Dying well at home: the case for integrated working

Dying well at home: the case for integrated working: This guide aims to enable people who want to die at home to do so and improving the quality of care they receive. It argues that whilst a good death at home may not be a feasible or desirable death for everyone, it could be a reality for many more people if there are services to support it.

• Guide
• Research evidence
• SCIE - publications

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death: "Bed-sharing 'raises cot death risk fivefold'," BBC News reports. The news has featured in much of the media, with headlines based on a large analysis of previous studies into the risk of cot death, or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), associated with bed-sharing.

Are the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities being met?

Are the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities being met?: Christine Burke, Senior Development Manager talks about our new project with Kings College to explore how people with learning disabilities can more easily access talking therapies (IAPT) in a way that meets their needs. Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities 

NHS funding of private sector rose by £3bn in six years, report says

NHS funding of private sector rose by £3bn in six years, report says: Study shows role of non-NHS providers in delivering NHS-funded care in England has increased dramatically.
Spending on private services by the NHS reached a record £8.7bn last year, a jump of more than £3bn since 2006, according to research.

Casualty units must be reformed to meet demand, says Jeremy Hunt

Casualty units must be reformed to meet demand, says Jeremy Hunt: Accident and Emergency units are so overstretched that they cannot cope with bank-holiday pressures, the Health Secretary has warned. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• VIDEO: Hunt blames A&E crisis on Labour BBC News

Patients should email GP rather than visit them, says leading official

Patients should email GP rather than visit them, says leading official: Patients should email their GP instead of going to see them to free up health services, a leading official said yesterday. The Daily Telegraph

Sir David Nicholson quits: NHS chief steps down in wake of Mid Staffs scandal

Sir David Nicholson quits: NHS chief steps down in wake of Mid Staffs scandal:
The head of the NHS Sir David Nicholson is to step down from his role, it was announced today, following a sustained and sometimes virulent campaign to force his resignation over the Mid Staffordshire scandal. The Independent

See also:

• A £2m pension pot: NHS chief Sir David Nicholson's reward for failure The Daily Telegraph
• NHS chief to step down next year after criticism over Mid Staffs scandal The Guardian
• Nicholson to retire E-Health Insider
• Nicholson to retire from the NHS next year Public Service
• NHS boss set to retire next year BBC News
• Sir David Nicholson announces plan to retire from NHS NHS England

Hospitals freeze A&E targets - because they can’t hit them

Hospitals freeze A&E targets - because they can’t hit them:
Hospitals across Britain have been forced to suspend targets to see accident and emergency patients within four hours because they can no longer cope with demand, doctors and managers have warned. The Independent

See also:

• Overcrowded A&E departments drop four-hour waiting target The Daily Telegraph
• Senior NHS figure challenges Jeremy Hunt over causes of A&E crisis The Guardian

Impact assessment: Antibiotic Resistance - a Threat to Global Health Security and the Case for Action

Impact assessment: Antibiotic Resistance - a Threat to Global Health Security and the Case for Action:

The UK delegation to the World Health Assembly in Geneva, led by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies, is calling for international action to tackle the growing problem of fewer medicines to tackle the soaring number of antibiotic-resistant infections.

This publication contains written reports detailing ways in which countries are tackling Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It will form the basis for discussions at a side-event at WHA to be held on 21 May and which will be hosted by the UK. Department of Health

See also:

• Antibiotic-resistant superbugs pose "catastrophic" risk  The Daily Telegraph

What kind of NHS can Britain afford?

What kind of NHS can Britain afford?: As costs soar, how must the health service change? BBC News

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to launch attack on failings of inaccessible family GPs

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to launch attack on failings of inaccessible family GPs: In a major speech, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will condemn the scandal of out-of-hours services where 'you speak to a doctor who doesn't know you from Adam'. The Daily Mail

NHS urged to improve use of drips

NHS urged to improve use of drips: The lives of hospital patients who are put on a drip are being placed at risk by poor attention by staff to intravenous fluid care, experts warn. BBC News

See also:

• NICE consults on new guideline to promote safe and effective care of adults needing fluids through a drip NICE

Chief inspector of GPs post created

Chief inspector of GPs post created: A chief inspector of GPs is to be appointed as part of a push to improve services outside of hospitals, ministers are set to announce. BBC News

See also:

• GPs will face Ofsted-style inspections, Jeremy Hunt announces The Guardian
• New chief inspector to monitor GPs The Daily Telegraph

Joint 'NHS and care budget needed'

Joint 'NHS and care budget needed': Ministers have been told they must go further with their overhaul of social care in England by merging its budget with the NHS. BBC News

See also:

• New government reforms won't solve social care funding challenge The King's Fund

Fatal 'superbug' not being monitored

Fatal 'superbug' not being monitored: One of the most concerning classes of hospital 'superbug' is not being tracked by the Department of Health, it is revealed. BBC News

Blaming GPs for A&E pressure 'threatens future of CCGs'

Blaming GPs for A&E pressure 'threatens future of CCGs': CCGs are at risk from GP workload pressure and the 'fire-storm' being whipped up over out-of-hours provision, a commissioning leader has warned. GP Online

More than 6,000 hospital beds lost

More than 6,000 hospital beds lost: More than 6,000 hospital beds have been closed since the Coalition came to power in the last election, at a time when accident and emergency departments are struggling to cope with a rise in the number of patients. The Daily Telegraph

Care cap becoming 'irrelevant' as 'crisis-mode' system excludes all but a few, report finds

Care cap becoming 'irrelevant' as 'crisis-mode' system excludes all but a few, report finds: The number of elderly people receiving help with their care has dropped by a fifth in just four years as councils support only to those at "crisis-point", think-tank says. The Daily Telegraph

Top A&E doctors warn: 'We cannot guarantee safe care for patients anymore'

Top A&E doctors warn: 'We cannot guarantee safe care for patients anymore':
The Accident & Emergency crisis is now so severe that doctors can no longer guarantee safe care for patients, NHS officials have warned in a leaked letter seen by The Independent.

Older people with high support needs in housing with care

Older people with high support needs in housing with care: Housing with care (HWC) offers a promising model for improving the quality of life of older people with high support needs, but also poses challenges. This Round-up covers key messages and practice examples from JRF studies into three aspects of HWC: promoting supportive and positive relationships; boundaries of roles and responsibilities; and affordability, choices and quality of life. The Joseph Rowntree Trust