Landmark new equipment at Kettering General Hospital will speed up diagnosis of lung cancer

Landmark new equipment at Kettering General Hospital will speed up diagnosis of lung cancer Patients with suspected lung cancer or tuberculosis will be able to get a quicker diagnosis at Kettering General Hospital after it received £160,000 in new equipment.

The hospital has launched a new procedure to help speed up the diagnosis of lung cancer – the third most common diagnosed cancer in England, but the one which accounts for the most deaths. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Rekindling hope in public services

Rekindling hope in public services In the late 1960s the psychologist Martin Seligman made a name for himself by exploring how animals respond to the experience of powerlessness. His research involved delivering electric shocks to dogs in a series of carefully constructed experiments. He found that when the dogs had no control over what happened to them, over time they became passive and stopped trying to avoid the shock. In subsequent tests they did not attempt to stop the electricity, even when given the power to do so. The King's Fund

Healthcare insight report: Reducing avoidable emergency admissions

Healthcare insight report: Reducing avoidable emergency admissions The UK’s rising tide of emergency admissions has been well documented, and Dr Foster wants to support NHS organisations to reduce these where possible. This healthcare insight report details an extensive analysis of avoidable emergency admissions over a five-year period, and in doing so highlights a number of actions that can be taken towards preventing them.

Designing integrated care systems (ICS) in England

Designing integrated care systems (ICS) in England This guide sets out the different levels of management that make up an integrated care system, describing their core functions, the rationale behind them and how they will work together. NHS England

Top surgeon appointed first NHS clinical director for violence reduction

Top surgeon appointed first NHS clinical director for violence reduction The NHS has appointed its first clinical director for violence reduction to help prevent stabbings and other violent crime.

Martin Griffiths, a lead surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, has spent the past decade visiting schools to lecture on the dangers of carrying weapons as well as saving lives on the operating table. His appointment as Clinical Director for Violence Reduction in London comes after another weekend of bloodshed, which saw three more people killed in the capital. NHS England

'Living drug' offers hope to terminal blood cancer patients

'Living drug' offers hope to terminal blood cancer patients NHS patients with lymphoma have for the first time been given a pioneering treatment that genetically reprogrammes their immune system to fight cancer.

Mike Simpson, 62, from Durham, says his cancer is now "on the run".

The therapy, called CAR-T, is a "living drug" that is tailor-made for each patient using their body's own cells

Doctors at King's College Hospital, London, said some patients were being completely cured in a way that had "never been seen before". BBC News

Inside Italy's war over vaccines

Inside Italy's war over vaccines Scientists say, repeatedly, that vaccines have never been safer - or more effective. So why do some people still refuse to trust them?

Outbreaks of diseases are happening in countries where they haven't been seen for decades. And number of people choosing not to vaccinate their children seems to be on the rise. It's one of the top 10 global health risks this year, according to the WHO.

BBC Population Reporter Stephanie Hegarty went to Italy, where vaccines have become a big issue in recent years, to explore a debate that's riddled with misinformation and fake news. BBC News

NHS Learning Disability nurse numbers plummet

NHS Learning Disability nurse numbers plummet Learning Disability (LD) Nursing needs urgent investment to attract more staff to the profession.

This is the message from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) as new analysis shows the number of LD nurses in NHS inpatient and secure units has dropped by almost 60% in a decade.

The College’s call comes as LD nurses from across the country gather at a parliamentary reception at the House of Lords today [Friday 21 June] to mark 100 years since the first “mental deficiency nurses” were registered in England. OnMedica

See also:

• Number of NHS learning disability nurses plummets in last decade Royal College of Nursing

UK teenagers far less likely to have underage sex than a decade ago, study shows

UK teenagers far less likely to have underage sex than a decade ago, study shows British teenagers are far less likely to have sex while underage than those born just a decade earlier, a study has found.

One in 30 (3.2 per cent) “Generation Z” 14-year-olds had engaged in “heavy” intimate activities, including oral sex and penetrative intercourse, the University College London research found. The Independent

NHS inpatient satisfaction falls for first time in six years

NHS inpatient satisfaction falls for first time in six years Chief inspector of hospitals says mounting pressure on system is having ‘dire impact’

Hospital patients are facing growing delays in getting a bed, help from staff or relief from their pain because surging demand for care is undermining how well they are looked after, the NHS care regulator has said.

The proportion of people admitted to hospital who are satisfied with their care fell last year for the first time in six years, an official survey of 76,000 patients found.

One in 10 (11%) inpatients said they should have been admitted to hospital “a lot” sooner – the highest percentage in a decade. The Guardian

See also:

• Confidence and trust in hospital staff high but overall improvements in people’s inpatient experience have stalled Care Quality Commission 
• Royal College of Nursing responds to CQC’s annual survey of hospital inpatients RCN
• The King's Fund responds to the 2018 national adult inpatient survey The King's Fund
• Satisfaction with hospital care falls as pressure mounts on NHS, finds CQC The BMJ
• Health bosses call for more volunteers to help bolster struggling NHS staff The Daily Mail
• Patient satisfaction with waiting times falls HSJ

Patients sent home from hospital with no advice on how to cope, watchdog finds

Patients sent home from hospital with no advice on how to cope, watchdog finds Record numbers of patients are being sent home from hospital without being told how to look after themselves, a watchdog has found.

A major report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reveals the proportion of patients - 60 per cent - given written advice on how to cope in the aftermath of a hospital stay has reached a 10-year low.

The regulator also sounded “alarm bells” that a significant proportion of patients discharged with medication - 44 per cent - are not being told about possible side-effects to watch out for. The Daily Telegraph

Rude doctors may endanger their patients, study suggests

Rude doctors may endanger their patients, study suggests When you're choosing a doctor to perform your surgery, you certainly want to know their credentials - but it might be worthwhile to find out if they are generally a good person, too, a new study suggests.

Some doctors argue that a degree of coldness helps them remain objective in emotionally charged situations.

But new research from Vanderbilt University suggests that some go too far and disrupt the sense of teamwork in their operating rooms.

The new study found that the patients whose surgeons were described as “unprofessional” by nurses and support staff were at 14 percent higher risks of complications. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Study on Co-Worker Concerns Published in JAMA Surgery – June 19, 2019 Vanderbilt University
• Use of Unsolicited Patient Observations to Identify Surgeons With Increased Risk for Postoperative Complications JAMA Surgery

NHS hospitals accused of 'disgraceful privatisation' for charging £18,000 for hip replacements

NHS hospitals accused of 'disgraceful privatisation' for charging £18,000 for hip replacements An NHS hospital trust has cancelled a scheme allowing patients to pay to be added to its waiting list.

Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had been accused of 'disgraceful' privatisation for trying to charge £18,000 for hip replacements.

Rationing means the thresholds for some operations have grown higher and people may be expected to live with severe pain before qualifying to get the ops for free.

But the hospital trust, near Liverpool, had a price list on its website offering paying customers various operations which they didn't qualify for. The Daily Mail