Friday 27 September 2019

Going Dutch in West Suffolk: learning from the Buurtzorg model of care

Going Dutch in West Suffolk: learning from the Buurtzorg model of care Writing about Why the Dutch are different, Ben Coates describes how distinctive cultural practices of directness, tolerance and co-operation in the Netherlands are (at least partly) rooted in a history that required different communities to work together to establish and maintain drainage systems to rescue these lowlands from the sea. So perhaps it is not surprising that this is the nation that has cultivated a model of health and social care provision in which professionals work collaboratively in non-hierarchical teams to provide holistic care. The King's Fund

Crunch time for local system plans

Crunch time for local system plans I tend to agree with the view that ‘Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.’ Written plans, particularly those covering a long period, are rarely followed to the letter. The sustainability and transformation plans produced in 2016 are a prime example – many of their proposals have since been adapted, delayed or (for better or worse) abandoned altogether. The King's Fund

Exiting the EU: supplying the health and social care sectors

Exiting the EU: supplying the health and social care sectors There is a risk of delays to supplies for health and social care if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Government has done an enormous amount to manage this risk, but the National Audit Office (NAO) highlights that there is still significant work to be done. This includes improving government’s understanding of preparedness across the supplier base, putting in place sufficient freight capacity to carry priority goods, and improving the readiness of the social care sector, including nursing homes.

In its report, published today, the NAO has reviewed the Department for Health & Social Care’s (DHSC’s) preparations to make sure the UK has a steady flow of supplies for the health and social care sector when it leaves the EU. Of the 12,300 medicines used in the UK, DHSC estimates that around 7,000 come from or via the EU.

The NAO recognises that this is a significant challenge and it is is not possible for anyone to know exactly what will happen at the border if the UK leaves without a deal.

See also:

Prime Minister pledges funding for cancer screening overhaul

Prime Minister pledges funding for cancer screening overhaul The new NHS funding will replace MRI machines, CT scanners and breast screening equipment. Department of Health

See also:

Delivering same-sex accommodation

Delivering same-sex accommodation This guidance has been updated to reflect current patient pathways, including further definition of what is and is not a mixed-sex accommodation breach and circumstances in which mixing may be justified and therefore not constitute a breach. NHS England

    U-turn as ministers reconsider financial aid for student nurses

    U-turn as ministers reconsider financial aid for student nurses Ministers may reintroduce grants to attract people into nursing amid staff shortage

    Ministers may reintroduce financial incentives to attract people into nursing to help the NHS tackle its serious and worsening lack of nurses.

    The health service in England’s shortage has spiralled to 40,000 vacancies since George Osborne abolished bursaries for would-be nurses and replaced them with student loans in 2015. The Guardian

    Drop in vaccination rates in England alarming, experts warn

    Drop in vaccination rates in England alarming, experts warn Childhood vaccinations for 13 diseases falling year on year, prompting experts to warn of potentially devastating impact

    Experts have expressed alarm at the drop in take-up of all routine childhood vaccinations across England, with a marked decline in rates against 13 different diseases, which leaves many thousands of children under-protected.

    The UK recently lost its measles-free status because of the fall in rates of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation. But the latest figures from NHS Digital for England in the year to the end of March 2019 show a loss of confidence for vaccinations more generally. The Guardian

    See also:

    Breakthrough in fight against antimicroboial resistance as scientists discover how bacteria is 'hiding' from drugs

    Breakthrough in fight against antimicroboial resistance as scientists discover how bacteria is 'hiding' from drugs The fight against antibiotic resistance has taken a step forward after scientists discovered how bacteria hide from drugs in the body.

    Public health experts are deeply concerned that the rise in resistance to medication could make even the simplest operations impossible in the future and the Chief Medical Officer has said it is one of the biggest threats to the world today.

    But although scientists have known that bugs adapt to evade antibiotics they did not know how they were doing it. The Daily Telegraph

    See also:

    Children living in most polluted parts of country have 50 per cent chance of dying early

    Children living in most polluted parts of country have 50 per cent chance of dying early Air pollution may significantly increase the risk of babies dying in their first year of life, a major study has found.

    Researchers tracked nearly eight million infants born in England and Wales between 2001 and 2012.

    They found babies in the most polluted areas had a 30 to 50 per cent greater risk of dying by any cause by the age of one. The Daily Mail

    NHS doctors warned to limit prescriptions of Prozac because of stock shortages

    NHS doctors warned to limit prescriptions of Prozac because of stock shortages Doctors have been told to restrict prescriptions of Prozac amid a nationwide shortage of the antidepressant.

    The drug fluoxetine – commonly known by its brand name Prozac – is in short supply due to manufacturing problems.

    The Department of Health wrote to all GPs last week telling them to contact their patients who take the drug to ask how many supplies they have at home.

    The letter stated that any patient with enough pills to last until November should not be issued with a repeat prescription, the magazine Pulse reported. The Daily Mail