Northamptonshire health chief takes on additional role

Northamptonshire health chief takes on additional role The chief executive of the county’s mental health trust is taking on an additional leadership role at a Leicestershire NHS Trust.

Angela Hillery, who has led Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to an outstanding CQC grading, says her new role as chief executive of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust will not impact on her commitment to NHFT. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Northamptonshire Healthcare and Leicestershire Partnership to share a chief executive Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

23 Northampton GP surgeries with 'unsafe' levels of air pollution

23 Northampton GP surgeries with 'unsafe' levels of air pollution A new report was released into the pollution levels on the doorstep of the UK's GPs and Hospitals.

Listed here are all of the Northampton GPs and Hospitals that recorded a higher than recommended level of "fine matter particulate", which WHO says should not be above 10ug/m3 (micrograms per metre cubed). Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Clicks and mortar: Technology and the NHS estate

Clicks and mortar: Technology and the NHS estate Developments in technology are affecting the NHS estate in different ways. In future, these changes could lead to an estate that is better for patients and staff, smarter and more integrated.

Technology is likely to result in a different NHS estate, rather than a smaller one, with space being used or configured in different ways. 

To maximise their impact, technology and the estate should be brought together as part of wider plans for change. This means developing an overarching vision for how health and care will be delivered in the future and being clear about the role of technology and the estate in delivering it. The King's Fund

Many vulnerable children with learning disabilities are stuck in mental health hospitals for too long in poor conditions

Many vulnerable children with learning disabilities are stuck in mental health hospitals for too long in poor conditions Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, is today publishing a new report, ‘Far less than they deserve: Children with learning disabilities or autism living in mental health hospitals’. The report shows how too many children are being admitted to secure hospitals unnecessarily – in some cases are spending months and years of their childhood in institutions when they should be in their community. It warns that the current system of support for those with learning disabilities or autism is letting down some of the most vulnerable children in the country.

The report also finds shocking evidence of poor and restrictive practices and sedation, with some children telling the Children’s Commissioner of how their stay in mental health hospital has been traumatic, and parents too often left feeling powerless to do anything to intervene.

See also:

• Too many children in mental health hospitals, says report BBC News
• Too many children in England’s mental health hospitals unnecessarily – report The Guardian

Improving children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing

Improving children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing The LGA's Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Peer Learning Programme looked at how to prioritise early help and free up acute care for the most vulnerable in order to achieve change; supporting councils and their local partners to learn from each other, and from other councils across the country. Eight councils and their partners took part in two learning days and a visit to another council, gaining further knowledge and understanding on how to tackle their local issue. Local Government Association

The prevalence and persistence of ethnic and racial harassment and its impact on health: a longitudinal analysis

The prevalence and persistence of ethnic and racial harassment and its impact on health: a longitudinal analysis Around one in ten ethnic minorities in England has reported experiencing ethnic and racial harassment in a public place and almost double this number has reported feeling unsafe or avoiding public places, both of which are associated with poorer mental health, according to this report. It highlights the need to consider harassment and discrimination in the provision of mental health services. Institute for Social and Economic Research

Staff shortages 'abusing good will of nurses'

Staff shortages 'abusing good will of nurses' The good will of nurses in England is being abused by politicians who have failed to get to grips with a desperate shortage of staff, nurse leaders say.

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair will call for safe staffing levels to be enshrined in law in a speech on Monday.

There are currently nearly 40,000 nurse vacancies - one in nine posts.

However, the government says it is committed to increasing the number of nurses in training. BBC News

How going hungry affects children for their whole lives

How going hungry affects children for their whole lives Food poverty is on the rise in rich countries. And all the evidence suggests that the impact can last for years afterwards. The Independent

NHS England loses 6,000 mental health nurses in 10 years

NHS England loses 6,000 mental health nurses in 10 years Recruitment and training crisis ‘hits the most vulnerable in society’, says Royal College of Nursing

The number of mental health nurses in England has slumped by more than a tenth over the past decade, new figures have revealed. This is despite commitments from both Theresa May and her predecessor, David Cameron, to boost resources for mental health services, which many medical professionals say are now in crisis.

The total mental health nursing workforce has decreased by 10.6% since 2009, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The Guardian

Adults with eating disorders 'face appalling NHS failings'

Adults with eating disorders 'face appalling NHS failings' Report warns of long waits and obstacles to treatment after big rise in hospital admissions

Adults with life-threatening eating disorders face huge waits for vital NHS care and must overcome “appalling failings” to get help, leading psychiatrists have warned.

A report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists highlighted the gap in support available for those over 18, saying that while services for teenagers and children have received
 an injection of £135m, investment in adult services has failed to keep up. The Guardian

See also:

• Eating disorder patients face an ‘unacceptable’ 41 month wait for treatment iNews

G4S ambulance staff suspended after leaving accidental voice message telling a patient they could beat him 'to a pulp'

G4S ambulance staff suspended after leaving accidental voice message telling a patient they could beat him 'to a pulp' Two G4S ambulance crew have been suspended after accidentally leaving a voicemail for a patient suggesting they could “beat the f***” out of him and get away with it.

The ambulance had been sent to collect the man on May 8 to take him to William Harvey hospital in Ashford, Kent for an MRI scan on his lower abdomen following a stomach rupture, it was reported. The Daily Telegraph

UK's spiralling obesity crisis could lead to liver disease boom

UK's spiralling obesity crisis could lead to liver disease boom The ever-increasing number of Britons who have type 2 diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop aggressive liver disease, a major study has found.

The review of nearly 19million people said those with diabetes should be monitored closely because of their raised risk of life-threatening liver disease.

The study, led by experts at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Glasgow, suggests the UK’s spiralling obesity crisis could lead to a spike in cases of liver cancer. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Risks and clinical predictors of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma diagnoses in adults with diagnosed NAFLD: real-world study of 18 million patients in four European cohorts (open access) BMC Medicine

One in four doctors come from countries that are 'banned from working for the NHS'

One in four doctors come from countries that are 'banned from working for the NHS' One in four new NHS medics come from countries that are 'banned' from working for the health service, figures have revealed.

The NHS' Code of Practice lists 97 nations that 'should not be actively recruited from' because they receive aid or suffer from a shortages of medics.

But an investigation has shown certain NHS trusts have used agencies to recruit staff from these prohibited nations, which include Egypt, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

And the number of doctors joining the NHS from these countries has doubled in the past two years, the figures show.  The Daily Mail