Friday 6 March 2020

Northampton care home closure gives residents' families four weeks to find new accommodation

Northampton care home closure gives residents' families four weeks to find new accommodation A Northampton care home is closing, leaving the families of its residents four weeks to find new placements for their loved ones.

Argyle House nursing and residential home broke the news to family members in a letter on Tuesday (March 3), blaming a lack of funds for the closure. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Cardiovascular disease and population health: thinking beyond the hospital ward

Cardiovascular disease and population health: thinking beyond the hospital ward Despite the perception of tremendous advances in modern medicine and the management of cardiovascular disease over several decades, last year the British Heart Foundation revealed that premature death rates for the condition have risen for the first time in 50 years. How can this be explained? The King's Fund

Achieving scale and spread: Learning for innovators and policy-makers

Achieving scale and spread: Learning for innovators and policy-makers In recent years, a significant number of innovators have forged ways to scale and spread innovation in the NHS. However, despite some existing work in this area, less is known about how to achieve greater scale and spread beyond early adopters. The Nuffield Trust was commissioned by the NHS Innovation Accelerator to help fill this knowledge gap.

Feeling the strain What The Commonwealth Fund’s 2019 international survey of general practitioners means for the UK

Feeling the strain: What The Commonwealth Fund’s 2019 international survey of general practitioners means for the UK The Commonwealth Fund surveyed 13,200 primary care physicians across 11 countries between January and June 2019. This included 1,001 general practitioners (GPs) from the UK. The Health Foundation analysed the data and reports on the findings from a UK perspective.

In some aspects of care, the UK performs strongly and is an international leader. Almost all UK GPs surveyed use electronic medical records, and use of data to review and improve care is relatively high.

The survey also highlights areas of major concern for the NHS. Just 6% of UK GPs report feeling ‘extremely’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their workload – the lowest of any country surveyed. Only France has lower overall GP satisfaction with practising medicine. GPs in the UK also report high stress levels, and feel that the quality of care that they and the wider NHS can provide is declining.

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Mental health crisis services rolled out across England

Mental health crisis services rolled out across England Mental health crisis teams will be strengthened and new alternative forms of provision such as safe havens and crisis cafes will open across the country as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

More than £200 million of national funding has been allocated to local areas to transform urgent and emergency mental health care through a network of services over the next two years. NHS England

Better Births four years On: a review of progress

Better Births four years On: a review of progress The report shows that good progress is being made over time in reducing perinatal and maternal mortality, despite an overall increase in the complexity of care. However, the picture is complex and in some areas it lacks clarity, partly as a result of data quality, and partly as a result of the time lag in the data. NHS England

    Shropshire baby deaths: Trust will return £1m it received for 'good care'

    Shropshire baby deaths: Trust will return £1m it received for 'good care' An NHS trust at the centre of an inquiry into preventable baby deaths will repay money it received for providing good maternity care.

    In 2018, Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust received almost £1m, weeks before its services were rated inadequate.

    The BBC revealed in December the trust had qualified for the payment under the NHS's Maternity Incentive Scheme.

    The trust said an "incorrect submission" had been made and it had ordered an independent review. BBC News

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    Coronavirus: Older patient becomes first virus fatality in UK

    Coronavirus: Older patient becomes first virus fatality in UK A woman with underlying health conditions has become the first person in the UK to die after testing positive for coronavirus.

    The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said the patient, understood to be in her 70s, had been "in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons".

    She was admitted and tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.

    It comes as the number of UK people diagnosed with the virus reached 116, a rise of more than 30 in 24 hours. BBC News

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    Boris Johnson close to breaching 100-day promise on social care talks, warn councils

    Boris Johnson close to breaching 100-day promise on social care talks, warn councils Next week’s Budget should be used to make urgent progress on the cross-party talk on adult social care which Boris Johnson promised within 100 days of the December election, local councils have said.

    The budget falls just 10 days short of the prime minister’s self-imposed deadline, with no sign of the talks getting under way.

    Council bosses warned that without a new settlement for social care, local services in England face a funding gap of almost £6.5bn by 2025. The Independent

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    Shocking rough sleeper deaths show the NHS is failing those who need it most

    Shocking rough sleeper deaths show the NHS is failing those who need it most | Richard Vize People on the streets are dying decades early, often of treatable conditions

    People living on the streets are dying three decades early, but NHS intransigence is undermining attempts to improve services.

    Official statistics reveal a shocking story of early, avoidable death. In 2018 the average age of people who died while homeless in England and Wales was around 44. In other words, these 726 souls typically died more than three decades too soon, losing 22,000 years of life between them.

    Homeless people find multiple barriers in the health service. The Guardian

    'Not a single country' is on course to meet targets to REVERSE spiralling obesity rates by 2025

    'Not a single country' is on course to meet targets to REVERSE spiralling obesity rates by 2025 Countries are 'worryingly off-track', World Obesity Federation report says. There is a less than a 10 per cent chance the world will meet targets, research suggests. The UK has 'zero per cent' chance. The Daily Mail

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    NHS test used by GPs to detect adults with autism is UNRELIABLE, academics warn 

    NHS test used by GPs to detect adults with autism is UNRELIABLE, academics warn An autism test used by GPs to flag adults with the condition in adults is 'unreliable', academics have said.

    The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) screens adults who are suspected of having the condition but do not have learning disabilities.

    They are asked 10 questions including 'do you notice small sounds others don't?' and 'do you find it hard to read people's emotions from their face?'.

    British psychologists examined the effectiveness of AQ10 in measuring autism using data from over 6,500 people in the general population. The Daily Mail

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