Northampton care home closure is not a done deal claims county council

Northampton care home closure is not a done deal claims county council Relatives of elderly people who attend a Northampton day centre under threat of closure fear the decision has already been made to shut its doors - though the county council claims it’s not a done deal yet. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A record-breaking start for NHS staff flu vaccinations in 2016

A record-breaking start for NHS staff flu vaccinations in 2016 Official statistics published today (17 November 2016) reveal record levels of NHS staff have been coming forward to get vaccinated at the start of the flu season. NHS Employers

2016 international health policy survey of adults

2016 international health policy survey of adults This survey of eleven countries compares patients' experiences with their country's health care system - comparing access to care, quality and affordability - as well as their self-reported health and wellbeing. The study compared patients from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commonwealth Fund

The digital patient: transforming primary care?

The digital patient: transforming primary care? This report argues that digital technology for patients and staff in primary care holds great potential for the NHS but that the impact of this new digital capability is far from certain. It reviews the evidence on digital technology and its impact on patients and finds that patient-facing technology is already showing promise, particularly for people with long-term conditions. The report warns that policy-makers and politicians should avoid assuming that self-care enabling technology will produce significant savings, at least in the short term. Nuffield Trust

Choice in the presence of experts: the role of general practitioners in patients' hospital care

Choice in the presence of experts: the role of general practitioners in patients' hospital care This paper presents an analysis of patients' hospital choice for elective medical procedures when their choice set is pre-selected by a GP. The study found that patients defer to GPs when assessing hospital quality and tangible attributes such as hospital amenities and that GPs, in turn, as patients' agents present choice options based on quality, but as agents of health authorities also consider their financial implications. Institute for Fiscal Studies

Best practice for perinatal mental health care: the economic case

Best practice for perinatal mental health care: the economic case This report examines the economic case for investing in early interventions that reflect best practice in England. Funded by the Nursing Division under the Nursing Directorate at NHS England, the study included a comparison of the potential costs and consequences associated with such interventions compared with one or more alternative course of action (operationally defined as current practice, and sometimes referred to in studies as the ‘do nothing’ option). Personal Social Services Research Unit

Patients 'will suffer unless NHS budget rises'

Patients 'will suffer unless NHS budget rises' Patients in England will see rising waiting times, rationing and cuts in the number of staff unless the NHS gets more money, health bosses say.

A five-year plan to increase the budget by £8bn a year by 2020 was only set out last year, but now hospital bosses have warned that is not enough.

Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, said the settlement needed to be redrawn.

However, the Department of Health said "tough economic decisions" had allowed it "to invest in our NHS".

It comes ahead of the Autumn Statement next Wednesday when ministers will set out their spending plans. BBC News

See also:

• NHS is fighting a losing battle without extra funding for neglected areas NHS Providers
• Autumn Statement submission NHS Providers
• Promised £8bn extra for NHS is not enough, says hospitals boss The Guardian

Alcohol-related cancer to kill 135,000 in England by 2035 – study

Alcohol-related cancer to kill 135,000 in England by 2035 – study Cancer Research UK calls for 50p minimum unit price to help reduced alcohol-related deaths and cut healthcare costs by £1.3bn

Alcohol-related cancers will cause about 135,000 deaths and cost the NHS £2bn over the next 20 years in England, unless concerted action is taken to highlight the dangers of drinking, health campaigners have warned.

Cancer Research UK, which commissioned Sheffield University to come up with the figures, said the government urgently needed to counter public ignorance about the link between drinking and cancer and introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) to prevent the number of deaths reaching 7,100 a year by 2035. Continue reading... The Guardian

My colleague's suicide showed how vulnerable medical professionals can be

My colleague's suicide showed how vulnerable medical professionals can be I knew afterwards that my days working as a nurse in the emergency department were numbered

I stood in front of the ambulance bay door. My badge clutched in my hand, knuckles white, jaw clenched. I questioned my attempt at returning to work on this day. I stood in front of the doors grappling with a burning feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew then, right there, that my career in the emergency department was over.

A quiet swollen presence of pain ran down every corridor. The night before, we lost a colleague to suicide. Some of us found the body. Some of us carried out the post mortem care. Some of us stood there as family filed in to the room. Some of us made the calls alerting fellow staff. Some of us, all of us, changed forever that night. Continue reading... The Guardian

Inadequate mental health provision is a 'stain on our country', former Health Secretaries warn

Inadequate mental health provision is a 'stain on our country', former Health Secretaries warn Inadequate mental health provision is a "stain on our country", every former Health Secretary from last 20 years has said in an open letter attacking Government's failure to support patients.

The letter has urged Ministers to honour a pledge made by the former Prime Minister David Cameron, to ensure the NHS treats mental and physical health equally.

The signatories said they were "encouraged" by earlier Government statements, but added that they were alarmed to see the same "enduring injustice" continue. The Daily Telegraph

Inquest into death of acting couple's baby halted amid claims NHS tampered with evidence

Inquest into death of acting couple's baby halted amid claims NHS tampered with evidence A coroner has halted an inquest into the death of an actor's baby son amid claims the NHS tampered with evidence which could result in criminal charges.

Benjamin King, son of British TV star Jamie King, died from severe brain damage five days after being born by emergency caesarean section on May 5.

He was starved of oxygen for two hours before his birth at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, Somerset. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Coroner halts baby's inquest over hospital evidence tampering claim The Guardian