This blog covers the latest UK health care news, publications, policy announcements, events and information focused on the NHS, as well as the latest media stories and local news coverage of the NHS Trusts in Northamptonshire.
Trade Union Act 2016 becomes law Regulations setting out the details of the types of occupations and services deemed 'important' for strike balloting. NHS Employers
A royal commission should be set up to examine the long-term future of the National Health Service, a senior Tory peer has said.
Former Conservative chairman Lord Saatchi said a commission could take the issue out of politics and “detoxify” any changes that needed to be made. Continue reading...The Guardian
About 30 health charities, including the Teenage Cancer Trust, National AIDS Trust and Motor Neurone Disease Association, have raised the alarm about NHS England “restricting and rationing treatment” because of underfunding, especially for patients with rare and complex conditions. The groups from the Specialised Healthcare Alliance said this rationing is taking place without sufficient public scrutiny. Continue reading...The Guardian
The £2billion epidemic of waste in the NHS The Royal Berkshire in Reading almost paid £855 for a simple blackout blind. Some hospitals have been paying twice as much for loo roll as others. Several had to ditch pricey drugs because of faulty fridges. The Daily Mail
NHS pays bonus for staff standing up Managers at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust are urging workers to stand up after an hour has passed to promote healthier lifestyles. The trust will be paid an extra £900k a year for promoting wellbeing. BBC News
The fall amounts to one in ten beds being lost, and has prompted warnings about patient safety amid rising pressure on the health service.
The British Medical Association yesterday said that the decrease in beds was directly contributing to long waits in crowded A&E departments.
The warning comes after three quarters of hospitals last month reported dangerously high occupancy rates of 95 per cent, even though managers are told to aim for a rate of 85 per cent to leave a safe margin of beds to cope with surges of patient demand. The Daily Telegraph See also:
‘Hip operations banned if you can sleep: NHS bids to save millions with a new pain threshold test as it rules out surgeries on those deemed too fat’
‘Referral centres cause 'dangerous' NHS delays’
This is just a tiny sample of the NHS-related headlines in newspapers this winter. The health service is a source of public interest and media scrutiny regardless of the economic and political context, but the spotlight has intensified over recent weeks as pressures have deepened. As part of the work for our forthcoming report on NHS financial pressures, we examined how the media have reported on NHS pressures in recent years by looking at coverage of the controversial and sometimes highly emotive term ‘rationing’. The King's Fund
The Local Growth Academy, an exciting cross-sectoral venture, has been launched to help NHS organisations understand how to access the new and emerging finance mechanisms determining local infrastructure planning.
With capital finance severely constrained yet critical to realising the ambitions of local plans, the Local Growth Academy aims to build NHS organisations’ capacity to maximise their contribution and involvement in local developments. NHS Confederation
Retirement on hold: supporting older carers This report gives an insight into the experiences of older carers and highlights the need for greater support for these unpaid carers. Some of the key issues that are highlighted include the health of older carers and the use of personal finances to support care needs. Carers Trust
Saving STPs: achieving meaningful health and social care reform This report identifies three key barriers to STPs being successfully implemented and outlines a series of changes to overcome these barriers. It argues that engagement with the plans are dominated by CCGs and NHS providers with input from other parties limited. It also finds that mixed messages regarding the focus of STPs from national bodies and a lack of leadership have left STPs struggling with the challenges of reform and implementation.Reform
NHS Wi-Fi launched in GP surgeries More than five million patients will be able to access free to use Wi-Fi in early adopter GP practices, enabling them to link in with local health clinics and services and paving the way for future developments in digital patient care. NHS Digital
Over 1,000 GPs registered with mental health support service More than 1,000 patients have registered with an app for the GP Health Service, launched earlier this year to help GPs facing depression, burnout, addiction and other mental health issues. GP Online
The recent report on health and social care integration, published by spending watchdog the National Audit Office, has bought into sharp focus just how important it is for organisations across health and social care to work more closely and cohesively together for the benefit of local communities and patients, it says. OnMedica
Revealed: the NHS plan to close, consolidate or ‘reshape’ 11 maternity units Eleven maternity and neonatal units across England face closure, consolidation or ‘reshaping’ under plans to transform obstetrics care in the NHS. i’s investigation into proposals to remodel the health service in order to plug a £22 billion hole by 2021 reveals major changes across England. iNews
Web chemists fuel superbugs crisis by selling antibiotics Scientists at Imperial College London found that antibiotics were illegally available without prescription on 45 per cent of the first 20 online pharmacy websites they looked at. The Daily Mail See also:
The study said an “unprecedented” spike in mortality - with 30,000 excess deaths in 2015 - could be linked to budget reductions for councils, and a rapid deterioration in performance by health services.
Researchers said increases in death rates were likely to continue, with recent levels the highest they have been for three years, without “urgent intervention” to boost funding for health and social care.
But the Department of Health last night disputed the findings, accusing report authors of “personal bias” and ignoring regular fluctuations. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Experiences of pregnancy, birth and onwards: The views of parents about services and support in Northamptonshire In March 2016 77 parents with infants or young children were asked their views on the help and support they received during pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period. The survey was designed to give a ‘snapshot’ of what parents thought of the available services, their overall experience during this period and their mental health and wellbeing. This work helps ensure the voices of parents are heard throughout the development and implementation of changes to services.
We found that whilst the majority of parents felt they had received good care and support during pregnancy, labour and after birth, there was variability in their experiences, a number of perceived gaps in services and points where they would have liked more support. Healthwatch Northamptonshire
NHS IN CRISIS: The changing face of maternity Greater numbers of women giving birth later in life, an ageing midwife profile and a nationwide shortage of the profession is putting unprecedented pressure on maternity services. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Compassionate leadership – more important than ever in today’s NHS Compassion has always been important in health and social care, but arguably never more so than now. Financial and operational pressures in the health and care system have resulted in performance targets becoming more difficult to achieve, constrained resources, and staff working longer and longer hours under increasing stress.
Consequently, alongside providing compassionate care for patients, it’s becoming more critical for staff to demonstrate real compassion towards each other in the workplace. This is borne out by NHS Improvement’s strategy, Developing people – improving care, which puts leadership and compassion top of its list of conditions needed to shape cultures that enable sustainable, high-quality care. The King's Fund
'Public increasingly concerned about NHS' Commenting on research by Ipsos MORI suggesting public concern about the NHS has jumped to its highest level since 2003, Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: ‘These results show the public is increasingly concerned about the pressures facing the NHS and should be a wake-up call for ministers. The King's Fund
'Borrowed time' to save social care system from collapse A new report from Age UK has concluded that we are living on borrowed time to save the social care system for older people.
Statistics in the report highlight the immense challenges facing older people needing support, with 1 in 8 over 65s now living with unmet care needs
Failing care system has created a major burden for hospitals and family members
Age UK demands that the Government commits funds in the Spring Budget to avoid ‘imminent danger’
Compared with those born a decade earlier, a larger percentage were now toddlers without signs of moderate or severe cognitive and motor delay.
Changes to care are being credited with the improvement.
About 30% of children included in the study who were born between the years 2000 and 2003 survived, but that rate increased to 36% for babies born in 2008 to 2011.
The proportion of survivors who did not have a neurological impairment rose from 16% to 20%. BBC News
Theresa May is busy enacting the “will of the people”, seemingly unaware that she’s not actually in her own elevated position due to the “will of the people” at all. And the nation is looking on, mesmerised. We may look back on this period in British politics and marvel at how the country was so busy leaving Europe that it failed to see the disasters waiting to happen at home. Continue reading.The Guardian
When most people think of a secure mental health unit, they don’t tend to picture it decorated with artwork by award-winning artists and patients.
A psychiatric ward housing patients with schizophrenia in Springfield University hospital in Tooting, London, however, has undergone an artistic renovation. The once blank, colourless walls now house a variety of pieces from artists such as the Turner Prize-winning Assemble and photographer Nick Knight as well as by the patients themselves. Continue reading...The Guardian
They are being replaced by the ‘Me’ generation — products of a cradle-to-grave welfare state who would happily call an ambulance because they have scratched a finger opening their dole cheque. And as an ambulance driver, I see both types, and the entire spectrum in between.
The patients who call us out most often are known in the business as ‘frequent flyers’. Each area has its regulars, who might call every day. One elderly lady, well known to all the call-handlers at our NHS Trust, has racked up £400,000 of ambulance visits in just a few years. The Daily Mail
A coroner ruled that 57-year-old Mary Muldowney would probably have survived if she had been given immediate life-saving surgery to stem the bleeding.
Ms Muldowney was admitted to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill on July 20 last year where doctors immediately suspected a bleed on the brain. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Two days of roadworks to change entrance to KGH The main road entrance to Kettering General Hospital is permanently changing from Monday, February 20, as part of plans to improve car parking and traffic flow. Northamptonshire Telegraph
I’m paraphrasing a little, but this was the message from NHS Improvement Programmes’ Director Bernard Quinn at a recent digital health conference. Bernard’s team is already hard at work making that transformation happen: NHS Improvement’s Digital Outpatients programme is hoping to bring £3 billion of benefit from digitising the process of booking and receiving an outpatient service where possible.
If you’re interested in the use of digital technology within the NHS in England, you’ll know that it can be a case of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. Some regions are beginning their digital plans at pace, others are already enjoying the benefits of integrated care records or real-time analytics, while some still struggle on with Windows XP. The King's Fund
The sustainability and transformation plans: a critical assessment This report assesses the published drafts for STP plans and it raises concerns around the credibility of the implementation measures outlined in the plans. It argues that the scale of the planned reduction in hospital services implies rationing and risks the collapse of some services. Centre for Health and the Public Interest
Financial analysis of STPs This analysis of the 44 STPs in England estimates that £9.5bn of capital funding is required to create the infrastructure to deliver the plans. The BMA sent out a series of FOI requests and have compiled information for each STP area on the financial needs required to implement the plans in each area. British Medical Association
Healthcare social media toolkit This toolkit aims to support the health care sector in utilising social media effectively and efficiently. It includes guidance on strategy and content creation, downloadable templates and resources and advice on how to encourage team members in using social media. Skills for Health
Early deaths among care leavers revealed Young people who have grown up in care are far more likely to die in early adulthood than other young people, Freedom of Information figures reveal.
They show 90 people who left care in the UK between 2012 and 2016 died in the years when they would have turned 19, 20 or 21.
Care leavers make up 1% of the population at these ages, but make up around 7% of the deaths. BBC News
Work needed to boost GPs’ knowledge of cancer drug Better coordination is needed between GPs and hospital specialists to improve the former’s knowledge of breast cancer drug tamoxifen, according to a study* published today in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP).
The Cancer Research UK funded study found poor knowledge amongst GPs of the drug and its preventive benefits for women.
In the UK, more than 53,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and 11,000 die of the disease. Women with a family history of the disease have a higher risk and this accounts for 5–10% of all breast cancer cases, so prevention is important. OnMedica See also:
The bacterial illness, which mainly affects children under 10, is easily treated by antibiotics but is extremely contagious, even after treatment has begun. The Independent See also:
NHS crisis revealed: 24 A&E units marked for closure or downgrading Dozens of accident and emergency units are facing closure or being downgraded in a far-reaching overhaul of urgent care which senior doctors warn would have “disastrous” consequences for the NHS. An analysis of documents drawn up to remodel the health service in England shows that 24 casualty units from Durham to Somerset have been marked for potential closure despite record demand for A&Es and serious overcrowding across the country as the NHS goes through its most severe winter crisis since records began. Last month produced the worst performance for A&E waits in 13 years. iNews See also:
Lilian Hemsley, 86, was admitted to Queen’s Medical Centre on the outskirts of Nottingham on 30 December following a fall. Seven days later she was able to return home to Chilwell, south Nottinghamshire with a package of help in place. “The social workers were fantastic,” she says. “I had to have my bed moved downstairs and a commode – I wasn’t allowed home until they were sorted out. But they did it really quickly.” Following some interim homecare, Hemsley is getting help washing and dressing in the morning for four weeks through Nottinghamshire county council’s reablement service. She will soon be assessed for ongoing care needs.
As soon as a patient is admitted, social workers establish potential care needs – and sort them out quickly Continue reading...The Guardian
Tens of thousands of new mothers a year are seeking help at an A&E unit or GP surgery because they cannot reach a midwife to ask them for advice, a new study has found.
Mothers worried about a problem with their own or their baby’s health are adding to the strain on family doctors, emergency departments and walk-in centres because of midwife shortages and because they have “nowhere else to go”, says the parenting charity the NCT – which undertook the research. Continue reading...The Guardian
A new analysis found that health authorities, many of which are already struggling to cope with huge financial pressure, will see their business rates will rise by an average of a third by 2021.
Some of the country's biggest hospitals will see their business rates double amid warnings that they will have to find further savings to fill black holes in their budgets. The Daily Telegraph
The National Health Action Party - which claims it is fighting to save the NHS from being turned into a US-style health service - believes the Sustainability Transformation Plan (STP) proposals appear to run contrary to the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act. It says the STPs are contrary to the stated objective of the Act, a locally driven commissioning service provided by GPs who have an intimate knowledge of their local community needs. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Improved outcomes for LGBT staff at Morecambe Bay In this new case study University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay discuss its Towards Inclusion Programme and share how it has improved engagement and led to positive outcomes for their LGBT workforce.
Read about the actions taken, the challenges met and the outcomes achieved. NHS Employers
Ebola 'super-spreaders' cause most cases The majority of cases in the world's largest outbreak of Ebola were caused by a tiny handful of patients, research suggests.
NHS crisis: 19 hospitals face axe as doctors accuse Government of deliberate underfunding The NHS is facing its biggest shake up in a generation with nearly 20 hospitals marked for closure and care from cradle to grave put through a wholesale overhaul to plug a £22bn black hole in health service funding, an investigation by i can reveal. An analysis of the 44 regional blueprints drawn up by health service leaders to remodel the NHS in England – in a process which critics complain has largely bypassed patients – has revealed for the first time the extent of the cuts and drastic changes in the delivery of care that the Government wants to achieve by March 2021. iNews
Modernising and securing the future of the health service in England would cost at least £9.5bn in upfront spending, money that the NHS does not have, the British Medical Association has said.
The NHS is paying agency doctors millions of pounds every year – with one having charged £363 an hour, according to a health watchdog.
Data from NHS Improvement shows that 20 of the most expensive locums cost the NHS £7.5m a year – an average of £375,000 each. Continue reading...The Guardian
NHS services clampdowns in your area Cash-strapped clinical commissioning groups across England are announcing a range of controversial plans to try and tackle their growing deficits. The Daily Mail
Up to 40 per cent of cancers are linked to factors such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol, resulting in around 600,000 cases of avoidable disease in the UK in the past five years.
The study of GPs and practice nurses found that most believed that the best way to encourage lifestyle changes was to tackle patients at a younger age. The Daily Telegraph
The reports describe a “culture of fear” in an NHS trust which saw employees subjected to repeated abuse and harassment.
In the documents, the then head of the trust is accused of sleeping with young female staff and running a “boys’ club” which protected staff who fiddled figures, and “trashed” the reputations of whistleblowers. The Daily Telegraph
The Macmillan Prostate Project is exploring ways to better support stable prostate cancer patients in environments where they are comfortable.
This could include skyping them at home or maybe visiting groups of people at work or in a leisure environment where groups of men regularly meet. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Warning signs: challenges to delivering the Cancer Strategy for England by 2020 This report lays out the challenges an under-pressure health service in England faces in areas such as workforce as it seeks to transform cancer services so it can meet increased demand in the coming decades. It finds that 64 per cent of people recently diagnosed with cancer in England have experienced mental health problems such as anxiety and depression while waiting for their treatment to start. It also finds that confidence in delivering the cancer strategy is mixed amongst NHS leaders and GPs and that greater clarity is needed on who is responsible for redesigning cancer services at a local and regional level. Macmillan Cancer Support
Fresh figures from the NHS have revealed the frequency of so-called "Never Events" ranging from medical equipment being left inside patients to procedures on the wrong side of the brain.
Statistics published by NHS Improvement outlined 314 incidents took place between April 16 and December 31 last year – more than one a day.
Referred to as Never Events, the NHS described them as “serious, largely preventable” safety breaches, and differ from other grave events as just “even a single Never Event acts as a red flag”, highlighting potentially fatal failings.
The figures come as Jeremy Hunt comes under renewed pressure of the buckling state of the health service. The Independent
NHS managers are unfairly maligned – we’re the hidden heroes When I interview people who want to join our NHS Trust Comms team, I always tell them that no two days are ever the same; that it’s rewarding and exhilarating but also a rollercoaster of a challenge.
It’s busy, and it’s hard. Everyone at our hospital is coping, but you can see the strain of running on adrenaline on their faces – nurses, doctors, bed managers, therapists, support staff. This year so far has been no different. iNews
Almost two out of three young hospital doctors say their physical or mental health is being damaged because pressures on the NHS are putting them under intolerable strain.
Many are so relentlessly busy that they go through entire shifts without eating or drinking, while others suffer stress, burnout, exhaustion and sleeping problems. Relationships with family and friends are also deteriorating as a result of the struggle to cope with the fast-rising demand for care. Continue reading...The Guardian
Current conditions in the NHS ”sound familiar” to those that existed during the Mid Staffordshire scandal, according to the lawyer who chaired the inquiry into the hospital trust.
Sir Robert Francis QC said the health service was being hit by a combination of financial pressures and high demand. Continue reading...The Guardian
Cosmetic operations fall to lowest in ten years 28,300 women went under the knife in 2016, down 39 per cent from 2015. Numbers of men having cosmetic surgery has fallen by half this year. Breast enhancement is still the most popular op. The Daily Mail See also:
Dementia patients 'get second class healthcare' Doctors as the Dementias 2017 conference warned that there was an 'ageism inherent in the whole process' of diagnosing dementia and that many dementia patients were being misdiagnosed. The Daily Mail
The Health Secretary urged surgeries which closed early to consider the "severe impact” they were having on the rest of the NHS, which is now under the worst strain in its history.
Senior doctors warned that “the vast majority” of practices were struggling to deliver basic care within weekday hours amid rising demand. The Daily Telegraph
A new relationship with people and communities: actions for delivering chapter 2 of the NHS five year forward view As part of the NHS five year forward view, the PCB was invited to recommended a set of high-impact actions for adopting person- and community-centred approaches to health and social care. Chapter two of the forward view sets out a vision of health and care where people are fully engaged with their health. This report outlines actions and related recommendations for making this vision a reality. The actions address key areas in the NHS where substantial progress can be made over the next year. The annex highlights approaches or interventions developed within the voluntary sector which have the potential for wider adoption. People and Communities Board
Fatherhood: the impact of fathers on children’s mental health This briefing explores the research available on this topic and highlights the distinct role fathers can play in nurturing good mental health in their children. Centre for Mental Health
Care in a post-Brexit climate: How to raise standards and meet workforce challenges This report explores the drivers of inadequate standards of care in the UK, including chronic underinvestment, the reliance on a low paid, poorly trained workforce and high levels of staff turnover. It also sets out a vision for a more relational, personalised care system, delivered by a more highly skilled and well-resourced workforce. Institute for Public Policy Research
Integrating health and social care across the UK: toolkit for nurses New UK-wide toolkit for those working in strategic decision-making roles or involved in forums around integrated care. The toolkit has a series of themed prompt questions for reflection and action. It will support members to provide confident nursing leadership to shape, deliver and monitor safe, quality and local integrated services. Royal College of Nursing
He said there was "no excuse" for some of the difficulties highlighted during the BBC's NHS week, and the government had a plan to help hospitals cope.
A series of reports have revealed lengthening waits in A&E and patients being left for hours on trolleys.
Sir Robert Francis QC, who investigated failings in Mid Staffordshire, said the NHS was facing an "existential crisis".
However, in an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Hunt said the key was to treat more people "at home and in the community" to ease the burden on hard-pressed hospitals. BBC News
This is despite figures showing almost 200 assaults on doctors, nurses and other NHS staff in England every day.
One A&E doctor said "most NHS staff" could say they had been attacked or felt unsafe at work.
NHS Protect said it could not comment before a staff consultation ended but the government said it believed a new approach was needed to protect staff.
The body was tasked with overseeing the measures that trusts were taking to stop physical attacks on doctors and nurses. BBC News
High five: Five examples of innovation in the NHS Around the UK, trusts are coming up with innovative ways of relieving the pressure on the NHS and improving people's health - in hospitals, in GP surgeries, in care homes and in accident and emergency units. BBC News
Patrick Sullivan, a researcher with experience of mental health care, said doctors should allow some people to continue to self-harm while providing safety information and therapy to help patients understand their actions and develop alternative coping strategies. The Independent
Medical knowledge changes swiftly, and technological changes make new and expensive investigations and treatments possible that were only theoretical a few years ago. Life has been extended in length, but not in quality, and the debates about end‑of‑life decisions show us how much the notion of a “good life” is bound up with the absence of disease, illness and suffering.
The practice of medicine is not purely technical. It involves a relationship between a person who is seeking help, and who may be vulnerable, and a person who has the skills and knowledge to help. Relationships that involve disparities of power, knowledge and vulnerability require some degree of external oversight and regulation. Traditionally, in medicine, this oversight has taken the form of codes of ethics, starting with the Hippocratic Corpus. Today, bodies such as the General Medical Council and the Royal Colleges define the standards of good medical practice. Continue reading...The Guardian
Public institutions such as the National Health Service increasingly want—and are expected—to base their actions on nationally agreed standards, rather than anecdote. The collection and analysis of data, when done responsibly and in a trusted manner, has the potential to improve treatment and improve the social and economic value of healthcare.
However, the goal of using data to improve the NHS and social care is hampered by a talent gap – a lack of personnel with data analytical skills – that stands in the way of uncovering the rich insights that reside in the NHS’ own data. The NHS is not unique among institutions that are struggling to identify, hire and retain people with data science skills and the ability to apply these. Continue reading...The Guardian
Cost of current cancer treatments are 'unsustainable' Professor Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said pharmaceutical companies have got used to big profit margins. The Daily Mail See also:
But today the board of NHS England agreed that medics will simply have to say when and where they take on such duties - and not on how much they earn from them.
The new rules on conflicts of interest also mean all gifts over £50 have to be declared. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Delayed discharge: 'It’s not just about the money' Sustained concern about the state of adult social care – most recently expressed by Conservative-controlled county councils such as Surrey and Kent – has led the Prime Minister to ask the Cabinet Office to look at options for a more sustainable social care system in the longer term. And with A&E pressures currently in the headlines, it is not surprising that delays in discharging patients who need social care have come under the spotlight. The King's Fund
During a difficult winter for the NHS, January appears to be the worst performing month since the four-hour target was introduced.
The figures also suggest record numbers of people waited longer than 12 hours for a hospital bed once seen in A&E.
The BMA said the prime minister could no longer "bury her head in the sand".
And it accused the government of failing to grasp the seriousness of the situation in the NHS.
But a spokesman from the Department of Health said the vast majority of patients were seen and treated quickly, and busy periods in hospitals were supported by an extra £400 million of funding. BBC News
Stranded: Longest hospital delays exposed A BBC investigation finds some patients in England face delays of months - and in one case over a year - to leave hospital. BBC News
Research conducted for the BBC’s Panorama programme by the Health Foundation revealed the fall despite the government’s claims that wider health service funding has increased by £8bn in that time.
A Freedom of Information survey sent to 33 mental health trusts by the Health Foundation as part of its research also found a 50% rise in unexpected mental health deaths at the trusts between 2012-13 and 2015-16. National Health Executive
Graphic, brutal images of violence from Syria’s war were put up on the sites by a group based in North Africa which declared it was carrying out the electronic raid in retaliation for the West’s aggression in the Middle East.
This is believed to be the first time that an Isis-linked group has carried out a concerted attack on the NHS. The Independent
Ministers are considering a controversial shake-up of health regulation that could see nine bodies merged into one new super-watchdog covering around a million health professionals.
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is preparing to publish a consultation paper that could lead to the medical and nursing professions no longer having their own dedicated disciplinary bodies. Continue reading...The Guardian
By 2020 one in three teenagers will have access to cancer treatment in England. Think about that: only one in three. There would be an outcry. It would be scandalous, horrifying, unacceptable.
It is not true, however. Unless you delete the word “cancer” and insert “mental health”, and then it is.
A survey of councils revealed many vulnerable people routinely face delays of more than six months before they get the help they need with tasks such as washing, dressing, cleaning and cooking.
Under one authority, the delay for delivery of an adult social care package stretched to longer than a year. The Daily Mail
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said staff are too often confusing symptoms of mental health disorders, such as sleep disruption and changes to appetite, with “what is considered normal” in postnatal women.
The body is calling on GPs to routinely assess the psychological state of all women who have recently given birth to prevent conditions being missed. The Daily Telegraph
Northamptonshire welcomes new nurse associate students Northamptonshire has welcomed a group of history-making students who are leading the way in shaping the nursing workforce of the future. 38 nurse associate students have been recruited to a landmark pilot scheme, and the group began their studies last week at the University of Northampton. Northampton General Hospital
Health and social care funding explained The UK currently spends over £140bn a year on public provision of health and over £20bn on social care. But how does that break down and how has spending changed over time? The Health Foundation
Health and social care integration The National Audit Office warns that progress with integration of health and social care has, to date, been slower and less successful than envisaged and has not delivered all of the expected benefits for patients, the NHS or local authorities. As a result, the government’s plan for integrated health and social care services across England by 2020 is at significant risk.
In the face of increased demand for care and constrained finances, while the Better Care Fund, the principal integration initiative, has improved joint working, it has not yet achieved its potential. The Fund has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or reduced hospital activity, from the £5.3 billion spent through the Fund in 2015-16.
What's behind delayed transfers of care? The NHS is under significant pressure this winter. The new year saw daily newspaper headlines on the winter crisis, while high rates of bed occupancy and cuts to social care are both causing extra pressures to build up across the NHS.
Underlying all of this is the growing number of patients who are ready to leave hospital but can’t do so without extra support. Delayed transfers of care (DTOCs), often (rather insultingly) called ‘bed-blocking’ by the media, have been steadily on the rise in recent years, with the numbers of days patients are delayed reaching record levels month after month. Nuffield Trust
