Wednesday 1 May 2019

Can body cameras protect NHS staff and patients from violence?

Can body cameras protect NHS staff and patients from violence? | Hélène Mulholland The notion of mental health nurses switching on a body-worn camera to film violent incidents on wards may seem controversial, but for Jenny Allen, a Northamptonshire Healthcare service user, it’s been a plus.

Allen, who has been in and out of hospital for the past 15 years, says the cameras have led to a safer environment and reduced “flashpoints” on the wards. “I think both staff and service users moderate their behaviour when the camera is switched on. It’s a win-win, really. It’s not punitive, it’s just to try to help de-escalate the situation.” The Guardian

Hundreds of nurses have taken their own lives in just seven years

Hundreds of nurses have taken their own lives in just seven years Figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, have revealed that over three-hundred nurses died by suicide between 2011 and 2017.

The highest recorded year was 2014, when 54 deaths – more than one per week on average – were recorded.

The figures are an alarming 23 per cent higher than the UK average. Nursing Notes

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Children’s services at breaking point – Government must back local authorities with funding that meets demand

Children’s services at breaking point – Government must back local authorities with funding that meets demand Constricted funding and ever increasing demand have left children’s services in England at breaking point, a report published today by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has found.

Ahead of the 2019 Spending Review, the report calls for a funding settlement that reflects the challenges local authorities face in delivering children’s social care, and recommends a minimum increase to core grant funding of £3.1 billion up until 2025.

All systems go

All systems go The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) states in this 'tech manifesto' that a robust and joined-up IT system across the NHS needs to be prioritised before a technological 'revolution' in patient care can truly happen. The manifesto recognises the exciting potential of genomics, AI, digital medicine and robotics to potentially revolutionise patient care and improve patient safety. However the RCGP says that widespread improvement will only be possible once robust, secure IT systems are in place for all GP practices and all areas of the NHS have access to computer networks which seamlessly link up the patient journey.

Did government spending cuts to social care for older people lead to an increase in emergency hospital admissions? An ecological study, England 2005–2016

Did government spending cuts to social care for older people lead to an increase in emergency hospital admissions? An ecological study, England 2005–2016 Cuts to council social care budgets are often cited as a cause of pressure on NHS urgent and emergency care services. Much of the evidence supporting this link, however, is anecdotal. This paper set out to try and quantify the effect of cuts to social care on older people’s use of emergency healthcare services. BMJ Open

New type of dementia identified

New type of dementia identified Millions of elderly people have a form of dementia that has been misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers.

One expert called it the most important dementia finding in years.

The condition, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, or Late, shares similar symptoms to Alzheimer's, but it is a distinct disease, the journal Brain reports.

It may partly explain why finding a dementia cure has failed so far. BBC News

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Four Seasons Health Care facing administration

Four Seasons Health Care facing administration One of Britain's largest care home groups, Four Seasons Health Care, has gone into administration.

Two of the holding companies behind the firm appointed administrators on Tuesday after struggling to repay their debts.

The group serves about 17,000 residents and patients and employs some 20,000 staff.

Four Seasons said the move would not affect care arrangements or lead to the closure of homes. BBC News

Contaminated blood scandal: Harrowing testimonies describe ordeal resulting from NHS treatments

Contaminated blood scandal: Harrowing testimonies describe ordeal resulting from NHS treatments Witness statements given to the contaminated blood scandal inquiry are “harrowing” and “incredibly moving”, a former high court judge has said.

Sir Brian Langstaff promised the probe would be “frightened of no-one” and thanked victims for their bravery as hearings began into the NHS error which saw almost 5,000 people with haemophilia given blood containing hepatitis C or HIV in the 1970s and 1980s.

It has been described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS. The Independent

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Fresh criminal inquiry launched into Gosport hospital deaths

Fresh criminal inquiry launched into Gosport hospital deaths Relatives hope for criminal charges over hundreds of deaths at Hampshire hospital

Police have launched a fresh inquiry into how 450 patients died over 14 years after being given dangerously high doses of painkillers at an NHS hospital that showed “a disregard for human life”.

Relatives of the victims hope the investigation – the fourth into one of the biggest scandals in NHS history – will finally lead to criminal charges being brought against staff involved in administering the drugs unnecessarily. The Guardian

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Elderly people are routinely being given diabetes drugs they don't need

Elderly people are routinely being given diabetes drugs they don't need Elderly people are routinely being given diabetes drugs they do not need thanks to an incentive scheme which rewards GPs for prescribing pills, experts have warned.

This 'overtreatment' is putting already-frail people at risk of falls, cognitive impairment and dementia, diabetes specialists said. The Daily Mail

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