Former Northampton care home manager jailed after stealing over £39,000 from resident she ‘cared deeply’ about

Former Northampton care home manager jailed after stealing over £39,000 from resident she ‘cared deeply’ about A 44-year-old former Northampton care home manager has been sent to prison for two years after defrauding one of her mentally disabled residents of more than £39,000. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Record recruitment and reform to boost patient care under first NHS Long Term Workforce Plan

Record recruitment and reform to boost patient care under first NHS Long Term Workforce Plan Record numbers of doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare staff will be trained in England as part of the first ever Long Term Workforce Plan published by the NHS and backed by the Government today.

Coming ahead of the health service’s 75th anniversary, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how the NHS will address existing vacancies and meet the challenges of a growing and ageing population by recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over 15 years and working in new ways.

The NHS plan, a once in a generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing and improve patient care, focusses on retaining existing talent and making the best use of new technology alongside the biggest recruitment drive in health service history to address the gap. NHS England

See also: 

• Workforce plan is long overdue but so far lacks substance on retention BMA
• NHS Long Term Workforce Plan The Health Foundation
• NHS workforce plan response Healthwatch
• The King's Fund responds to NHS England's workforce plan The King's Fund
• NHS Workforce Plan ‘a significant step forward for the NHS and its people' NHS Employers
• Workforce plan welcome but details will be crucial NHS Providers
• Nuffield Trust response to announcement on NHS Long Term Workforce Plan Nuffield trust
• RCN comments in anticipation of the NHS Workforce Plan Royal College of Nursing
• 'Historic' 15-year plan to boost NHS workforce BBC News
• Medical degrees to be cut from five years to four and training places to double as part of new drive The Daily Mail
• Biggest NHS reform in its history to save taxpayer £10bn The Daily Telegraph
• More than 300,000 extra doctors, nurses and other workers targeted in NHS plan Evening Standard
• Government aims to boost NHS with thousands more doctors and nurses The Guardian
• NHS plan explained: More than 300,000 extra doctors, nurses and other workers expected The Independent
• What's in the government's plan to boost England's NHS workforce? ITV News
• How the government plans to address the NHS staffing crisis - from shorter degrees to extra medical school places Sky News
• 'There will be challenges, but it's rewarding': Trainee nurses aren't deterred from NHS staffing crisis Sky News

Broken trust: making patient safety more than just a promise

Broken trust: making patient safety more than just a promise The National Health Service is suffering from a deficit of accountability and compassion for patients and their families when things go wrong, England’s Health Ombudsman has warned.

In a new report, the Ombudsman has said the NHS must do more to accept accountability and learn from mistakes, particularly when there is serious harm or, worse, loss of life.

When concerns are raised after such incidents they are too often met with a defensive attitude. This makes things even worse for a grieving family trying to get answers. It also places unnecessary pressures on staff, creating a barrier to learning and a gateway to making the same mistakes. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

See also:

• NHS ‘culture of cover-up’ leading to avoidable deaths The Daily Telegraph
• Ombudsman finds 'culture of cover-up' in NHS when patients are harmed Evening Standard
• Ombudsman finds ‘culture of cover-up’ in NHS when patients are harmed The Independent
• Calls to overhaul doctor training to end ‘cover-up culture’ leading to avoidable NHS deaths The Independent

Stories from new mothers: the importance of good communication

Stories from new mothers: the importance of good communication The commitment to personalised care has been a cornerstone of NHS policy on maternity care for many years. A crucial part of personalised care is good communication, listening and agreeing on actions together. In this blog, we share new mothers' stories highlighting the role of communication and choice. Healthwatch England

A vision for the future of primary care

A vision for the future of primary care Through insights gathered within a coalition of health and care charities, this report identifies nine proposals for the reform of primary care which could make a difference for people living with health conditions and disability, and in particular people from groups that experience health inequalities, whilst also supporting the primary care workforce. National Voices

See also:

• Accessible and inclusive communication within primary care: What matters to people with diverse communication needs National Voices
• A shift to multidisciplinary teams in general practice: What this means for people experiencing health inequalities and frequent users of primary care services National Voices

Aspartame - is it a possible cause of cancer?

Aspartame - is it a possible cause of cancer? The sweetener aspartame, which is found in a variety of foods and fizzy drinks, is set to be officially classified as "possibly carcinogenic" to humans, reports claim.

The label frequently causes confusion as it gives no sense of whether the potential risk is big or miniscule.

Other "possibly carcinogenic" substances include aloe vera, diesel and pickled Asian vegetables.

The BBC understands the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will make an announcement on 14 July. BBC News

See also:

• Is aspartame in Coke Zero and Pepsi Max? Will Diet Coke carry cancer warning after carcinogen risk? The Daily Mail
• Doctors say possible carcinogen aspartame might still be better than sugar The Daily Mail
• Aspartame: Key ingredient in Diet Coke set to be declared ‘possible cancer risk’ by WHO The Independent
• Aspartame: Artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke could be 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' ITV News
• WHO's cancer research agency to say aspartame sweetener a possible carcinogen -sources Reuters

NHS signs new Microsoft deal worth three-quarters of a billion pounds

NHS signs new Microsoft deal worth three-quarters of a billion pounds NHS England has announced a new £774m licensing deal for Microsoft productivity apps and products including Office365 and Teams for 1.5m NHS staff.

The deal includes licensing for Microsoft security solutions to provide capabilities around threat protection, data governance and compliance.

NHS England claims the new five-year deal, which replaces a 2020 agreement, will save the health service millions of pounds. The deal works out at £155m per year.

However, Digital Health News understands that every one of the 42 Integrated Care Boards in England will have to find up to half a million pounds extra each to help pay for the complex deal, placing further pressure on already stretched ICB budgets.

More than a million NHS patients’ details compromised after cyberattack

More than a million NHS patients’ details compromised after cyberattack NHS details of more than a million patients have been compromised in a cyberattack, senior health chiefs have been warned.

A recent ransomware attack on the University of Manchester affected an NHS patient data set that holds information on 1.1 million patients across 200 hospitals, leaks to The Independent have confirmed.

See also:

• Over one million NHS records leaked during University of Manchester cyberattack Tech Monitor
• NHS cyber attack follows rising numbers of data breaches in global healthcare sector Verdict

Government rejects recommendation to increase maternity budget, despite baby deaths scandal

Government rejects recommendation to increase maternity budget, despite baby deaths scandal The government has rejected a recommendation to increase the annual budget for maternity services that was made in the wake of one of the worst baby deaths scandals in NHS history.

It has also largely rejected calls from the Women and Equalities Committee to set a target and strategy to end racial disparities in maternal deaths. Sky News

Stave off Alzheimer's by getting leaner muscles from regular gym work-outs, study says

Stave off Alzheimer's by getting leaner muscles from regular gym work-outs, study says t's not just good for the body, being lean can also help the mind, research shows.

Having high levels of lean muscle has been linked to lower chances of developing Alzheimer's disease.

People with lifelong, higher, lean muscle mass had a 12 per cent lower risk, researchers found, as well as improved brainpower in old age. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Genetically proxied lean mass and risk of Alzheimer’s disease: mendelian randomisation study (open access) BMJ Medicine
• Higher levels of lean muscle might protect against Alzheimer’s disease – study The Independent

Prepare for another pandemic, new WHO guru Sir Jeremy Farrar tells Covid Inquiry

Prepare for another pandemic, new WHO guru Sir Jeremy Farrar tells Covid Inquiry Another pandemic is 'inevitable' and Britain is 'woefully unprepared' for it, a world-renowned scientist claimed today.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, an influential member of SAGE — No10's advisory panel, told the Covid Inquiry we now live in a 'pandemic age'.

He added that the world would see 'more frequent and more complex pandemics'. The Daily Mail