How will services access the new Sustainability and Transformation Fund?

How will services access the new Sustainability and Transformation Fund? The new NHS shared planning guidance covering the years up to 2020/21 contains much that is new and indeed radical. Already one element that has drawn comment is the new Sustainability and Transformation Fund.

This fund will hold £1.8 billion to support providers in deficit – money that up until now came from the Department of Health. When other funding streams that support transformation are added in, this will create a total fund of £2.1 billion. The King's Fund

Early evidence of impact in new NHS Health Check study

Early evidence of impact in new NHS Health Check study The first major evaluation of the NHS Health Check in England is published today in BMJ Open and provides encouraging evidence about the reach and the impact of the programme.

This large study led by Queen Mary University found the NHS Health Check is effectively identifying and supporting people at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In addition, a conservative estimate based solely on medical treatment received by those at highest risk suggests that over the first five years of the programme, at least 2,500 people would have avoided a heart attack or stroke. NHS England

See also:

• The NHS Health Check in England: an evaluation of the first 4 years (open access) BMJ Open 
• NHS Health Check makes ‘modest’ but successful start OnMedica

Preparing for an ageing workforce - insights from York trust

Preparing for an ageing workforce - insights from York trust Dawn Preece has written the second in a series of blogs detailing how York trust are preparing for their ageing workforce. NHS Employers

Hundreds of families veto organ donation

Hundreds of families veto organ donation Bereaved families have blocked the organ donation of 547 UK registered donors since 2010 - about one in seven cases, figures show. BBC News

See also:

• NHS to prevent bereaved families blocking donation of relatives' organs The Daily Telegraph

Twelve-hour wait for out-of-hours GP

Twelve-hour wait for out-of-hours GP Callers to an out-of-hours GP service faced waits of more than 12 hours, posing a "significant risk to patient safety", a leaked report reveals. BBC News

Overseas nurses denied NHS jobs

Overseas nurses denied NHS jobs Thousands of nurses were denied permission to work in England last year, despite hospital staff shortages, new figures show. BBC News

GP workforce crisis set to undermine palliative care, BMA warns

GP workforce crisis set to undermine palliative care, BMA warns Providing palliative care in the community will become 'even more challenging' if GP workforce shortages and workload pressures are not addressed, the BMA has warned. GP Online

Alcohol abstinence campaigns may do more harm than good

Alcohol abstinence campaigns may do more harm than good Campaigns encouraging people to stop drinking alcohol for a month show little evidence of working and may actually do more harm than good, claims an expert writing in a debate published online today in The BMJ. OnMedica

Jeremy Hunt criticised over junior doctor fiasco – by his own chief negotiator

Jeremy Hunt criticised over junior doctor fiasco – by his own chief negotiator Sir David Dalton said that the strike demonstrated that the BMA could 'land a punch' on the Health Secretary. The Independent

Non-invasive test for Down's syndrome recommended for high-risk women

Non-invasive test for Down's syndrome recommended for high-risk women NHS advisers say that expectant mothers above a certain risk threshold should get new procedure instead of amniocentesis

A new, highly accurate test for Down’s syndrome has been recommended for high-risk women on the NHS.

The simple blood test is used to detect Down’s syndrome and can also pick up two other chromosomal disorders, Patau’s syndrome and Edwards’s syndrome. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Safer Down's test backed for NHS use BBC News
• Hundreds of babies could be saved after Down's Syndrome blood test is approved for NHS The Daily Telegraph

Gonorrhea and syphilis infections jump to five-year high

Gonorrhea and syphilis infections jump to five-year high Sexually transmitted infections are increasing in England, amid concerns over new untreatable disease strains. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Sexually transmitted infections1 and chlamydia screening in England, 2014 Public Health England

Elderly patients are refusing to leave hospital because of care costs, NHS bosses fear

Elderly patients are refusing to leave hospital because of care costs, NHS bosses fear A bed-blocking crisis is gripping NHS hospitals because pensioners do not want to pay for care, senior NHS bosses have warned, as figures show all-time high. The Daily Telegraph