Nursing agencies and the cost to the NHS - by numbers

Nursing agencies and the cost to the NHS - by numbers The amount the NHS is paying companies to arrange last-minute nurses has been uncovered in an investigation by The Telegraph - here are the numbers behind the story. The Daily Telegraph

Relatives of Northamptonshire care home residents say closure plans are causing anxiety

Relatives of Northamptonshire care home residents say closure plans are causing anxiety Relatives of people living in Olympus Care Homes in Northamptonshire say the county council is “putting its budget before care” with proposals to close two as part of £77 million cuts to public services. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Cancer treatment targets at Northampton General Hospital back on track

Cancer treatment targets at Northampton General Hospital back on track Cancer treatment at Northampton General Hospital is back on track after two months of poor performance. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Praise for 999 crews after receiving 500 call-outs on busy Christmas party night

Praise for 999 crews after receiving 500 call-outs on busy Christmas party night East Midlands Ambulance Service received about 500 calls on what was predicted to be the busiest night out for 999 crews over the Christmas period. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Carewatch offers advice on caring for people with dementia over Christmas

Carewatch offers advice on caring for people with dementia over Christmas Carewatch Northampton has issued advice on caring for people living with dementia over the Christmas period. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Premature discharge: is going home early really a Christmas gift?

Premature discharge: is going home early really a Christmas gift? In the past week or so we’ve seen headlines about record delayed discharges from English hospitals and the Nuffield Trust’s considered assessment that many of the NHS’s problems last winter were caused by unsustainably high bed occupancy. We know that avoidable delays cause problems for the system, and more importantly, for patients.

However, the debate on discharge is in danger of focusing solely on delays. That’s partly because they are so obviously important, but also because delays are the most often reported-on national statistics. But what about the other side of the coin – premature discharge, or people leaving hospital too early? The King's Fund

Open consultation: Proposals for CQC to set fees for all aspects of its inspections

Open consultation: Proposals for CQC to set fees for all aspects of its inspections The Health and Social Care Act 2008 gives CQC the power to charge for the registration of health and adult social care providers of regulated activities.

CQC’s new comprehensive inspections consider the quality and safety of care, above and beyond whether a provider is complying with the registration requirements, and highlight good and outstanding aspects of care.

The department intends to introduce a regulation that will bring these inspections and any associated rating within the scope of its fees setting power.

This proposal is not about changing the CQC’s fee structure or the level of fees that it proposes to charge. Neither is it about extending the remit of the CQC’s activity to additional providers or services. Department of Health

Survey on homophobia and discrimination in the workplace

Survey on homophobia and discrimination in the workplace Take part in the BMA's survey on homophobia and discrimination in the workplace. NHS Employers

Bugs resist 'last antibiotic' in UK

Bugs resist 'last antibiotic' in UK Bacteria that resist the antibiotic of last resort colistin have been discovered in the UK. BBC News

See also:

• New potentially lethal superbug resistant to ALL antibiotics is found in the UK - and 12 people have been infected The Daily Mail
• Antibiotic resistant E.coli is circulating in Britain, warn public health officials The Daily Telegraph
• 'Almost too late': fears of global superbug crisis in wake of antibiotic misuse The Guardian

Does going into hospital make you sick?

Does going into hospital make you sick? Is hospital so unpleasant it makes you ill? BBC News

NHS mandated to provide weekend routine GP appointments for all by 2020

NHS mandated to provide weekend routine GP appointments for all by 2020 The government has mandated NHS England to provide weekend routine GP access for every patient in England by 2020 and for a fifth of the population by 2017. GP Online

NHS trusts make as much as £3m a year in car park fees

NHS trusts make as much as £3m a year in car park fees Hospital bodies accused of levying a ‘tax on sick people’ after Press Association investigation reveals earnings.

NHS hospital trusts have been accused of levying a “tax on sick people” after an investigation revealed that some are making more than £3m a year from car park fees.

Year on year, hospitals across England are raising increasing amounts of money from staff, patients and visitors, including those who are disabled, the Freedom of Information study by the Press Association found. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Some NHS trusts make £3m from parking BBC News
• Scandal of the hospitals raking in £3m a year in parking charges - and most of it goes to private firms rather than the NHS The Daily Mail
• NHS hospital trusts accused of 'taxing the sick' through car parking fees The Independent

Three in four people in A&E at weekend are there because of alcohol

Three in four people in A&E at weekend are there because of alcohol 70 per cent of people are admitted to emergency units at the weekend as a result of drinking. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• A&E admissions due to alcohol 'up 50%' BBC News
• Teenage girls worse binge drinkers than men, as hospital admissions for alcohol poisoning soar The Daily Telegraph
• Emergency hospital admissions due to alcohol up 50% in nine years The Guardian

KGH fall below national A&E waiting time average

KGH fall below national A&E waiting time average Kettering General Hospital falls below the national average when it comes to A&E waiting times, according to the latest national statistics. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Reform of support for healthcare students in England

Reform of support for healthcare students in England This note explains the proposed changes to funding for students on NHS funded courses in England, that lead to professional registration as nurses, midwives, or other allied health professionals as announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. From September 2017 NHS bursaries which provide tuition fee funding, grants and living cost support, will be replaced by funding through the standard student support package of loans. The paper provides background to the proposals, data on nursing and midwifery students and gives reaction to the proposals. House of Commons Library

Efficiency, equity and equality in health and health care

Efficiency, equity and equality in health and health care Three common “Es” have high ethical and political content for health policy: efficiency, equity and equality. This paper examines the links between the three, with especial attention given to (a) the claimed conflict between efficiency and equity, (b) the equity of inequalities and (c) the conflict between six equity principles: equal health, equal health gain, equal value of additional health, maintaining existing distributions, allocation according to need and equal per capita resources. Centre for Health Economics

Cost-effectiveness thresholds in health care: a bookshelf guide to their meaning and use

Cost-effectiveness thresholds in health care: a bookshelf guide to their meaning and use This paper explains the essential meaning of a cost-effectiveness threshold, using the simple metaphor of a bookshelf. Implications of its use, misuse and non-use are explored. These matters are discussed in the context of decisions by governments and agencies concerning the inclusion or exclusion of healthcare technologies in public programmes. Centre for Health Economics

Failure to fortify flour with folic acid 'led to 2,000 birth defects'

Failure to fortify flour with folic acid 'led to 2,000 birth defects' "UK experts are backing the call for flour to be fortified with folic acid – a move which they say would have prevented about 2,000 cases of serious birth defects since 1998," BBC News reports.

Folic acid supplementation around the time of conception and early pregnancy is known to help the formation of a baby's brain and spinal cord. It also reduces the risk of a baby being born with neural tube defects, the most common being spina bifida.

The compulsory fortification of flour with folic acid was introduced in the US and 77 other countries in 1998. The UK chose not introduce the policy, opting to advise women to take supplements instead.

Researchers looked at health records to see how many cases of neural tube defect there have been in the UK over the past 15 to 20 years, and estimated how many there might have been had flour fortification been introduced.

Their results suggest there would have been around 21% fewer babies born with neural tube defects since 1998 – around 2,000 babies.

Current UK recommendations are that women who are pregnant, thinking of trying to have a baby or likely to become pregnant should take a 0.4mg (400 micrograms) folic acid supplement until the twelfth week of pregnancy.

This reliable and informative research has added to the weight of evidence to bring about a change in policy. NHS Choices

Hospitals fail to hit nurse targets

Hospitals fail to hit nurse targets The vast majority of hospitals in England are struggling to recruit enough nurses, figures show. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: Hospitals missing nurse number targets BBC News
• A&E matron: It's like a complex chess game BBC News
• Speech: Creating a modern nursing workforce Department of Health

Free wi-fi 'in all NHS buildings'

Free wi-fi 'in all NHS buildings' Free wi-fi is to be provided in all NHS buildings in a bid to improve services and reduce costs, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says. BBC News

See also:

• Every NHS building to get free Wi-Fi The Guardian

A&Es 'not equipped to cope with winter'

A&Es 'not equipped to cope with winter' A&E units across the UK are not equipped to cope with the rising demands being seen this winter, emergency care doctors say. BBC News

Funding for community pharmacy services to be cut by £170 million

Funding for community pharmacy services to be cut by £170 million Efficiencies won’t have any impact on quality of care or access, argues government. OnMedica

NHS bosses order 'review' by the same people who had proposed shutting units

NHS bosses order 'review' by the same people who had proposed shutting units The ‘independent’ review, commissioned by NHS England, found that soaring waits for A&E treatment in North-West London were ‘unrelated to the closures’ of two casualty units in 2014. The Daily Mail

Revealed: NHS hospitals investigate one in seven deaths of vulnerable patients

Revealed: NHS hospitals investigate one in seven deaths of vulnerable patients Jeremy Hunt urged to investigate after trusts examine just 209 of 1,436 deaths of inpatients with learning disabilities.

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is facing calls for a nationwide inquiry into the deaths of highly vulnerable patients in NHS care after it emerged that just one in seven such fatalities in hospitals in England have been investigated.

Data released to the Guardian under freedom of information laws show that hospitals in England have investigated just 209 out of 1,436 deaths of inpatients with learning disabilities since 2011. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• NHS fails to investigate 85% of deaths of hospital patients with learning disabilities The Daily Mail
• "No one should have to wait four years for an explanation"  The Guardian
• NHS fails to investigate 85% of deaths of hospital patients with learning disabilities The Independent

They asked for our opinion on the NHS. And then they didn’t listen | Ann Robinson

They asked for our opinion on the NHS. And then they didn’t listen | Ann Robinson The Department of Health held a public consultation on the health service, and the response crashed the site. But despite polite assurances, there is no real shift on key concerns.

The government has published its NHS mandate with the accompanying consultation response. You may remember this consultation process. It was the invitation to participate that got lost in the post.

Campaigning groups 38 degrees and OurNHS highlighted the fact that the deadline for the public to comment on the proposed mandate was fast approaching but no one seemed to know about it. Then, I wrote a piece for the Guardian and you shared, commented and crashed theDepartment of Health (DH) website. There had been 900 responses before the piece, and by the close of play four days later the figure had reached nearly 130,000. Continue reading... The Guardian

Our hospitals are turning into care homes and it's testing the NHS to destruction

Our hospitals are turning into care homes and it's testing the NHS to destruction The NHS faces its worst winter yet, and part of the problem lies in record levels of 'bed blocking' by patients who have nowhere else to go. The Daily Telegraph

Pensioners to be charged £26 'lifting fee' for falling over at home

Pensioners to be charged £26 'lifting fee' for falling over at home A local council is considering introducing the additional fee to its £260-a-year Careline service. The Daily Telegraph

Ambulance service expecting call every 35 seconds tonight as Christmas paries peak in Northamptonshire

Ambulance service expecting call every 35 seconds tonight as Christmas parties peak in Northamptonshire East Midlands Ambulance Service is urging people to think carefully about their alcohol consumption as the service expects its busiest night this year. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Nursing associate role offers new route into nursing

Nursing associate role offers new route into nursing Health Minister Ben Gummer announced a plan to create a new nursing support role.

Provisionally called nursing associates, they will work alongside healthcare support workers and fully qualified nurses focusing on patient care.

Guidance: NHS mandate 2016 to 2017

Guidance: NHS mandate 2016 to 2017 The mandate helps set direction for the NHS and helps ensure the NHS is accountable to Parliament and the public. The mandate must be published each year, to ensure that NHS England’s objectives remain up to date. This mandate was produced following public consultation.

By setting a multi-year mandate with a multi-year budget the government is enabling the NHS to plan more effectively to deliver our long-term aim to achieve the transformation set out in the NHS’s Five Year Forward View and create a fully 7-day NHS.

This mandate reaffirms the government’s commitment to an NHS that remains available to all, based on clinical need and not ability to pay, and that is able to meet patients’ needs and expectations now and in the future. Department of Health

New guidance on disability discrimination

New guidance on disability discrimination New guidance on disability discrimination has been published by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). NHS Employers

Health Survey for England, 2014

Health Survey for England, 2014 The Health Survey for England series was designed to monitor trends in the nation’s health, to estimate the proportion of people in England who have specified health conditions, and to estimate the prevalence of risk factors associated with these conditions. Health and Social Care Information Centre

NHS death investigations to be reviewed

NHS death investigations to be reviewed A review into the way deaths are investigated throughout the NHS has been announced by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. BBC News

See also:

• News story: NHS Improvement response to the report into Southern Health Monitor
• NHS England publishes report into Southern Health NHS England
• 'Southern Health wouldn't tell me how my son died' BBC News
• ‘A failure of leadership’: official report’s verdict on NHS trust’s scrutiny of deaths Community Care
• Jeremy Hunt criticises NHS trust over response to unexpected deaths The Guardian

GP funding to rise 25% over five years, says NHS England

GP funding to rise 25% over five years, says NHS England GP funding will rise 25% by 2020/21 according to NHS England, but demands for the profession to receive a significantly increased share of overall NHS funding look to have been snubbed. GP Online

Prisoners' use of legal highs 'puts severe strain on ambulance services'

Prisoners' use of legal highs 'puts severe strain on ambulance services' Major study finds increasing use of synthetic cannabis substitutes in prisons is depleting community resources

Local ambulance services in some parts of the country are being put under severe strain because of the rising number of prisoners needing emergency medical help after using legal highs, a watchdog has revealed.

A major study by the chief inspector of prisons says the use of “new psychoactive substances”, such as the synthetic cannabis substitutes spice and black mamba, now represent the most serious threat to the safety and security of prisons across England and Wales. Continue reading... The Guardian

For trans people, NHS delays are all too often a matter of life and death | Jane Fae

For trans people, NHS delays are all too often a matter of life and death | Jane Fae It’s good the media has finally picked up on the scarcity of NHS gender identity clinics. But for some, the wait to transition has proved too long

One cheer for the press; one cheer for the media reporting this weekend on the parlous state of trans healthcare in the UK today.

One cheer – no more. For the story is already old, dangerously old. And in its telling the press has fallen, line and sinker, for the official misdirection that seems now de rigueur for any story that touches on trans issues. Continue reading... The Guardian

British nurse stunned by £5,000 NHS bill

British nurse stunned by £5,000 NHS bill Ex-pat who returned for sister's funeral charged by hospital where she worked for 50 years. The Daily Telegraph

Family doctors attack NHS chief inspector for criticising the profession

Family doctors attack NHS chief inspector for criticising the profession Chief inspector of GPs under pressure to resign after being told that he has 'lost the confidence of the profession'. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• CQC Chief Inspector Steve Field has ‘lost confidence of GPs’ and is ‘no longer viewed as fair and impartial’ Royal College of General Practitioners
• GPs demand that NHS chief inspector Steve Field resign after criticising failing surgeries The Daily Mail
• CQC chief inspector Steve Field has 'lost confidence' of GPs and must apologise, says RCGP GP Online
• BMA demands resignation of CQC chief inspector Steve Field GP Online

Mix meditation, yoga and NHS services and get … wellbeing

Mix meditation, yoga and NHS services and get … wellbeing The NHS, local council and university in Northamptonshire have come together to launch a pioneering new company that will prioritise preventive healthcare services

“How many people join a gym in the new year and don’t use it? What if that money went into public health rather than a private company?” These are the questions Akeen Ali, public health physician and strategist at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is asking himself.

Not that Ali doesn’t want people to join a gym and use it. He is part of the core team launching Northamptonshire’s Wellbeing Company, a new community interest company (CIC) created by the trust, Northamptonshire county council and Northamptonshire University. Continue reading... The Guardian

GPs shunning Northamptonshire because they do not want to live in the county, NHS says

GPs shunning Northamptonshire because they do not want to live in the county, NHS says GP numbers are falling in Northamptonshire partly because people do not want to live in the county, the NHS has said. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Discrimination and NHS staff: stepping bravely into the grey

Discrimination and NHS staff: stepping bravely into the grey Sadly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, as our recent report for NHS England discusses, a significant number of NHS staff still experience discrimination as a result of being gay, or Muslim, or disabled, or black African.

Our report is based on data in the 2014 NHS Staff Survey. Data is, of course, important, in highlighting the issues but only tells part of the story. For me, what is missing is the conversation, the human part of the story: the real-life experience of the hospital porter, the nurse, the doctor, the patient or carer who is experiencing discrimination. The King's Fund

See also:

• Making the difference: diversity and inclusion in the NHS The King's Fund

Personal budgets as an integral form of NHS care: a discussion paper

Personal budgets as an integral form of NHS care: a discussion paper This paper argues that the use of personal budgets in health care supports the values of the NHS. It asserts that personal budgets in health offer a more targeted form of support that is available free at the point of use, according to need, and via public funds. The paper consolidates the view the idea that personal budgets can be implemented in a way that promotes community ties, rather than individualism and privatisation of health and social care and that they have the potential to improve experience and outcomes for individuals, promoting equity of access to support that can change lives. National Voices

Hospital staffing 'affects death rates'

Hospital staffing 'affects death rates' Fewer patients die after emergency surgery in hospitals that have more doctors and nurses, a study suggests. BBC News

See also:

• Mortality of emergency general surgical patients and associations with hospital structures and processes British Journal of Anaesthesia (Open Athens password required) 
• Shortage of NHS nurses 'kills hundreds of patients after emergency surgery' The Daily Mail

Stafford trust fined over patient deaths

Stafford trust fined over patient deaths The NHS trust that ran Stafford Hospital is fined £500,000 for "basic" blunders linked to the deaths of four patients, a court hears. BBC News

See also:

• Mid Staffs scandal: NHS trust fined £500,000 for 'basic' blunders The Guardian

GPs could face 'collapse' as social care cuts drive up workload

GPs could face 'collapse' as social care cuts drive up workload General practice could face a 'sudden and cataclysmic collapse' as cuts to social care funding increase pressure on primary care, according to one of London's top GPs. GP Online

Hospitals to receive £1.8bn bailout to tackle soaring deficits

Hospitals to receive £1.8bn bailout to tackle soaring deficits New money makes up just under half the £3.8bn NHS funding increase pledged by the Government for next year. The Independent

See also:

• News story: Hospitals get £1.8 billion for sustainability and transformation Department of Health

Families doubt plans to close NHS long-stay units will improve care

Families doubt plans to close NHS long-stay units will improve care People with learning disabilities need to be able to challenge inpatient admissions and discrimination, say campaigners.

It is a year since Claire Dyer’s family successfully campaigned for her release from a medium secure hospital unit in Brighton, a 500 mile, 10-hour round trip from her Swansea home. After a 96,000-signature petition, the local health board reversed its decision and the autistic 21-year-old was granted bespoke, home-based support.

Commissioners need to meet people and their families and the result will be better understanding of people's needs. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• ‘We must stop learning disabled people being dumped in waste bins of life’ The Guardian

What chance do care leavers stand, with support services being shredded?| Lola Okolosie

What chance do care leavers stand, with support services being shredded?| Lola Okolosie The cuts to mental health services for children leaving care is immoral and economically short sighted. This week’s parliamentary inquiry must realise this.

Imagine this: as a baby your cries were regularly ignored and you entered the world addicted to drugs. Or this: as a toddler you spent lots of time crouched in a corner avoiding the blows directed at your mother.

Imagine that you were hardly ever washed, and your home was filthy. You never knew when you would be fed and your primary carer was your older sister, herself only seven. That was your day-to-day reality until you were taken into care.

It's simple: investing in mental health services for children in care will save society money further down the line Continue reading... The Guardian

Only a Royal Commission will get us talking sensibly about the NHS

Only a Royal Commission will get us talking sensibly about the NHS The public view is shifting, but politicians are afraid to think big on financing the health service. The Daily Telegraph

Thousands of pensioners in Northants risking health by shunning flu jab

Thousands of pensioners in Northants risking health by shunning flu jab New figures have revealed that over 45,000 pensioners in Northamptonshire have still not had the flu jab.

Latest figures for the NHS Nene Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area show that just 57 per cent of patients over 65 and 32 per cent of the eligible people under 65 have had the flu vaccine.

The uptake is also low among pregnant women with just 31 per cent protecting themselves and their babies against the potentially devastating effects of flu.

As a result, health leaders at NHS Nene CCG are now reminding all those 'at risk' to get the flu vaccine. Northampton Herald and Post

Sustainability and financial performance of acute hospital trusts

Sustainability and financial performance of acute hospital trusts The financial performance of acute hospital trusts has significantly declined in the last year and their financial position looks set to worsen in 2015-16.

The deterioration in the financial position of NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts has been severe and worse than expected, with their £843 million deficit in 2014-15 representing a sharp decline from the £91 million deficit reported in 2013-14.

Overall, the financial position of NHS bodies worsened in 2014-15, as NHS commissioners, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts together moved from a surplus of £722 million in 2013-14, to a deficit of £471 million, according to the National Audit Office

See also:

• Sustainability and financial performance of acute hospital trusts (report) National Audit Office
• Financial problems 'endemic' in NHS BBC News
• NHS trusts expect to overspend by £2.2bn, warns official report The Guardian

Finance from the front

Finance from the front The NHS Confederation surveyed doctors, nurses and allied health professionals on the front line to find out what they knew about prices and costs in the NHS.

New guidelines to improve care for people at the end of life

New guidelines to improve care for people at the end of life The first guidelines for the NHS on improving care for people who are in their last days of life have been launched by NICE

See also:

• Care of dying adults in the last days of life (guideline NG31) NICE
• Dying guidelines 'overhauled' BBC News
• VIDEO: NICE: Dying patients not a 'tick box' BBC News
• 'Arrogance' of doctors STILL using banned Liverpool Care Pathway The Daily Mail
• Doctors should not make snap decisions on end-of-life care, says health watchdog The Guardian
• Dying patients should be offered water in their final hours, say new guidelines The Independent

Dementia in the family: the impact on carers

Dementia in the family: the impact on carers This report highlights the the realities of daily life for carers who are looking after their loved ones and reveal how dementia changes family relationships, leaving people feeling socially isolated, and affects both the health and finances of family carers. The findings underline the importance of research to provide new treatments capable of reducing care needs for people with the condition. Alzheimer's Research UK

Learning Disability Census 2015: almost half of inpatients with learning disabilities common to each census since 2013

Learning Disability Census 2015: almost half of inpatients with learning disabilities common to each census since 2013 Almost half of inpatients (1,450 or 48 per cent) with learning disabilities in specialist inpatient units on 30 September 2015 were also receiving inpatient care at the time of previous census collections dating back to 2013. This finding comes from the third annual Learning Disability Census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Exclusive: Rationing of services and treatments on rise, GPs warn

Exclusive: Rationing of services and treatments on rise, GPs warn Six in 10 GPs say that rationing of NHS treatments and services has worsened in their area over the past year, with up to half denied direct access to key cancer diagnostic tests, a GP Online poll suggests.

First CCG is placed in special measures

First CCG is placed in special measures NHS England has confirmed that it has placed NHS Shropshire CCG into the “special measures regime”, for the first time for any CCG. OnMedica

NHS devolution: London councils to be given extensive new healthcare powers

NHS devolution: London councils to be given extensive new healthcare powers Jeremy Hunt says five London pilots will be 'trailblazers' for Government's ambition to 'integrate' NHS services. The Independent

See also:

• News story: London deal paves way to transform health care across the capital Department of Health
• Policy paper: London health devolution agreement Department of Health

Cancer drug Nivolumab will not be available in England and Wales

Cancer drug Nivolumab will not be available in England and Wales The drug nivolumab, which is twice as effective as chemotherapy and carriers far fewer side effects has been greeted with wonder but officials warn it is too expensive for the NHS. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NICE rejects breast cancer drug Kadcyla BBC News

Call to review baby death rates at more than 20 NHS trusts and boards

Call to review baby death rates at more than 20 NHS trusts and boards Inquiry urges those with higher than average stillbirth and newborn death rates to examine their maternity care to see if mistakes were made

More than 20 NHS trusts and health boards in the UK should investigate why they have a higher stillbirth and newborn baby death rate than their peers, an inquiry has recommended.

The trusts and boards should review their maternity care to find out whether mistakes were made or if there were other reasons for a death rate that was more than 10% higher than average, said a national team of experts from MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk Through Audits and Confidential Enquiries Across the UK), led by the University of Leicester. Continue reading... The Guardian

For us student nurses, bursaries are a lifeline. We will fight against their cuts | Danielle Tiplady and Charlotte Humm

For us student nurses, bursaries are a lifeline. We will fight against their cuts | Danielle Tiplady and Charlotte Humm How does the government expect to recruit more nurses if they must take out loans to pay fees? And with wards full to bursting, how would they be trained?

Proposed changes to NHS student funding will mean students could be burdened with up to £65,000 of debt. Under the present system, a bursary allows those without financial means to go on to study and thrive as nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. Education should be free for all, with grants to cover the cost of living. The proposed removal of NHS student grants in healthcare marks the death of state support for further education students.

Many already struggle to make ends meet, with the rising cost of living and a challenging, intensive course. If you try to have a part-time job – alongside at least 37.5 hours per week in placement or university, plus extra learning hours on assignments, exams or observed practicals – there are simply not enough hours in the day.

The present state of the NHS for newly qualified nurses is abysmal Continue reading... The Guardian

University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital join forces to improve health

University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital join forces to improve health Closer links between the University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust will pave the way for academic research to be put into practice and open up new opportunities for research projects to improve health and wellbeing. Northampton Herald and Post

See also:

• Research agreement announced between hospital and university Northampton General Hospital

Behavioural insights in health care: Nudging to reduce inefficiency and waste

Behavioural insights in health care: Nudging to reduce inefficiency and waste Health care spending is rising and the NHS faces a funding gap of up to £30bn in the period to 2020. Therefore, making health care more sustainable by reducing inefficiency and waste is critical. Individual behaviour lies at the heart of this issue. Health care consumers’ behaviours are major determinants of their health, while health care providers’ behaviours are major determinants of whether the best and most appropriate care is delivered. However, the behaviours of both can be inconsistent with their intentions, leading to outcomes that could be improved.

It has been suggested that nudges – approaches that steer people in certain directions while maintaining their freedom of choice – might offer an effective way to change behaviour and improve outcomes at lower cost than traditional policy tools. The Health Foundation

Medics sentenced for boy's death

Medics sentenced for boy's death A doctor and nurse who "seriously neglected" a six-year-old boy who died in hospital are given suspended sentences for his manslaughter. BBC News

NHS integration: Can accountable care organisations deliver a truly GP-led NHS?

NHS integration: Can accountable care organisations deliver a truly GP-led NHS? East London GP and healthcare professor Dr Martin Marshall says GPs should not reject out of hand the latest fad among policy wonks: accountable care organisations. Set up correctly, he argues, they might be able to deliver on promises of a GP-led health service. GP Onlinr

Shortfall in health visitors and school nurses threatens babies’ life chances

Shortfall in health visitors and school nurses threatens babies’ life chances A possible decline in health visitor numbers and a massive shortfall in school nurses could jeopardise the life chances of the estimated 200,000 babies living in ‘complex’ family situations, Unite, the country’s largest union, has warned. OnMedica

See also:

• Health visitors’ jobs fear as report highlights threat to babies’ life chances Unite

Reckitt Benckiser: Nurofen manufacturer under investigation by UK watchdog for selling 'misleading' painkillers

Reckitt Benckiser: Nurofen manufacturer under investigation by UK watchdog for selling 'misleading' painkillers Exclusive: Versions supposedly targeting different parts of the body were in fact identical. The Independent

See also:

• How to pick the best painkiller BBC News
• Nurofen tablets taken off shelves in Australia still sold in the UK The Daily Mail
• Painkiller rip-off: Pills for migraine, period pain, backache 'are identical' The Independent

Nurses jailed for falsifying stroke patients' records

Nurses jailed for falsifying stroke patients' records Rebecca Jones and Lauro Bertulano jailed for ‘playing with people’s lives’ by making up blood test results at Princess of Wales hospital, Bridgend

Two nurses have been jailed for “playing with people’s lives” by falsifying vulnerable stroke patients’ vital medical tests.

Jailing Rebecca Jones, 31, and Lauro Bertulano, 46, the judge Tom Crowther QC said the pair had betrayed patients and their families. “This was not a failure to do your job, but a failure of compassion and humanity,” he said. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Nurses jailed over faked results BBC News

My time as a junior doctor was hell, but it led me to the most rewarding job

My time as a junior doctor was hell, but it led me to the most rewarding job I was controlled, belittled and threatened. Now I’m a consultant my abuser has less power over me

During their training, junior doctors become familiar with the retrospectoscope. This valuable instrument allows the medical practitioner to look back on and reconsider the diagnoses they missed or the medical errors they made. With the retrospectoscope, the lung tumour is blindingly obvious on the chest x-ray.

I have spent the last few months watching the battle between the junior doctors and the government play on while considering whether I support their defiance. I have put my retrospectoscope to good use, to revisit my 18 years of training and shed light on their plight. Continue reading... The Guardian

Building the House of Care

Building the House of Care This paper explores how the House of Care, a coordinated approach to personalised care and support planning, can transform the health and care of people with long-term conditions (LTCs). It contains case studies of evolving practice in Leeds and Somerset and seeks to understand how two whole health economies - individuals, communities, health and social care services and others - are working to manage the rise in the number of people with multiple LTCs and enhance their care experiences. The paper is intended for CCGs, public health teams, other front-line providers and national bodies. The Health Foundation

See also:

• Person-centred care around the world The Health Foundation

Policy paper: Deprivation of liberty standards (DoLS): consultation response

Policy paper: Deprivation of liberty standards (DoLS): consultation response The Department of Health has published its response to the Law Commission’s consultation on how the law should regulate deprivations of liberty (DoLS) for people who lack capacity to consent to their care and treatment arrangements.

The consultation proposes that DoLS should be replaced by a new system called ‘protective care’. It also proposes that there should be a new code of practice.

The Law Commission will publish its final recommendations by the end of 2016.

New guidance on managing sharps injuries released

New guidance on managing sharps injuries released Read HSWPGs new guidance on managing sharps injuries, written in partnership with staff side and employers. NHS Employers

NHS partners Tinder on transplants

NHS partners Tinder on transplants The UK's health service is working with Tinder to persuade more young people to donate organs after death. BBC News

Rise in newborns 'taken into care'

Rise in newborns 'taken into care' There has been a "huge increase" in the number of newborn babies who are subject to care proceedings in England, newly-compiled figures show. BBC News

Future for adult social care 'bleak'

Future for adult social care 'bleak' The future for adult social care services in England "looks bleak", the International Longevity Centre warns, despite government attempts to protect budgets. BBC News

See also:

• The End of Formal Adult Social Care? International Longevity Centre UK

GPs slash prescribing of 'last line' antibiotics as use in hospitals soars

GPs slash prescribing of 'last line' antibiotics as use in hospitals soars GPs' efforts to preserve 'last line' antibiotics have seen prescriptions in general practice drop by 8.5% over the past five years, Public Health England (PHE) figures show. GP Online

Patients 'waiting three years for gender identity clinic consultations'

Patients 'waiting three years for gender identity clinic consultations' Portrayal of transgender people in mainstream media triggered a surge in demand, experts say. The Independent

Hospitals run out of beds as NHS strained by norovirus

Hospitals run out of beds as NHS strained by norovirus Health service figures show several casualty units were shut around the country and no spaces free even before onset of full winter conditions.

Hospitals have run out of beds, had to temporarily close their A&E unit and been battling outbreaks of norovirus this month, even though winter has not yet brought its usual major problems for the NHS, such as flu and bad weather.

Official figures released on Friday by NHS England, for hospital performance in the first week of December, show many are already struggling to cope with the extra pressures, even before the heaviest strain of norovirus, which usually arrives in January. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The NHS in winter - an alphabet soup of stats BBC News
• NHS winter crisis underway as figures show hospital trusts running out of beds The Independent

Stafford Hospital investigation calls for new inquest into death of three-year-old boy

Stafford Hospital investigation calls for new inquest into death of three-year-old boy Independent report into death of Jonnie Meek attacks NHS's 'closed culture' after claims hospital tried to cover up failings by forging staff statements. The Daily Telegraph

Apology after woman left waiting for ambulance two hours following street fall in Kettering

Apology after woman left waiting for ambulance two hours following street fall in Kettering East Midlands Ambulance Service has apologised after a woman had to wait two hours for an ambulance after suffering a nasty fall in Kettering. Northamptonshire Telegraph

A practical guide to self-management support

A practical guide to self-management support This new practical guide provides useful ideas for what practitioners and commissioners should consider when starting to support patients to self-manage their care. The Health Foundation

Guidance: Sexual and reproductive health and HIV: strategic action plan

Guidance: Sexual and reproductive health and HIV: strategic action plan This strategic action plan sets out Public Health England’s approach to improving the public’s sexual and reproductive health and reversing the HIV epidemic. It identifies the key areas for PHE action, and describes how PHE can work with partners at a national and regional level to improve health and reduce inequalities.

The strategic action plan focusses on four key areas for action, to reduce:

• incidence of HIV
• rates of sexually transmitted infections
• unplanned pregnancies
• rates of under 16 and under 18 conceptions

Independent report: Chief Medical Officer annual report 2014: women’s health

Independent report: Chief Medical Officer annual report 2014: women’s health The report examines women’s health in England and makes a range of recommendations to improve it. It identifies several missed opportunities for intervention in women’s health, and brings attention to ‘embarrassment’ as a needless barrier to health.

The main themes include:

• obesity and its impact on women’s health, including reproductive health
• women’s health in later life (menopause)
• women’s health in later life (pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence)

The report has been developed with the help of expert academic and clinician input and recommends that obesity be included in the government’s national risk planning.

Professor Dame Sally Davies’s report is independent of government and is aimed at government, regulators, policy makers and healthcare professionals. Each recommendation is targeted at specific organisations. Department of Health

See also:

• Obesity 'women's biggest health threat' BBC News

Conversations, communication and co-design: engaging local people in information sharing to support health and social care integration

Conversations, communication and co-design: engaging local people in information sharing to support health and social care integration This report compares the approach from Leeds, North West London, Southend and Warrington with regards to engaging local people in information sharing to support health and social care integration. It considers how local people become engaged, how were partners and local people involved in the design of communications, how to raise awareness and manage expectations and also conclusions and recommendations for the future. Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing

NHS failure to probe deaths 'shocking'

NHS failure to probe deaths 'shocking' The government is "profoundly shocked" by the findings of a report which said the NHS failed to investigate the unexpected deaths of more than 1,000 people, Jeremy Hunt says. BBC News

MailOnline readers share pictures of the WORST hospital food served in the UK

MailOnline readers share pictures of the WORST hospital food served in the UK From cold potatoes to meals so tiny that they wouldn't feed a child being offered to heavily pregnant women, people from all over the country have shared pictures of the horrendous meals. The Daily Mail

Creating an effective healthcare workforce in six steps

Creating an effective healthcare workforce in six steps Six Steps Methodology aims to support organisations looking to better meet the needs of their local population

Skills for Health has released a free guide detailing its proven Six Steps Methodology for workforce planning, to help ensure health organisations have the right number of staff with the right skills to deliver cost effective, high quality patient care.

The guide aims to support organisations looking to make improvements as outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View to better meet the needs of their local population, by providing practical information about sustainable and evidence based workforce planning. Continue reading... The Guardian

Record numbers of 'fit' patients stuck in hospital spark fears for NHS winter crisis

Record numbers of 'fit' patients stuck in hospital spark fears for NHS winter crisis Cuts to local social care blamed for lack of patient support as NHS England figures show targets for cancer treatment and ambulance response times missed

Record numbers of patients are getting stuck in hospital in England despite being fit to leave, raising new fears that the NHS will struggle to cope with this year’s winter pressures and could run out of beds.

In all, 160,094 bed days were taken up in hospitals in England during October by patients who were unable to be discharged safely, mainly because local social care was unavailable to support them. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• VIDEO: Why hospitals are under so much pressure BBC News
• VIDEO: 'More beds needed to ease pressure on hospitals' BBC News
• NHS winter crisis deepens: A&E targets missed as 'frail and elderly' are blamed for bedblocking levels reaching record highs The Daily Mail
• NHS faces a double crisis this winter as financial day of reckoning nears The Guardian
• NHS bed-blocking reaches highest ever level as key targets missed The Independent

Patients at risk because of shortage of inspectors, MPs warn

Patients at risk because of shortage of inspectors, MPs warn The Public Accounts Committee raises concerns that the Care Quality Commission has just two thirds of the inspectors it needs. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Health regulator not effective, say MPs BBC News
• CQC 'not yet an effective regulator', MPs warn GP Online
• Care Quality Commission 'displays alarming lack of attention to detail' The Independent

Anti-vaccination school hit by chickenpox epidemic

Anti-vaccination school hit by chickenpox epidemic At least 25 per cent of pupils have been hit by the illness in the past fortnight. The Daily Telegraph

NHS will struggle to cope this winter, new analysis finds

NHS will struggle to cope this winter, new analysis finds Just 3.6 per cent of patients took up over a third of all bed capacity in acute hospitals in England last year, new analysis by the Nuffield Trust of pressures on the NHS last winter has found.

See also:

• The A&E winter crisis: lessons from last year Nuffield Trust
• Warning of NHS winter beds 'struggle' BBC News
• Winter pressures: A detailed look at how the NHS coping BBC News
• Winter in the NHS: The lost beds problem BBC News

Guidance: Health matters: antimicrobial resistance

Guidance: Health matters: antimicrobial resistance This document provides information on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), sets out effective methods to avoid unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics and provides advice for healthcare professionals.

Download the infographics, references and a shorter version of this publication. Public Health England

Policy paper: NHS bursary reform

Policy paper: NHS bursary reform From 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and allied health students will no longer receive NHS bursaries. Instead, they will have access to the same student loans system as other students. This guidance explains the reforms. Department of Health

NHS 'failed to investigate deaths'

NHS 'failed to investigate deaths' The NHS has failed to investigate the unexpected deaths of more than 1,000 people since 2011, according to a report obtained by BBC News.

See also:

• NHS trust investigated ‘too few’ deaths of mental health and learning disability patients Community Care
• NHS mental health trust 'is slammed by an official report for failing to investigate more than 1,000 patient deaths' The Daily Mail
• NHS 'failed to investigate 1000 deaths' The Daily Telegraph
• NHS trust 'failed to properly investigate deaths of more than 1,000 patients' The Guardian
• NHS trust 'failed to investigate 1,000 unexpected deaths', report finds The Independent

Half of GPs willing to resign NHS contracts

Half of GPs willing to resign NHS contracts Almost half of GPs support mass resignation from the NHS in protest at the current state of general practice, a Pulse survey has revealed.

The survey of 922 GPs found that 49% are willing to resign their NHS contracts to highlight issues such as chronic underfunding, relentless bureaucracy and the ‘misrepresentation’ of doctors.

However, 35% of respondents said they were against the measure, saying that mass resignation could enable the Government to divide the profession and privatise the NHS.

See also:

• Half of GPs are prepared to join mass resignation over the state of the NHS The Daily Mail

Revalidation on track to cover almost all doctors

Revalidation on track to cover almost all doctors Programme’s high uptake linked to improved rates of appraisal and high patient involvement. OnMedica

One in four new doctors 'have signs of depression', study shows - and their patients may be suffering because of it

One in four new doctors 'have signs of depression', study shows - and their patients may be suffering because of it Researchers say the gruelling years of training for a medical career may be partly to blame. The Independent

See also:

• Prevalence of Depression and Depressive Symptoms Among Resident PhysiciansA Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (abstract) JAMA

NHS bosses claim revelations don't justify cost of FOI investigations

NHS bosses claim revelations don't justify cost of FOI investigations The Health Service swallows more than £2 billion of taxpayers’ money every week and is one of the biggest employers in the world, with 1.3 million staff. But the bureaucrats in charge of NHS England claim answering Freedom of Information requests is putting too great a burden on them. The Daily Mail

The NHS is failing people with mental health and substance use problems

The NHS is failing people with mental health and substance use problems After 15 years of initiatives, staff still lack compassion and many of the national programmes have disappeared.

People who have mental health along with substance use problems (known as dual diagnosis) have multiple needs, and yet struggle to find services to help them.

Those with complex needs have often experienced a great deal of adversity in their lives, including childhood abuse and deprivation, loss of close family, and poverty. As an adult, having multiple needs brings consequences such as homelessness, unemployment and exploitation, and there is a high risk of poor physical health, suicide, self-harm and of perpetrating violence. Those with dual diagnosis are also unpopular, partly because of society’s entrenched attitudes to substance use problems, which are perceived as a lifestyle choice rather than a health condition deserving of care and treatment. Continue reading... The Guardian

Britain should lead way on genetically engineered babies, says Chief Scientific Adviser

Britain should lead way on genetically engineered babies, says Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Mark Walport, who advises the government on scientific matters, said it could be acceptable to genetically edit human embryos. The Daily Telegraph