CQC raps Lakeside surgery after patients struggle to make appointments

CQC raps Lakeside surgery after patients struggle to make appointments A GP super-practice that runs services across the Corby borough has been told that it must improve by inspectors.

Lakeside Healthcare’s Cottingham Road, Forest Gate and Brigstock surgeries have been given a ‘requires improvement’ rating by the government overseer the Care Quality Commission following an inspection that also found safety to be inadequate. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Lakeside Healthcare Partnership Inspection Report Care Quality Commission 

Northampton General Hospital worker handed suspended sentence after inventing extra shifts

Northampton General Hospital worker handed suspended sentence after inventing extra shifts A healthcare assistant working at NGH has escaped a jail sentence after defrauding the NHS of £3,400.

Paul Wootton, aged 30, of West Street, Ecton, was charged with fraud and securing unauthorised access to computer material with intent.

The healthcare assistant had accessed a hospital computer and used it to claim wages for shifts that he never worked. Taken together, the non-existent shifts were the equivalent of him working for 15 months. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Combined Performance Summary: December 2018 - January 2019

Combined Performance Summary: December 2018 - January 2019 Today, NHS England published its Combined Performance Summary, which provides data on key performance measures for December 2018 and January 2019. SitRep data for Week 6 of 2019 was also released, giving a more up-to-date analysis of how the NHS is coping this winter. Here we show some of these statistics and how they compare with previous years. Nuffield Trust

See also:

• Is the NHS working on thin ice this winter? The Health Foundation
• Performance against the 4 hour A&E target has fallen to its lowest level on record The Health Foundation
• The King's Fund responds to the latest NHS performance figures The King's Fund
• New figures show NHS is fighting a losing battle - John Appleby Nuffield Trust
• A&E wait times in England are at their worst EVER with the NHS 'fighting a losing battle' The Daily Mail
• NHS targets 'have had their day' says health service chief as he claims they encourage 'gaming'  The Daily Telegraph
• Record numbers of patients wait more than four hours at A&E The Guardian
• A&E hospital waiting times hit worst level since NHS records began, figures show The Independent
• Are we being distracted by A&E waiting times? The Independent

EU exit actions for medical devices and clinical consumables

EU exit actions for medical devices and clinical consumables This guidance provides information for NHS providers about the extensive planning and contingency measures that have been put in place for the healthcare system nationally and the additional actions that we are asking providers to undertake as a priority as part of the wider preparations for a ‘no deal’ EU exit. NHS Improvement

Most hip and knee replacements 'last longer than thought'

Most hip and knee replacements 'last longer than thought' Eight out of 10 knee replacements and six out of 10 hip replacements last as long as 25 years, says a large study from the University of Bristol.

This is much longer than believed, the researchers said, and the findings will help patients and surgeons decide when to carry out surgery.

To date, there has been little data on the success of new hips and knees.

But this Lancet research looked at 25 years' worth of operations, involving more than 500,000 people. BBC News

Mental health patients failed as ‘out of area’ placements rise again

Mental health patients failed as ‘out of area’ placements rise again The government has been accused of failing mental health patients as the number of people being sent far from home for treatment has risen again.

Some 710 people were being cared for “out of area”, according to latest NHS England figures for last November, with 440 of those being sent at least 100km (62 miles) away from their home and family. There are 45 people being treated at least 300km (186 miles) from home. iNews

Number of GP practices in England falls below 7,000

Number of GP practices in England falls below 7,000 The sharp drop means that almost one in six of the 8,486 GP practices listed in 2004/5 no longer exist or have merged into other practices. The average practice list has risen from 5,891 patients in 2004 to 8,533 today - a 45% rise.

The fall in practice numbers has accelerated under NHS England, analysis by GPonline reveals. Three times as many closures or mergers have occurred in the nearly six years since NHS England became operational in April 2013 compared with the years between that point and the 2004 contract.

See also:

• One in SIX GP surgeries has closed since 2004 and there are now 45% MORE patients per practice Daily Mail

Governments urged to stockpile antibiotics for a future flu pandemic

Governments urged to stockpile antibiotics for a future flu pandemic Stockpiling antibiotics to use in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak could save billions of pounds worldwide, according to a new analysis.

In the first study to model the financial value of holding antibiotics back to use in a global flu outbreak, researchers have found that an effective drug would save the world between $3 and $4 billion (£2.3 to £3.1 billion). The official report into the 2009 swine flu epidemic found that it cost the UK alone £1.24 billion. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Investing in antibiotics to alleviate future catastrophic outcomes: What is the value of having an effective antibiotic to mitigate pandemic influenza? Health Economics

Government gives the Department of Health a £600 MILLION bailout

Government gives the Department of Health a £600 MILLION bailout The Government's Treasury department has given the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) a £600million bailout to cover 'unforeseen' costs.

Spending estimates published by the Treasury describe the money as 'reserve funding to cover one-off pressures'.

Analysts believe the DHSC was in danger of breaching its budget of almost £125bn, which could lead to a parliamentary vote on whether extra cash should be given.

The rising cost of generic drugs and preparations for Brexit are thought to have stretched the DHSC – which 'acts as guardians of the health and care framework' – more than normal. The Daily Mail

More than half of British men treated for prostate cancer were abandoned without support

More than half of British men treated for prostate cancer were abandoned without support Thousands of men are being abandoned without support after surviving prostate cancer, a study has found.

More than half of men successfully treated for the disease in Britain are left without help for the most common side-effects.

Researchers interviewed 30,000 men in the largest ever study looking at life after prostate cancer. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Quality of life in men living with advanced and localised prostate cancer in the UK: a population-based study Lancet Oncology