Northamptonshire health boss reveals plans for the future

Northamptonshire health boss reveals plans for the future Toby Sanders has a big job. As chief executive of Northamptonshire’s two NHS clinical commissioning groups he has responsibility for an annual budget just shy of £1bn and it’s his role to make sure the health services in the county are performing well and meeting the needs of our ever growing and ever ageing population.

Appointed in November last year after a successful seven years in the same role in West Leicestershire, the new chief executive has plans to shake up the county’s healthcare system in line with the NHS’s new 10-year plan that was published earlier this year. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Nurse at Northampton GP surgery cautioned by police after prescribing Class C drug to wife

Nurse at Northampton GP surgery cautioned by police after prescribing Class C drug to wife A Northampton nurse is facing possible sanctions after admitting to doling out medication in a "cavalier" manner without proper authority on several occasions.

Kyle Hastings, who works at St Luke's Primary Care Centre in Duston, has been facing a Nursing and Midwifery Council panel over incidents dating between 2016 and 2017 involving misuse of prescriptions. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Kettering General Hospital out of 'special measures' after CQC inspection

Kettering General Hospital out of 'special measures' after CQC inspection A hospital criticised for its safety standards has been taken out of special measures after two years by inspectors, but remains as "requires improvement".

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said all areas of Kettering General Hospital have been rated "good" or "requires improvement". BBC Northampton

What does NHSX have to learn from other countries’ experiences of digitisation in health systems?

What does NHSX have to learn from other countries’ experiences of digitisation in health systems? What are the fundamental challenges facing policy-makers who want to see the widescale adoption of effective digital technology in the health and care system? The King's Fund

Joining the dots: connecting behavioural insights to improvement, and to our humanity

Joining the dots: connecting behavioural insights to improvement, and to our humanity Behavioural insights – often referred to as ‘nudging’ – are lessons from psychology, cognitive science, social science and behavioural economics that shine a light on how we make choices. At their core is the recognition that we are not always consistent nor rational in our choices and behaviour. Rather, our behaviour is determined by a fallible brain that is greatly influenced by the context in which our choices are made. The Health Foundation

Social care: Free at the point of need - The case for free personal care in England

Social care: Free at the point of need - The case for free personal care in England Adult social care is one the most important public services in the UK. For hundreds of thousands of people it provides vital care and support – in their homes or in a residential setting – to ensure that they can maintain their independence, dignity and quality of life as they age. This may involve receiving help with basic tasks such as getting up or eating, or 24-hour support for people with complex needs such as dementia.

But unlike its sibling service – the NHS – social care has been consistently undervalued. This can be seen in the different principles which underpin the two services: whilst the NHS is free at the point of need, social care is means tested, with only those on low incomes entitled to receive statutory support. As a result, approximately half of all people formally receiving social care, privately finance at least part of their care – and this figure has been growing. Institute for Public Policy Research
See also:

• 21st century social care: what’s wrong with social care and how we can fix it Policy Exchange
• Personal care should be free for over-65s, says thinktank The Guardian

Hospital 'abused' vulnerable adults in Durham

Hospital 'abused' vulnerable adults in Durham The abuse and mistreatment of vulnerable adults at a specialist hospital has been uncovered by the BBC's Panorama programme.

Undercover BBC filming shows staff intimidating, mocking and restraining patients with learning disabilities and autism at Whorlton Hall, County Durham.

Experts said the culture was deviant at the privately-run NHS-funded unit with evidence of "psychological torture".

A police investigation has been launched and 16 staff suspended. BBC News

See also:

• Undercover hospital abuse scandal (Available until March 2020 on iPlayer) BBC Panorama
• The failings in learning disability services in six charts BBC News
• Hospital staff 'abused' vulnerable patients in Durham, BBC's Panorama reveals BBC News
• Undercover footage shows autistic patients 'tortured' in repeat of Winterbourne View scandal The Daily Telegraph
• Secret filming reveals abuse of disabled and autistic patients The Guardian
• Staff filmed bragging of assaulting and abusing vulnerable patients at care home run by US multinational The Independent

Cannula sleeves: 'Simple solution for dementia patients'

Cannula sleeves: 'Simple solution for dementia patients' When singer Sharon Wallace volunteered at a hospice in her local area, she noticed how small things can make a huge difference.

"It can be heartbreaking when you see people affected by dementia," she said. "They're often in another world, but music can really help," she told the BBC.

She also noticed how some of the residents with dementia could be quite fidgety. BBC News

NHS warning: Drivers wearing lanyards 'risk injury'

NHS warning: Drivers wearing lanyards 'risk injury' NHS staff are being warned not to wear their lanyards when driving or travelling in cars because of the risk of injury if an airbag goes off.

It comes after an NHS worker, who crashed while driving home, suffered a perforated bowel from keys attached to her lanyard. BBC News

Three-quarters of food bought in UK hospitals is unhealthy, audit shows

Three-quarters of food bought in UK hospitals is unhealthy, audit shows NHS staff, patients and visitors shun nutritious snacks in favour of crisps, sweets and cakes

Researchers have called for radical restrictions on junk food in UK hospitals after an audit of NHS health centres found that people overwhelmingly bought unhealthy snacks and drinks on the premises.

Three-quarters of the best-selling snacks in hospital cafes and canteens were rated as unhealthy, along with half of the most popular cold drinks, according to a report by the audit’s authors.  The Guardian

See also:

• Mapping the snack and drink landscape in a large UK hospital site PsyArXiv
• Junk food should be banned from hospital shops, experts warn  The Daily Mail

Ten million in rural areas now lack basic services like GP surgeries, hospitals and nursing homes

Ten million in rural areas now lack basic services like GP surgeries, hospitals and nursing homes Huge swathes of rural Britain have become ‘healthcare deserts’ where millions struggle to access GP appointments and hospital treatment, nurses have warned.

The ten million people who live in the English countryside are served by grossly inadequate healthcare, they say. And with GP practices, community hospitals and nursing homes closing, things are getting worse.

While other parts of the NHS are turning to revolutionary online systems and app-based healthcare, patchy mobile service and substandard broadband means this is a pipedream in many rural areas. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Swathes of countryside becoming 'healthcare deserts' with £100 trips for hospital care The Daily Telegraph