Southern Health NHS Trust admits guilt over Connor Sparrowhawk's death

Southern Health NHS Trust admits guilt over Connor Sparrowhawk's death An NHS trust has admitted guilt over the death of a teenaged patient who drowned in the bath while in its care.

Southern Health Trust pleaded guilty at Banbury Magistrates' Court earlier to breaching health and safety law in the case of Connor Sparrowhawk, 18, who died at Slade House in Oxford in 2013.

His death led to the discovery the trust only properly investigated 272 unexplained deaths of 722 in its care.

Sentencing is due to take place on 12 October at Oxford Crown Court.

The trust was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following its investigation into the death of a patient under its care. BBC News

Record numbers of joint replacements carried out

Record numbers of joint replacements carried out A record number of joint replacement procedures have been carried out, new figures show.

In its report, published today, the orthopaedic joint replacement register for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man highlights a record number of procedures were carried out in the financial year 2016/17, with just fewer than 243,000 cases submitted to the National Joint Registry (NJR). This sees a significant increase of more than 20,000 joint replacement operations recorded in the registry on the previous period.

Today's National Joint Registry 14th Annual Report presents outcome data in relation to hip, knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle replacements. OnMedica

NHS spends £80m on private ambulances a year, data shows

NHS spends £80m on private ambulances a year, data shows Staff shortages and rising demand have forced NHS trusts to hire non-NHS ambulances, leading to fears of lower care standards

The NHS is spending almost £80m a year hiring private ambulances to answer 999 calls and take patients to hospital for appointments, new figures show.

Widespread shortages of paramedics and rising demand forced England’s 10 NHS ambulance trusts to spend £78.4m in 2016-17 on help from non-NHS providers to supplement their own services. That was down on the £79.7m trusts spent in 2015-16, but 22% more than their £64.2m outlay in 2014-15, according to data obtained by the Press Association under freedom of information laws. Continue reading... The Guardian

The NHS should see care homes as partners, not problems

The NHS should see care homes as partners, not problems Care homes provide the majority of long-term healthcare to older people but provision is uneven. Our study shows how services can work together better

Care homes provide the majority of long-term healthcare to older people. They rely on primary care for access to medical support and referral to specialist services, yet studies consistently show that healthcare provision for care home residents across England is unpredictable and uneven.

For the NHS, care homes are a conundrum; they provide care that used to be supplied by the health service, but are often perceived as a poor alternative that generates avoidable demand on hospitals. Continue reading... The Guardian

Sepsis: the truth about this hidden killer

Sepsis: the truth about this hidden killer Sepsis is responsible for more deaths in the UK than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. So why is so little known about it?

At the end of May, the World Health Organization adopted a new resolution mandating all of its member states to have national action plans in place to tackle sepsis, a disease being called the “deadliest killer you’ve never heard of”. Even conservative estimates place the annual death toll at 6 million worldwide, a health burden equivalent to that of tobacco. In the UK alone, sepsis is responsible for 44,000 deaths every year, more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. Despite this, a recent survey found that 44% of people in the UK have never heard of sepsis and have little idea that it is a life-threatening emergency.

So, what exactly is sepsis and why does it continue to slip through the net of our collective consciousness? The new international definition of sepsis describes it as a condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes organ dysfunction. “There’s a range of ways in which this can happen,” says Prof Anthony Gordon, chair in anaesthesia and critical care at Imperial College London, and an National Institute for Health Research professor investigating sepsis. “The body’s immune response can be simply overwhelmed by the infection, or there’s a dysfunctional response producing too much inflammation. The body may already be immunosuppressed due to a trauma or fighting an initial infection, so the immune response is too weak.” Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS chiefs read the riot act over poor A&E performance

NHS chiefs read the riot act over poor A&E performance NHS hospital chiefs have been hauled in by Jeremy Hunt over poor performance, in a desperate bid to head off an Accident & Emergency crisis.

It follows warnings that the NHS could be facing the worst flu season in its history, and orders to all NHS trusts to empty thousands of beds.

Ministers and health officials fear that one in three hospitals are struggling so badly that safety could be compromised as pressures mount.

Two chief executives have just been forced out, with around 60 more ordered to a mandatory all-day meeting yesterday, where they were warned to make urgent improvements. The Daily Telegraph

What does the public think about the NHS?

What does the public think about the NHS? This report, based on polling data carried out by Ipsos MORI, explores public attitudes towards the health service. It finds that despite the significant challenges it faces, the NHS still holds strong support amongst the majority of the general public with 66 per cent of respondents stating that they would be willing to pay more taxes in order to fund the NHS. The King's Fund

See also:

• Two-thirds support higher taxes to maintain NHS funding The Guardian

Getting into shape: delivering a workforce for integrated care

Getting into shape: delivering a workforce for integrated care The Government is rightly committed to a radical reshaping of NHS delivery, based on a shift to new care models and treatment in the community. Its management of the NHS workforce, however, has not delivered with nearly three times more doctors, and four times more nurses in the acute sector than in the community. Since 2009, the number of consultants has risen by nearly a third, whilst the number of GPs has fallen. Freedom of Information requests made for this report found that, across 61 acute trusts, only 6 per cent of consultants work in the community for at least one session per week.

As the Government and the NHS leadership have repeatedly said, the priority for the NHS is to increase its speed of innovation. To do this, the NHS is rightly seeking to devolve decision-making and to deregulate. For the workforce, however, policy remains highly centralised and tightly regulated. This paper shows how to bring the same reform ideas to the workforce as the NHS is applying to other areas. Reform

See also:

• Local NHS bosses should take control of staffing The Guardian

Guidance: Health matters: preventing drug misuse deaths

Guidance: Health matters: preventing drug misuse deaths This updated professional resource outlines how providers and commissioners can prevent deaths from drug abuse. Public Health England

Have you got the wrong impression about schizophrenia?

Have you got the wrong impression about schizophrenia? Schizophrenia does not mean you have a split personality or automatically become violent, a mental health charity has warned.

Rethink Mental Illness said a survey of 1,500 people showed that the condition is widely misunderstood.

Schizophrenia commonly causes hallucinations, such as hearing voices, or delusions and can make people lose interest in life.

But it should not be "a dirty word or a term of abuse", the charity said.

The organisation warned such myths are dangerous.

One in 100 people has schizophrenia, but 45% of those surveyed thought the illness was much more common. BBC News

See also:

• Rethink Schizophrenia: Challenging attitudes and changing lives Rethink Mental Illness

'Golden goodbyes' for NHS managers now costing £39 million as redundancies soar

'Golden goodbyes' for NHS managers now costing £39 million as redundancies soar Spending on so-called “golden goodbyes” and voluntary redundancy deals has shot up to £39 million a year at the Department of Health (DoH) - an eightfold increase on the previous year - official figures reveal.

A written parliamentary answer shows that more than 500 staff who left the DoH in 2016-17 because of restructuring and cost-cutting programmes received exit packages. In 2015-16, only nine people who were laid off from the department were given such settlements.

The figure of £39 million covers the whole of the department and its agencies and compares with a spend of £5 million for the previous year. The Independent

Unions call for 3.9% pay rise plus £800 for a million NHS staff

Unions call for 3.9% pay rise plus £800 for a million NHS staff Demand is based on inflation and seven years’ back pay, after lifting of prison and police officers’ pay cap

Unions have ramped up the pressure on Theresa May over public sector pay by demanding a 3.9% rise for 1 million NHS staff plus an extra £800 to make up for lost earning power during austerity.

Health service personnel from nurses and midwives to paramedics and therapists across the UK are urging Philip Hammond to ensure they receive a salary boost that would add an extra £3bn to the NHS pay bill. Continue reading... The Guardian

‘I was the first baby delivered by the NHS. It has saved my life eight times’

‘I was the first baby delivered by the NHS. It has saved my life eight times’ Aneira Thomas was named by her mother after the architect of the health service

It was coming up to midnight on Sunday 4 July 1948 and my mother, who had been in labour for 18 hours, was just about ready to give birth to me. She wanted to start pushing. But the doctors and midwives looked up at the clock on the wall and said, “Stop. Hold on, Edna, hold on.” They knew they were moments away from the start of the National Health Service and wanted me to be the first baby born into this new service. So my mother took a deep breath and held on. That’s how I was born at one minute past midnight on Monday 5 July 1948 – the first NHS baby.

That was in a cottage hospital in a little corner of west Wales called Glanamman. It was the staff there who told my mother, “You must call her Aneira,” the female form of Aneurin, after Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the NHS. They knew it was significant that Bevan’s dream of a health service that was free for everyone to use had come to fruition that day.

I never knew any of my grandparents because they died between the ages of 30 and 50. My mother lived until she was 95 Continue reading... The Guardian

‘Cut-price’ medics lured to the NHS from the US with promises of long holidays touring Europe

‘Cut-price’ medics lured to the NHS from the US with promises of long holidays touring Europe ‘Cut-price’ medics are being lured to the UK from the United States with promises of long holidays touring Europe, in a bid to plug widespread staffing shortages.

The NHS is attempting to train or recruit up to 3,200 “physician associates” who can carry out minor operations and carry out ward rounds, after just two years' training.

Medical leaders have issued new guidance in order to expand the programme, amid shortages of medics.

The new role is not supposed to substitute for a doctor, though the associates can carry out some of the tasks they normally do. The Daily Telegraph

Two junior doctors left to care for 436 patients amid dangerous staff shortages, NHS report warns

Two junior doctors left to care for 436 patients amid dangerous staff shortages, NHS report warns Just two junior doctors have been left to look after 436 patients amid a staffing crisis in the NHS, a report warns.

Medics said patients had been left at risk during a “very unsafe shift” at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

A safety report given to the trust’s board says one of the two doctors was pulled away from a day shift in breast surgery because otherwise there would have been just one medic left to cover the night shift.

Doctors said they were left angry that patients were let down, while one said they were left feeling ill with no breaks, and just “a couple of biscuits from the patient trolley” during a whole weekend. The Daily Telegraph

NICE diabetes guidance backs GP referral to lifestyle programmes

NICE diabetes guidance backs GP referral to lifestyle programmes NICE has updated its 2012 guidance on preventing type 2 diabetes to put greater importance on lifestyle-change programmes to promote healthier diets and exercise in high-risk patients. GP Online

See also:

• Diabetes test for everyone over 40 revealed by officials Mail Online
• More than a million people should be offered lifestyle tips as a way to avoid type 2 diabetes NICE

Childhood vaccines may go into one jab

Childhood vaccines may go into one jab A technology that could eventually see every childhood vaccine delivered in a single injection has been developed by US researchers.

Their one-shot solution stores the vaccine in microscopic capsules that release the initial dose and then boosters at specific times.

The approach has been shown to work in mouse studies, described in the journal Science. BBC News - Health

See also:

• 'Super injection' delivers several doses of drug at once The Daily Mail

Number of written complaints about NHS increases 4.9 per cent

Number of written complaints about NHS increases 4.9 per cent There were 208,400 written complaints received by the NHS during 2016/172 - up 4.9 per cent on the previous year, NHS Digital figures released today show. The figures mean on average 571 written complaints were made every day.

The report, entitled Data on Written Complaints in the NHS, 2016/17, shows numbers of complaints about both primary and secondary care. NHS Digital

See also:

• Complaints about primary care surge amid pressure on GPs GP Online

NHS efficiency map

NHS efficiency map Healthcare Financial Management Association -This map promotes best practice in identifying, delivering and monitoring cost improvement programmes in the NHS. It contains links to a range of tools and guidance to help NHS bodies improve their efficiency. The map is split into three sections: enablers for efficiency, provider efficiency and system efficiency. It highlights the successes some NHS providers have had in delivering specific efficiency schemes and provides sign-posts to existing tools and reference materials. It also includes updated definitions for different types of efficiency. King's Fund - Health Management and Policy Alert

Specialised Commissioning: Service development policy and methods

Specialised Commissioning: Service development policy and methods The service development policy which sets out NHS England’s approach for making decisions about which new treatments and interventions to routinely commission, and the approach used for updating existing service specifications, or creating new ones. NHS England

Corby Avon supports baby unit with employee-voted donation

Corby Avon supports baby unit with employee-voted donation Staff based at Corby’s Avon Cosmetics have voted to donate their £5,000 community award to a cause close to their hearts. The Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Kettering General Hospital was nominated by Avon employees at its Corby site through their Associates Choice scheme. SCBU is a neonatal intensive care unit which looks after the welfare of newborn babies, mainly those born premature or who require some form of special high dependency or intensive care nursing. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Policy paper: Health Service Safety Investigations Bill

Policy paper: Health Service Safety Investigations Bill The draft bill proposes setting up the Health Service Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).

The HSSIB will conduct investigations which focus on learning from patient safety incidents in the NHS, to reduce health care harm and improve patient care.

The draft bill allows the HSSIB to conduct investigations using ‘safe space’. ‘Safe space’ is a set of legal powers that prevent the HSSIB from disclosing the information it gathers in the course of an investigation. Gov.UK

Northampton General Hospital reveals new £7,500 patient dementia garden

Northampton General Hospital reveals new £7,500 patient dementia garden A garden at Northampton General Hospital has undergone a makeover as part of an ongoing Do It For Dementia campaign to make the environment as dementia-friendly as possible. Formerly a grassy bank, the therapy garden now has raised flower beds, which means that patients can touch and smell the plants without having to bend if they have mobility limitations. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

KGH staff go mad for cancer equipment appeal

KGH staff go mad for cancer equipment appeal The cancer care unit at Kettering General Hospital is raising money for a £21,392 state-of-the-art machine which will help staff place central venous access devices required for the delivery of some chemotherapies. The Centenary Wing’s 25 staff have launched a “12 Months of Madness Appeal” to raise the money for a new PICC machine. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS pay data reveal sharp fall in 2015/16 GP income

NHS pay data reveal sharp fall in 2015/16 GP income GP income fell 1.2% on average across the UK in 2015/16 compared with the previous financial year, official data reveal. GP Online

Device that helps obese diabetics lose weight 'should be rolled out across NHS' - The Guardian

Device that helps obese diabetics lose weight 'should be rolled out across NHS' A device that helps obese people with type 2 diabetes shed more than two stone on average should be rolled out across the NHS, experts say.

The Endobarrier is a reversible treatment that provides people with an alternative to drastic gastric bypass surgery.

Patients can be fitted with the thin plastic sleeve via their mouth in less than an hour while under anaesthetic. The Guardian

Making sense of social prescribing

Making sense of social prescribing Social Prescribing Network - This guide, commissioned by NHS England, provides an introduction to social prescribing and outlines different models of social prescribing. It also highlights the key factors for successful social prescribing schemes. Kings Fund - Health Management and Policy Alert

Advanced stem cell therapy to help send cancer patients home sooner comes to Northampton

Advanced stem cell therapy to help send cancer patients home sooner comes to Northampton A specialist stem cell transplant therapy used in the last stages of treating cancer has arrived at Northampton General Hospital.

Patients can now be treated closer to home when before they would have to travel to Leicester to get the advanced form of chemotherapy. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Pharmacists and care staff will be trained to spot sepsis

Pharmacists and care staff will be trained to spot sepsis Pharmacists and care home staff will be trained to spot sepsis under updated guidelines from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

They will be taught to look for symptoms of rapid breathing, a fast heart rate, raised temperature or a rash.

The Health Secretary wants to massively boost the awareness of sepsis, which kills 37,000 in England a year.

He is also publishing guidelines on the internet for parents telling them how to recognise the warning signs in children. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS staff urged to look out for symptoms of sepsis ITV News

Leading large scale change: a practical guide

Leading large scale change: a practical guide NHS England - This guide aims to support all those seeking to achieve transformational change in complex health and care environments. The guide has been informed by the learning and lived experience of system leaders who have strived for sustainable transformational change. King's Fund - news

Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say

Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say Computers could start diagnosing patients’ illnesses within the next few years as artificial intelligence increasingly ousts doctors from their traditional roles, NHS leaders believe.

Machines may soon be able to read X-rays and analyse samples of diseased tissue, such as lumps that can indicate the presence of breast cancer, the NHS’s top doctor said.

NHS England plans to invest more of its £120bn budget in AI to speed up its application to medicine and the health service, especially the task of analysing “huge swaths” of the information collected from patients about their symptoms. The Guardian

NHS boss puts service on high alert in case of heavy winter flu burden

NHS boss puts service on high alert in case of heavy winter flu burden Simon Stevens says major winter outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand suggests NHS could struggle to cope with cases

Britain could face a significant increase in flu cases this winter, which would make it hard for hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes to cope, the chief executive of NHS England said on Tuesday.

Simon Stevens said Australia and New Zealand had just experienced a heavy burden of winter flu cases, raising concerns that Britain may experience the same in the next few months. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS told to brace itself for bad flu season BBC News - Health
• NHS bracing for the 'worst flu season in history' The Daily Mail

Improving work health for a healthy economy

Improving work health for a healthy economy A healthy population is the engine of a healthy economy, says Public Health England’s (PHE) Chief Executive.

Speaking at the opening of PHE’s annual conference, Duncan Selbie said we must look further than the NHS if we are to ensure everyone has a fair chance of good health.

PHE believes that health and wealth are 2 sides of the same coin. Having a job is the key to a long, happy and healthy life.

Illness among working age people costs the UK economy £100 billion a year. About 330,000 every year become unemployed because of health-related issues. Public Health England

Northampton charity celebrates supporting 650 new mums with baby 'starter packs'

Northampton charity celebrates supporting 650 new mums with baby 'starter packs'
A Northampton-based charity, who have supported mums-to-be for over four years, is marking their success after giving away 650 Moses baskets to mostly vulnerable parents.

Working alongside agencies, including health visitors, midwives and children's centres, Baby Basics of Grange Park often supports mums who have been affected by domestic violence. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

New care models: harnessing technology

New care models: harnessing technology This report from the NHS Clinical Commissioners explores how digital tools can help to address rising demand, constrained funding and workforce challenges, and it demonstrates how technology has the potential to revolutionise the way health and care is delivered. It focuses on how five vanguards are implementing innovative digital technology solutions at the heart of a new approach to care.
Report
Press release
King's Fund

Under pressure? NHS maternity services in England

Under pressure? NHS maternity services in England This briefing finds that NHS maternity units are more likely to close towards the end of the week and during holiday periods due to low staffing levels. It reviews the evidence on the long-run pressures faced by maternity units from changes in the number of maternity admissions and the case mix. While the number of maternity cases has remained largely constant since 2010, the case mix continues to change, with women giving birth later in life and with more complex health conditions. There are implications for maternity units if this evolving case mix of mothers requires more care in terms of staffing or other resources. IFS publications  King's Fund

Patients to book GP appointments and access records through NHS app

Patients to book GP appointments and access records through NHS app Patients should be able to access GP services from a new integrated app from next year, Jeremy Hunt has announced. Speaking at the NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester the health secretary said every patient in England would be able to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, see their medical records, contact 111 and access long-term conditions support from an app by the end of next year. GP Online

Developing a model of care to improve mental health crisis response - Nursing Times

Developing a model of care to improve mental health crisis response - Nursing Times Collaboration between police and mental health services can improve the care of people with mental health problems who often use emergency services. This initiative won the HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care in the 2016 Nursing Times Awards.
The partnership began in October 2012 on the Isle of Wight, with a street triage team (a joint response team of police and mental health services). However, the focus soon widened to include phone call management. By 2013, mental health nurses were working in the police control room and speaking to people who were calling in crisis. Nursing Times

Public sector employers 'preparing to hire at fastest pace since 2015'

Public sector employers 'preparing to hire at fastest pace since 2015' NHS staff shortages and rejection of austerity at election encouraging managers to recruit more workers, says survey.
Public sector employers are preparing to hire at the fastest pace since 2015, as NHS staff shortages and the rejection of austerity at the election encourages managers to recruit more workers, according to a survey.
There are about 5.1 million public sector workers in the UK excluding banks rescued in the financial crisis, of whom 1.6 million work for the NHS and 1.5 million work in education. Guardian

NHS plan could see blood pressure checks on supermarket tills

NHS plan could see blood pressure checks on supermarket tills Shoppers could have their blood pressure checked at supermarket tills under radical NHS plans aimed at preventing almost 25,000 heart attacks and strokes.
Firefighters, teachers and office workers will also be trained to carry out tests, in a bid to identify thousands of people are risk of the major killers.
Under the NHS proposals, local planners will be encouraged to find "creative ways" to carry out checks on those in middle age - instead of relying on them to turn up at GPs’. Telegraph

See also:
New approach to preventing heart attacks and strokes Public Health England

Jeremy Hunt to unveil plans for digital-led NHS treatment by 2018

Jeremy Hunt to unveil plans for digital-led NHS treatment by 2018 Access to medical records, booking GP appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions could all be done via an app by the end of next year

Jeremy Hunt is to pledge that every patient in England should be able to access their medical records and book an appointment with a GP via an app by the end of 2018.

The health secretary will use his speech at an NHS conference on Tuesday to promise the national rollout of an integrated app, which patients will also be able to use for ordering repeat prescriptions and accessing NHS 111 – the non-emergency medical helpline. The Guardian

See also:

• Technology can be hugely beneficial - but we must not alienate vulnerable patients Royal College of General Practitioners

'Medical opinions ignored' by NHS payment assessor, workers say

'Medical opinions ignored' by NHS payment assessor, workers say Three health workers said an assessor organisation discounted medical views so some patients were denied NHS care.

Norman Lamb MP said England-wide data obtained by the BBC showed a "regional disparity" and was "an injustice". However the assessor organisation, Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU, says it follows national guidelines to decide on payments. Under national criteria, the NHS pays for long-term support and care if a patient's condition is severe enough.

However, BBC Inside Out East has found a wide difference among clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England in the percentage of patients rejected following assessment for continuing health care (CHC). BBC News

Psychiatric care is postcode lottery, say medical experts

Psychiatric care is postcode lottery, say medical experts There are not enough NHS psychiatrists in some parts of the UK and more should be recruited to improve care, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

In Scotland, there are 10 consultant psychiatrists per 100,000 people - but only eight for the same number in England and Northern Ireland, and just six in Wales. London's tally is more than double that of the east of England. English health ministers said thousands of new posts were already planned.

The government in England recently announced there would be 570 extra consultant psychiatrists by 2020-21.  And the Welsh government said it was committed to improving mental health services in Wales.  B

But the Royal College of Psychiatrists said there were too few medical students specialising in psychiatry and not enough psychiatrists becoming consultants. BBC News - Health

See also:

• Patients face mental health post-code lottery as psychiatrists twice as available in some parts of country  The Telegraph

NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS fraility in older people

NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS fraility in older people The NHS is trialling new wearable sensors, based on technology used by NASA and the CGI film industry, to help identify older patients at risk of falls as part of a new drive to tackle frailty.

The technology will help make one small step a lot easier for the over-65s (although giant leaps may still prove a challenge). NHS England

Service specification for integrated urgent care

Service specification for integrated urgent care NHS England has published a national service specification for integrated urgent care services. It outlines the steps that commissioners must take to deliver this important transformation and to move from an ‘assess and refer’ to a new ‘consult and complete’ model of service delivery. NHS Networks

'Unrelenting pressure' on NHS staff spells trouble for cancer care

'Unrelenting pressure' on NHS staff spells trouble for cancer care Bigger workloads, increasingly complex patient needs, and vacancies in key roles are creating ‘unrelenting pressure’ on cancer care workforce, new report warns.

Current workforce pressures are affecting the level of care being delivered to cancer patients, according to a new report From the Frontline by Macmillan Cancer Support.

A survey undertaken by nfpSynergy for Macmillan of over 250 GPs and nurses working in primary care across the UK, found that over half (52%) are not confident the NHS workforce is able to provide adequate care to cancer patients, given the current pressures it faces

As winter looms, NHS debate warms up

As winter looms, NHS debate warms up Cooler weather and the first sniff of autumn in the air have been accompanied by the familiar opening salvo of warnings about a difficult winter ahead for the NHS.

The body representing hospitals and other trusts in England, NHS Providers, has said that without an emergency cash bailout the service will face unprecedented pressure.

At the same time the issue of longer waits for routine surgery has jumped up the political agenda.

The government was defeated in the Lords over the failure to meet the 18-week waiting time target in England. BBC News

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people A 13-year-old girl who died from a brain aneurysm has helped a record eight different people, including five children, through organ donation.

Jemima Layzell, from Somerset, who died in 2012, donated her heart, pancreas, lungs, kidneys, small bowel and liver.

Jemima's parents said she was clever, compassionate and creative - and would have been "very proud of her legacy".

NHS Blood and Transplant said no other donor had helped as many people. BBC News

The Brexit leak shows a government on collision course with the NHS

The Brexit leak shows a government on collision course with the NHS The scheme to cut immigration is at odds with the need to fill 176,000 health and care vacancies. For the sector to survive, its workers must be given special status

The leaked 82-page government Brexit-immigration report should ring alarm bells for the NHS as it tackles the greatest workforce crisis in the health service’s history. The Home Office proposes measures to reduce the number of lower-skilled EU migrants by offering them residency for a maximum of only two years, whereas those in “high-skilled occupations” would be granted permits to work three to five years.

The report says: “Put plainly, this means that, to be considered valuable to the country, immigration should benefit not just the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off.” Continue reading... The Guardian

Ministers drop 'misguided' plans to privatise NHS Professionals

Ministers drop 'misguided' plans to privatise NHS Professionals The government has abandoned plans to privatise an NHS employment agency it owns that supplies doctors and nurses to hospitals to ease their understaffing.

Labour welcomed what it called “a major U-turn on a misguided policy from a government with no solution to the workforce crisis in the NHS”. Continue reading.. The Guardian

Thinking of suing the NHS? Here’s why you should think again

Thinking of suing the NHS? Here’s why you should think again With medical negligence cases sharply up, citizens need to ask if they really want services drained to compensate a few claimants who can prove their case

Not a week goes by without another sign of extreme stress in the NHS. Winter is coming, as the warning goes, with 40,000 nurse vacancies unfilled, debts mounting and for the first time ever the NHS next year takes a real cut in per-capita income. Continue reading... The Guardian

GP who created fake patient 'M Mouse' escapes suspension

GP who created fake patient 'M Mouse' escapes suspension A GP who listed "M Mouse" among hundreds of bogus patients has escaped suspension after a tribunal decided it was his way of coping with his workload.

Dr Andrew Thomson fiddled appointments over a five-year period but avoided sanction after a medical tribunal highlighted his "propensity for overwork".

He was warned that the "exceptional course" adopted in the misconduct hearing by the medical practitioners' tribunal in Manchester did not reduce the seriousness of his conduct at the Academy Health Centre, in Forfar, Tayside. The Daily Telegraph

Suicide rate for young women highest for 20 years as experts warn of mental health crisis

Suicide rate for young women highest for 20 years as experts warn of mental health crisis Suicide among women in their early twenties is at its highest level in two decades, ONS figures show, as experts warn of a mental health crisis among young women who struggle with the pressures of modern life and social media.

While the overall figures for Great Britain show rates are at a seven-year low, women aged between 20 and 24 are increasingly likely to die by suicide. The Daily Telegraph

KGH showing signs of improvement, inspection finds

KGH showing signs of improvement, inspection finds An inspection at Kettering General Hospital has found it has made significant improvements to patient safety and care.

The hospital was issued a warning notice by the Care Quality Commission in October 2016 after being placed into special measures. A subsequent inspection in June found the hospital has met the requirements of the notice, but it will still be in special measures until a full inspection takes place this autumn when it could be regraded.

Interim chief executive Fiona Wise said: “We have worked hard and comprehensively to address the issues raised by the CQC and I think the report reflects that. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Partnerships for improvement: ingredients for success

Partnerships for improvement: ingredients for success The idea of partnerships and collaboration across organisational boundaries is at the heart of NHS reforms in England. Although we have helped to develop the evidence base for how networks of people can improve quality of care, less is known about what makes for successful partnerships between providers at an organisational level.

For this reason, we commissioned the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham to look at a range of current organisational partnerships. This report focuses on five different partnering arrangements, as well as interviews with national leaders, and draws learning to help inform and guide policymakers and providers. The Health Foundation

Tobacco, drugs and obesity: taking stock of recent policy

Tobacco, drugs and obesity: taking stock of recent policy The current government has now produced two plans and a strategy in important areas of public health and behaviour. So it’s a good time to take stock of what the tobacco control plan, the childhood obesity plan and the drug strategy together tell us about the government’s approach to these issues. The King's Fund

Managing the costs of clinical negligence in trusts

Managing the costs of clinical negligence in trusts The cost of clinical negligence in trusts is significant and rising fast, placing increasing financial pressure on an already stretched system. NHS Resolution and the Department are proposing measures to tackle this, but the expected savings are small compared with the predicted rise in overall costs. At £60 billion, up from £51 billion last year, the provision for clinical negligence in trusts is one of the biggest liabilities in the government accounts, and one of the fastest growing. Fundamentally changing the biggest drivers of increasing cost will require significant activity in policy and legislation. National Audit Office

See also:

• Compensation claims draining the NHS of £1.6bn a year The Daily Mail
• NHS negligence bill set to more than double as waiting lists lengthen The Daily Telegraph

Not by degrees: improving student mental health in the UK's universities

Not by degrees: improving student mental health in the UK's universities This report finds that levels of mental illness, mental distress and low wellbeing among students in higher education in the UK are increasing, and are high relative to other sections of the population. It calls for universities to make mental health a strategic priority and adopt a whole-university approach to prevention, promotion and support. Institute for Public Policy Research

Public 'tricked' into buying unhealthy food

Public 'tricked' into buying unhealthy food The UK's obesity crisis is being fuelled by businesses pushing unhealthy food and larger portions on shoppers, according to health experts.

The Royal Society for Public Health warned consumers were being tricked by a marketing ploy known as upselling.

The tactic involves shops, cafes and restaurants encouraging customers to upgrade to larger meals and drinks or adding high-calorie toppings and sides.

A poll suggested eight in 10 people experienced it every week. BBC News

See also:

• New report reveals ‘upselling’ is fuelling the obesity crisis Royal Society for Public Health
• Shoppers eat an extra 17,000 calories a year because of 'supersize' tactics The Daily Telegraph

Tackling health anxiety could save NHS over £400m a year, study finds

Tackling health anxiety could save NHS over £400m a year, study finds Researchers find people who have had a serious illness fear it will happen again and symptoms persist when nothing is wrong

The NHS could save more than £420m a year by offering treatment for health anxiety and “cyberchondria”, a psychological ailment caused by people obsessively looking up their symptoms online, a study has estimated.

The study, funded and published by the National Institute for Health Research, said the savings could be made just on the costs of care in hospital outpatient departments, with research showing health anxiety fades and stays away after a course of therapy. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Cognitive behaviour therapy for health anxiety in medical patients (CHAMP): a randomised controlled trial with outcomes to 5 years (open access) National Institute for health Research
• Anxiety over health 'caused by cyber-chondria' BBC News
• Britain's epidemic of cyberchondria The Daily Mail
• 'Cyberchondria' fuelling anxiety epidemic clogging up hospital clinics The Daily Telegraph

'Enough is enough': nurses protest against pay cap outside Westminster

'Enough is enough': nurses protest against pay cap outside Westminster Around 2,000 nurses gather to warn government strike action is possible over policy that has led to 14% cut in real-terms of wages

Nurses have expressed their anger over the public sector pay cap in a protest outside parliament, warning the government they are prepared to take industrial action.

Around 2,000 nurses from all over the country congregated in Westminster on Wednesday at a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) protest against the policy that has led to a 14% cut in real-terms of wages for staff in England over the past seven years. Continue reading... The Guardian

What’s stopping pharmacies doing more to reduce pressure on GPs?

What’s stopping pharmacies doing more to reduce pressure on GPs? Chemists can already provide vital services, such as the morning-after pill – but a new study shows they are being chronically underused

When a woman recently walked into Thorrun Govind’s high-street pharmacy in Bolton seeking help for a common infection, Govind quickly knew what to prescribe. But because the woman said she had not had the medication before, Govind had to check with her GP practice. They insisted the woman go in. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Guidance: Community pharmacy: public health interventions Public Health England

Another CCG scraps free IVF on the NHS

Another CCG scraps free IVF on the NHS Health chiefs in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area have stopped giving infertile women the service with immediate effect. Some exceptions will apply to the new plans. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Free IVF no longer offered in county where it all began BBC News

Unqualified NHS staff are labelled as nurses

Unqualified NHS staff are labelled as nurses Unqualified care assistants are practising in the NHS with job titles that describe them as nurses with advanced skills, experts have revealed.

A new study found that thousands of nursing jobs across the health service have titles that have little or no link to a nurse's education or level of experience.

Researchers said people are also working with these titles without being registered with the regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

In many cases, NHS trusts or staff themselves create their own job titles. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Variation in job titles within the nursing workforce (abstract) Journal of Clinical Nursing

Mental health at work: the business costs ten years on

Mental health at work: the business costs ten years on This report finds that mental health problems in the UK workforce cost employers almost £35 billion last year. The largest part of this business cost is in the form of reduced productivity among people who are at work but unwell: or ‘presenteeism’. This costs businesses twice as much as sickness absence relating to poor mental health. Centre for Mental Health

Shock survey reveals half of UK GPs are ‘drastically’ unaware of black men’s increased risk

Shock survey reveals half of UK GPs are ‘drastically’ unaware of black men’s increased risk Black men in the UK have double the risk of developing prostate cancer compared to other men, yet only 51% of GPs in the UK are aware of their heightened risk – according to new research released today by Prostate Cancer UK. Even more worryingly, almost a third of those doctors were located in regions with large black populations.

Our national survey of over 400 GPs revealed only 7% said that they always initiated conversations about prostate cancer with black men. They were also more likely to instigate such discussions with men with a known family history of the disease, despite race being an equally dangerous risk factor. Prostate Cancer UK

See also:

• Prostate Cancer UK says GPs are ignoring black men The Daily Mail

'We couldn't see an NHS dentist so we pulled out our own teeth'

'We couldn't see an NHS dentist so we pulled out our own teeth' A couple in need of dental care say they had to pull out their own teeth because no NHS dentist will treat them.

A BBC News analysis of 2,500 dental practices on the NHS Choices website found half were not accepting new adult NHS patients, while two-fifths were not accepting new child NHS patients.

The British Dental Association (BDA) said the figures reflected an "emerging crisis" in dental care in England.

NHS England said 95% of people seeking an appointment could get one. BBC News

Families left devastated by false claims of FGM in girls

Families left devastated by false claims of FGM in girls Some children in the UK have spent months on child protection plans - or in foster care - on the false suspicion they are victims of female genital mutilation, a BBC report has found.

The BBC understands that it can take months for children to be examined in cases where FGM is suspected.

Children can be separated from their parents while inquiries take place.

Experts say that in the majority of cases, when examined by a specialist, it turns out the child has not had FGM. BBC News

See also:

• Questions raised about prominent FGM campaigner BBC News

Learning the lingo

Learning the lingo Doctors who have travelled to Scotland as refugees are being given the chance to start working for the NHS through a training scheme. The BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme has been to meet those involved.

"When people say, 'I had a couple of beers', they don't mean two," jokes instructor Dr Patrick Grant, a retired A&E doctor training refugees to work for NHS Scotland - including in how to overcome cultural barriers.

One of his students is Fatema, who previously worked as a surgeon in the Middle East until she was forced to flee.

Having treated anti-government protesters in her home country, she herself had become a government target.

"I wish one day this country will be proud of me," she says. BBC News

The Government Has Quietly Shelved NHS 18-Week Waiting Time Target

The Government Has Quietly Shelved NHS 18-Week Waiting Time Target The government has quietly shelved 18-week NHS waiting times for elective surgery, according to a Labour peer.

Lord Philip Hunt of Kings Heath said he believes ministers may have acted unlawfully by removing the target from the NHS Regulations for 2017, without making a public statement or informing Parliament.

One of three key targets, along with A&E waiting times and cancer treatment referrals, the NHS was previously required to ensure 92% of patients waiting for non-urgent surgery were treated within 18 weeks. The service has repeatedly missed all three key targets in recent years. Huffington Post UK

Longest-serving health secretary Jeremy Hunt completes five years in post

Longest-serving health secretary Jeremy Hunt completes five years in post Jeremy Hunt this week completed five years as health secretary. GPonline looks back at half a decade that has seen MPIG scrapped, the start of revalidation and CQC inspections, junior doctor strikes and the emergence of a full-blown GP crisis.

One in twelve NHS patient prescriptions contain an error

One in twelve NHS patient prescriptions contain an error More than 80million prescriptions given to patients are wrong, Jeremy Hunt has warned.

Patients routinely receive the incorrect medication or dosage because of errors by doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

The Health Secretary will launch a major review of prescribing mistakes in the next few months. The Daily Mail

KGH doctor who had heart transplant urges people to join organ donation register

KGH doctor who had heart transplant urges people to join organ donation register A doctor at Kettering General Hospital who has had a heart transplant is promoting greater awareness of organ donation during national Organ Donation Week. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Shortage of organ donations led to 457 deaths last year, says NHS

Shortage of organ donations led to 457 deaths last year, says NHS Reluctance to talk about transplants leaves families unsure of potential donors’ wishes and a reluctance to donate

A reluctance to talk about transplants is contributing to a deadly shortage of organs donation, the NHS has said after figures revealed more than 450 patients waiting for a new organ died last year because families, unsure of their deceased relatives’ wishes, declined to donate.

NHS Blood and Transplant said an average of three families a week in the UK decided not to allow organ donation because they were unsure, or did not know whether their relatives would have wanted to donate an organ or not. Continue reading... The Guardian

National Engagement Service infographic

National Engagement Service infographic This infographic outlines the work of the National Engagement Service which supports leaders on workforce issues in the NHS. NHS Employers

Funding for healthcare in England in support of the United Kingdom's resettlement programmes 2017/18

Funding for healthcare in England in support of the United Kingdom's resettlement programmes 2017/18 This suite of guidance provides information on funding reimbursement on UK resettlement programmes for refugees from Syria and the Middle East and North Africa region. The government is making funding available to allow local authorities, health care providers and third party sponsors to support refugees for the duration of the programme. UK Visas and Immigration

'Sharp rise' in student mental illness tests universities

'Sharp rise' in student mental illness tests universities Almost five times as many students as 10 years ago have disclosed a mental health condition to their university, say researchers.

In 2015-16, more than 15,000 UK-based first-year students disclosed mental health issues, Institute of Public Policy Research analysis suggests.

The 2006 figure was about 3,000 and the rise risks overwhelming university services, the IPPR says.

Universities UK said student mental health was "a strategic priority". BBC News

See also:

• Mental health problems rise five-fold among university students in last decade iNew

GP leaders 'alarmed' by Capita role in £2.7m accountable care deal

GP leaders 'alarmed' by Capita role in £2.7m accountable care deal GP leaders have raised concerns with NHS bosses over the involvement of outsourcing firm Capita in the development of an accountable care system. GPonline

Letter to my junior doctor self: 'There will be moments of terror and pride'

Letter to my junior doctor self: 'There will be moments of terror and pride' A GP trainee reveals the crippling self-doubt and sense of responsibility she felt when she began her junior doctor training

Dear Nish,

You’re a month in. I know what you’re thinking, even though you daren’t say it. It’s a bit of an anti-climax, isn’t it?

Don’t wallow in your failure to meet your distorted ​definition of a good clinician Continue reading... The Guardian

Theresa May 'set to lift 1% public sector pay cap'

Theresa May 'set to lift 1% public sector pay cap'  Theresa May will lift the public sector pay cap later this month as the Tories seek to respond to concerns that the public are “tired with austerity”, according to reports.

Pay increases in the public sector have been frozen and then capped at 1% for seven years.

But the Prime Minister is apparently planning to announce the end of the cap with pay to increase in line with the rate of inflation or above. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• GPs renew call to end NHS pay cap amid budget speculation GPonline

Almost 100 people in Northants have died in past decade while waiting for an organ transplant

Almost 100 people in Northants have died in past decade while waiting for an organ transplant New figures show 89 people in Northamptonshire have died on the waiting list for an organ transplant over the past 10 years.

NHS Blood and Transplant revealed the tragic number of deaths to mark Organ Donation Week (September 4 to 10) and is now urging people to tell their families they want to become donors. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Over 450 patients miss out on organs that could save lives The Daily Mail

CCG reveals options for future of Corby’s Urgent Care Centre

CCG reveals options for future of Corby’s Urgent Care Centre Corby CCG has revealed the options for the future of the town’s urgent care centre, which it will decide upon next week.

An extraordinary meeting has been called for Tuesday (August 8) where health officials will make a decision on provision at the site in Cottingham Road beyond September 30. The current contract with operators Lakeside+ ends then, with Lakeside declining to take on a new contract because it says the CCG is not offering enough money and no other bidders coming forward.

Now the options for October 1 onwards have been revealed. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Negotiations continuing over future of Corby’s Urgent Care Centre Northamptonshire Telegraph

Getting serious about public mental health

Getting serious about public mental health Ten years ago, as a student of public health, I remember feeling surprised that mental health didn’t feature more prominently on the syllabus. It struck me then, as it does now, that many of the big issues in public health can be seen to some extent as visible symptoms of deeper causes related to psychological wellbeing. Obesity, smoking, and alcohol and substance abuse are all strongly associated with poor mental health. And yet public mental health appeared to be considered a niche interest. The King's Fund

Patient safety will be risked this winter without immediate funding and capacity boost for the NHS

Patient safety will be risked this winter without immediate funding and capacity boost for the NHS Time is running out for local health services to be given the extra funding and capacity to fully protect patients this winter.

As the NHS faces up to another tough winter, NHS Providers, the organisation that represents 97% of hospital, mental health, community and ambulance service trusts in England, is calling for an immediate emergency cash injection of between £200 and £350 million to enable the NHS to manage patient safety risk this winter.

Failure to make this investment will lead to lengthening waiting times for patients in A&E and other services and will also put the safety of patients at risk as local trusts have insufficient capacity to meet extra expected demand. The extra funding is needed to complement other work currently being undertaken to improve the NHS’ state of readiness for this winter. NHS Providers

See also:

• Managing risk in health and care this winter- update NHS Providers
• Time is running out to avoid a winter worse than last NHS Providers
• The worst is yet to come for the NHS - hospital chiefs BBC News
• NHS wants another £350m to avoid 'winter crisis' The Daily Mail
• NHS faces 'worst winter in recent history' without £350m emergency bailout, warn hospital chiefs The Daily Telegraph
• NHS warns of ‘dangerous’ beds shortage this winter The Guardian
• The NHS needs more money now or the country will face another winter of discontent The Guardian
• NHS 'must be given emergency cash boost of up to £350m or face worst winter in recent history' The Independent

Press release: 1 in 10 men aged 50 have a heart age 10 years older than they are

Press release: 1 in 10 men aged 50 have a heart age 10 years older than they are Heart Age Test is the only known way of measuring our heart age, which shows how many years we can expect to live healthily without a heart attack or stroke. The higher our heart age, the higher our risk.

Analysis of 1.2 million tesr results shows the majority of people (64%) with a heart 10 years older than their actual age are male.

Every month, 7,400 people die from heart disease or stroke. A quarter of deaths are of people under 75 and most of these can be prevented.

Public Health England’s campaign is leading the way in addressing how people think about their heart health, encouraging them to be as familiar with their heart age as they are with their weight or height.

Market shaping in adult social care

Market shaping in adult social care The last five years have seen a reduction in the number of residential and nursing homes operating in England resulting in 1,400 fewer homes. The long-term trend of increasing numbers of nursing home beds and decreasing numbers of residential home beds has come to a halt. This analysis highlights the fragility of the care home market, although the home care market is equally under pressure. It argues that local authorities must be prepared to be bolder and do things differently in order to shape the market. Institute of Public Care

Organ donors should let family know of intensions, says NHS

Organ donors should let family know of intensions, says NHS More than 450 relatives of organ donors declined permission to donate as they were unsure of their relatives' wishes in 2016, figures have shown.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) says families are reluctant to give their loved one's organs to patients.

Last year, 457 people died while on the active transplant waiting list, and currently there are 6,414 patients waiting for organs.

NHSBT says donors should ensure they have told relatives of their wishes. BBC News

Is it any wonder the NHS is struggling to recruit homegrown GPs when their job has been reduced to little more than delivering bad news?

Is it any wonder the NHS is struggling to recruit homegrown GPs when their job has been reduced to little more than delivering bad news? As the NHS launches a £100m drive to recruit foreign GPs, it’s hard to know what to think. Perhaps we should feel hopeful that a seemingly positive step has been taken to help with the current GP crisis in the UK. Maybe it will instil some hope in the smiling Jeremy Hunt who has appeared, of late, to be far busier arguing with one of the world’s most respected scientific minds than doing what we are desperate for him to do – fix the NHS.

Or perhaps, conversely, the latest step by the NHS to try to plug one of its many gaps serves to remind us of exactly how dire the situation is. So dire that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to recruit GPs to the thankless, underfunded task they face. The Independent

Let's fight the stigma around ageing and frailtyman

Let's fight the stigma around ageing and frailty Focusing on the physical deficits of old age means we are not paying enough attention to other aspects of health and wellbeing

There needs to be a radical shift in how frailty is presented as a health and social care issue. Last year, a senior NHS clinician wrote the following on the importance of diagnosing frailty:

Frailty remains an easy condition to recognise. Today, however, there are far greater numbers of older people than ever before, and while frailty can develop throughout adult life the numbers of older people living with the condition has increased substantially. With a highly developed healthcare system supporting us to later life, we should not be surprised when frailty declares itself as a health or social care crisis.

By pursuing an over-medicalised approach to frailty, we are in danger of ignoring other aspects of a person’s wellbeing. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• What providers should do to improve long-term care for frail older people The Guardian
• Who are you calling old? Let’s ditch ageist stereotypes The Guardian

Antidepressants work, so why do we shame people for taking them?

Antidepressants work, so why do we shame people for taking them? A new mega-analysis has found in favour of SSRIs. Time to give people who take them a break

British society just cannot get comfortable with the reality of medication for depression. Despite widespread use, they still attract disapproval. New research appears to strike a decisive blow against widely publicised claims that antidepressant medications such as Prozac, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) are no better than sugar pills for people with depression.

Elias Eriksson, professor of pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg and one of the authors of the new paper, said: “I think, once and for all, we’ve answered the SSRI question. SSRIs work. They may not work for every patient, but they work for most patients. And it’s a pity if their use is discouraged because of newspaper reports.”

We are invested in the idea of a grand conspiracy … an industry dampening human responses to reality for profit Continue reading... The Guardian

Expert demands urgent probe into 'avoidable' fatalities

Expert demands urgent probe into 'avoidable' fatalities The NHS has covered up thousands of ‘suspect’ deaths in hospitals across England, sparking calls for an urgent inquiry, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

According to the expert who helped to expose the Mid-Staffordshire hospitals scandal – where hundreds died due to poor care – health chiefs have systematically excluded up to 19,000 ‘unexpected’ deaths from official statistics over the past five years.

Professor Sir Brian Jarman says his shocking findings mean there are dozens of ‘potentially unsafe’ hospitals that should be investigated over high death rates, but which are being overlooked.

Last night, Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb demanded that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt look into the claims as a matter of urgency. The Daily Mail

Mental health and behavioural conditions account for nearly one-in-three known fit notes

Mental health and behavioural conditions account for nearly one-in-three known fit notes  Mental health and behavioural conditions have accounted for 31% of all fit notes, where the diagnosis was known, written in England between December 2014 and March 2017.

This was the most common known reason for issuing a fit note, new experimental figures from NHS Digital have revealed.

Anonymised information covering GP practices has been collected for the first time. These practices are responsible for around two-thirds of working age patients registered with a GP in England.

See also:

• Society-wide approach towards parity of esteem between mental and physical health needed, says College Royal College of General Practitioners 
• One in three sick notes are for mental health problems, 'alarming' report shows The Daily Telegraph
• One in three GP fit notes relate to mental health conditions GPonline

Flu vaccine 'very effective' in children

Flu vaccine 'very effective' in children Last winter's vaccine reduced the risk of flu by 66% in children, according to Public Health England, up 8% on last year.

It's the best result since 2013, when children first received flu vaccinations.

In adults aged 18-64 years, the vaccine reduced the risk of flu by about 40%.

The UK plans to offer the flu vaccine to all children aged two-11 years. This can have widespread benefits, as children "spread flu more than others".

The vaccine, however, did not work in those aged over 65. BBC News

See also:

• Research and analysis: Influenza vaccine effectiveness: 2016 to 2017 estimates Public Health England

Labour calls on Jeremy Hunt to take 'urgent' action over NHS cyber security after alarming leaked report

Labour calls on Jeremy Hunt to take 'urgent' action over NHS cyber security after alarming leaked report Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, has been told to take “urgent” action to prevent another devastating cyber attack on the NHSafter a leaked internal report revealed a string of digital security failings in the health service.

The report, by NHS Digital’s head of security operations, Chris Flynn, said there was a “false sense of security” among staff over cyber threats and highlighted a range of security failings, including weak passwords and poorly protected patient data.

Mr Flynn said many NHS trusts, GP practices and clinical commissioning groups had good security policies but that they were not being properly implemented. The Independent

As a GP, I’ve seen how vetting hospital referrals can help patients

As a GP, I’ve seen how vetting hospital referrals can help patients The NHS is rolling out a scheme that makes non-urgent hospital referrals subject to approval. With safeguards, it can make for a fairer, more efficient system

The latest scare story about the NHS suggests that GP referrals to hospital will be increasingly vetted by a panel of other doctors who will have the power to refuse or allow patients access to specialist services. The NHS is rolling out a scheme that requires all family doctors in England to seek approval from a medical panel for all non-urgent hospital referrals, including hip and knee surgery, cataract removals, X-rays and scans. The “peer review” scheme is being expanded nationwide from next week following a pilot in two regions in the north-east.

The referral management system represents an excellent way to ensure efficient and equitable use of specialist resources Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Secret NHS cost-cutting drive to reduce hospital referrals revealed The Guardian

NHS to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad

NHS to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad Recruiters will earn about £20,000 for each new GP as part of the NHS England initiative to alleviate cripping shortages

The NHS plans to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad to help alleviate serious shortages that have left surgeries struggling to run properly.

Recruitment agencies will earn about £20,000 for each GP they succeed in placing in a family doctor practice in England as part of the NHS England initiative. Continue reading... Recruiters will earn about £20,000 for each new GP as part of the NHS England initiative to alleviate cripping shortages

The NHS plans to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad to help alleviate serious shortages that have left surgeries struggling to run properly.

Recruitment agencies will earn about £20,000 for each GP they succeed in placing in a family doctor practice in England as part of the NHS England initiative. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• International recruitment could make a real difference to GP workforce shortage Royal College of General Practitioners 
• NHS launches £100m drive to recruit foreign GPs BBC News
• NHS will pay £100 million to agencies to recruit GPs The Daily Mail
• NHS England offers £100m to firms to recruit 3,000 overseas GPs GPonline

UN panel criticises UK failure to uphold disabled people's rights

UN panel criticises UK failure to uphold disabled people's rights Charities say report is grim reality check and Labour says it highlights how disabled people are bearing brunt of austerity

The UK government is failing to uphold disabled people’s rights across a range of areas from education, work and housing to health, transport and social security, a UN inquiry has found.

The UN committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined the government’s progress in fulfilling its commitments to the UN convention on disabled people’s rights, to which the UK has been a signatory since 2007. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS rationing bodies refuse to fund treatment which stalls breast cancer

NHS rationing bodies refuse to fund treatment which stalls breast cancer A breast cancer drug which stalls disease by three months has been rejected by NHS rationing bodies.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence said there was a lack of evidence to prove that the drug called fulvestrant extended lives.

Some trials have suggested it could extend survival by more than five months, for women whose cancer has spread.

But Nice said there were weaknesses in such research. While trials showed the drug stalls the cancer’s growth by around three months, there was a lack of good evidence that this extended survival, they said.

The drug costs £500 a month, compared to costs of just pennies for anastrozole, and letrozole, which are currently prescribed for such cases. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Jab to halt breast cancer rejected by NHS watchdog The Daily Mail

NHS no longer uses post-it notes for heart transplants

NHS no longer uses post-it notes for heart transplants The NHS no longer uses post-it notes and whiteboards to arrange life-saving heart transplants for patients, it has emerged.

Instead of relying on the traditional methods, it has adopted new digital technology which can match donors and recipients in just six seconds.

The pioneering system is 300 times faster, experts claim, and has removed around 40 lengthy steps from the matching process.

Experts have hailed the 'groundbreaking' technology used by the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and said it will 'ultimately save more lives'.

The world first system has already helped at least one patient get a new heart. It is expected to be rolled out across the board in the coming years. The Daily Mail

NHS hospitals deeper in the red than reported, new analysis shows

NHS hospitals deeper in the red than reported, new analysis shows NHS trusts ended last year with an underlying overspend almost £3 billion more than was reported in their official accounts, according to new analysis by the Nuffield Trust think tank. Without more funding for the NHS, hospitals are unlikely to recover any time soon from a mismatch between the money they receive and the cost of providing patient care, the research shows.

The briefing, is based on analysing the accounts and financial data published by NHS regulators. By stripping out temporary funding boosts and one-off savings, it finds that NHS trusts ended last year (2016/17) with an underlying overspend of £3.7 billion. This was far higher than the £791 million reported by NHS regulators.

See also:

• The bottom line: Understanding the NHS deficit and why it won’t go away Nuffield Trust
• The NHS deficit is here to stay Nuffield Trust
• Hospitals overspend by almost £4billion in 12 months The Daily Mail
• True scale of NHS overspending 'eye-watering', new report finds The Daily Telegraph
• NHS trusts' overspend is £3bn higher than reported, study claims The Guardian