Monday 19 August 2019

Making local government finance even more local

Making local government finance even more local A welcome change in recent years has been NHS voices speaking out for more funding for local government. Aside from the key question about how much funding is available, there are important developments afoot in local government about its distribution that merit understanding from NHS colleagues too. The outcome of these reforms will have real impact whether resources available in local areas match local need – getting this right or wrong matters for the local system’s ability to deliver on our collective ambitions for improving health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities. The King's Fund

Papworth marks first 'successful' UK heart transplant

Papworth marks first 'successful' UK heart transplant The son of the UK's first "successful" heart transplant patient 40 years ago has spoken about how his father "became a celebrity overnight".

Keith Castle, then aged 52, lived for more than five years after surgery at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire in August 1979.

His son, Keith Jnr, is meeting the surgeon Sir Terence English, 86, to mark the anniversary. BBC News

Candida auris: The new superbug on the block

Candida auris: The new superbug on the block The drug-resistant fungus, Candida auris, was only discovered 10 years ago, but is now one of the world's most feared hospital microbes.

There have been outbreaks across the world, and new research shows higher temperatures may have led to an increase in infections.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called for better understanding of who is most vulnerable to reduce risk.

Here is everything you need to know about this new superbug. BBC News

The NHS Is Slowly Cancelling Free IVF – And This Is The Impact It's Having

The NHS Is Slowly Cancelling Free IVF – And This Is The Impact It's Having Amber Izzo had been trying for a baby for two years when her doctors diagnosed her with two blocked fallopian tubes, and told her she would need to use IVF to conceive.

But a year later, the 24-year-old is no closer to becoming a parent – and not for medical reasons. Instead, it’s because her local NHS fertility clinic has cancelled services, after the funding was cut by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Huffington Post UK

Work visa delays prove costly to foreign doctors, and the NHS

Work visa delays prove costly to foreign doctors, and the NHS Complex immigration rules are putting patients at risk as hospitals struggle to fill vacancies, campaigners say

Foreign doctors are being prevented from starting work in the NHS by visa delays that risk putting further stress on hospitals and can land medics with significant bills.

Dozens of doctors have raised concerns about the “complicated and increasingly costly” process, with some warning they will lead to staff shortages and potential risks to patients. Problems have arisen this month as many doctors start jobs or switch to new roles in August. The Guardian

NHS says sepsis monitoring system has saved hundreds of lives

NHS says sepsis monitoring system has saved hundreds of lives Trials of digital alert technology had ‘major impact’ on deadly form of blood poisoning

Trials of new digital alert technology to monitor hospital patients with sepsis have saved hundreds of lives, the NHS has said.

Plans to roll out the “action and alert” technology across England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan are under way after trials at three hospitals. The Guardian

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PM say social media firms must share responsibility for rising spread of Measles in UK as he attacks antivaxx misinformation

PM say social media firms must share responsibility for rising spread of Measles in UK as he attacks antivaxx misinformation The Prime Minister has said social media firms must share the responsibility for the rising spread of measles in the UK as he attacked antivax misinformation.

Boris Johnson will on Monday set out plans to improve vaccination rates on a visit to a hospital in the South West, following a rise in cases of measles.

In the first quarter of 2019 there were 231 confirmed cases of measles, just three years after the World Health Organisation declared the UK measles-free. The Daily Telegraph

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Doctors ordered to stop half-day closing at surgeries and threatened with £40k funding axe

Doctors ordered to stop half-day closing at surgeries and threatened with £40k funding axe The NHS is launching a major crackdown on GP surgeries which close for half-days during the week, the Mail can reveal.

Officials have identified 722 practices in England – a tenth of the total – which regularly close their doors for at least four hours at a time, including lengthy lunch breaks or midweek afternoons off.

They say that if these surgeries remained open, an additional 287,000 appointments would be available every year. The Daily Mail