Peers call for NHS-style free social care system and an extra £8bn to tackle funding crisis

Peers call for NHS-style free social care system and an extra £8bn to tackle funding crisis  Peers call for NHS-style free social care system and an extra £8bn to tackle funding crisis. The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has challenged the two Tory leadership candidates to create an NHS-style free service in response to rapidly rising demand in social care.

Peers including former Conservative and Labour chancellors have called for an immediate £8bn investment in social care, to tackle the “national scandal” which left 1.4 million older people with unmet care needs last year.
The report suggests introducing free personal care in an NHS-style format which, despite likely proving more expensive than alternatives, will reduce demand for residential care and health care and encourage people to seek home care earlier. National Health Executive

New charter launched to help trusts deal with safety incidents

New charter launched to help trusts deal with safety incidents NHS staff are requiring “significant” amounts of support after being involved in patient safety incidents, prompting a national body to draw up a new charter for how trusts should respond.
The “Being Fair” charter has been created by NHS Resolution (formerly the NHS Litigation Authority) in a bid to ensure trusts respond to incidents in a way that is fair to both the patient and staff involved, and that errors are not repeated. Health Service Journal

How private hospitals use financial incentives to lure doctors

How private hospitals use financial incentives to lure doctors This report looks into how the private hospital sector uses financial incentives to attract NHS consultants to work for them. NHS Networks

1.8m fewer adult smokers in England in 2018

1.8m fewer adult smokers in England in 2018 The number of adult cigarette smokers in England has dropped by around 1.8m from 7.7m (19.8%) in 20113 to 5.9m (14.4%) in 2018, new official figures show.
The prevalence of adult smokers throughout the UK was 14.7%. Of the constituent countries, England had the lowest (14.4%). Prevalence was highest in Scotland (16.3%), followed by Wales (15.9%) and then Northern Ireland (15.5%) NHS Digital

What a difference a place makes: the growing impact of health and wellbeing boards

What a difference a place makes: the growing impact of health and wellbeing boards This report highlights how health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) are making a real difference through a wide range of initiatives, including reducing hospital admissions and time spent in hospital, reducing demand for GP appointments, helping thousands of smokers to quit, imposing restrictions on fast food outlets near schools, and reducing unemployment, poverty and poor housing. King's Fund
Report

Social care funding: time to end a national scandal

Social care funding: time to end a national scandal This report finds that publicly funded social care support is shrinking, as diminishing budgets have forced local authorities to limit the numbers of people who receive public funding. It recommends that the Government immediately spends £8 billion to restore social care to acceptable standards and then introduces free personal care over a period of five years. King's Fund
Report
Economic Affairs Committee - news

There is an alternative: ending austerity in the UK

There is an alternative: ending austerity in the UK The global financial crisis of 2007/08 had a significant impact on the UK’s public finances. Since 2010/11, successive UK governments have chosen to impose a programme of austerity in an attempt to reduce the budget deficit. However, there is a growing consensus that austerity has failed economically, fiscally and socially. This report argues that the state must have a bigger role – and must invest more – in four ‘social deficits’, including health inequalities and mental health. King's Fund
Report
Institute for Public Policy Research - publications

Majority of hospitals using NICE endorsed sepsis tools, finds report

Majority of hospitals using NICE endorsed sepsis tools, finds report The vast majority of NHS hospitals in England are using officially endorsed clinical tools designed to improve the response to life-threatening sepsis, new research has found.
However, MPs and campaigners say more still needs to be done to raise awareness of the “hugely under-acknowledged” condition among healthcare professionals and the public in order to boost survival rates. Nursing Times

“Worryingly high” number of people infected with latent form of drug resistant TB

“Worryingly high” number of people infected with latent form of drug resistant TB  More than 19 million people around the globe are infected with one of the most complex forms of dormant tuberculosis, threatening efforts to control the fatal disease, researchers have warned.

In the first study to estimate the number of people living with latent multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, experts found that three people in every 1,000 carry the hard-to-treat bacteria – a “worryingly high” figure that “threatens elimination goals”. The Telegraph