New glass walkway will connect Northampton General Hospital site to £1.8m radiotherapy machine
Patients having radiotherapy at Northampton General Hospital are to have more available therapies and reduced side effects after a £5.5m million investment in new technology. Northampton Chronicle
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Reducing admissions and care planning
Reducing admissions and care planning
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has published a round-up of local projects to reduce admissions to secondary care and improve care planning. NHS Networks
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has published a round-up of local projects to reduce admissions to secondary care and improve care planning. NHS Networks
Jeremy Corbyn victory could boost BMA campaign against NHS marketisation
Jeremy Corbyn victory could boost BMA campaign against NHS marketisation
New Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to reverse the marketisation of the health service if elected prime minister has been backed by NHS campaigners and could bring the party closer in line with BMA policy.
GP Online
New Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to reverse the marketisation of the health service if elected prime minister has been backed by NHS campaigners and could bring the party closer in line with BMA policy.
GP Online
Press release: England has the potential to have the lowest disease burden in the world
Press release: England has the potential to have the lowest disease burden in the world
For the first time, a new PHE-led study published in The Lancet ranks the diseases and risk factors that cause death and disability in England compared with other high-income countries. It reveals the nation’s potential to have the lowest total disease burden (years of life lost to death and lived with disability) in the world.
Between 1990 and 2013, life expectancy in England increased by 5.4 years: one of the biggest increases compared with the other EU15+ countries (from 75.9 years in 1990 to 81.3 years in 2013).
This increase was mainly because of falls in the death rate from cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and some cancers (with progress partly offset by increased death rates from liver disease).
South East England has the lowest disease burden when compared to high-income countries, and England as a whole performs better than the EU15+ † average.
Known potentially preventable risk factors taken together explain 40% of ill health in England. If you examine the impact of specific risks on the overall disease burden, unhealthy diet and tobacco are the two largest contributors ‡ (diet accounts for 10.8% of total disease burden and tobacco 10.7%).
Improvements in life expectancy haven’t been matched by improvements in levels of ill-health. So, as a population we’re living longer but spending more years in ill-health, often with a combination of conditions, some of which would have previously been fatal. For example, with diabetes, the years of life lost to the disease have decreased by 56% but years living with disability have increased by over 75%.
Professor John Newton, Chief Knowledge Officer, Public Health England, said:
The findings show the huge opportunity for preventive public health. If levels of health in the worst performing regions in England matched the best performing ones, England would have one of the lowest burdens of disease of any developed country.
And even though there have been big falls in premature mortality, the top causes of early deaths in England and in each English region are still heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which to a greater or lesser extent, are attributable to preventable risk factors.
Dr Adam Briggs, co-author and Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellow, University of Oxford, said:
Life expectancy is increasing across the country but large inequalities still remain. Life expectancy in 2013 for those living in the most deprived areas was still lower than those in less deprived areas enjoyed in 1990. How deprived you are is the key driver of these differences rather than where you live and therefore deprivation and its causes need to be tackled wherever they occur.
Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England, said:
People are living longer, but they are living longer with disability, which will require more integrated models of care spanning health and social services. The other important implication for health services is that it is likely that up to 40% of its workload is due to potentially preventable risk factors. This reaffirms the importance of people taking positive steps today, liking eating well and stopping smoking, to improve their health in the long term.
† The first 15 European Union members apart from the UK (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden), plus Australia, Canada, Norway, and the United States of America [EU15+].
‡ For women in England, tobacco is now the number one risk factor and has overtaken unhealthy diets and high blood pressure since 1990.
Public Health England press office
For the first time, a new PHE-led study published in The Lancet ranks the diseases and risk factors that cause death and disability in England compared with other high-income countries. It reveals the nation’s potential to have the lowest total disease burden (years of life lost to death and lived with disability) in the world.
Between 1990 and 2013, life expectancy in England increased by 5.4 years: one of the biggest increases compared with the other EU15+ countries (from 75.9 years in 1990 to 81.3 years in 2013).
This increase was mainly because of falls in the death rate from cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and some cancers (with progress partly offset by increased death rates from liver disease).
South East England has the lowest disease burden when compared to high-income countries, and England as a whole performs better than the EU15+ † average.
Known potentially preventable risk factors taken together explain 40% of ill health in England. If you examine the impact of specific risks on the overall disease burden, unhealthy diet and tobacco are the two largest contributors ‡ (diet accounts for 10.8% of total disease burden and tobacco 10.7%).
Improvements in life expectancy haven’t been matched by improvements in levels of ill-health. So, as a population we’re living longer but spending more years in ill-health, often with a combination of conditions, some of which would have previously been fatal. For example, with diabetes, the years of life lost to the disease have decreased by 56% but years living with disability have increased by over 75%.
Professor John Newton, Chief Knowledge Officer, Public Health England, said:
The findings show the huge opportunity for preventive public health. If levels of health in the worst performing regions in England matched the best performing ones, England would have one of the lowest burdens of disease of any developed country.
And even though there have been big falls in premature mortality, the top causes of early deaths in England and in each English region are still heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which to a greater or lesser extent, are attributable to preventable risk factors.
Dr Adam Briggs, co-author and Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellow, University of Oxford, said:
Life expectancy is increasing across the country but large inequalities still remain. Life expectancy in 2013 for those living in the most deprived areas was still lower than those in less deprived areas enjoyed in 1990. How deprived you are is the key driver of these differences rather than where you live and therefore deprivation and its causes need to be tackled wherever they occur.
Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England, said:
People are living longer, but they are living longer with disability, which will require more integrated models of care spanning health and social services. The other important implication for health services is that it is likely that up to 40% of its workload is due to potentially preventable risk factors. This reaffirms the importance of people taking positive steps today, liking eating well and stopping smoking, to improve their health in the long term.
† The first 15 European Union members apart from the UK (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden), plus Australia, Canada, Norway, and the United States of America [EU15+].
‡ For women in England, tobacco is now the number one risk factor and has overtaken unhealthy diets and high blood pressure since 1990.
Public Health England press office
Ketamine could be used as anti-depressant
Ketamine could be used as anti-depressant
Ketamine could be used in new treatments for depression, according to scientists. Independent
Ketamine could be used in new treatments for depression, according to scientists. Independent
Child end-of-life care 'needs focus'
Child end-of-life care 'needs focus'
A report into palliative care for children says it needs "strategic attention" and previous lessons remain "largely unheard". BBC News
A report into palliative care for children says it needs "strategic attention" and previous lessons remain "largely unheard". BBC News
Smaller portions call to tackle obesity
Smaller portions call to tackle obesity
Reducing portions sizes in supermarkets, restaurants and at home could help reverse the obesity epidemic, say researchers. BBC News
Reducing portions sizes in supermarkets, restaurants and at home could help reverse the obesity epidemic, say researchers. BBC News
Britain's poor diet more deadly than its smoking habit as alcohol related deaths soar
Britain's poor diet more deadly than its smoking habit as alcohol related deaths soar
Why the nation's love of crisps, take-away meals and sweets is doing us more harm than tobacco. Telegraph
Why the nation's love of crisps, take-away meals and sweets is doing us more harm than tobacco. Telegraph
Patient Safety Alert – Supporting the introduction of the National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures
Patient Safety Alert – Supporting the introduction of the National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures
A Patient Safety Alert has been issued by NHS England to launch an NHS-wide programme of work based around the National Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs) that were published on 7 September 2015.
The alert asks NHS providers to review current clinical practice and ensure the NatSSIPs are embedded into local processes by developing their own local safety standards for invasive procedures (LocSSIPs) in collaboration with staff, patients and the public.
The aim of the NatSSIPs is to reduce the number of patient safety incidents related to invasive procedures in which surgical Never Events could occur. They set out the minimum standards considered necessary for the delivery of safe care during invasive procedures as well as underpinning aspects of education and training.
The NatSSIPs have been set and endorsed by all relevant professional bodies, including the royal colleges, the Care Quality Commission, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the General Medical Council, Monitor, the Trust Development Agency, and Health Education England.
A Patient Safety Alert has been issued by NHS England to launch an NHS-wide programme of work based around the National Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs) that were published on 7 September 2015.
The alert asks NHS providers to review current clinical practice and ensure the NatSSIPs are embedded into local processes by developing their own local safety standards for invasive procedures (LocSSIPs) in collaboration with staff, patients and the public.
The aim of the NatSSIPs is to reduce the number of patient safety incidents related to invasive procedures in which surgical Never Events could occur. They set out the minimum standards considered necessary for the delivery of safe care during invasive procedures as well as underpinning aspects of education and training.
The NatSSIPs have been set and endorsed by all relevant professional bodies, including the royal colleges, the Care Quality Commission, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the General Medical Council, Monitor, the Trust Development Agency, and Health Education England.
This Spending Review needs honesty and realism, not panic and denial
This Spending Review needs honesty and realism, not panic and denial
The deteriorating state of NHS finances is leading to panic and denial in Whitehall. Panic best describes the mood in the Department of Health, where the prospect of a £2 billion deficit among providers is of growing concern. While some of the forecast deficit may be reduced by commissioner underspends and capital-to-revenue transfers, it is inconceivable that it can be eliminated by the end of the financial year.
Over the road in the Treasury there is denial about the scale of the problem, in part because of a belief that the NHS is receiving more favourable treatment than most other public services. Why, it is argued, can the NHS not get its own house in order when its budget is not only protected but also continues to increase in real terms? Denial is also borne of a belief that the Chancellor is not for turning when deficit reduction is the government’s overriding priority.
The NHS’s national leaders find themselves in a difficult position, with the government having committed to finding the £8 billion additional funding identified in the NHS five year forward view by 2020/21. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has argued, with some justification, that this commitment means the government is willing to fund ‘the NHS’s own plan’. The difficulty with this argument, of course, is that the Forward View is NHS England’s plan, supported by other national bodies, not that of the NHS itself. It is based on the heroic assumption that £22 billion of productivity gains can be made in this parliament.
The deteriorating state of NHS finances is leading to panic and denial in Whitehall. Panic best describes the mood in the Department of Health, where the prospect of a £2 billion deficit among providers is of growing concern. While some of the forecast deficit may be reduced by commissioner underspends and capital-to-revenue transfers, it is inconceivable that it can be eliminated by the end of the financial year.
Over the road in the Treasury there is denial about the scale of the problem, in part because of a belief that the NHS is receiving more favourable treatment than most other public services. Why, it is argued, can the NHS not get its own house in order when its budget is not only protected but also continues to increase in real terms? Denial is also borne of a belief that the Chancellor is not for turning when deficit reduction is the government’s overriding priority.
The NHS’s national leaders find themselves in a difficult position, with the government having committed to finding the £8 billion additional funding identified in the NHS five year forward view by 2020/21. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has argued, with some justification, that this commitment means the government is willing to fund ‘the NHS’s own plan’. The difficulty with this argument, of course, is that the Forward View is NHS England’s plan, supported by other national bodies, not that of the NHS itself. It is based on the heroic assumption that £22 billion of productivity gains can be made in this parliament.
Monday, 14 September 2015
News story: From 2020, people with suspected cancer will be diagnosed faster
News story: From 2020, people with suspected cancer will be diagnosed faster
According to the Independent Cancer Taskforce, set up as part of the NHS’s Five Year Forward View to examine how to improve cancer care and survival rates, the target to diagnosis all suspected cancer cases within 28 days could help save up to 11,000 lives a year.
Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health said:
For people who are worried they may have cancer, waiting for that all important test result is a nerve-wracking time. We have a duty to make sure this period of uncertainty is as short as possible.
For those who get the all clear, they will have peace of mind sooner.
Those who sadly have cancer will get treatment much quicker and we will save thousands of lives as a result.
Mr Hunt also announced new measures to develop a tailored recovery package for everyone surviving cancer. This package includes a more personalised treatment plan and better support to live well, with and beyond the disease.
The government has committed to spend up to £300 million more on diagnostics every year over the next 5 years to help meet the new 28 day target.
Health Education England will start a new national training programme that will provide 200 additional staff with the skills and expertise to carry out endoscopies by 2018. This is in addition to the extra 250 gastroenterologists the NHS has already committed to train by 2020. Endoscopies are tests where the inside of your body can be examined for cancer.
The newly trained staff will be able to carry out almost a half a million more endoscopy tests on the NHS by 2020.
Harpal Kumar, chair of the Independent Cancer Taskforce, said:
These commitments are going to save thousands of lives and deliver a step change in patient experience and quality of life, so this is fantastic news. Diagnosing more cancers earlier could transform patients’ lives as it improves survival. But we’ve shown that services for diagnosing cancer are under immense pressure, which is why increased investment and extra staff are so important. Introducing the 28-day ambition for patients to receive a diagnosis will maximise the impact of this investment which, together with making results available online, will spare people unnecessary added anxiety and help cancer patients to begin treatment sooner.
It’s also great that molecular diagnostic tests will be made routinely available to all patients who might benefit. These tests can help doctors provide more tailored treatments that may improve survival and potentially reduce side effects from less effective treatments.
At the heart of the recommendations in the cancer strategy is our desire for patients to have the best outcomes and care in the world. It’s now up to the Government and NHS to make sure today’s commitments are introduced without delay, and we await further detail on how they will take forward the rest of the strategy. This is a great start.
The NHS will identify 5 hospitals across the UK to pilot the new target before the programme is rolled out nationally by 2020. Department of Health
According to the Independent Cancer Taskforce, set up as part of the NHS’s Five Year Forward View to examine how to improve cancer care and survival rates, the target to diagnosis all suspected cancer cases within 28 days could help save up to 11,000 lives a year.
Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health said:
For people who are worried they may have cancer, waiting for that all important test result is a nerve-wracking time. We have a duty to make sure this period of uncertainty is as short as possible.
For those who get the all clear, they will have peace of mind sooner.
Those who sadly have cancer will get treatment much quicker and we will save thousands of lives as a result.
Mr Hunt also announced new measures to develop a tailored recovery package for everyone surviving cancer. This package includes a more personalised treatment plan and better support to live well, with and beyond the disease.
The government has committed to spend up to £300 million more on diagnostics every year over the next 5 years to help meet the new 28 day target.
Health Education England will start a new national training programme that will provide 200 additional staff with the skills and expertise to carry out endoscopies by 2018. This is in addition to the extra 250 gastroenterologists the NHS has already committed to train by 2020. Endoscopies are tests where the inside of your body can be examined for cancer.
The newly trained staff will be able to carry out almost a half a million more endoscopy tests on the NHS by 2020.
Harpal Kumar, chair of the Independent Cancer Taskforce, said:
These commitments are going to save thousands of lives and deliver a step change in patient experience and quality of life, so this is fantastic news. Diagnosing more cancers earlier could transform patients’ lives as it improves survival. But we’ve shown that services for diagnosing cancer are under immense pressure, which is why increased investment and extra staff are so important. Introducing the 28-day ambition for patients to receive a diagnosis will maximise the impact of this investment which, together with making results available online, will spare people unnecessary added anxiety and help cancer patients to begin treatment sooner.
It’s also great that molecular diagnostic tests will be made routinely available to all patients who might benefit. These tests can help doctors provide more tailored treatments that may improve survival and potentially reduce side effects from less effective treatments.
At the heart of the recommendations in the cancer strategy is our desire for patients to have the best outcomes and care in the world. It’s now up to the Government and NHS to make sure today’s commitments are introduced without delay, and we await further detail on how they will take forward the rest of the strategy. This is a great start.
The NHS will identify 5 hospitals across the UK to pilot the new target before the programme is rolled out nationally by 2020. Department of Health
News story: Final flu vaccine effectiveness data published
News story: Final flu vaccine effectiveness data published
The child flu vaccine (fluenz) used in last year’s flu season provided good protection against circulating strains of influenza B according to a new Public Health England (PHE) study published in Eurosurveillance.
For those aged under 18 years:
effectiveness of the vaccine against influenza A was 35%
effectiveness of the vaccine against influenza B was 100%
In last year’s flu season, all children aged 2, 3 and 4 were offered the nasal spray child flu vaccination Fluenz, along with primary and secondary school aged children in select pilot areas across the UK.
Today’s report, which is an update on previous mid-season figures on vaccine effectiveness, also found that the 2014 to 2015 adult flu vaccine used in the UK was 34% effective against the circulating strains of flu. Lower estimates of the effectiveness were calculated mid-season at 3%, however a shift in the dominant circulating strains occurred throughout the rest of the flu season. The final results showed:
effectiveness of the adult flu vaccine against influenza A was 29.3%
effectiveness of the adult flu vaccine against influenza B was 46.3%
Professor Paul Cosford, PHE’s Director for Health Protection and Medical Director, said:
In recent years, we have typically seen around 50% (ranging from 25 to 70%) effectiveness for the flu vaccine in the UK, and there has generally been a good match between the strains of flu in the vaccine and those that subsequently circulate. However, last year we saw a slightly lower vaccine effectiveness than usual.
Whilst it’s not possible to fully predict the strains that will circulate in any given season, flu vaccination remains the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus which can cause severe illness and deaths each year among at-risk group. These include older people, pregnant women and those with a health condition, even one that is well managed. Public Health England
The child flu vaccine (fluenz) used in last year’s flu season provided good protection against circulating strains of influenza B according to a new Public Health England (PHE) study published in Eurosurveillance.
For those aged under 18 years:
effectiveness of the vaccine against influenza A was 35%
effectiveness of the vaccine against influenza B was 100%
In last year’s flu season, all children aged 2, 3 and 4 were offered the nasal spray child flu vaccination Fluenz, along with primary and secondary school aged children in select pilot areas across the UK.
Today’s report, which is an update on previous mid-season figures on vaccine effectiveness, also found that the 2014 to 2015 adult flu vaccine used in the UK was 34% effective against the circulating strains of flu. Lower estimates of the effectiveness were calculated mid-season at 3%, however a shift in the dominant circulating strains occurred throughout the rest of the flu season. The final results showed:
effectiveness of the adult flu vaccine against influenza A was 29.3%
effectiveness of the adult flu vaccine against influenza B was 46.3%
Professor Paul Cosford, PHE’s Director for Health Protection and Medical Director, said:
In recent years, we have typically seen around 50% (ranging from 25 to 70%) effectiveness for the flu vaccine in the UK, and there has generally been a good match between the strains of flu in the vaccine and those that subsequently circulate. However, last year we saw a slightly lower vaccine effectiveness than usual.
Whilst it’s not possible to fully predict the strains that will circulate in any given season, flu vaccination remains the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus which can cause severe illness and deaths each year among at-risk group. These include older people, pregnant women and those with a health condition, even one that is well managed. Public Health England
- Flu jab worked for only one-in-three BBC News
NHS health checks to 'piggyback' on fire safety visits
NHS health checks to 'piggyback' on fire safety visits
NHS boss said 670,000 annual home checks by fire services are ‘golden opportunity’ to relieve pressure on hospitals
Firefighters are to carry out health checks as the NHS seeks to “piggyback” on regular home safety visits, the head of the health service in England has said.
Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said fire services’ 670,000 home checks each year were a “golden opportunity” to relieve pressure on hospitals. Guardian
Continue reading...
NHS boss said 670,000 annual home checks by fire services are ‘golden opportunity’ to relieve pressure on hospitals
Firefighters are to carry out health checks as the NHS seeks to “piggyback” on regular home safety visits, the head of the health service in England has said.
Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said fire services’ 670,000 home checks each year were a “golden opportunity” to relieve pressure on hospitals. Guardian
Continue reading...
Smart drugs that can tell doctors if you haven't taken them get FDA go ahead
Smart drugs that can tell doctors if you haven't taken them get FDA go ahead
Researchers say the technology could be especially useful in mental illnesses and memory disorders where patients often don't take their medication. Daily Mail
Researchers say the technology could be especially useful in mental illnesses and memory disorders where patients often don't take their medication. Daily Mail
Enabling closer working between the emergency services
Enabling closer working between the emergency services
This consultation seeks views on proposals to increase joint working between emergency services, in order to improve effectiveness and deliver savings for the public. The closing date for response to this consultation is 20 October 2015. Department of Health
Consultation
Response form
DH consultations
This consultation seeks views on proposals to increase joint working between emergency services, in order to improve effectiveness and deliver savings for the public. The closing date for response to this consultation is 20 October 2015. Department of Health
Consultation
Response form
DH consultations
Communications in health care improvement - a toolkit
Communications in health care improvement - a toolkit
This toolkit is for health care professionals working in improvement who want to understand and use communications to better plan, implement and spread their work. QIPP alert
Access the toolkit here.
This toolkit is for health care professionals working in improvement who want to understand and use communications to better plan, implement and spread their work. QIPP alert
Access the toolkit here.
As the NHS rushes to change, reforms must make sense for patients
As the NHS rushes to change, reforms must make sense for patients
The foundation trust model is unravelling fast and the status is no longer a kitemark of excellence. But whatever comes next must not create more confusion
There is a growing sense of urgency – if not yet panic – at the Department of Health about the pace of reform in the NHS.
With overwhelming evidence (pdf) that virtually nobody in the health service believes the target of £22bn of efficiency savings has any chance of being achieved, and an underlying accumulated deficit among providers close to £2bn, the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is trying to hit the accelerator. Guardian
Continue reading...
The foundation trust model is unravelling fast and the status is no longer a kitemark of excellence. But whatever comes next must not create more confusion
There is a growing sense of urgency – if not yet panic – at the Department of Health about the pace of reform in the NHS.
With overwhelming evidence (pdf) that virtually nobody in the health service believes the target of £22bn of efficiency savings has any chance of being achieved, and an underlying accumulated deficit among providers close to £2bn, the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is trying to hit the accelerator. Guardian
Continue reading...
NHS health card fraud 'only £700'
NHS health card fraud 'only £700'
Concerns about the NHS being taken advantage of through fraudulent use of European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) amount to just £700. BBC News
Concerns about the NHS being taken advantage of through fraudulent use of European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) amount to just £700. BBC News
Important changes to rules on lapsed NMC registration
Important changes to rules on lapsed NMC registration
The NMC is making important changes to how it manages your registration, also known as annual retention. RCN
The NMC is making important changes to how it manages your registration, also known as annual retention. RCN
NHS IT wins two international awards for excellence
NHS IT wins two international awards for excellence
An NHS IT system has been recognised for excellence at a global IT event, with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) scooping two international awards at the iCMG World Summit. IC QOF
An NHS IT system has been recognised for excellence at a global IT event, with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) scooping two international awards at the iCMG World Summit. IC QOF
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