Use of physical restraint on mental health patients at 'disturbing levels'

Use of physical restraint on mental health patients at 'disturbing levels': Mind says 39,883 incidents of physical restraint were recorded during 2011-12, with 3,000 in dangerous face-down position.
Nearly 40,000 incidents of physical restraint on mental health patients in England were recorded in one year, with more than 3,000 in the "dangerous" face-down position, according to figures released by a charity.
Mind said data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed 39,883 recorded incidents of physical restraint in mental health trusts during 2011-12, resulting in at least 949 injuries to people with mental health problems. The charity said there was huge variation between trusts in the use of physical restraint.

US companies criticise UK healthcare firms' charitable status and tax breaks

US companies criticise UK healthcare firms' charitable status and tax breaks: Tax breaks worth £50m to private hospitals operating as charities 'give unfair advantage and reduce competitiveness'.

Ambulance services: Rise in number of patients treated entirely at the scene

Ambulance services: Rise in number of patients treated entirely at the scene: June 19, 2013: New figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show in 2012-13(2) almost two million patients were treated at the scene(3) by ambulance services without needing onward transportation, a 10 per cent rise on last year's figure (1.81 million).

Measuring patient experience

Measuring patient experience: "This evidence scan describes approaches to measuring patient and carer experiences of healthcare." The Health Foundation

Favell House decision labelled ‘horrendous’ by NHS managers

Favell House decision labelled ‘horrendous’ by NHS managers: NHS managers have described the choice they have to make on a Northampton respite centre’s future as ‘horrendous’. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Four similar deaths on Northampton hospital ward, inquest hears

Four similar deaths on Northampton hospital ward, inquest hears: A mental health ward at St Andrews Hospital, Northampton had four deaths related to antipsychotic medication in under seven months, an inquest has heard. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS watchdog faces 'cover-up' claim

NHS watchdog faces 'cover-up' claim: England's healthcare regulator may have covered up knowledge of its own failings after a series of baby deaths at a Cumbria hospital, a report says. BBC News

See also:

• NHS watchdog accused of 'scandal cover-up' at hospital where eight babies 'died of neglect' The Independent
• Cover-up over hospital scandal The Daily Telegraph
• Cover-up at maternity unit in Furness general hospital, says report The Guardian

NHS 111 costs not known by government

NHS 111 costs not known by government: Ministers have admitted they do not know how much the heavily criticised NHS 111 service will cost the taxpayer Public Service

NHS standards of procurement

NHS standards of procurement: This document sets out the standards for NHS healthcare provider
organisations to assess and benchmark procurement performance and identify areas for improvement. It shows how to use the standards, and describes their development, aim and objectives.

• Standards
• Department of Health - news

The quality assurance framework: for nursing and midwifery and local supervising authorities for midwifery

The quality assurance framework: for nursing and midwifery and local supervising authorities for midwifery: This framework ensures that quality assurance activities operate effectively. It was informed by user feedback and aims to increase lay involvement; increase the proactive management of emerging risk; reduce the burden of regulation on well-performing educational institutions and local supervising authorities; and ensure that quality assurance focuses on outcomes of education and supervision of midwives as opposed to dictating how standards should be met.

• Quality assurance framework
• NMC - news

'Universal' colour-coded food nutrition labels

'Universal' colour-coded food nutrition labels: A radical overhaul of how nutritional information is displayed on the front of the packaging of many food products has been announced.

The government, food makers and food retailers have agreed the new standardised front-of-pack labelling to help make it easier for people to make healthier choices about what they buy and eat.
The Department of Health has today set out what the new food labels will look like and outlined how a colour-coding scheme of energy, salt, sugar and fat will look and how their levels are set.

NHS cash-for-access: mothers targeted by salespeople just minutes after giving birth

NHS cash-for-access: mothers targeted by salespeople just minutes after giving birth: Bounty salepeople are reported to have targeted women at their bedside just hours after childbirth and difficult operations, under paid-for agreements with the NHS. The Daily Telegraph

Psychiatrists call for action over premature deaths of mentally ill

Psychiatrists call for action over premature deaths of mentally ill: An international group of psychiatrists today launches a drive to end the global scandal of premature deaths among people suffering from severe mental illness. The Independent

Ministers consider ban on face-down restraint in mental hospitals

Ministers consider ban on face-down restraint in mental hospitals: Ministers will consider a ban on the use of face-down restraint in English mental health hospitals after new figures that show nearly 40,000 incidents of physical restraint were recorded in just one year. The Independent 

See also:

• Government considers banning face-down restraint on mental health patients The Daily Telegraph
• VIDEO: Face-down restraint ban considered BBC News

Hospital services: mental health service users have around double the attendance rate of general population

Hospital services: mental health service users have around double the attendance rate of general population: New findings published from HSCIC data linkage

Sensor alarms to be used to warn elderly patients at risk of falls - Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Sensor alarms to be used to warn elderly patients at risk of falls Northampton Chronicle & Echo Northampton General Hospital (NGH) is using sensor alarms to help protect elderly people at a 'high risk' of falls. The alarms alert nursing staff when an 'at risk' patient attempts to get up from their chair or bed unaided, so they can be helped. Jo ...

The future is here: improving urgent care for frail older people

The future is here: improving urgent care for frail older people: The challenges facing urgent care services are rehearsed on a daily basis on local and national news. Too often our immediate response to hearing these problems is to ask for more – more A&E capacity, more staff, more information on what our choices are. But looking at services from the flow perspective, can lead to thinking about these problems differently, says Jo Bibby. The Health Foundation

'Quiet epidemic' of UK male cancer

'Quiet epidemic' of UK male cancer: Action is needed to fight a "quiet epidemic" of oesophageal cancer, which is on the rise in the UK, particularly in men, say cancer experts. BBC News

Improving SAS appraisal: a guide for employers

Improving SAS appraisal: a guide for employers: NHS Employers has launched a new guide that aims to support employers to ensure their SAS employees are able to engage fully with the appraisal process. NHS Employers

Making a local difference: state of play and challenges ahead for health and wellbeing boards

Making a local difference: state of play and challenges ahead for health and wellbeing boards: In April 2013, health and wellbeing boards became fully-fledged statutory bodies. This report aims to give all those involved in leading and supporting the work of health and wellbeing boards an insight into the opportunities and challenges ahead. NHS Confederation

Information governance and risk stratification: advice and options for CCGs and GPs

Information governance and risk stratification: advice and options for CCGs and GPs: This guidance provides advice on how to conduct risk stratification while complying with the new legal framework that exists following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It out the role that risk stratification can play in managing the health of a population; it explains how risk stratification was affected by the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012; and it discusses how risk stratification can be conducted lawfully.

• Guidance
• NHS England - news

All babies count: spotlight on perinatal mental health

All babies count: spotlight on perinatal mental health: This report calls on health ministers to address gaps in mental health services for pregnant women and new mothers. It argues that the wellbeing of more than one in 10 newborn babies in England could be improved if all new mothers with mental illness had equal access to good
services. It highlights a geographical variation in access to mental health services for new mothers with less than half of mental health trusts providing specialist mental health services for expectant and new mums.

• Report
• NSPCC - news

High quality care for all, now and for future generations: transforming urgent and emergency care services in England

High quality care for all, now and for future generations: transforming urgent and emergency care services in England: The urgent and emergency care review has developed an evidence base for change and some emerging principles. The evidence base identifies areas for improvement in the current system of urgent and emergency
care. From the evidence base the steering group has developed four emerging principles for future services, 12 objectives that any new system should be shaped around, as well as some possible implementation solutions. Views and feedback on both these documents are being sought from the public and health and social care professionals until 11th August 2013.

• Evidence base
• Emergining principles
• NHS England - news

Out of hours care - a patient's view

Out of hours care - a patient's view: One patient shares her experience. HSJ

Earlier breast screening in high-risk women shows 'encouraging' results

Earlier breast screening in high-risk women shows 'encouraging' results: "Women with a family history of breast cancer should be screened in their thirties," says The Daily Telegraph.

The news relates to an ongoing study that aims to look at the effects of mammography screening in women with a family history of breast cancer when they are between the ages of 35 and 39.

NHS staff put careers at risk by refusing to sign gagging orders

NHS staff put careers at risk by refusing to sign gagging orders: NHS staff and civil servants who refuse to sign gagging orders are putting their careers at risk because they can't get good references, Britain's public spending watchdog has said. The Daily Telegraph

Health officials 'very disappointed' that most doctors and nurses declined flu vaccinations last winter

Health officials 'very disappointed' that most doctors and nurses declined flu vaccinations last winter:
The majority of doctors, nurses and front line health workers were not vaccinated against flu last winter, official figures have revealed. The Independent

Exposed: Edward Erin, the doctor whose faked asthma drug test results proved fatal

Exposed: Edward Erin, the doctor whose faked asthma drug test results proved fatal:
A British doctor faked test results during clinical trials for an asthma drug in which one person died and others contracted cancer and pneumonia, The Independent has learnt.

Doctor given formal warning after child death - Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Doctor given formal warning after child death Northampton Chronicle & Echo A consultant working on the children's ward at Northampton General Hospital has been given a formal warning by the General Medical Council (GMC) in relation to her treatment of a 19-month-old child, who died of dehydration two days after being ... and more »

Northamptonshire ‘not opinionated enough’ on health issues

Northamptonshire ‘not opinionated enough’ on health issues: One of the first tasks of a new health watchdog is to get people interested in Northamptonshire health services, its chairman has said. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Seeing near misses 'means NGH is safer' - Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Seeing near misses 'means NGH is safer' Northampton Chronicle & Echo About four in ten staff at Northampton General Hospital are still witnessing potentially harmful mistakes, a survey shows. Just over 40 per cent reported seeing errors in the 2012 NGH staff survey, but the problem had also been highlighted in 2011 ...

Managing expectations in health services: over-promising and under-delivering?

Managing expectations in health services: over-promising and under-delivering?: 'Show me the person who says it will take the most time and cost the most money, and I'll show you the expert', the old saying goes – reformulated recently by the boss of a Marks and Spencer's rival, describing what applicants for the M&S Chief Executive job should have said – ie, that they could deliver,  just  slowly and painfully and it would get worse before it got better .

NHS 'needs to simplify urgent care'

NHS 'needs to simplify urgent care': The NHS in England needs to provide a simpler and co-ordinated system of round-the-clock urgent and emergency care, a review of services says. BBC News

See also: 

• NHS 'needs new urgent care system' The Independent
• Hard-pressed GPs say they can no longer guarantee safe treatment The Guardian

Care home watchdog tracking deaths

Care home watchdog tracking deaths: Death rates in care and nursing homes in England are to be monitored by the Care Quality Commission to try to identify problems earlier. BBC News

NHS England reveals one in four CCGs faces financial problems

NHS England reveals one in four CCGs faces financial problems: A quarter of CCGs face problems 'making ends meet', according to NHS England's chief financial officer. GP Online

Proposals for the 2014/15 National Tariff

Proposals for the 2014/15 National Tariff: Monitor and NHS England have published three documents on proposals for the 2014/15 National Tariff: the Tariff engagement document; proposals for local payment variations; and proposals for enforcement of the tariff by Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority. There are three questionnaires asking for views by the 9th July 2013.

• Questionnaires and further information
• NHS England - news

Hospitals to undergo Ofsted-style inspections

Hospitals to undergo Ofsted-style inspections: Health watchdog sets out proposals to restore public confidence in the NHS Hospitals will regularly undergo tough two-week-long inspections and be given Ofsted-style ratings to revolutionise standards of care for patients, under coalition plans.

Maternity wards closure crisis

Maternity wards closure crisis: Maternity wards in England are shutting their doors a total of more than 1,000 times a year forcing expecting mothers to seek care elsewhere or give birth at home, according to new figures. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Maternity wards close 1,000 times a year to expectant mothers, figures show The Guardian

4,000 lives a year lost by poor hospital care at weekends

4,000 lives a year lost by poor hospital care at weekends: Poor care in hospitals at weekends is claiming more than 4,000 lives a year, NHS officials have warned. The Daily Telegraph

Hospital 'surveillance' to stop another Stafford scandal

Hospital 'surveillance' to stop another Stafford scandal: NHS hospitals will be placed under constant "surveillance" so health watchdogs respond more quickly to rising death rates, safety incidents, concerns raised by whistleblowers and patient complaints, under new plans. The Daily Telegraph

World’s largest private healthcare company HCA plans expansion into NHS

World’s largest private healthcare company HCA plans expansion into NHS:
The world’s largest private healthcare company co-owned by the assets management firm whose profits helped fund Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns is looking to expand further into the NHS, according to newly published documents by the Competition Commission. The Independent

Whistle-stop care still puts vulnerable at risk

Whistle-stop care still puts vulnerable at risk: Three-quarters of Britain's councils are still giving elderly and vulnerable people controversial "whistle-stop" home visits which the Government previously branded inhumane. The Independent

NHS patients to get charter of rights

NHS patients to get charter of rights: Hospitals, care homes and GPs could be judged against a new set of patient rights following a radical overhaul of standards to be announced by the health watchdog.The Independent

Reevaluating "Made in America"—Two Cost-Containment Ideas from Abroad

Reevaluating "Made in America"—Two Cost-Containment Ideas from Abroad: In this Commonwealth Fund–supported Perspective, researchers examined two strategies for containing health care costs: Germany's bundled payments and Japan's volume-driven pricing. The Commonwealth Fund

Video reveals domestic care neglect

Video reveals domestic care neglect: The BBC obtains footage showing multiple failings in an elderly woman's care, as ministers warn the next abuse scandal may come in the home care sector. BBC News

Name surgeons who refuse data - Hunt

Name surgeons who refuse data - Hunt: Surgeons who refuse to publish their performance data should be publicly named, the health secretary says. BBC News

See also:

• Hunt: doctors who refuse to publish patient data will be named and shamed The Daily Telegraph
• NHS surgeons opting out of performance tables to be named The Guardian

Breast cancer risk up for UK Asians

Breast cancer risk up for UK Asians: The breast cancer risk for British Asian women has increased, a study carried out in Leicester has suggested. BBC News

'Never full' practices key to A&E crisis, says top GP

'Never full' practices key to A&E crisis, says top GP: Practices should be prepared never to turn patients away during core hours, to help solve the urgent care crisis, a GP commissioning leader has said. GP Online

Elderly care system ''incentivises neglect''

Elderly care system ''incentivises neglect'': Home care involves low wages and neglect and little regard for the people it is supposed to be looking after. Public Service

Better access to primary care curbs emergency care visits

Better access to primary care curbs emergency care visits:

Study puts GPs back in the frame for A&E pressures Related items from OnMedica GPs cannot take stress off overworked A&E departments, RCGP tells MPs Shake-up needed of urgent care CQC head warns that A&E demand is ‘unsustainable’ Hunt wants GPs to ‘take back OOH responsibility’ Traditional GP role widens from ‘helping’ to ‘business’ model

Green book

Green book: This is the latest version of Immunisation against infectious disease (the Green Book), with all the updated chapters in one document.

• Green book
• PHE - publications

Healthcare fraud in the new NHS market: a threat to patient care

Healthcare fraud in the new NHS market: a threat to patient care: This report sets out the potential risks posed to patient care as a result of a marketised NHS. It identifies the prospects for fraud in the NHS as a result of the increased use of private providers to deliver NHS services, and analyses the government’s current approach to counter fraud policy. It compares the possibilities this could bring about with the situation in the United States, and proposes a number of policy responses for dealing with an increase in fraud in the NHS. 

• Report
• CHPI - publications

Nursing and midwifery workforce reports

Nursing and midwifery reports:This series includes reports on the future shape of the nursing and midwifery workforces up to 2016, and horizon scanning reports looking ahead 20 years. They provide a range of possible scenarios which need to  be considered alongside Health Education England local education and training board (LETB) investment plans and other emerging evidence to refine the assumptions and produce a clearer picture of likely future supply and demand.

• Reports and further information

Childhood obesity-related hospital visits quadruple

Childhood obesity-related hospital visits quadruple: 'Generation XXL' is the headline on the front page of the Metro, as the results of a new study show that hospital admissions related to obesity in children have soared in recent years.

Children's heart surgery review shatters confidence in NHS reconfiguration

Children's heart surgery review shatters confidence in NHS reconfiguration: Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, hears of a failure to recommend a safe, sustainable and accessible way forward.
The Independent Reconfiguration Panel's demolition of proposals for reconfiguring children's heart services has set the benchmark for all future service reviews.
The panel told the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, that the review of children's heart services had failed in its objective of recommending a safe, sustainable and accessible way forward.

GPs will be rated for their 'compassion'

GPs will be rated for their 'compassion': Family doctors will be measured and rated depending on their compassion and "values," the health watchdog has said. The Daily Telegraph

NHS ‘discriminates’ against liver patients

NHS ‘discriminates’ against liver patients: Liver disease, the only major illness with an increasing death rate, is claiming a rising number of victims because of discrimination in the NHS against sufferers, a report has found. The Independent

See also:

• Alcohol-related liver disease patients deserve better care, says report The Guardian
• Alcohol liver disease care 'lacking' BBC News

Learning from the four UK health systems

Learning from the four UK health systems: Following devolution in 1999, the UK now has one National Health Service but four different versions of it. But hardly anyone seems to be paying attention to that fact. As a result, a huge opportunity is going to waste.

MPs urge action on female mutilation

MPs urge action on female mutilation: Female genital mutilation is not being properly tackled in the UK as police and social workers are afraid to be seen as politically incorrect, MPs say. BBC News

Hospitals treat more child obesity

Hospitals treat more child obesity: Doctors in England and Wales see a four-fold increase in the number of children and teenagers admitted to hospital for conditions linked to obesity. BBC News

See also:

• Child obesity hospital admissions quadruple The Daily Telegraph
• Childhood obesity cases up four-fold in a decade: Nearly 21,000 aged five to 19 treated in hospital for weight-related conditions The Daily Mail

NHS faces fraud risk as private provision rises, warns report

NHS faces fraud risk as private provision rises, warns report: Recent NHS reforms could open the door to increased fraud in the health service, a think tank has warned. GP Online

E-referrals service gets offical launch

E-referrals service gets offical launch: The new NHS e-referrals service has been officially launched by Beverly Bryant, NHS England's director of strategic systems and technology. E-Health Insider

A voice and a choice: a showcase of four years of new ideas and practice

A voice and a choice: a showcase of four years of new ideas and practice: This report explores the need for new ways of supporting young people’s mental health, as well as what commissioners are looking for in an ideal support service. It outlines examples of current best practice, the challenges encountered, and acquired learning from supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

• Report
• Mental Health Foundation - publications

Don't claim acupuncture works, NHS hospital told: Institution criticised over leaflets that made bogus claims about the treatment

Don't claim acupuncture works, NHS hospital told: Institution criticised over leaflets that made bogus claims about the treatment: The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM), which offers alternative treatments from hypnosis to homeopathy, has been told to stop misleading patients. The Daily Mail

The extraordinary silence around the Mid Staffs scandal

The extraordinary silence around the Mid Staffs scandal: Three hundred people died from suspected criminal negligence at Mid Staffs. There is evidence that managers, health officials and Government ministers knew something was going terribly wrong. And yet those who want answers are met with a wall of silence, writes Charlotte Leslie MP. The Daily Telegraph

NHS cash-for-access: salespeople 'posing as medical staff' to obtain pictures

NHS cash-for-access: salespeople 'posing as medical staff' to obtain pictures: Unqualified maternity ward photographers have been posing as medical staff and claiming pictures need to be taken for "security reasons" to obtain images and personal details, mothers have said. The Daily Telegraph

Head of NHS blames Treasury for use of secret gagging orders

Head of NHS blames Treasury for use of secret gagging orders: Sir David Nicholson embroiled in a row with George Osborne after he tries to blame the Treasury for use of gagging orders. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• VIDEO: 'Catalogue of errors linked to Sir David' BBC News
• Sir David Nicholson must be answerable over 'scandalous' gagging orders, says minister The Daily Telegraph
• NHS chief denies cover-up over £2m gagging orders The Guardian

How bad doctors can hide failings

How bad doctors can hide failings: Underperforming doctors will be able to secretly opt out of new government league tables, thwarting the Health Secretary's attempts to open up the NHS to scrutiny, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Surgeons can opt out of NHS tables rating their performance The Guardian

E-cigarettes to be licenced and treated as 'medicines' for first time in UK

E-cigarettes to be licenced and treated as 'medicines' for first time in UK:
Miracle cure for smoking or saviour of the tobacco industry, next big thing or fleeting celebrity fad - the electronic cigarette divides opinion, but its status in the UK has just become much clearer. The Independent

Fury at Jeremy Hunt’s U-turn on child heart units

Fury at Jeremy Hunt’s U-turn on child heart units:
It has taken a dozen years, involved one of the worst scandals in the NHS’s history and involved five reports. But today, the national plan to concentrate children’s heart surgery in fewer centres for safety reasons was torn up and its architects sent back to the drawing board. The Independent

See also: 

• NHS England reaction to independent reconfiguration panel report on the proposed changes to children’s heart surgery NHS England
• VIDEO: Child heart surgery: Statement in full BBC News
• Jeremy Hunt halts Leeds, Leicester and London child heart unit closures The Independent
• Jeremy Hunt lifts heart unit suspension The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt suspends children's heart surgery unit closures The Guardian

Manchester hospital set to introduce ‘rate my doctor’ scheme

Manchester hospital set to introduce ‘rate my doctor’ scheme:
A Manchester hospital is to become the first in the country to publish performance ratings for all its consultants, allowing patients to rate their doctor and make choices about who provides their care. The Independent

See also

• 'Pick your consultant' data released BBC News

Men's Health Week 10 - 16 June 2013

Men's Health Week 10 - 16 June 2013: It's Men's Health Week and the theme this year is 'Let's Talk About It', encouraging men to talk about their feelings and their health. 72% of people who get help for depression... NHFT News

Hospital 'killed' child, says mother

Hospital 'killed' child, says mother: A woman plans legal action against a hospital she says "completely failed" her toddler, resulting in the child's death. BBC Northamptonshire

Designing improvement around the people we care for

Designing improvement around the people we care for: The more we involve patients, the more we make their experience of care better. We can identify the places where the system isn’t working and fix it, says Jan Davies from 1000 Lives Plus. The Health Foundation

Call to ban sales on maternity wards

Call to ban sales on maternity wards: Reps who sell to new mothers on hospital wards should be banned, the online parenting forum Mumsnet has urged. BBC News

Child heart surgery report due

Child heart surgery report due: The results of a review of plans to stop children's heart surgery at three hospitals in England will be published later. BBC News

See also:

• Leeds campaigners hope Jeremy Hunt will save children's heart unit The Guardian

NHS 'must do more to prevent falls'

NHS 'must do more to prevent falls': The NHS needs to do more to prevent falls in hospitals, warns a health watchdog. BBC News

See also:

• Action needed to reduce hospital falls: a "one size fits all" approach will not work, warns NICE NICE
• Not enough done to prevent hospital falls Public Service
• 90 patients die from falls in hospital in one year The Daily Telegraph
• Hospitals should assess patients for risk of falling, experts say The Guardian

The lost boy

The lost boy: Do suicidal adolescents receive enough support? BBC News

Primary care faces 'radical change' in next two years, says Nicholson

Primary care faces 'radical change' in next two years, says Nicholson: Outgoing NHS England chief executive Sir David Nicholson has hit out at media attacks on GPs, but called for 'radical change' to primary care over the next two or three years. GP Online

Prepared to care? Exploring the impact of caring on people's lives

Prepared to care? Exploring the impact of caring on people's lives: The findings from this report show that support is not being made available to new carers with often devastating consequences. It outlines the emotional, physical and financial effects that caring can have as people are not prepared for the impact of the role. The report highlights the need for greater support for carers including better access to information; flexible working practices; and financial support in a fair and easy to navigate welfare system.

• Report
• Key recommendations
• Infographic
• Carers Trust - news

CCG outcomes interactive tool

CCG outcomes interactive tool: In December 2012, NHS England published a set of information packs for CCGs and local authorities that set out key data to inform the local position on outcomes. Following feedback, this tool has been produced which allows users to view maps, charts and tables of individual outcome indicators across CCGs.The CCG outcomes explorer tool allows users to explore the relationships between two outcomes or between demographic information and outcomes.CCG outcomes tool

Decision over e-cigarettes and 'vaping' imminent

Decision over e-cigarettes and 'vaping' imminent: An announcement is expected soon about whether electronic cigarettes are to be licensed and regulated as an aid to quit smoking.

Medical experts and trading standards officials have urged the government to classify e-cigarettes – battery-operated devices that mimic cigarettes – as a form of nicotine-replacement therapy, which would mean stringent checks by medicine regulator the MHRA.
At the moment, e-cigarettes are only covered by general product safety legislation, meaning they can legally be promoted and sold to children, and we cannot be sure of their ingredients or how much nicotine they contain.

Breast cancer screening 'may not reduce deaths'

Breast cancer screening 'may not reduce deaths': The findings of a study examining 39 years of breast cancer death rates have hit the headlines, with The Guardian reporting that, 'Breast cancer screening not shown to reduce deaths.' The value of breast cancer screening has been the subject of debate for many years. Every time it seems the question has been settled – as some presumed was the case after the publication of a 2012 review into screening – new evidence emerges that reignites the debate.

The lessons Japan has for the UK on dementia

The lessons Japan has for the UK on dementia: As the UK population ages, our politicians are looking at the policies of a country where one in four people is over 65.
Jeremy Hunt's recent visit to Japan passed almost unnoticed in Britain. Yet the issues he discussed with Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, and the health minister, Norihisa Tamura, touched on a problem that is likely to dominate social policy in the next decade: dementia care.

Cancer database could save thousands of lives

Cancer database could save thousands of lives: A "game-changing" new cancer database that could save thousands of lives a year will be announced today. The Daily Telegraph

Fitness not age is what matters on the operating table

Fitness not age is what matters on the operating table: A patient's fitness - not their age - should be the key factor in deciding whether they have an operation, a major study has concluded. The Daily Telegraph

NHS hospitals spend £2m on gagging orders preventing staff speaking out

NHS hospitals spend £2m on gagging orders preventing staff speaking out:
Hospitals have spent £2 million on more than 50 gagging orders preventing staff speaking out, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed. The Independent

See also:

• Hospitals have spent £2m on gagging orders for staff, figures show The Guardian
• NHS trusts spend £2m to stop staff speaking out The Daily Telegraph

Stress of Northamptonshire carers revealed

Stress of Northamptonshire carers revealed: About 40 per cent of carers are on medication for stress, a Northamptonshire charity has said. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Premature deaths high in Northamptonshire

Premature deaths high in Northamptonshire: Northamptonshire has more premature deaths than many counties with similar populations, a website launched today shows. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Girl, 2, died from blood poisoning just hours after doctors accused her mother of being 'paranoid'

Girl, 2, died from blood poisoning just hours after doctors accused her mother of being 'paranoid': Brooklyn Harrold, from Northampton, was sent home from Northampton General Hospital with a 'sky high' temperature without doctors even carrying out a full blood test, her mother Leanne claims. The Daily Mail

Early death variations 'shocking'

Early death variations 'shocking': Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says variations in early death rates across England show action is needed to identify health challenges. BBC News

See also:

• Longer Lives (the online atlas of mortality by local authority) Public Health England
• Press release: Local variation in avoidable death rates revealed Department of Health
• League table for premature deaths revealed The Daily Telegraph
• Most deaths in under-75s are potentially avoidable, says health body The Guardian

Exclusive: What GPs say about taking back out-of-hours duty

Exclusive: What GPs say about taking back out-of-hours duty: More than 1,000 GPs responded within 24 hours to a GP magazine poll asking whether the profession should take back out-of-hours responsibility. Below is a selection from almost 300 comments left by GPs setting out views for and against the move. GP Online

New mental health guidance published

New mental health guidance published: NHS Employers has published new guidance for managers on the mental health of their staff. It includes how to create a positive impact on the workplace and support staff with mental health problems. NHS Employers

'Ageless' psychiatric care could harm elderly

'Ageless' psychiatric care could harm elderly:

Royal College of Psychiatrists warns against the trend for the NHS to develop generic 'all-age' services Related items from OnMedica Government failing on dementia care Schemes launched to make UK world leader on dementia Sharp rise in uptake of PCT memory services Plans launched to ‘join-up’ health and social care by 2018 NICE reveals proposed new QOF targets

New safety system will track implants

New safety system will track implants:

Tracking device will provide early warning of problems with pacemakers, breast implants and other devices Related items from OnMedica PIP implants: Taking the right decision and lessons to be learnt Call for all metal hip implants to be banned NHS receives nearly 7,000 breast implant referrals MPs call for tighter safety on medical implants UK plastic surgeons renew call for universal PIP implant removal

Report on district nurse education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2012/13

Report on district nurse education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2012/13: This report reveals concerns around the number of new district nurses currently being educated, particularly in England. It finds that the numbers being trained do not meet the replacement level required to maintain the district nursing workforce, which has shrunk rapidly over the past ten years as experienced nurses have left the role, principally through retirement.

• Report
• QNI - news

MMR action plan: 15 May 2013

MMR action plan: 15 May 2013: This plan outlines a comprehensive set of local and national actions to significantly increase MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine coverage among those most at risk. It highlights the need for directors of public health to take a local view about the particularly vulnerable or low coverage groups, and to ensure that there are specific plans in place to identify the un- or undervaccinated in these groups and to offer them vaccination in a way designed to have good uptake.

• Action plan
• Annexes
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Police launch inquiry into hundreds of Stafford hospital deaths

Police launch inquiry into hundreds of Stafford hospital deaths: Multi-agency review identifies up to 300 deaths at Mid Staffordshire trust to which neglect may have contributed.
Hundreds of deaths at Stafford hospital are being examined by police after a review identified 200 to 300 cases where neglect might have been a contributory factor.

Breast cancer screening fails to cut deaths

Breast cancer screening fails to cut deaths: 25 years of breast cancer screening has failed to significantly reduce deaths from disease, Oxford University researchers find. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Breast cancer screening not shown to reduce deaths, say researchers The Guardian

Natural birth push to tackle trend for needless C-sections

Natural birth push to tackle trend for needless C-sections: Women will be encouraged to give birth naturally amid fears that mothers are opting for caesarean sections needlessly, leading to a significant rise in the number of operations. The Daily Telegraph