The NHS funding settlement: recovering lost ground

The NHS funding settlement: recovering lost ground Following the prime minister's announcement of more funding for the NHS, this new report gives an assessment of the likely costs of getting the NHS back on track. NHS Providers

See also:

• NHS 'birthday present' will only make up 'lost ground', bosses say The Daily Telegraph

Every Nurse an E-nurse: Insights from a consultation on the digital future of nursing

Every Nurse an E-nurse: Insights from a consultation on the digital future of nursing This publication presents the detailed findings of a consultation, led by the RCN, into the digital future of nursing. The consultation took place over January and February 2018. The consultation explored 1) ideas for a shared vision of a digitally enabled health and social care service 2) the barriers and enablers to the vision becoming a reality and 3) examples of how data, information, knowledge and technology are already bringing that vision to life. Royal College of Nursing

An economic analysis of flu vaccination

An economic analysis of flu vaccination This report presents findings from a new economic model of the costs and benefits from flu vaccination in England using recent efficacy data. It introduces a conservative, static model which provides a partial cost-benefit analysis of vaccination under various scenarios. It also produces estimates of vaccination costs per death averted to enable comparison with the wider literature. International Longevity Centre UK

Carseview patients 'pinned to the floor' and 'bullied'

Carseview patients 'pinned to the floor' and 'bullied' Patients at a mental health unit have told the BBC they were pinned to the floor in agony and bullied on wards where illegal drugs were rife.

Former patients at the Carseview Centre in Dundee claimed staff had used face-down restraint violently and repeatedly over the past five years.

They said the practice was used for prolonged periods and patients were also mocked and shouted at by staff.

NHS Tayside said it would investigate the claims in full and "will act". BBC News

How hospices care for the terminally ill

How hospices care for the terminally ill The BBC met some of the patients and staff at St Ann's in Manchester, where people with terminal illnesses receive care, comfort and support as they reach the end of their lives. BBC News

More than 200 new ambulances to be bought with government funding

More than 200 new ambulances to be bought with government funding More than 200 new ambulances will be added to fleets around England with a £36.3m government investment.

The 256 vehicles will be funded by the Department for Health and Social Care, with more than half available for use this winter. BBC News

Why improving housing leads to fewer hospital admissions

Why improving housing leads to fewer hospital admissions The poor state of Britain’s homes can be a health hazard, with four in 10 not meeting basic wellbeing criteria. New research has uncovered how home improvements have real health benefits.

Britain has a housing crisis, not just in terms of a shortage of homes and sky-high prices, but in terms of the poor state of existing homes. Four in 10 British homes don’t meet the basic criteria to secure occupants’ wellbeing, according to a recent survey. The Independent

When I went to practice medicine in Australia from the UK, I had no idea what I was getting myself into

When I went to practice medicine in Australia from the UK, I had no idea what I was getting myself into I saw crystal meth decimate Australian hospitals; an epidemic here could stun the NHS

The first time you see someone high on crystal meth, it’s quite a sight. Nobody had really warned me that it was a problem. It was in my first week as an emergency department doctor in one of Australia’s busiest urban hospitals. I saw the young man hurling himself against the walls of the main ward area, sweating gallons, screaming his paranoia to a divided audience of fearful patients and seen-it-all-before A&E staff. The Independent

A million older people 'badly let down' by lack of social care funding

A million older people 'badly let down' by lack of social care funding Analysis by AgeUK finds one in seven older people in England left to get by on their own

The number of older people in England without social care support has hit a record high, with one in seven now being left to get by on their own, figures reveal.

A record total of 1.4 million people over 65 now have some level of unmet need with tasks such as getting up, washed and dressed, according to an analysis of official statistics by AgeUK. Continue reading... The Guardian

Fears of future strain on NHS as councils slash health programmes

Fears of future strain on NHS as councils slash health programmes Anti-drug and stop-smoking programmes are being cut despite May’s promise of £20bn extra on health

Hospitals will bear the brunt of “incredibly shortsighted” cuts to public health initiatives that will lead to more people having a heart attack or getting cancer, experts are warning.

New research reveals that, by next year, spending per head in England on programmes to tackle smoking, poor diet and alcohol abuse will have fallen by 23.5% over five years. Continue reading... The Guardian

Britain needs to get fit. But warnings and advice alone aren’t enough

Britain needs to get fit. But warnings and advice alone aren’t enough | Mike Kelly It’s taken an integrated strategy to reduce smoking. We need a similar policy to change the way we look at fitness

This week Public Health England told us that along with doing aerobic exercise we should be doing muscle and bone strengthening and balance activities. It recommends ball games, racket sports, dancing, Nordic walking and various forms of resistance training. The benefits of physical activity include reduced risks from certain cancers and heart disease, better mobility, better sleep and mental health and, as we get older, the prevention of falls.

But will this make the slightest bit of difference? In short, no it won’t. Putting information into the public domain as a strategy for getting people to change their behaviour is simply not effective. Continue reading... The Guardian

Facebook has young people in an 'insidious grip', warns head of NHS England

Facebook has young people in an 'insidious grip', warns head of NHS England Social media giants like Facebook should be forced to release their “insidious grip” on young people, the head of the NHShas said.

Backing The Telegraph’s campaign for a “duty of care” to web users, Simon Stevens said such firms should face up to their responsiblities, fuelling pressures on today’s children.

Last month the chief executive of NHS England promised a “major ramp-up” of mental health services, in order to deal with the fallout for an explosion of social media. The Daily Telegraph

NHS Trusts buying whiteboard markers at near double the price of high street shops

NHS Trusts buying whiteboard markers at near double the price of high street shops NHS Trusts are buying whiteboard markers at near double the price of high street shops, new figures reveal.

Last year packs of four whiteboard markers were bough for between £1.32 and £2.10, the exclusive data obtained by The Telegraph reveals, despite similar items being available for just £1.25 from office supplier Staples.

Such discrepancies have been described as "baffling" by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The health service spends £55.6 billion each year on general supplies and medical equipment, however bulk buying is not resulting in the best deals, as the new figures reveal. The Daily Telegraph

British doctors fit patients with pacemakers that let them track their heart rates on smartphones

British doctors fit patients with pacemakers that let them track their heart rates on smartphones British doctors have become the first in the world to fit heart patients with pacemakers connected to their smartphones.

The medical breakthrough means patients can track their heart rate and exercise levels through the device in their chest and check how much battery life it has left wherever they are.

The smart pacemakers send the information via Bluetooth straight to a smartphone app. The Daily Mail