Slow-moving care home projects means Northampton area will be 500 beds short by 2022

Slow-moving care home projects means Northampton area will be 500 beds short by 2022 Parts of Northamptonshire are facing a shortfall of as many as 500 beds for elderly people by 2022 if projects to build new care homes do not get off the ground, a report has claimed.

A report by Carterwood chartered surveyors claims they have identified nine schemes in Northamptonshire that could provide care and housing for elderly people in the next three years but as of yet show 'no indication of development'. Northamptonshire Telegraph

A critical moment: NHS staffing, trends, retention and attrition

A critical moment: NHS staffing, trends, retention and attrition This is the third annual report analysing the staff profile and trends in the NHS workforce in England. It is intended to be read as an annual update, examining changes in the overall profile of NHS staffing in 2018

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Analysis of the NHS staff profile and trends in England in 2018 largely confirms the trends identified in our previous reports, showing an ongoing deterioration for some key staff groups.

The past year has seen modest growth of 1.8% in the total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. However, this is against a backdrop of more than 100,000 vacancies reported in total by trusts, including more than 41,000 vacant nursing posts. 

Staffing in some key areas is a problem. The number of GPs is falling, as is the number of nurses and health visitors working in community and mental health services. The Health Foundation

Can video consultations combat global doctor shortages?

Can video consultations combat global doctor shortages? Would you be happy to see your doctor online? Growing numbers of patients seem to be attracted by the convenience. And doctors are also finding it useful as health services come under pressure from growing and ageing populations.

Lydia Campbell-Hill, a 35-year-old doctor from Cornwall, England, says switching to online consultations has transformed her life. BBC News

Young people told - become a care worker

Young people told - become a care worker Young people in England are being targeted by the government in a bid to recruit thousands of more care workers.

The Every Day is Different campaign will be promoted on social media and online platforms to get the under-40s to take up jobs such as care workers, therapists and activity co-ordinators.

There are currently more than 100,000 vacancies in the sector - a figure which some warn may rise after Brexit.

It comes as a report says a lack of community staff may damage the NHS. BBC News

See also:

• Government's £3m social care recruitment scheme set to fall flat without long-delayed reforms, experts warn The Independent

More than 5,000 safety incidents recorded in hospitals as NHS faces £3bn funding gap for repairs

More than 5,000 safety incidents recorded in hospitals as NHS faces £3bn funding gap for repairs NHS hospitals are “falling apart” due to an “alarming” crisis which has seen the urgent repair bill jump to £3 billion, figures have revealed.

New analysis from The Sunday Times has revealed hospitals were waiting on some £3.06 billion in 2017-18, an increase of more than 100 per cent in three years.

There were also more than 5,500 serious safety incidents last year, with surgeries delayed or cancelled due to infrastructure problems such as burst pipes or broken heating. iNews

A&E departments working ‘beyond limits of resilience’, emergency chiefs warn as waits grow

A&E departments working ‘beyond limits of resilience’, emergency chiefs warn as waits grow The performance of A&E departments in some trusts is below levels set in last year’s record-breaking winter crisis, according to emergency medicine bosses who warn staff and bed shortages mean hospitals are “at or beyond the limits of their resilience”.

Despite milder weather and the absence of a major flu outbreak, which added to 2018’s “perfect storm” of pressures, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has said conditions in A&E are “grave indeed”. The Independent 

See also:

• Latest RCEM Winter Flow data shows Emergency Departments are “at or beyond the limits of their resilience” Royal College of Emergency Medicine

Cover-up fears as hundreds of contaminated blood files 'vanish' before inquiry can see them

Cover-up fears as hundreds of contaminated blood files 'vanish' before inquiry can see them Victims of the contaminated blood scandal have raised fears of a cover-up after it emerged hundreds of "crucial" documents were removed by government officials and are now missing.

Following the start of the Infected Blood Inquiry last year a Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) found around 950 files relating to blood policy had been "checked out" by staff over a period of years.

The report was released under Freedom of Information laws to campaigner Jason Evans, whose father died in 1993 having contracted hepatitis and HIV. The Independent

NHS ageism means elderly people with depression far less likely to be referred for therapy

NHS ageism means elderly people with depression far less likely to be referred for therapy NHS ageism means GPs are failing to properly treat depression in the elderly, research suggests. Experts said older patients were far less likely to be referred for psychological therapies, and more likely to just be given pills.

The study by University College London and the University of Bristol found that almost four in ten people over the age of 75 are suffering some signs of depression.

But the research found older patients were far less likely than younger ones to be referred for therapy, with GPs often assuming depression was a natural consequence of old age. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Management of depression and referral of older people to psychological therapies: a systematic review of qualitative studies British Journal of General Practice
• Too many older people given 'antidepressants instead of therapy' The Guardian

Department of Health must approve all NHS texts, tweets and emails about Brexit

Department of Health must approve all NHS texts, tweets and emails about Brexit The Department of Health has insisted on approving all texts, tweets and emails sent out by the NHS concerning Brexit.

A leaked email from the director of communications at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed any 'external communication' must be cleared to ensure the public gets 'consistent and clear information'.

This comes after the NHS Blood and Transplant Authority tweeted earlier this month about blood donor sessions being moved from Dover for six months to avoid traffic disruption during Brexit. The Daily Mail