions of pounds in long-term health and social care costs. ITV News
Conflicting expert reports over what is right and wrong means the vast majority of regular exercisers do not know if the food they eat is really doing them any good.
Eight in 10 admit they are “clueless” over the nutritional benefits of different food types – and have no idea what they should be consuming in order to bulk up or slim down. The Independent
Boris Johnson is quite the renaissance man. He builds buses! He writes columns! He dabbles in politics! And now, it would appear, he fancies himself a mental health expert. On Sunday, Johnson used his Telegraph column to share his brilliant solution to Britain’s mental health crisis: drown out your inner demons with work. Yep, according to the sentient shock of hair that will probably be Britain’s next prime minister, you can rid yourself of depression by working harder. The Guardian
The government is to set up the most comprehensive database yet to measure the health of people in England as part of leaked plans to improve life expectancy and boost the fight against the biggest deadly diseases.
Ministers intend to create a “composite health index” which will track whether the population’s health is getting better or worse and the stark difference between rich and poor when it comes to illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The Guardian
Meaningful measures of integration The NHS long-term plan confirmed, once again, that collaboration is now the organising principle of the NHS, and that integrated care is the idea on which national leaders have pinned their hopes. There have been a number of initiatives to integrate services over the past decade, but the pace picked up considerably with the appointment of Simon Stevens as the Chief Executive of NHS England in 2014 and the publication of the NHS five year forward view. If anything will define his legacy when he eventually steps down, it will be the success or otherwise of this. The King's Fund
Social care: paying for care home places and domiciliary care (England) This updated briefing paper considers the current structure of the care home market in England, as well as issues facing the sector and how private clients (“self-funders”) tend to pay more than local authority funded residents (known as “cross-subsidisation”). House of Commons Library
Scotland's drug deaths set to top 1,000 New figures released later are expected to show that more than 1,000 people died as a result of drugs in Scotland last year.
Scotland already has the worst record for reported drug overdose deaths in Europe but the latest figures will show another steep rise.
Last week, Scottish Public Health Minister Joe Fitzpatrick said the level of drug deaths was an "emergency".
He told MPs this should be a "wake-up call" over UK government policy. BBC News
