Nurse asked Northampton mum whose child was in hospice to lie for her

Nurse asked Northampton mum whose child was in hospice to lie for her An NHS nurse has been struck off for causing distress to a Northampton family who she asked to cover up a falsified appointment.

Claire Hopson was working for NHS Nene as an assessor of children's needs when she was assigned to the family of a Northampton child who was being cared for at Rainbows Hospice, in Loughborough.

Her work diary showed she had an appointment at the family home on October 26, 2017 but an NHS Nene manager discovered it had not taken place. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

'How can they do this to a nurse?': on-duty nurse has car stolen from Northampton General Hospital

'How can they do this to a nurse?': on-duty nurse has car stolen from Northampton General Hospital A staff nurse at NGH came off shift to find her car keys had been stolen from the staff room - and her car was missing.


Dorcas Fokou was working a night shift on Althorp Ward on Thursday / Friday and left her belongings in the staff room.

Finishing at 8am on Friday, Dorcas felt in her handbag for her keys and realised they, along with her purse, were missing.

On talking to security staff, she learned to her horror that her car - a black Audi A5, registration FL13 BGY - had been driven away at 9.17pm on Thursday. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The NHS crisis of caring for staff

The NHS crisis of caring for staff It is astonishing that politicians have watched the NHS staff crisis develop to this point without taking action. The reality is more than 100,000 NHS staff vacancies – that’s 1 in 11 of all NHS posts. There are very high levels of staff turnover with large numbers of nursing, midwifery and medical staff leaving every month (in secondary care, community services and general practice in particular). And there are chronically high levels of sickness absence and presenteeism. Add to this the struggle most NHS organisations now have in recruiting staff and the picture becomes clear. This is a crisis that threatens the ability of the service to deliver safe, high-quality care for the people in our communities. In any other industry, increasing staff turnover, absenteeism and difficulty recruiting would be seen as red flags, warning of fundamental toxicity in organisational cultures. The King's Fund

How to make the benefits system more accessible for people with mental health problems

How to make the benefits system more accessible for people with mental health problems When people are too ill to work, can’t find work or work doesn’t pay enough for their basic needs, the benefits system is supposed to provide a safety net. However, it can be notoriously hard to access the support you are entitled to. Long forms, hours on the phone and the threat of sanctions present challenges to anyone trying to make a claim. As our report, The benefits assault course, shows, these challenges are greater for people with mental health problems and the consequences can be dire. Money and Mental Health Policy Institute

See also:

• Universal credit ‘ruining lives’ and making mental health patients more ill, report warns The Independent

Trends in life expectancy in EU and other OECD countries

Trends in life expectancy in EU and other OECD countries This paper reports on trends in life expectancy in the 28 EU countries and some other high-income OECD countries, and examines potential explanations for the slowdown in improvements in recent years. The slowdown in improvements in life expectancy since 2011 has been greatest in the USA, where life expectancy has fallen in recent years, and the UK, but France, Germany, Sweden and Netherlands have also seen a sharp slowdown. The report also considers wider contributing factors. Although some risk factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, continue to decline in most EU countries, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes continues to rise.  Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Major shake-up in NHSI and NHSE joint structure as Ian Dalton steps down

Major shake-up in NHSI and NHSE joint structure as Ian Dalton steps down Ian Dalton has announced he is stepping down as the chief executive of NHS Improvement (NHSI), with NHS England’s (NHSE) CEO Simon Stevens to lead both teams.

The news comes ahead of major policy changes towards joined-up working between NHSI and NHSE – and new briefing proposals suggest that both organisations believe “legislative change would support more rapid progress.”

Ian Dalton will step down as leader of NHSI and it is expected that a new chief operating officer will be appointed and formally designated as NHS Improvement chief executive. National Health Executive

Why are BAME girls less likely to get the HPV jab?

Why are BAME girls less likely to get the HPV jab? The HPV - or Human Papilloma Virus - vaccine is available to year 8 and 9 schoolgirls across Britain. But not all of them get the jab.

Girls from black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are less likely to receive the vaccine in school than their white counterparts.

It's an important difference: Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV. BBC News

NHS patients in England to be offered free tampons

NHS patients in England to be offered free tampons Women and girls in hospital who need sanitary protection will be offered free tampons and other products from this summer, NHS England has said.

It follows a British Medical Association campaign pointing out many hospitals supply razors and shaving foam to men, but no sanitary products.

NHS England said it was "absolutely right" that women had access to daily essentials while in hospital. BBC News

See also:

• Hospitals will supply free tampons and sanitary towels to inpatients, following doctors' campaign The Daily Telegraph
• Campaigners welcome free tampons for hospital patients The Guardian
• NHS hospitals told to provide free tampons in victory for period poverty campaigners The Independent
• Government launches bid to end period poverty worldwide by 2030 The Independent

Public health 'improving under councils despite cuts'

Public health 'improving under councils despite cuts' Councils in England say there has been a marked improvement in public health since they took over responsibility for delivering services nearly six years ago, despite budget cuts.

The Local Government Association points to a fall in the number of smokers, fewer teenage pregnancies and a decrease in the suicide rate.

But it warns progress could stop if there are further funding cuts. BBC News

See also:

• Improving the public's health: local government delivers (report) Local Government Association
• Public health improving under councils, despite substantial cuts Local Government Association

Vaccine-deniers are gaining traction, warns NHS England chief

Vaccine-deniers are gaining traction, warns NHS England chief Simon Stevens says messages spread on social media are part of fake news movement

The head of NHS England has said “vaccination deniers” are gaining traction on social media as part of a “fake news” movement.

Simon Stevens said a parent at his own daughter’s primary school had used WhatsApp to express concern about children’s immune systems being “loaded up” with vaccines. The Guardian

See also:

• Vaccination deniers gaining traction, NHS boss warns BBC News

Doctors need training in how to ask grieving parents for their children's organs says NHS, as number of donations plateau

Doctors need training in how to ask grieving parents for their children's organs says NHS, as number of donations plateau Doctors need training in how to ask grieving parents for their children's organs NHS Blood and Transplant has said, as the number of organ donations has plateaued.

Parents are being urged by the blood and transplant service to consider organ donation when their child dies as new figures show the number donating has not changed in more than five years. The Daily Telegraph

Ministers have 'moral duty' to cap costs of elderly care, former Government advisor says

Ministers have 'moral duty' to cap costs of elderly care, former Government advisor says Ministers have a “moral duty” to introduce a cap on costs of care for the elderly, a former Government advisor has said - suggesting it was “silly” to suggest reforms were unaffordable.

Sir Andrew Dilnot, who led a cross-party commission on social care, spoke out following political rows between the Cabinet about a long-delayed green paper on the matter. The Daily Telegraph

NHS hospitals with more volunteers 'perform better in inspections', watchdog claims

NHS hospitals with more volunteers 'perform better in inspections', watchdog claims Hospitals with well-run volunteer schemes are more likely to be given a top rating by inspectors, the health watchdog has said.

Professor Ted Baker, of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), said the presence of trained helpers usually indicates that patients are receiving excellent care.

He said volunteering programmes at some hospitals have been so successful they have even helped to boost their rankings to 'outstanding'. The Daily Mail