Northants NHS CCG staff survey results ‘poor’

Northants NHS CCG staff survey results ‘poor’ A damning survey of NHS staff working for the body responsible for Northamptonshire’s health services has said that senior managers don’t communicate properly or act on staff feedback.

New chief executive of the Nene and Corby Clinical Commissioning Groups Toby Sanders has said the results of the survey, which was carried out last November, are very poor and that senior management should ‘be very concerned about what they tell us about the organisation.’ Northamptonshire Telegraph

Rising waiting list for chronic eye disease sufferers in Northamptonshire as hospitals are several thousand appointments short

Rising waiting list for chronic eye disease sufferers in Northamptonshire as hospitals are several thousand appointments short There is a rising waiting list for those with chronic eye disease in Northamptonshire and the county’s two hospitals could be several thousand eye appointments short each year of what is needed.

A review of eye care services undertaken by the Northamptonshire Health Care Partnership on the request of NHS England to all health systems has shown that there is a growing issue with a rising waiting list for follow-up appointments. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Government must end use of pain-inducing restraint techniques and solitary confinement of detained children

Government must end use of pain-inducing restraint techniques and solitary confinement of detained children The use of pain inducing techniques and solitary confinement of children in detention must be banned, says a new report by the UK Parliament’s Human Rights Committee. These cause physical distress and psychological harm in both the short and longer term, and are clearly not compliant with human rights standards.

“The UK is under international and domestic legal obligations to ensure that children are not subject to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The Government must comply with its legal obligations and ensure that children in detention are not subject to solitary confinement or unnecessary or disproportionate uses of restraint.”

The Committee’s inquiry considered the use of restraint and separation in a range of settings where 2,500 children are detained at any one time: some for care, treatment or welfare reasons, and some because of criminal offences. Most are highly vulnerable, many have multiple challenges.

See also:

• Ministers under pressure to ban use of pain-inducing restraint and solitary confinement on children in detention The Independent

Building better: the role of transport infrastructure and services in improving mental health

Building better: the role of transport infrastructure and services in improving mental health According to this report, mental illness is costing the country £66.5 billion every year and better transport journeys can help. The report uses NHS Digital data to assess the prevalence and cost of mental health disorders in different English regions and finds that improving the way people travel and their experience at rail stations, airports and on roads, could play a significant role in improving their mental wellbeing. London City Airport

Number of CCGs could be cut by 75% by April 2020

Number of CCGs could be cut by 75% by April 2020 Measures to cut the number of CCGs in England by more than three quarters could be in place within a year as part of a service redesign that will see commissioning groups merge so that they align with local STPs and integrated care systems (ICSs). GP online

Ipswich murder-suicide: Crisis team 'missed opportunity'

Ipswich murder-suicide: Crisis team 'missed opportunity' A mental health trust has been criticised for failing to prevent a patient killing his wife and then taking his own life.

Thomas and Katherine Kemp were found dead in Ipswich on 6 August.

An inquest heard Mrs Kemp, 31, was found with 28 knife wounds at the flat she shared with her husband, 32.

Ipswich coroner Jacqueline Devonish said the refusal to offer Mr Kemp a bed or assessment was a "missed opportunity" to prevent their deaths.

She criticised Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)'s crisis team for not intervening, after the couple had visited hospital in the early hours of 6 August. BBC News

'A wonder drug helped me eat - then for 10 years I had to go without'

'A wonder drug helped me eat - then for 10 years I had to go without' Because of rare illness, Louise Moorhouse is on a special diet of pills or foul-tasting shakes. There's a drug that would allow her to eat like anyone else - she took it for three years during a clinical trial. But the NHS won't pay for it, reports the BBC's Deborah Cohen - and the drug company stopped giving it to her once the trial was over. BBC News

Gene therapy cures babies of rare ‘bubble boy’ immune disorder in world first

Gene therapy cures babies of rare ‘bubble boy’ immune disorder in world first Ten newborns with the rare genetic disorder known as “bubble boy” disease were cured with gene therapy, researchers said on Wednesday.

The treatment appears to have completely rid the babies of their immune disorder with no side effects or complications – a result scientists have sought for decades through painstaking research and heartbreaking setbacks. The Independent

See also:

• St. Jude gene therapy cures babies with 'bubble boy' disease St Jude Children's Research Hospital
• HIV used to cure 'bubble boy' disease BBC News

Parents caring for sick children warned against sharing stories on social media in wake of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans cases

Parents caring for sick children warned against sharing stories on social media in wake of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans cases Parents caring for sick children have been warned against sharing stories on social media in the wake of a number of high profile cases.

It follows the high-profile cases of Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans and Ashya King, which attracted international attention and drew commentary from figures including Donald Trump and the Pope.

The new guidance by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) suggests parents should be given more help to understand the possible impact on their personal lives of posting online or involving the media. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• New advice seeks to prevent parent/doctor conflict in paediatrics Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
• Children's healthcare: new advice aims to avoid breakdown of parents’ trust The Guardian

The Priory Group fined £300,000 by judge over death of teenage girl at psychiatric hospital

The Priory Group fined £300,000 by judge over death of teenage girl at psychiatric hospital The Priory Group, a private mental healthcare company, has been fined £300,000 for breaching health and safety law after a 14-year-old girl died in its care.

A criminal investigation was launched by the Health and Safety Executive after the death of Amy El-Keria, who was found dead at Ticehurst House psychiatric hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, in 2012. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Mother of 14-year-old who killed herself at the Priory speaks out BBC News
• The Priory fined £300k over death of 14-year-old girl BBC News
• Priory fined £300,000 over death of girl, 14, in East Sussex hospital The Guardian
• Priory hospital group fined £300,000 over death of 14-year-old girl Amy El-Keria The Independent

Planned C-sections are £400 cheaper than vaginal births for the NHS, finds study

Planned C-sections are £400 cheaper than vaginal births for the NHS, finds study Delivering a baby by a planned caesarean section is cheaper for the NHS than a vaginal birth, research suggests.

Around £400 could be saved once compensation costs are taken into consideration.

The majority of expectant mothers are being denied a C-section, despite official guidelines saying they should have the choice.

However experts have raised concerns over the guidelines having previously found that the risks of serious complications - including haemorrhaging - are higher with C-sections than vaginal births. The Daily Mail

Practice reveals appointment waits were cut by 21% after adding a self-care note for colds on phone

Practice reveals appointment waits were cut by 21% after adding a self-care note for colds on phone Adding a simple message onto the end of GP phone lines on how to self-care for a cold could cut waiting times, a study suggests.

One practice in Scotland saw the wait for routine appointments drop by 21 per cent after patients decided they no longer needed to see a doctor.

It comes as millions of patients are having to wait more than two weeks to see their GP amid a staffing crisis that is hurting the NHS from all sides. The Daily Mail