Experiences of pregnancy, birth and onwards: The views of parents about services and support in Northamptonshire

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

See also:

• Woman had umbilical cord ‘torn’ off Northamptonshire childbirth survey finds Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Great NHS Gamble: Consultants handed £720,000 to draw up Northamptonshire’s jargon-riddled NHS plans

Great NHS Gamble: Consultants handed £720,000 to draw up Northamptonshire’s jargon-riddled NHS plans Private consultancy firms were given £720,000 to draw up vague cost-cutting plans for the NHS in Northamptonshire, an investigation has revealed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

KGH predicting deficit of £25m by end of financial year

KGH predicting deficit of £25m by end of financial year Kettering General Hospital says it expects to be £25.1m in debt by the end of March.

The hospital, like many NHS organisations, is currently in a financially challenging position.

In July chief executive David Sissling told the Northants Telegraph the predicted deficit for 2016/17 was £6.4m.

But the debt now looks set to be four times the original estimate. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS IN CRISIS: The changing face of maternity

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

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'

'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

'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’

See also:

• The Health and Care of Older People in England 2017 Age UK
• Frail, elderly people 'left to struggle alone' BBC News
• 140,000 elderly patients left bedbound due to lack of help The Daily Mail
• Elderly left 'trapped in beds' amid fears care sector will collapse The Daily Telegraph
• English social care system for elderly facing 'complete collapse' The Guardian
• 2017 State of Local Government Finance survey Local Government Information Unit
• Adult social care is the biggest pressure on councils Unison

Outlook for extremely premature babies 'improving'

Outlook for extremely premature babies 'improving' More babies born extremely prematurely are surviving without neurological problems, according to a new study.

The study by Duke Health in the US and published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 4,274 babies born between 22 and 24 weeks.

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

Increasing number of doctors upset by ‘Trip Advisor’ style online ratings

Increasing number of doctors upset by ‘Trip Advisor’ style online ratings Increasing numbers of doctors are becoming distressed by ‘Trip Advisor’ style ratings posted online by their patients, says medical defence body, the MDU. OnMedica

Government urged to stop property tax hikes for 1,249 NHS hospitals

Government urged to stop property tax hikes for 1,249 NHS hospitals Changes to business rates system mean NHS hospitals liable for property tax will see bills increase by £322m over five years

The government is under growing pressure to stop a sharp increase in business rates for hospitals that threatens to increase the strain on the NHS.

Changes to the business rates system mean that the 1,249 NHS hospitals liable for the property tax will see their bills increasing by £322m, or 21%, over the next five years from April. Continue reading... The Guardian

The NHS needs a rethink. Its priorities no longer make sense

The NHS needs a rethink. Its priorities no longer make sense Early intervention on mental health and proper social care are vital if the health service is to stop merely lurching from one crisis to the next

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

'Creativity improves wellbeing': art transforms mental health ward

'Creativity improves wellbeing': art transforms mental health ward A psychiatric ward in London has been given a makeover, with work donated by artists and workshops for patients

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

See also:

• Artists give hospital ward a makeover – in pictures The Guardian

NHS spending thousands on drunks and malingerers

NHS spending thousands on drunks and malingerers The tragedy of the modern NHS is that the wartime generation, the one that defeated Hitler, never complained and never called an ambulance, is dying out.

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

Mother needing surgery died after being turned away from three hospitals over bed shortages

Mother needing surgery died after being turned away from three hospitals over bed shortages A woman died from a brain haemorrhage after at least three hospitals refused to admit her for surgery because they had no intensive care beds.

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:

• 3 NHS hospitals turned away London woman who died The Daily Mail
• Woman died after three hospitals refused to admit her for surgery The Guardian