CQC case reveals ‘degrading’ conditions in England care home as Covid hit

CQC case reveals ‘degrading’ conditions in England care home as Covid hit The depth of suffering in care homes in England as Covid hit has been laid bare in a court case exposing “degrading” treatment with residents being “catastrophically let down”.

Care levels at the Temple Court care home in Kettering collapsed so badly in April 2020, when ministers rushed to free up NHS capacity by discharging thousands of people, that residents were left lying in their own faeces, dehydrated, malnourished and suffering necrotic, infected wounds, the Care Quality Commission found. Fifteen of its residents died with Covid in the first weeks of the pandemic. The Guardian

Community Network survey on waiting times in children and young people's services

Community Network survey on waiting times in children and young people's services The Community Network, hosted by NHS Providers and NHS Confederation, has published the findings of a survey looking at long waits in children and young people’s community services. The briefing highlights the scale of the challenge, the impact long waits have on children and young people, their families, and staff morale, as well as outlining some core asks for national and local policy makers.

See also:

• Children waiting for community health services risk being 'overshadowed' as health leaders call for cross-government action NHS Providers

Caring in a complex world: perspectives from unpaid carers and the organisations that support them

Caring in a complex world: perspectives from unpaid carers and the organisations that support them Unpaid carers – anyone who provides care, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support – play a key role in the health and care system. Caring can be a big commitment and carers themselves also need support with their own health and wellbeing. Yet, it’s also clear that carers are not always able to access the support they need. 

We set out to understand the current picture of local support available for unpaid carers in England. We looked at what evidence is available for different types of support, what carers and professionals involved in commissioning and delivering services for carers prioritise, and what are the barriers and facilitators of access to these different types of support. The King's Fund

Where does specialist public health sit across the UK?

Where does specialist public health sit across the UK? There are four nations in the UK, three Crown Dependencies and 14 UK overseas territories. Public health functions look very different across these 21 administrations. This explainer aims to provide an overview of where functions sit in different nations. Association of Directors of Public Health

No more free vapes for kids

No more free vapes for kids A loophole that allows retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England is set to be closed under new plans announced by the Prime Minister today to clamp down on youth vaping.

This comes as recent NHS figures for 2021 showed that 9% of 11 to 15 year old children used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Vaping: Government plans underage crackdown BBC News

New NHS Measures To Improve Eye Care and Cut Waiting Times

New NHS Measures To Improve Eye Care and Cut Waiting Times The NHS is today publishing new clinical guidance which could reduce waiting times for eye care services for patients in England.

As part of a wide-ranging list of evidence-based interventions designed to improve the quality of care, the guidance proposes patients get access to more sophisticated diagnostic imaging before they are referred to a consultant.

As well as reducing a patient’s anxiety while waiting for a hospital appointment, it will also ease pressure on ophthalmology services and free up vital clinical time by prioritising those who really need to be seen by a specialist. NHS England

Met Police to stop attending mental health calls

Met Police to stop attending mental health calls The Met Police's plan to stop attending emergency mental health incidents is "potentially alarming", a former inspector of constabulary has said.

From September, officers will only attend mental health 999 calls where there is an "immediate threat to life".

Zoe Billingham, who was previously Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue, said the proposals could create a "vacuum".

The Royal College of Psychiatrists' president called the move "unhelpful". BBC News

See also:

• Reaction to Met police plans not to attend 999 mental health incidents Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Backlash after Scotland Yard chief Mark Rowley warns that the Met will stop attending mental health-linked emergency calls - as critics warn 'there will be no one else left to call' The Daily Mail
• Met plan to stop mental health response will leave thousands ‘without support’ The Guardian
• Met police to stop attending emergency mental health calls The Guardian
• Met police ‘to stop attending emergency mental health calls so officers can focus on crime’ The Independent
• 'Lives at risk' if Met Police stop attending mental health calls, charity warns ITV News
• Metropolitan Police to stop attending 999 calls linked to mental health incidents Sky News

Boris Johnson: Deadline approaches to hand over WhatsApps to Covid inquiry

Boris Johnson: Deadline approaches to hand over WhatsApps to Covid inquiry The government has until 4pm to hand over Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApp messages and diary entries to the Covid inquiry.

The former PM is among those who will give evidence to the inquiry, which is due to start hearings in two weeks.

The Cabinet Office has given the inquiry Mr Johnson's messages but with many parts blanked out, or redacted.

The inquiry says failing to release the unredacted material would be a criminal offence. BBC News

See also:

• Ministers prepare to sue Covid inquiry over demand for Boris Johnson's un-censored messages The Daily Mail
• The Covid inquiry is descending into farce The Daily Telegraph
• Legal battle looms over Boris Johnson's Covid WhatsApp messages Evening Standard
• Cabinet Office may take legal action to deny Covid inquiry Boris Johnson material The Guardian
• Deadline looms for Covid inquiry reply after Johnson WhatsApp requests ITV News

East Kent: A decade of failure in maternity care

East Kent: A decade of failure in maternity care After health inspectors considered closing a maternity unit over safety fears, the BBC's Michael Buchanan looks at a near-decade of poor care at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust. BBC News

See also:

• Almost a QUARTER of mothers claim poor NHS maternity care left them or their baby in danger The Daily Mail

Major change to nursing and doctor degrees in bid to plug NHS shortages

Major change to nursing and doctor degrees in bid to plug NHS shortages Ministers desperate to plug NHS shortages are floating plans to shorten doctors’ training by a year.

The radical plans would see doctors’ degrees reduced from five to four years, while nursing students could be fast-tracked to be qualified in just two-and-a-half years.

Critics warn the move would put patient safety at risk and even drive would-be doctors and nurses away from the NHS – worsening the shortages the plan is designed to solve. The Independent

Government refuses to fund NHS pay rise for some organisations

Government refuses to fund NHS pay rise for some organisations The government has confirmed they will only increase funding to so-called statutory NHS organisations for this year’s NHS pay rise.

This means that “non-statutory” organisations such as; primary care services, charities, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, independent healthcare providers, nursing and care homes will have to find money from already stretched budgets. Nursing Notes

See also:

• Government set to fail its commitment to protect patient care by not fully funding the staff pay award NHS Confederation
• Vital NHS services face cutbacks as government excludes thousands of workers from pay deal The Independent

NHS England workforce plan delayed amid rumours of cost issues

NHS England workforce plan delayed amid rumours of cost issues NHS leaders have raised concerns about the delay to the long-awaited workforce plan, after the health secretary, Steve Barclay, refused to give a deadline for its publication and with rumours suggesting it is considered too costly.

The plan, which was expected to be published on Tuesday, appears to have been delayed, according to the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery. The Guardian

See also:

• Barclay refuses to give deadline for long-promised NHS workforce plan Evening Standard
• Concerns over NHS workforce plan delay after Barclay comments Evening Standard
• Concerns over NHS workforce plan delay after Barclay comments The Independent

NHS data breach: trusts shared patient details with Facebook without consent

NHS data breach: trusts shared patient details with Facebook without consent NHS trusts are sharing intimate details about patients’ medical conditions, appointments and treatments with Facebook without consent and despite promising never to do so.

An investigation by The Observer has uncovered a covert tracking tool in the websites of 20 NHS trusts which has for years collected browsing information and shared it with the tech giant in a major breach of privacy.

The data includes granular details of pages viewed, buttons clicked and keywords searched. It is matched to the user’s IP address – an identifier linked to an individual or household – and in many cases details of their Facebook account. 

See also:

• How the NHS has been sharing YOUR personal details with Facebook without your consent The Daily Mail
• NHS trusts passed on private patient information to Facebook – report The Independent

Secret Home Office policy to detain people with NHS debt at airport found unlawful

Secret Home Office policy to detain people with NHS debt at airport found unlawful A secret Home Office policy to detain people with the right to live in the UK at air and seaports has been found to be unlawful in the high court.

The policy applied to those with unpaid NHS debts and was only uncovered through evidence gathered from charities and lawyers fighting the cases of two mothers who were repeatedly detained. The Guardian

Shocking death toll after NHS medics mix-up patients' food and air tubes over last five years

Shocking death toll after NHS medics mix-up patients' food and air tubes over last five years Nearly 30 patients have died after blundering NHS staff misplaced feeding tubes into their airways, MailOnline can reveal.

Over the past five years, 145 incidents of wrongly inserted nasogastric tubes have been officially recorded by hospitals in England. Twenty-eight ended in death.

Patients who have difficulty swallowing, such as stroke victims, can be fed or given medication through plastic tubes that go up the nose, and then loop down into the stomach. The Daily Mail

Alzheimer's can be detected using blood test, 'game-changing' study finds

Alzheimer's can be detected using blood test, 'game-changing' study finds Scientists may have found the true cause of Alzheimer's disease — and believe the condition can be detected using a simple blood test.

Experts have long known the build-up of amyloid in the brain is linked to the disease, but whether the plaques are a cause or a symptom has remained a mystery.

Even more puzzling is why some patients with amyloid clumps in their brains never go on to develop Alzheimer's. Now a 'game-changing' study by the University of Pittsburgh claims to have the answer. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Astrocyte reactivity influences amyloid-β effects on tau pathology in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (open access) Nature Medicine