Monday 14 October 2019

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

    NHS bids to cut up to 100 million plastic straws, cups and cutlery from hospitals

    NHS bids to cut up to 100 million plastic straws, cups and cutlery from hospitals The NHS will slash the use of plastic in hospital canteens as part of its drive to reduce waste and make hospitals healthier for patients and staff.

    Major high street names and suppliers including Marks & Spencer and WH Smith are backing the call by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens to dramatically cut the amount of single-use plastics in hospitals, as part of a package of measures in the NHS Long Term Plan to reduce the environmental impact of the health service.

    Retailers operating in hospitals have committed to cut the use of avoidable plastics starting with straws and stirrers from April with cutlery, plates and cups phased out over the following 12 months. NHS England

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    RCP publishes census of consultant physicians and higher specialty trainees 2018

    RCP publishes census of consultant physicians and higher specialty trainees 2018 The 2018 census of consultant physicians and higher specialty trainees, produced by the Medical Workforce Unit (MWU) at RCP on behalf of Royal College of Physicians London, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG), has been published.

    8,656 doctors contributed to this year’s census, with the aim of providing the three colleges, their partners and others with robust data on the state of the consultant and higher specialty trainee (HST) physician workforce in the UK.

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    Mother's sepsis warning after hospital failure

    Mother's sepsis warning after hospital failure A hospital trust in Nottingham is being asked to explain what changes it’s made after an inquest found failings in the treatment of a five-year-old girl who died.

    Ava Macfarlane died from sepsis in December 2017.

    The hospital says they have made a "number of changes" since her death. BBC News

    Slow walkers more likely to get sick when old, study finds

    Slow walkers more likely to get sick when old, study finds Walking slowly could be a sign you’re more likely to get sick in later life, according to new research.

    A simple test to measure the speed someone walks could predict their chance of getting diseases like Alzheimer’s decades before symptoms develop, scientists say.

    Researchers found 45-year-olds who naturally walked slowly had brains and bodies that showed signs of “accelerated ageing” on a 19-measure scale. Their lungs, teeth and immune system were all in worse shape than people of the same age who walked faster. The Independent

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    Dominic Cummings accused of conflict of interest over NHS fund

    Dominic Cummings accused of conflict of interest over NHS fund Boris Johnson’s aide was consultant for AI startup that could win share of £250m fund

    Boris Johnson’s most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, is facing conflict of interest accusations over a consultancy role he undertook for a government-endorsed healthcare startup that is in position to receive a share of a new £250m flagship public fund.

    Cummings advised Babylon Health, a controversial artificial intelligence (AI) firm working within the NHS, on its communications strategy and its senior recruitment, an investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal. The Guardian

    My tears as a junior doctor were a ‘flaw’ that, in psychiatry, became my greatest strength

    My tears as a junior doctor were a ‘flaw’ that, in psychiatry, became my greatest strength I burnt out as a GP but in mental health I could take time with patients and, at last, make a difference

    “If you’re going to reject me, then reject me,” I said. I was deep in the bowels of Leicester University, being interviewed for a place at medical school. I was 35, a fact the learned professor interviewing me returned to again and again. How would I cope with the workload? Would the four hours’ driving each day prove too much? How would I support myself through my studies? Concerns that travelled through my own mind. Unlike the questions I asked myself, though, the queries in that interview room were all prefixed with “at your age”. I didn’t see my age as a problem, and eventually I told him so. The Guardian

    School gates 'breeding ground' for vaccine myths, says NHS chief

    School gates 'breeding ground' for vaccine myths, says NHS chief Head of health service in England calls for crackdown on misinformation about jabs

    School gates can be a “breeding ground for harmful myths” about vaccines, the chief executive of NHS England has said, as he called for a zero-tolerance approach to misinformation about their alleged dangers.

    Simon Stevens said it was often the parents who did their best to find out more about the impact and effect of vaccines on their children who were liable to be deceived by “fake news”. The Guardian

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    Hospitals paying locum doctors record sums of £4,000 per shift 

    Hospitals paying locum doctors record sums of £4,000 per shift Hospitals are paying locum doctors record sums of almost £4,000 each per shift in a bid to plug a growing staffing crisis across the health service.

    A Daily Telegraph investigation reveals a sharp rise in “eye-watering” payments made via agencies, despite repeated pledges to clamp down on spending on temporary medics.

    In most cases, the sums covered not just the hours worked, but time doctors spent on call – including when they were sleeping. The Daily Telegraph