Thursday 12 December 2019

A place to work: system approaches to workforce challenges in the NHS

A place to work: system approaches to workforce challenges in the NHS This briefing examines how trusts are working with their staff and local partners to enable the workforce to adapt to new ways of collaborative working. NHS Providers

    Adult social care and wellbeing policy in the four nations of the UK

    Adult social care and wellbeing policy in the four nations of the UK This review summarises main policy developments on wellbeing in the field of adult social care since 2000 in the four nations of the UK. It is the first paper from the Sustainable Care: Connecting People and Systems programme from the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour & Equalities (CIRCLE) at the University of Sheffield. The programme’s overarching objective is to advance understanding of sources of economic and social sustainability in care, especially how wellbeing outcomes can be achieved for care users, their families and carers and paid care workers. University of Sheffield

      'Four hours to walk off pizza calories' warning works, experts say

      'Four hours to walk off pizza calories' warning works, experts say Food packs should display how much exercise a person would need to take to burn off the calories contained in the product, UK researchers say.

      Appreciating it would take four hours to walk off the calories in a pizza or 22 minutes to run off a chocolate bar creates an awareness of the energy cost of food, they say.

      The labels would help people indulge less, exploratory studies suggest.

      The aim is to encourage healthier eating habits to fight obesity. BBC News

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      A third of hospitals 'increased parking charges'

      A third of hospitals 'increased parking charges' A third of hospitals in England put up car parking charges last year, with total income rising by a 10th, an investigation shows.

      The Press Association used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain data from more than 140 NHS trusts.

      The responses showed £254m had been raised during 2018-19 - up from £232m the year before, with hourly charges varying between £4 and £1 for an hour. BBC News

      GP Manish Shah guilty of sexually assaulting female patients

      GP Manish Shah guilty of sexually assaulting female patients A GP who cited Angelina Jolie and Jade Goody to instil fear in his patients about their health has been found guilty of sexually assaulting 23 women.

      Manish Shah preyed on cancer concerns to carry out invasive intimate examinations for his own sexual gratification, the Old Bailey heard.

      He convinced his victims to have unnecessary checks between May 2009 and June 2013.

      He was convicted of 25 counts of sexual assault and assault by penetration. BBC News

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      The NHS robots performing major surgery

      The NHS robots performing major surgery How would you feel about a robot performing major surgery on you?

      2019 has seen a boom in the use of cutting edge robotic technology and there is more to come.

      Evidence suggests robotic surgery can be less invasive and improve recovery time for patients.

      That could be good news with ever growing demand on health services. BBC News

      Hospitals at ‘breaking point’ as winter NHS crisis deepens

      Hospitals at ‘breaking point’ as winter NHS crisis deepens Hospitals across the country are at “breaking point” as a winter surge threatens to overwhelm the NHS.

      NHS trusts have been forced to cancel operations, divert ambulances and leave patients on trolleys as thousands wait for treatment.

      In one hospital, four patients were left for at least an entire day before a space on a ward became available. The Independent

      Using temporary nurses can increase risk of patients dying, warns new study

      Using temporary nurses can increase risk of patients dying, warns new study Patients are more likely to die on wards staffed by a high number of temporary nurses, a study has found.

      Researchers say the findings, published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, are a warning sign that the common practice by many hospitals of relying on agency nurses is not a risk-free option for patients.

      The University of Southampton study found that risk of death increased by 12 per cent for every day a patient experienced a high level of temporary staffing – defined as 1.5 hours of agency nursing a day per patient. The Independent

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      Doctors at West Suffolk hospital 'too scared' to report safety issues

      Doctors at West Suffolk hospital 'too scared' to report safety issues Senior staff, at health secretary Matt Hancock’s local hospital, express concern to CQC

      Doctors at a hospital accused of bullying its staff have told the NHS care regulator that they are too scared to report lapses in patient safety in case they end up facing disciplinary action.

      The Guardian revealed on Wednesday that West Suffolk hospital stands accused by its own medics of secrecy, bullying and intimidation after it demanded they take fingerprint tests in its effort to identify a whistleblower. The Guardian

      Yeovil hospital admits liability for operating on conscious woman

      Yeovil hospital admits liability for operating on conscious woman Woman says she was left with PTSD and nightmares after procedure at Yeovil hospital

      A hospital has admitted liability after a woman reported being operated on while conscious, leaving her with post-traumatic stress disorder, lawyers have said.

      The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she screamed in agony when a surgeon cut into her belly button during an operation at Yeovil hospital. The Guardian

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      Patients who plan their death end up living longer, study finds 

      Patients who plan their death end up living longer, study finds People who plan their death end up living longer, research suggests.

      The study of terminally ill patients found that those who discussed their preferences for end-of-life care with doctors actually lived for longer than other patients. The Daily Telegraph

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      Mumps outbreak hits hundreds of students across UK after a fall in children having MMR vaccine

      Mumps outbreak hits hundreds of students across UK after a fall in children having MMR vaccine Hundreds of students have been struck down by a severe outbreak of mumps that is spreading across British universities.

      Public Health England figures show that more than 7,200 suspected mumps cases have been reported in the UK since July, almost triple the same period last year.

      Health officials said students were driving the surge and urged any who missed out on the MMR jab to get vaccinated. The Daily Mail

      Eight hundred more people dying each week in England and Wales this winter on average

      Eight hundred more people dying each week in England and Wales this winter on average The number of people dying each week this winter is far higher than average levels, official data revealed today.

      Figures show 10,958 deaths were recorded in England and Wales during the last full week of November.

      In contrast, this is almost eight per cent higher than the average for the same time period in the previous five years (10,164).

      The Office for National Statistics data shows deaths between November 16 and 22 were also considerably higher - 758 more than the average since 2014. The Daily Mail

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