Improved NHS care neurological conditions to save 2,500 hospital trips

Improved NHS care neurological conditions to save 2,500 hospital trips People living with brain and nerve conditions like Parkinson’s could benefit from quicker diagnosis and better coordinated care as part of a new NHS initiative, which is also set to free up millions of pounds to reinvest in patient care.

NHS experts have joined forces with seven leading charities to produce a toolkit that will help local health groups improve services for people with conditions including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Parkinson’s, including rolling out fast-tracked blood tests and and consultant appointments over Skype for those who want them.

Up to 2,500 emergency admissions to hospital a year could be avoided for patients with these conditions as a result, with up to £10 million freed up to fund improved services. NHS England

Journals retract more than a dozen studies from China that may have used executed prisoners’ organ

Journals retract more than a dozen studies from China that may have used executed prisoners’ organ In the past month, PLOS ONE and Transplantation have retracted fifteen studies by authors in China because of suspicions that the authors may have used organs from executed prisoners.

All of the original studies — seven in Transplantation, and eight in PLOS ONE — were published between 2008 and 2014. Two involved kidney transplants, and the rest involved liver transplants. Two other journals, the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and Kidney International, have recently issued expressions of concern for the same reason. Retraction Watch

See also:

• Two medical journals retract 15 Chinese studies amid fears they used organs from executed prisoners The Daily Mail

Why is the UK seeing a rise in measles cases?

Why is the UK seeing a rise in measles cases? The UK has lost its measles-free status three years after the virus was eliminated in the country.

Cases of the potentially deadly infection have been going up, with too few people being vaccinated.

Measles can be prevented through two doses of the MMR vaccine - something that is offered free by the NHS to all young children in the UK. BBC News

See also:

• An estimated 1 in 7 five years olds are not immunised against MMR Public Health England
• System-wide approach to tackling falling childhood vaccination rates welcome, says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• Boris Johnson orders action to stop measles spread BBC News
• Quarter of children in some parts of country have not had measles jab The Daily Telegraph
• NHS England to look at offering childhood vaccinations in healthcare settings other than general practice The Pharmaceutical Journal

The little-known spinal injury 'costing the NHS millions'

The little-known spinal injury 'costing the NHS millions' Failure to identify and treat a little-known spinal condition probably costs the NHS hundreds of millions a year, according to a leading consultant.

Cauda equina syndrome requires surgery within hours to avoid damage to the bowel, bladder, sexual organs and legs.

And it can be triggered by the most seemingly innocuous of body movements. BBC News

Part of £1.8bn NHS cash boost 'is money already saved up', leaked letter claims

Part of £1.8bn NHS cash boost 'is money already saved up', leaked letter claims A £1.8bn cash boost for the NHS announced by Boris Johnson will largely be paid for with money that hospitals already have, a leaked letter has said.

The prime minister said earlier this month: "Don't forget that this is £1.8 billion of new money. It wasn't there 10 days ago."

But a letter - obtained by Health Service Journal and also seen by Sky News - says £1bn of the total will be funded by raising the Department for Health and Social Care's spending limit.

See also:

• Confirmed: NHS cash reserves will fund PM's capital spending promise Health Service Journal

Hospital forced to spend £129k replacing every single lock after disgruntled employee stole masterkey and began crime spree

Hospital forced to spend £129k replacing every single lock after disgruntled employee stole masterkey and began crime spree A hospital has been forced to spend almost £129,000 on changing all of its 1,500 locks after a thief with "inside knowledge" stole a master key to commit break-ins.

Gareth Parkin knew the Royal Derby Hospital "like the back of his hand" after working there as a gardener and maintenance worker for four years.

He then "abused his knowledge" to carry out his spate of offending, Derby Crown Court prosecutor Joey Kwong said. The Daily Telegraph

Hospitals treat 1,000 dementia patients a day because basic social care is so poor

Hospitals treat 1,000 dementia patients a day because basic social care is so poor Poor social care has driven up emergency admissions of dementia sufferers to nearly 1,000 a day.

The number of dementia patients admitted to hospital in an emergency has soared by a third in four years, official NHS figures reveal.

Experts said many patients were ending up in hospital ‘in crisis’ as a result of basic failings in social care. The Daily Mail