Crisis-hit elderly care 'needs money now'

Crisis-hit elderly care 'needs money now': The Coalition will perpetrate a "cruel deception" on elderly people if ministers fail to provide more funding for long-term care to back up their promise to limit costs, the architect of the reforms has warned. The Daily Telegraph

GP leaders clash with Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, over A&E crisis

GP leaders clash with Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, over A&E crisis: GPs’ leaders have clashed with the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, in their increasingly acrimonious row over who is responsible for the crisis in Accident & Emergency departments. The Independent

See also:

• Speech: Primary Care and the modern family doctor Department of Health
• Jeremy Hunt orders GPs to take charge of out of hours care as row escalate The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt's blundering blaming of GPs makes for bad politics | Polly Toynbee The Guardian
• GPs threaten to quit commissioning to concentrate on patients The Guardian
• Hunt plans contract change to hand out-of-hours duty to GPs GP Online
• VIDEO: Hunt firm on out-of-hours GP plans BBC News

Shocking inspection report reveals East Midlands Ambulance Service is on verge of “falling apart”

Shocking inspection report reveals East Midlands Ambulance Service is on verge of “falling apart”:
A damning inspection report of East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAC) has revealed it is at “breaking point” and in desperate need of more vehicles and staff. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also

• EMAS Inspection Report CQC
• Ambulance service fined millions for missing national target Nothamptonshire Telegraph

Green light for £260 million technology fund to make the NHS safer

Green light for £260 million technology fund to make the NHS safer: Doctors and nurses are to get better information about patients so people get safer care thanks to a new £260 million NHS technology fund, announced by NHS England today.

GPs 'will not shore up unsafe NHS'

GPs 'will not shore up unsafe NHS': Family doctors are not prepared to shore up an emergency health care system left unsafe by "political meddling", a GP leader is to warn in a speech. BBC News

See also:

• GP chief to launch scathing attack on Jeremy Hunt over out-of-hours care The Guardian
• Government accused of using 'anti-GP rhetoric' to mask its own failings The Guardian
• What's causing the crisis in A&E? The Guardian
• GP contract 'not to blame' for A&E pressure, NHS leaders say GP Online

Community nursing service under fire

Community nursing service under fire: Health unions say the state of NHS services for people who can't get to a GP in many parts of England is "lamentable". BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: Lack of district nurses 'adds stress' BBC News

GP practice silos 'stifle innovation'

GP practice silos 'stifle innovation': Innovation in primary care has been held back because there are too many small GP practices in England working in 'silos', a senior NHS England official has claimed. GP Online

Patients urged to email or phone GP rather than have a face-to-face consultation

Patients urged to email or phone GP rather than have a face-to-face consultation:

Head of NHS Confederation says it would take pressure off GP services and A&E Related items from OnMedica Telehealth expansion to be headed by CCGs Future of NHS 111 comes under scrutiny Hunt wants GPs to ‘take back OOH responsibility’ Shake-up needed of urgent care Does “24 hour supermarket” healthcare make patients healthier?

Woman, 31, died after being left with unqualified healthcare worker who mixed up blood samples and scribbled medical records on plastic surgical gloves

Woman, 31, died after being left with unqualified healthcare worker who mixed up blood samples and scribbled medical records on plastic surgical gloves: Michelle Jannetta, from Milton Keynes, died at Milton Keynes Hospital after taking an overdose of painkillers. An inquest heard that staff continued to think she was faking her illness even when she was in a coma. The Daily Mail

Surgeons fear online performance data will damage reputations

Surgeons fear online performance data will damage reputations: Individual rates to be published for the first time in a move hailed as a 'watershed moment' for the profession.
The leader of England's surgeons has warned that the imminent publication of data about individual performance could destroy careers and harm patients if it is wrongly interpreted.

Judges rule back-to-work assessments 'unfair' to mentally ill

Judges rule back-to-work assessments 'unfair' to mentally ill: Iain Duncan Smith's drive to cut the number of people living on disability benefits has suffered a blow after judges ruled that back-to-work assessments discriminate against people with mental health conditions. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Two win sickness benefit challenge BBC News

Staff voice fears over quality of care in NHS

Staff voice fears over quality of care in NHS:
Three out of four senior health service staff complain that quality of care is not given sufficient priority in the NHS, according to a survey. The Independent

See also:

• Quality of care in NHS not seen as priority Public Service
• Majority of NHS professionals do not think that quality of care is treated as a priority in the NHS The King's Fund
• Leadership Survey 2013 King's Fund

Ambulance service is fined £3.5m

Ambulance service is fined £3.5m: East Midlands Ambulance Service is fined for failing to meet response time targets for a third year. BBC Northamptonshire

Closing the gate before the horse bolts: a new approach to patient safety

Closing the gate before the horse bolts: a new approach to patient safety: The time is now right to move to more actively designing and managing patient safety, says Elaine Maxwell. Health Foundation

Flu drug bill 'shocking waste'

Flu drug bill 'shocking waste': The government squandered taxpayers' money on a drug to treat flu, a public spending watchdog says. BBC News

See also:

• £74m wasted on flu drugs destroyed because of poor record keeping The Guardian
• 'Shocking example of incompetence' over stockpiled flu drug Tamiflu The Independent
• £74m of Tamiflu thrown away by NHS The Daily Telegraph
• Access to clinical trial information and the stockpiling of Tamiflu National Audit Office

NHS help in repairing genital mutilation

NHS help in repairing genital mutilation: NHS clinics help women damaged by female genital mutilation. BBC News

Hunt 'must recognise growing GP crisis', warns RCGP

Hunt 'must recognise growing GP crisis', warns RCGP: The RCGP has hit back at criticism of GPs ahead of a speech this week by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, warning against 'demoralising' talk of tougher regulation. GP Online

Paying for social care: beyond Dilnot

Paying for social care: beyond Dilnot: This report argues that the government reforms alone will not solve the challenge of funding adult social care. It argues that whilst the social care funding cap will provide welcome protection for those who will require long stays in residential care, more should be done to meet mounting financial pressures. It calls for a stronger focus on the challenge of eligibility - ensuring that more people are able to access the right level of support. It also raises concerns that unmet need, and its impact on carers, will place further pressure on an NHS already under significant strain, arguing that it is time to look beyond the Dilnot report at how to secure enough resources to meet current and future needs.

• Report
• Related blog from Richard Humphries
• The King's Fund - press release

Dying well at home: the case for integrated working

Dying well at home: the case for integrated working: This guide aims to enable people who want to die at home to do so and improving the quality of care they receive. It argues that whilst a good death at home may not be a feasible or desirable death for everyone, it could be a reality for many more people if there are services to support it.

• Guide
• Research evidence
• SCIE - publications

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death: "Bed-sharing 'raises cot death risk fivefold'," BBC News reports. The news has featured in much of the media, with headlines based on a large analysis of previous studies into the risk of cot death, or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), associated with bed-sharing.

Are the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities being met?

Are the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities being met?: Christine Burke, Senior Development Manager talks about our new project with Kings College to explore how people with learning disabilities can more easily access talking therapies (IAPT) in a way that meets their needs. Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities 

NHS funding of private sector rose by £3bn in six years, report says

NHS funding of private sector rose by £3bn in six years, report says: Study shows role of non-NHS providers in delivering NHS-funded care in England has increased dramatically.
Spending on private services by the NHS reached a record £8.7bn last year, a jump of more than £3bn since 2006, according to research.

Casualty units must be reformed to meet demand, says Jeremy Hunt

Casualty units must be reformed to meet demand, says Jeremy Hunt: Accident and Emergency units are so overstretched that they cannot cope with bank-holiday pressures, the Health Secretary has warned. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• VIDEO: Hunt blames A&E crisis on Labour BBC News

Patients should email GP rather than visit them, says leading official

Patients should email GP rather than visit them, says leading official: Patients should email their GP instead of going to see them to free up health services, a leading official said yesterday. The Daily Telegraph

Sir David Nicholson quits: NHS chief steps down in wake of Mid Staffs scandal

Sir David Nicholson quits: NHS chief steps down in wake of Mid Staffs scandal:
The head of the NHS Sir David Nicholson is to step down from his role, it was announced today, following a sustained and sometimes virulent campaign to force his resignation over the Mid Staffordshire scandal. The Independent

See also:

• A £2m pension pot: NHS chief Sir David Nicholson's reward for failure The Daily Telegraph
• NHS chief to step down next year after criticism over Mid Staffs scandal The Guardian
• Nicholson to retire E-Health Insider
• Nicholson to retire from the NHS next year Public Service
• NHS boss set to retire next year BBC News
• Sir David Nicholson announces plan to retire from NHS NHS England

Hospitals freeze A&E targets - because they can’t hit them

Hospitals freeze A&E targets - because they can’t hit them:
Hospitals across Britain have been forced to suspend targets to see accident and emergency patients within four hours because they can no longer cope with demand, doctors and managers have warned. The Independent

See also:

• Overcrowded A&E departments drop four-hour waiting target The Daily Telegraph
• Senior NHS figure challenges Jeremy Hunt over causes of A&E crisis The Guardian

Impact assessment: Antibiotic Resistance - a Threat to Global Health Security and the Case for Action

Impact assessment: Antibiotic Resistance - a Threat to Global Health Security and the Case for Action:

The UK delegation to the World Health Assembly in Geneva, led by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies, is calling for international action to tackle the growing problem of fewer medicines to tackle the soaring number of antibiotic-resistant infections.

This publication contains written reports detailing ways in which countries are tackling Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It will form the basis for discussions at a side-event at WHA to be held on 21 May and which will be hosted by the UK. Department of Health

See also:

• Antibiotic-resistant superbugs pose "catastrophic" risk  The Daily Telegraph

What kind of NHS can Britain afford?

What kind of NHS can Britain afford?: As costs soar, how must the health service change? BBC News

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to launch attack on failings of inaccessible family GPs

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to launch attack on failings of inaccessible family GPs: In a major speech, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will condemn the scandal of out-of-hours services where 'you speak to a doctor who doesn't know you from Adam'. The Daily Mail

NHS urged to improve use of drips

NHS urged to improve use of drips: The lives of hospital patients who are put on a drip are being placed at risk by poor attention by staff to intravenous fluid care, experts warn. BBC News

See also:

• NICE consults on new guideline to promote safe and effective care of adults needing fluids through a drip NICE

Chief inspector of GPs post created

Chief inspector of GPs post created: A chief inspector of GPs is to be appointed as part of a push to improve services outside of hospitals, ministers are set to announce. BBC News

See also:

• GPs will face Ofsted-style inspections, Jeremy Hunt announces The Guardian
• New chief inspector to monitor GPs The Daily Telegraph

Joint 'NHS and care budget needed'

Joint 'NHS and care budget needed': Ministers have been told they must go further with their overhaul of social care in England by merging its budget with the NHS. BBC News

See also:

• New government reforms won't solve social care funding challenge The King's Fund

Fatal 'superbug' not being monitored

Fatal 'superbug' not being monitored: One of the most concerning classes of hospital 'superbug' is not being tracked by the Department of Health, it is revealed. BBC News

Blaming GPs for A&E pressure 'threatens future of CCGs'

Blaming GPs for A&E pressure 'threatens future of CCGs': CCGs are at risk from GP workload pressure and the 'fire-storm' being whipped up over out-of-hours provision, a commissioning leader has warned. GP Online

More than 6,000 hospital beds lost

More than 6,000 hospital beds lost: More than 6,000 hospital beds have been closed since the Coalition came to power in the last election, at a time when accident and emergency departments are struggling to cope with a rise in the number of patients. The Daily Telegraph

Care cap becoming 'irrelevant' as 'crisis-mode' system excludes all but a few, report finds

Care cap becoming 'irrelevant' as 'crisis-mode' system excludes all but a few, report finds: The number of elderly people receiving help with their care has dropped by a fifth in just four years as councils support only to those at "crisis-point", think-tank says. The Daily Telegraph

Top A&E doctors warn: 'We cannot guarantee safe care for patients anymore'

Top A&E doctors warn: 'We cannot guarantee safe care for patients anymore':
The Accident & Emergency crisis is now so severe that doctors can no longer guarantee safe care for patients, NHS officials have warned in a leaked letter seen by The Independent.

Older people with high support needs in housing with care

Older people with high support needs in housing with care: Housing with care (HWC) offers a promising model for improving the quality of life of older people with high support needs, but also poses challenges. This Round-up covers key messages and practice examples from JRF studies into three aspects of HWC: promoting supportive and positive relationships; boundaries of roles and responsibilities; and affordability, choices and quality of life. The Joseph Rowntree Trust

Health bus to pull up in Northampton - Northampton Herald and Post

Health bus to pull up in Northampton Sponsored by Pfizer in a joint-initiative with Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) Stop Smoking Service and local Pharmacy services, the bus is a great way to bring health services into a busy environment, allowing people to pop-in ... Northampton Herald and Post

Guidance: Update on novel coronavirus infection

Guidance: Update on novel coronavirus infection: The Chief Medical Officer provides the latest information and guidance in light of the 2 clusters of severe human cases of the novel coronavirus infection, which were reported in May 2013. Department of Health

Experts warn £260m not enough

Experts warn £260m not enough: A new government fund to boost adoption of e-prescribing will not be enough to help "laggard" trusts start the journey towards electronic patient records, health IT experts warn. E-Health Insider

Mileage arrangements for medical and dental staff

Mileage arrangements for medical and dental staff: New mileage arrangements are being introduced on 1 July 2013 and set out in Pay Circular (AforC) 3/2013. NHS Employers

Evaluation of the first year of the Inner North West London Integrated Care Pilot

Evaluation of the first year of the Inner North West London Integrated Care Pilot: This report outlines the findings of our evaluation of the Inner North West London Integrated Care Pilot, which aimed to develop new
forms of care for older people and those with diabetes. It found that the foundations for change had been laid, with the pilot making good progress in designing and implementing a complex intervention. Progress was underpinned by a new set of governance arrangements and financial incentives.

• Report
• Related talk from Director of Strategy for North West London PCT Cluster
• Press release
• Nuffield Trust - publications

£140 buys private firms data on NHS patients

£140 buys private firms data on NHS patients: Bupa approved to access sensitive medical records as campaigners question patient consent for release.
Private health firms, including Bupa, can pay £140 to identify potentially millions of patients and then access their health records, detailing intimate medical histories, under a new national arrangement in the NHS, the Guardian can reveal.

David Cameron accused of "scaremongering" over health tourism

David Cameron accused of "scaremongering" over health tourism: Cameron's promise to tackle health tourism faces criticism as official figures show cost to NHS is 18 times less than claimed by government. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS: Poles, paracetamol and the myth of health tourism The Guardian

Million 'at risk' from Care Bill

Million 'at risk' from Care Bill: More than a million people in need of care could be totally shut out of the system because of the fine print of the Government's reforms. The Daily Telegraph

Doctors in dispute: What exactly is normal human behaviour?

Doctors in dispute: What exactly is normal human behaviour?:
It is over 1,000 pages long, has undergone more than three years of revisions and has set doctors at each other's throats. But the latest version of the psychiatrists' bible is finally out - to a chorus of criticism that it is pathologising everyday life. The Independent

See also:

• Mental health 'bible' is updated BBC News

Casualty in crisis: A&E - a service in meltdown

Casualty in crisis: A&E - a service in meltdown:
Doctors were placed under “unprecedented pressure” to go live with the new NHS 111 helpline before some were ready, contributing to the A&E crisis in Britain's hospitals, documents seen by The Independent on Sunday reveal.

See also:

• Poor performance of A&Es linked to winding down of NHS helpline The Guardian

Privatised service 'puts patients at risk' with lack of out-of-hours GPs

Privatised service 'puts patients at risk' with lack of out-of-hours GPs:
A private company that took over the running of a GP out-of-hours service in north London has been severely criticised by the NHS regulator for failing to provide enough doctors to keep patients safe. The Independent

Workshops to help carers of those looking after loved ones with dementia

Workshops to help carers of those looking after loved ones with dementia: Free workshops to help people caring for a loved one with dementia is set to take place during National Dementia Awareness Week. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Mum asked to repay NHS compensation

Mum asked to repay NHS compensation: A mother who has been asked to pay back £375,000 compensation after her son died fears she could become homeless. BBC News

Benefit assessments 'are unfair'

Benefit assessments 'are unfair': A doctor, who worked for the private company which assesses people for disability benefits, says its methods are "unfair". BBC News

See also

• Atos benefit claimants face biased medical assessments, doctor alleges The Guardian

AUDIO: Mental illness 'caused by chemistry'

AUDIO: Mental illness 'caused by chemistry': The Today programme's science correspondent Tom Feilden reports that a team of scientists based at Cardiff University who found that a handful of genes are implicated in a wide range of debilitating neurological conditions have won £5m for further research. BBC News

Workload pressures 'blocking GP research'

Workload pressures 'blocking GP research': A lack of time is preventing many GPs from taking part in NHS research into new treatments, a survey has revealed. GP Online

The Big EPR Survey: responses

The Big EPR Survey: responses: At the end of EHI's The Big EPR Survey, respondents were asked what single action would have the greatest impact in driving the adoption and use of electronic patient records across the NHS. E-Health Insider

New pay circular for Agenda for Change staff

New pay circular for Agenda for Change staff: The NHS Employers organisation has published a new pay circular and updated terms and conditions handbook for staff on Agenda for Change contracts which covers mileage rates and travel expenses.

The drive for quality: how to achieve safe, sustainable care in our emergency departments

The drive for quality: how to achieve safe, sustainable care in our emergency departments: This report calls for fundamental change in the way emergency care systems are designed, funded and run. Ten recommendations are made across four domains, based on the results of a survey of 131 emergency departments in the UK between 2011 and 2012. These domains cover: system redesign; expansion and sustainable working practices; radical funding change; and a better system to measure success.

• Report
• Summary
• Key messages
• College of Emergency Medicine - publications

A single book has come to dominate psychiatry. That is dangerous - The Economist

A single book has come to dominate psychiatry. That is dangerous - The Economist:

Washington Times

A single book has come to dominate psychiatry. That is dangerous The Economist Thomas Insel, the head of America's National Institute of Mental Health, has publicly encouraged scientists not to be constrained by its approach, lest it prevent them finding diagnoses and treatments. In terms of diagnosis, a few psychiatrists ... Shrinks, Critics Face Off Over Psychiatric ManualThirdAge FIELDS: Paying for the new psychiatryWashington Times Mental health problems 'should not be treated like an illness', leading ...Daily Mail Capecodonline -Medical Xpress all 64 news articles »

Airline pilots and pizza delivery boys work all hours. How arrogant of GPs to think it's beneath them

Airline pilots and pizza delivery boys work all hours. How arrogant of GPs to think it's beneath them: DR MARTIN SCURR: The vocation and the art of medicine has been sacrificed for short-term economic gain, as measured by ticked boxes and statistics. The Daily Mail

The road to integration is longer and more costly than the government thinks

The road to integration is longer and more costly than the government thinks: Norman Lamb says health and social care will be integrated by 2018 but underestimates the investment required.
There is a great deal to welcome in the announcement from health minister Norman Lamb that there will be a big push to integrate health and social care, but the road ahead is longer, more difficult and considerably more costly than the government recognises.

Ann Clwyd review of hospital complaints finds 'shocking' neglect

Ann Clwyd review of hospital complaints finds 'shocking' neglect: Ann Clwyd's review of hospital complaints hears that nurses were on eBay instead of caring for patients. The Daily Telegraph

50,000 MMR vaccinations so far in battle to halt Welsh measles epidemic

50,000 MMR vaccinations so far in battle to halt Welsh measles epidemic:
More than 50,000 people have been vaccinated against measles in a major campaign to battle a growing epidemic. The Independent

180,000 children work as unpaid carers for relatives

180,000 children work as unpaid carers for relatives:
Almost 180,000 unpaid child carers – some as young as five – are being used to fill Britain’s care gap, official figures have revealed. The Independent

See also:

• Carers putting their own health at risk, census shows The Daily Telegraph
• 244,000 people under 19 are unpaid carers Public Service

Wednesday 15 May

Wednesday 15 May: One in five accident and emergency units relies entirely on junior doctors at evenings and weekends, according to a report by the College of Emergency Medicine. The study of more than 130 casualty units said that NHS departments were struggling to provide safe care, with doctors working in "intolerable" environments that place patients at risk. In some cases, gaps at evenings and weekends were filled by "middle-grade" doctors, those who have finished basic training but are still learning specialist skills and have yet to qualify as a consultant. However, at one in five A&E units, junior doctors fresh from medical school were the most senior staff working at evenings and weekends. The Foundation Trust Network also warned that casualty units are close to collapse within a year. The Foundation Trust Network (FTN) criticised the funding system in England which penalises A&E units that oversee a rise in patients. RCN News Report

GPs should take on 30% of A&E work, say emergency doctors

GPs should take on 30% of A&E work, say emergency doctors: A&E doctors have called for more GPs at emergency departments to ease pressure on services, but a senior GP warned it could have the opposite effect.
GP Online

NHS Confederation responds to College of Emergency Medicine and FTN concerns about urgent and emergency care

NHS Confederation responds to College of Emergency Medicine and FTN concerns about urgent and emergency care: The head of the NHS Confederation says alarm bells must be heard, and whole health system must respond. NHS Confederation 

Culture of NHS means poor care remains unchallenged and unchanged

Culture of NHS means poor care remains unchallenged and unchanged:

The Patients Association has today published its fourth annual ‘Patient Stories’ report – a series of case studies highlighting shocking experiences of poor care that still scar the NHS.

‘Stories from the present, lessons for the future’ catalogues 13 accounts from patients or relatives who have experienced poor care in hospitals and care homes around the country. The report is a snapshot of the many stories of poor care heard by the Patients Association Helpline, and reflects wider shortcomings in the NHS, which require change in both Westminster and on hospital wards.

Patients attending A&E wards increase by one million: The number of patients who attended accident and emergency wards has increased by more than a million in just one year, figures suggest. The Daily Telegraph

Report marks progress in first year of dementia challenge

Report marks progress in first year of dementia challenge:
The report also identifies shared themes across the work of the three champion groups, reflects on what they have learnt so far, and sets out how they will work together to sustain and accelerate progress.

Secretary of state for health Jeremy Hunt has also announced that NHS England has set the first ever national ambition to improve dementia diagnosis rates. The plans aim to see two-thirds of people with dementia identified and given appropriate support by 2015, an increase from 39% in 2010 and the current average of about 45%.
NHS Networks

Quality imaging services for primary care: good practice guide

Quality imaging services for primary care: good practice guide:
Patients needing urgent scans on the NHS should be seen within a week of being referred by their GP and routine screenings should be carried out within two weeks of a GP referral.
Quality Imaging Services for Primary care: A Good Practice Guide  –  sets out what needs to change to make a ‘tremendous difference’ to the care of patients requiring an NHS scan and aims to reinforce the links between local NHS clinical imaging departments and the new clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
NHS Networks

Transparency data: DH Workforce Information: March 2013

Transparency data: DH Workforce Information: March 2013:

Information about the number of people employed by DH and its agencies during March 2013 including:

• staff headcount by grade
• the number of agency workers
• the number of specialist contractors and consultants
• payroll staff costs

Department of Health

Cancer patients condemn hospital care

Cancer patients condemn hospital care: Some go hungry, receive the wrong drugs or feel so uncared for they consider abandoning treatment.
Cancer patients are going hungry and receiving the wrong drugs while in hospital, with some feeling so badly looked after they even consider abandoning their treatment, a new survey has found.
The findings prompted Macmillan Cancer Support, which commissioned the survey of 2,142 adults in the UK who have cancer, to complain that some people with the disease are being neglected in a way reminiscent of the appalling care seen during the Mid Staffordshire scandal.

Human cloning breakthrough raises hopes for treatment of Parkinson's and heart disease

Human cloning breakthrough raises hopes for treatment of Parkinson's and heart disease:
Scientists have finally made the long-awaited breakthrough in human cloning by turning skin cells into early-stage embryos that were then used to create specialised tissue cells for transplant operations, it has been revealed today. Independent

Scientists discover a link between epilepsy and autism for the first time

Scientists discover a link between epilepsy and autism for the first time: Research from the University of Bath found that epileptic seizures disrupt the neurological function that affects social functioning in brains, resulting in the same traits seen in autism. Health Mail Online

Police 'to get nurse help' dealing with mental health cases - BBC News

Police 'to get nurse help' dealing with mental health cases - BBC News:

BBC News

Police 'to get nurse help' dealing with mental health cases BBC News It followed a report by Staffordshire's police commissioner which said officers spent up to 25% of their time dealing with mental health-related incidents. Matthew Ellis said he wanted specialist mental health response teams to "take pressure off" police. May promises action on mental healthPolice Professional all 55 news articles »

Engaging local stakeholders: more help on the way with the STAR tool

Engaging local stakeholders: more help on the way with the STAR tool: With CCGs now centre stage, Mara Airoldi from LSE talks about how the Star approach can help to assess current and future health interventions in terms of their health benefits, value for money and in setting priorities for health in local populations. The Health Foundation

Guidance: Integrated Care: Our Shared Committment

Guidance: Integrated Care: Our Shared Committment: This framework document on integration, signed by 12 national partners, sets out how local areas can use existing structures such as Health and Wellbeing Boards to bring together local authorities, the NHS, care and support providers, education, housing services, public health and others to make further steps towards integration. Department of Health

A&E 'must change or face collapse'

A&E 'must change or face collapse': Urgent changes must be made to the way A&E units are run - or the system could collapse, doctors and managers say. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: A&E departments face crisis BBC News
• A&E care needs urgent overhaul, NHS is warned The Independent
• Fifth of casualty units rely on junior doctors at weekends and evenings The Daily Telegraph
• A&E care requires overhaul amid rising pressure of patient numbers – report The Guardian

Push to improve dementia diagnosis

Push to improve dementia diagnosis: The NHS in England has been told to push for a rapid rise in dementia diagnosis rates. BBC News

See also

• Doctors told to improve dementia diagnosis rates The Guardian
• New targets for dementia diagnosis rates NHS England

DH must tackle 'huge workload challenges facing GPs', warns RCGP

DH must tackle 'huge workload challenges facing GPs', warns RCGP: Ministers must tackle huge rises in GP workload and provide extra resources if the profession is to play a key role in improved, integrated healthcare for the elderly, the RCGP has warned. GP Online

Asthma data sharing to address treatment quality

Asthma data sharing to address treatment quality: A new online tool has been launched to share data on asthma and address significant variations in quality of care across the country Public Service

The non-executive directors’ guide to hospital data part two: elective hospital admissions, waiting times and patient experience

The non-executive directors’ guide to hospital data part two: elective hospital admissions, waiting times and patient experience: This briefing aims to help non-executive directors (NEDs) better understand NHS data and how it can be used to determine what is going on in their hospital. It has been produced in association with CHKS and is the second in a series of four briefings which have been developed to increase the non-executive director's understanding of NHS data and give them the confidence to ask the right questions about it.

• Briefing
• NHS Confederation - publications

Angelina Jolie's surgery to 'reduce breast cancer risk'

Angelina Jolie's surgery to 'reduce breast cancer risk': Writing in the New York Times, actress Angelina Jolie has announced that she has recently undergone a double mastectomy (where both breasts are surgically removed) followed by breast reconstruction surgery.

More than a third have experienced 'poor NHS care' - ITV News

More than a third have experienced 'poor NHS care' - ITV News:

ITV News

More than a third have experienced 'poor NHS care' ITV News More than a third of people treated on the NHS believe that they have experienced unacceptable standards of care, according to an ITV News Index poll carried out by ComRes. They blame a target culture among management and a lack of compassion ... and more »

True integration involves the NHS, local councils and families

True integration involves the NHS, local councils and families: Families are the biggest providers of care, yet carers can find themselves cut out of decision-making and bounced between different bureaucracies
Caring is a fact of life. Whether a partner falls ill, or a parent needs support as they grow older, or a child is born with a disability – it will affect us all at some point.
At times like these, families pull together to support each other. But too often they find that the services there to support them don't do the same.

Ministers admit 111 line has been 'very disappointing'

Ministers admit 111 line has been 'very disappointing': Ministers have admitted the new NHS non-emergency advice line had a "very disappointing start" and is still not operating properly in several parts of the country. The Daily Telegraph

Does integrated care deliver the benefits expected?

Does integrated care deliver the benefits expected?: A two-year initiative by the Department of Health explored new ways of integrating patient care from different local providers. This briefing reviews the findings from 16 integrated care pilot initiatives in England. RAND Europe

New breastfeeding service launched in Northampton - Northampton Chronicle & Echo

New breastfeeding service launched in Northampton - Northampton Chronicle & Echo:

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

New breastfeeding service launched in Northampton Northampton Chronicle & Echo A new breastfeeding support service for Northamptonshire has been launched at the Royal and Derngate theatre. NHS Northamptonshire Healthcare won the contract to support new mums soon after the closure of the popular Northampton Baby Cafe.

Pledge to close health and care gap

Pledge to close health and care gap: Ministers are promising an end to the era of vulnerable people being passed around the health and care systems. BBC News

See also:

• Minister: NHS will collapse if elderly bed blocking continues The Daily Telegraph
• Health and social care 'join up' plans unveiled The Guardian
• The whole-system future for integrated urgent care Health Service Journal
• DH pledges 'fully joined-up' health and social care by 2018 GP Online
• Press release: People will see health and social care fully joined-up by 2018 Department of Health

VIDEO: NHS in England really being privatised?

VIDEO: NHS in England really being privatised?: Some people are receiving health services in England paid for by the NHS but provided by private companies, as GPs begin to buy services for their patients. BBC News

Do famous role models help or hinder?

Do famous role models help or hinder? It's Mental Health Awareness Week - cue the annual round of lists of "inspirational" public figures. But do famous role models actually make a difference? BBC News

GPs launch national federation to counter rising pressure on practices

GPs launch national federation to counter rising pressure on practices: GPs based in locations across the UK have launched a national federation to help practices compete for contracts and cope with falling resources. GP Online

One nurse to eight patients ''is unsafe''

One nurse to eight patients ''is unsafe'': The Safe Staffing Alliance warns that patients are at risk of harm or death with such ratios. Public Service

Social media and employee voice: the current landscape

Social media and employee voice: the current landscape: This report looks at the nature of employee voice and the impact of social media. It also considers some of the barriers to using social media to improving employee voice within organisations.

• Report
• NHS Employers - publications

New coronavirus 'likely' to spread person to person

New coronavirus 'likely' to spread person to person: ‘WHO warns that a deadly novel coronavirus could be passed from person to person’, The Independent reports.

The news – featured in much of the media – is based on the latest ‘state of play’ advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the novel coronavirus (nCV).

Private hospital blunders: How the NHS picks up the bill

Private hospital blunders: How the NHS picks up the bill: Gail Buchanan has been in constant agony since she underwent a comparatively minor spinal operation at a private hospital. The Daily Mail

From god to guide: can patient-centred care become a reality in the NHS?

From god to guide: can patient-centred care become a reality in the NHS?: Most parts of the NHS are only paying lip service to patient engagement, recently hailed as the 'next blockbuster drug'
As healthcare systems the world over continue to groan under the weight of rising expectations, ageing populations and squeezed finances, the search for viable long-term solutions shows no sign of slowing.
For many, the focus remains on system reform – finding new ways to make the money go further by redesigning services to be more efficient. But, increasingly, attention is turning to the people who use healthcare services as the potential saviour of them.

Abandoned 111 calls triple in a month

Abandoned 111 calls triple in a month: The rate of people abandoning calls to the maligned NHS 111 non-emergency number nearly tripled in the space of a month, new figures show. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• GPs warn new 111 NHS helpline is 'seriously flawed' and putting patients at risk The Daily Mail
• Surge in abandoned NHS 111 calls after people forced to wait or are given substandard advice The Daily Mail

Doctors being offered £1,350 per shift for out-of-hours cover

Doctors being offered £1,350 per shift for out-of-hours cover: Doctors are being offered £1,350 per shift to provide cover for GPs during evenings and weekends by Britain's biggest out-of-hours care provider. The Daily Telegraph

Elderly patients face longer hospital waits for care home transfer

Elderly patients face longer hospital waits for care home transfer: Elderly patients are waiting more than a month in an NHS hospital before being transferred into a care home, campaigners warn today. The Daily Telegraph