Max Clifford: HMP Littlehey staff 'made medication errors'

Max Clifford: HMP Littlehey staff 'made medication errors' Disgraced publicist Max Clifford was given wrongly-labelled medication at least twice in prison before he died, a report has found.

Clifford, 74, died two years ago while serving an eight-year sentence at Littlehey Prison in Cambridgeshire for historical sex offences.

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which provides healthcare at HMP Littlehey, said the coroner had accepted its action plan and evidence of implementation.

It said it would "continue to share learning and implement our findings to ensure our care is of a high standard". BBC News

See also:

• Independent investigation into the death of Mr Maxwell Clifford a prisoner at HMP Littlehey on 10 December 2017 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
• Max Clifford: Disgraced publicist given wrongly labelled medication in prison before death, report finds The Independent

£40 million investment to reduce NHS staff login times

£40 million investment to reduce NHS staff login times The government will provide £40 million to transform slow login times, one of the main technology frustrations facing NHS staff.

NHS staff currently have to log in to multiple computer programmes when tending to a patient, with each programme requiring its own login details. Some staff need to log into as many as 15 different systems.

This can be time consuming, and also requires staff to remember multiple complex passwords or use the same one on multiple systems, which is potentially a cybersecurity risk. Department of Health

See also:

• 'Outdated' IT leaves NHS staff with 15 different computer logins BBC News
• Health chiefs to spend £40million to cut 'ridiculous' NHS tech delays The Daily Mail
• NHS gets £40m to cut login times on its IT systems The Guardian
• Funds to cut slow login times and upgrade IT for NHS staff ITV News
• New drive to reduce NHS computer login times OnMedica

DNA Testing On The NHS To Fast Track Diagnosis For Critically Ill Babies And Children

DNA Testing On The NHS To Fast Track Diagnosis For Critically Ill Babies And Children The NHS in England is providing a new form of DNA test capable of rapidly diagnosing rare diseases for critically ill babies and children, as part of its Long Term Plan to use world leading technologies to improve care for the sickest infants.

80 babies and children have received this new test, with almost half being given a diagnosis for their rare disease.

The technique, known as ‘whole exome sequencing’, doubles the chance of a diagnosis and can reveal what is wrong with patients in days rather than weeks, reducing waits for worried families. NHS England

Fentanyl deaths on rise in UK, drug report warns

Fentanyl deaths on rise in UK, drug report warns Deaths caused by the drug fentanyl are on the rise in the UK, a report warns.

Deaths related to Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid considered to be 50 times more potent than heroin, rose from eight in 2008 to 135 in 2017, the report said.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said the government should introduce controls to tackle the "emerging threat" the painkiller poses.

The ACMD said a rise in the number of deaths in the UK is being driven by fentanyl being added to heroin. BBC News

See also:

• Misuse of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Age of carers is 'looming crisis' for adult care

Age of carers is 'looming crisis' for adult care The increasing age of carers looking after adults with learning disabilities is a "looming crisis" for councils, a study claims.

Two-thirds of adults with learning disabilities or autism live with their families. Medical advances mean they are living longer than ever but many parents - some in their 80s and 90s - are worried about what will happen when they die.

Researchers from the University of Bath say the "issue will reach breaking point if it isn't tackled". BBC News

See also:

• Confronting a looming crisis: People with learning disabilities and/or autism and their carers getting older  University of Bath
• Looming crisis for older family carers of people with learning disabilities University of Bath

Surgery patients with deadly sepsis are not getting antibiotics fast enough, NHS audit finds

Surgery patients with deadly sepsis are not getting antibiotics fast enough, NHS audit finds More than 80 per cent of patients who have signs of a deadly sepsis infection before high-risk surgery are not getting antibiotics fast enough, a major NHS report has warned.

Sepsis kills an estimated 44,000 people in England every year and rapid access to antibiotics within the first hour after diagnosis is vital to halt the infection.

But a review of performance across 179 NHS hospitals has found a majority of patients undergoing emergency bowel surgery are not getting medication early enough. The Independent

Hospital in bullying claims did not monitor at-risk patients

Hospital in bullying claims did not monitor at-risk patients West Suffolk NHS trust failed to heed warning over patients with aneurysms, raising questions about management

A hospital accused of bullying its staff is facing new claims that it failed to act on a leading doctor’s warning about a potential fatal failure to monitor vulnerable patients, the Guardian can reveal.

Anorexia is the deadliest mental illness. Why is the NHS still not taking it seriously?

Anorexia is the deadliest mental illness. Why is the NHS still not taking it seriously? | Tom Quinn The rise in hospital admissions for eating disorders shows that medics don’t have the knowledge or the resources to treat them

The rise in hospital admissions for people with eating disorders reported on Thursday is very concerning. It shows that much more must be done to intervene early and provide intensive support in the community. The Guardian

Hospitalisations for flu 10-fold higher than last year, official figures show

Hospitalisations for flu 10-fold higher than last year, official figures show The number of people hospitalised with flu this winter is almost ten times as high as this time last year, new figures show.

The NHS statistics also show rates of winter vomiting bug are a quarter higher, putting hospitals under mounting pressure.

Health officials urged those eligible for the flu jab to come forward, without delay. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• UK flu levels according to PHE statistics: 2019 to 2020 Public Health England

Children with mental health problems must be severely unwell before they can get help at NHS

Children with mental health problems must be severely unwell before they can get help at NHS Children with mental health problems are being turned away by the NHS because their symptoms are not severe enough, an investigation has found.

Data obtained via freedom of information requests shows a third of mental health trusts in England reject child patients whose condition is not 'severe' or 'significant'.

GPs claimed some children were having to attempt or threaten suicide in order to be referred to a specialist. The Daily Mail

See also:

• More than half of GP referrals to CAMHS services rejected, poll reveals GPonline
• Children refused NHS mental health care for not being unwell enough The Guardian
• Number of children admitted to A&E with mental health problems jumps 330 per cent over past decade The Independent
• Mentally ill children prevented from getting specialist treatment iNews
• GPs paint bleak picture of child mental health services OnMedica
• Children rejected by NHS mental health trusts as criteria for GP referrals tightens Pulse