Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust digitises paper-based records in pursuit of better healthcare outcomes

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust digitises paper-based records in pursuit of better healthcare outcomes Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust is digitising its paper-based records in order to boost the governance around its processes and improve the care it gives to patients. Diginomica

Harnessing data and technology for public health: five challenges Responding to the government’s prevention green paper

Harnessing data and technology for public health: five challenges Responding to the government’s prevention green paper In this long read, we set out five challenges that the government needs to address if it is to harness the full potential of data and technology in public health, and offer a suggestion to help address each. The Health Foundation

Developing allied health professional leaders: an interactive guide for clinicians and trust boards

Developing allied health professional leaders: an interactive guide for clinicians and trust boards This is a guide to professional development opportunities and possibilities to support allied health professionals (AHPs) lead at all levels. It describes the common features of the AHP leadership journey, by combining insights and evidence from trust executives and chief AHPs. Its primary audience is aspiring AHP leaders and those with responsibility for developing the AHP workforce. NHS Improvement

Standing up for patient and public safety

Standing up for patient and public safety This report describes the lack of clear roles, responsibilities and accountability for workforce planning and supply in England. In reality, this means that the health and care workforce is not growing in line with increasing population need for health and care services, and there are large numbers of vacant posts throughout the system. This impacts upon patient safety and outcomes, and leads to a challenging working environment for staff. To resolve this, the RCN makes the case for this to be resolved through legislation, alongside additional investment in the nursing workforce and a national health and care workforce strategy for England. Royal College of Nursing

Get it on time: the case for improving medication management for Parkinson’s

Get it on time: the case for improving medication management for Parkinson’s This report highlights problems that people with Parkinson's disease can face receiving their medication when having a hospital stay. These findings include: nearly two thirds of people who have Parkinson’s don’t always get their medication on time in hospital; more than three quarters of people with Parkinson’s asked reported that their health deteriorated as a result of poor medication management in hospital; and only 21 per cent of respondents said they got their medication on time without having to remind hospital staff. The report sets out recommendations hospitals should implement to improve medication management. Parkinson's UK

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay man $8bn over breast growth

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay man $8bn over breast growth US drug firm Johnson & Johnson has been told to pay $8bn (£6.6bn) in punitive damages to a man over claims he was not warned that an antipsychotic drug could lead to breast growth.

A Philadelphia jury made the award to Nicholas Murray, 26, whose case was one of thousands pending in the state.

His lawyers argued that J&J subsidiary Janssen put "profits over patients" in marketing the drug Risperdal. BBC News

Hancock wrong on compulsory child vaccinations - top doctor

Hancock wrong on compulsory child vaccinations - top doctor The health secretary is wrong to think compulsory child vaccination will help tackle falling immunisation rates in England, a leading doctor says.

Matt Hancock has said he is "looking very seriously" at the option.

But Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health expert Dr David Elliman said it could be counter-productive and make people more suspicious.

He joined others in calling for vaccines to be offered in places such as supermarkets and music festivals. BBC News

Violent hate crime against disabled has risen by 41 per cent in the last year, figures suggest

Violent hate crime against disabled has risen by 41 per cent in the last year, figures suggest Disability hate crime involving violence has risen by 41 per cent in the last year, figures suggest.

Offences with an online element have also gone up by 71 per cent, data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed.

The Leonard Cheshire charity sent requests to all 43 police forces in England and Wales, and the full responses from 25 forces showed there were 5,015 offences of disability hate crime recorded by police in 2018-19 compared to 4,111 the previous year – a rise of 22 per cent. The Independent

How putting NHS staff first is making hospitals better

How putting NHS staff first is making hospitals better | Denis Campbell Yoga, pilates and Dragons’ Den-style contests are among a host of innovations that are turning around failing trusts

How do failing NHS trusts get back to delivering high-quality care? The answer, a new study suggests, can involve emulating Dragons’ Den, the boss popping in at 3am – and staff doing less rather than more.

A report from NHS Providers sets out in detail how 11 trusts providing acute, ambulance and mental health care in England have used a negative rating from the Care Quality Commission as the catalyst for a turnaround in their fortunes. The Guardian

Zantac is pulled from shelves in the UK

Zantac is pulled from shelves in the UK Zantac is pulled from shelves in the UK The manufacturer of common heartburn drug Zantac has recalled several batches over fears they could contain a cancer-causing chemical.

GlaxoSmithKline announced four different types of the medication, all only available on prescription, would be recalled in the UK.

Over-the-counter Zantac products, which people can buy without a prescription, are made by a different pharmaceutical firm and are not affected by the recall. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Zantac – MHRA drug alert issued as GlaxoSmithKline recalls all unexpired stock Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
• Prescribed Zantac heartburn medicine recall in UK BBC News
• Stomach ulcer medication recalled amid fears it has been contaminated with cancer-causing chemical, government warns The Daily Telegraph
• Zantac recalled urgently across world over cancer-linked chemical fears The Independent