NHS to open first A&E unit specially for elderly patients

NHS to open first A&E unit specially for elderly patients The NHS is to open its first A&E unit specially for elderly patients amid widespread fears they are waiting too long to be seen.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital announced the pioneering plans to stop the frail having to endure delayed stays.

Beginning later this month, patients over the age of 80 will be sent directly to the hospital's older people's emergency department.

They will be met by a team of consultants and nurses - similar to that of a traditional A&E, as well as geriatrics who specialise in looking after the elderly.

The plans, believed to be the first in the country, have been dubbed a 'massive step forward' in slashing waiting times - which are some of the worst on record. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS to open its first A&E for the elderly The Daily Telegraph

NGH drama came after six boys sprayed taxi driver in the face with fire extinguisher, police reveal

NGH drama came after six boys sprayed taxi driver in the face with fire extinguisher, police reveal A group of boys assaulted a cabbie in Northampton after he picked them up from a fast-food restaurant before they sprayed a substance in his face, police have reported.

The man, a taxi driver, was assaulted in Mushroom Field Road, Ecton Brook, after picking up six boys from McDonald’s in Weston Favell. As he dropped them off, one of the boys sprayed a substance in the driver’s face, believed to be from a fire extinguisher kept in the vehicle. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Closure of NGH entrances due to man being sprayed with 'unknown substance' in car Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Patient care deteriorating as NHS heads into winter on a knife edge

Patient care deteriorating as NHS heads into winter on a knife edge Half (51 per cent) of NHS trust finance directors think patient care in their area has got worse over the last year, while just six per cent said it has improved, according to The King’s Fund’s new quarterly monitoring report.

As the Chancellor prepares to announce the Budget later this month, the findings show that a seven-year squeeze on NHS and social care budgets is taking a significant toll on patient care. Analysis for the report suggests that the NHS is heading into winter on a knife edge with performance worse than at this time last year against a number of key indicators.

Greater access and consistency: What people want from health and social care services

Greater access and consistency: What people want from health and social care services The Healthwatch network heard from 341,000 people, carers and staff during the last year about what they think of health and social care services. Today we share a summary of what people like and what could be improved, via our fifth annual report to Parliament Speak up. Healthwatch

Costs of stroke three times higher than thought

Costs of stroke three times higher than thought A report from the Stroke Association estimates that the current cost of stroke to the UK is £26 billion every year, a threefold increase from the previous estimated cost of £9 billion.

The 2000 days project: A new approach to NHS reform

The 2000 days project: A new approach to NHS reform While there are lots of inspiring examples of new care provision, current reform struggles to deliver the change needed, and integrated care is not happening on the scale required.

The NHS must re-energise its approach to handle rising demand, hospital debt, slow technological innovation and growing public expectations.

An Industry Coalition Group of clinicians, senior leaders in hospitals, primary care, the central bodies, charities and the private sector met earlier this year to take on the challenge. As a result a new approach has been developed, culminating in a published report - The 2000 days project. Healthcare at Home

See also:

• Health reform should start by looking at the first and last days of life | Richard Vize The Guardian

Viva la devolution: devolved public-services commissioning

Viva la devolution: devolved public-services commissioning This report argues for the devolution of over £100 billion of public-services spending, including 95 per cent of the NHS’ budget. It suggests that 38 large councils across England should control spending to improve outcomes for citizens and that NHS England and CCGs should be abolished to cede commissioning to local authorities. Reform

NHS offers smartphone GP appointments

NHS offers smartphone GP appointments A 24-hour service has been launched for NHS patients, offering GP consultations via videolink on smartphones.

The pilot scheme will initially cover 3.5 million patients in Fulham, west London.

Patients will be able to check their symptoms through the mobile app and then have video consultations within two hours of booking.

The Royal College of GPs has warned the service may not help patients with complex needs.

The new free service has been launched by a group of London GPs and the online healthcare provider Babylon. BBC News

'Speed up mental health support for children in care'

'Speed up mental health support for children in care' "It felt like no-one was there for me and no-one cared - I was crying myself to sleep every night."

This is what life was like for Callum after he was taken into care aged 13 in 2008, following the death of his father and a family breakdown.

He told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme his mental health quickly deteriorated.

"I was still an emotional kid trying to get over Dad, and everything got on top of me. He was my superhero."

Almost half of those in the care system have a diagnosable mental health disorder, according to statutory guidance published in 2015. BBC News

Psychiatrist vacancies 'double in four years' in England

Psychiatrist vacancies 'double in four years' in England One in 10 consultant psychiatrist roles is currently unfilled in NHS organisations in England, says a report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

It says the number of unfilled posts has doubled in the past four years.

Wales is also struggling to fill posts, with vacancies of 9%, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have vacancy rates of 6% and 2% respectively.

The college called the vacancies "frankly alarming" and said they increased waiting times for patients. BBC News

Reduced number of GP training places advertised for 2018

Reduced number of GP training places advertised for 2018 The number of GP specialty training places on offer across the UK in the first round of recruitment for 2018 has shrunk compared to the number offered this year, official figures suggest. GPonline

Leading charities urge Government to address 'crisis' of mental health services in UK

Leading charities urge Government to address 'crisis' of mental health services in UK Twelve mental health bodies write open letter urging ministers they ‘cannot go on’ with so many patients ‘locked out’ of vital services.

Leading charities have urged the Government to urgently address the “crisis” facing mental health services in the forthcoming Budget.

In a letter shared exclusively with The Independent, mental health bodies issued an unprecedented warning to ministers that if budgets are not increased and protected, the majority of mental health sufferers will remain “locked out” of vital services.

Almost a year on from Theresa May’s pledge to improve mental health support and ensure it has parity with physical health services, the letter accuses her of setting out “unambitious” targets, urging that services “cannot go on” with the current levels of funding. The Independent

See also:

• As a psychologist I see the fantasy of neoliberal values having a devastating effect on mental health treatment The Independent

NHS spent more than £100,000 on how to move NHS logo on stationery and signs

NHS spent more than £100,000 on how to move NHS logo on stationery and signs The health service has spent more than £100,000 drawing upplans to make every trust move its NHS logo on stationery and signs, new figures show.

Earlier this year NHS England issued a diktat ordering hundreds of organisations to rework their publicity materials, claiming that inconstistencies could be fuelling pressures on Accident & Emergency units.

Under the new rules, every trust is told to place the NHS logo above the name of their organisation, instead of beside it. The Daily Telegraph

'Epidemic' of loneliness affecting families

'Epidemic' of loneliness affecting families More than half of parents suffer from loneliness as they feel ‘cut off’ from friends and family, a new survey from The Action for Children has revealed. The survey was with 2,000 UK parents with children. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Charity reveals 'devastating impact' of loneliness on UK parents, children Action for Children

You could be forced to pay for your GP to squeeze you in

You could be forced to pay for your GP to squeeze you in If you can't get to see your GP you could be forced to pay up to £70 for them to squeeze you in.

A firm is targeting NHS family doctors to sign up to a scheme offering private appointments around their contracted NHS hours.

It has prompted fears that desperate patients, struggling to see their GP, will be forced to stump up to see doctors charging for slots during lunch, and before and after surgeries and during evenings and weekends.

An official NHS report in June revealed one in nine patients – 11 per cent – could not get an appointment the last time they tried.

Doctaly already has 25 practices on board following a 'successful' pilot scheme in London and is now rolling it service out nationally from next week. The Daily Mail

Round-up of Northampton General Hospital's Best Possible Care Award winners 2017

Round-up of Northampton General Hospital's Best Possible Care Award winners 2017 Northampton General Hospital’s staff are the most caring and dedicated around and their annual awards ceremony gives bosses the chance to show how much they are appreciated.

Here are a selection of winners as part of our own thank you.Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Initiating improvement: the impact of the Care Quality Commission’s approach to inspection

Initiating improvement: the impact of the Care Quality Commission’s approach to inspection I wouldn’t go as far as to say the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report on the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) performance was glowing. But I would say that it was considerably less negative than previous reviews. CQC has now inspected all NHS hospitals, general practices and adult social care providers in England. The inspections are reportedly more intelligence-driven than in the past. The King's Fund

Stoptober 2016 campaign evaluation

Stoptober 2016 campaign evaluation Stoptober is a major annual event to encourage smokers to quit for 28 days in October - with the aim of stopping smoking permanently.

This document measures the impact of Stoptober in 2016, its fifth year of operation. Public Health England

Is this the end of the NHS's internal market?

Is this the end of the NHS's internal market? Three decades of market-based reforms are being rethought.

The project in Millom and its surrounding area of Morecambe Bay is one of 50 experimental “vanguard” sites set up by the NHS in England to piece together this fragmented system, which is increasingly struggling to cope with growing numbers of elderly people with multiple chronic conditions. Although the scope of each vanguard varies, all aim to break down silos by combining budgets and having staff from different parts of the health service work more closely together. Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, wants these sites to be models for the rest of the service. The Economist

Five new medicines to be fast-tracked annually to NHS patients

Five new medicines to be fast-tracked annually to NHS patients The government has announced a plan to speed up the time it takes for new, life-changing medicines to reach patients.

From April 2018, around five drugs or devices will be selected by a panel of experts for fast-tracking each year.

This could mean they are available up to four years earlier than normal, ministers said.

The pharmaceutical industry and charities welcomed the news, saying it was a step in the right direction.

The former head of drug company GlaxoSmithKline, Sir Andrew Witty, will lead the panel deciding on which products should be selected.

Time will be saved by reducing the time taken for new breakthrough products to get through the NHS's appraisal and approval processes. BBC News

See also:

• New 'fast track' drug plan will speed NHS access by up to four years The Daily Telegraph

Overnight carer back pay scheme 'unaffordable'

Overnight carer back pay scheme 'unaffordable' Care providers have dismissed a government scheme to tackle a problem over back pay for overnight shift staff, as a "suicide note".

The charity Mencap said the government was sacrificing the wellbeing of the most vulnerable in society and putting the jobs of low-paid staff at risk.

Ministers said the scheme had been designed to help ensure workers were paid what they were owed.

But charities say the bill for six years of extra pay is unaffordable. BBC News

Hundreds of trainee GPs facing hardship as outsourcing firm fails to pay

Hundreds of trainee GPs facing hardship as outsourcing firm fails to pay Exclusive: Payment delays by Capita leave some trainees unable to cover mortgages and forced to ask for emergency funds

Hundreds of trainee GPs have not received their salaries from the outsourcing company responsible for paying them, forcing some to turn to charities for emergency funds.

Some GPs have been unable to cover their mortgages because of the delays by Capita, which holds a contract to administer training grants for GPs through a body called Primary Care Services England. Continue reading... The Guardian

Patients waiting at least an hour in ambulances double in two years

Patients waiting at least an hour in ambulances double in two years Labour says figures showing delays in transferring patients into A&Es are a sign the NHS has been ‘pushed to brink’

The number of patients waiting an hour or more to be transferred from an ambulance into an NHS A&E ward has doubled in England over the past two years.

There were 111,524 people who waited at least 60 minutes in an ambulance in 2016-17, up from 51,115 in 2014-15, prompting fears about patient safety. The increase was even more pronounced in some parts of the country, with figures from South East Coast ambulance service (Secamb) showing the number more than quadrupled over the same period, while in London it almost trebled. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS: Teens more likely to take drugs than to smoke

NHS: Teens more likely to take drugs than to smoke Teenagers are now more likely to take drugs including legal highs and ‘hippy crack’ than they are to smoke, official figures show.

Almost a quarter of pupils aged 11 to 15 said they had used drugs compared to just 19 per cent who had smoked.

Drugs included legal highs, illegal substances such as cannabis, crack and cocaine as well as nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, which is also known as hippy crack.

One in ten had used drugs in the past month and boys were slightly more likely to have tried them than girls.

The figures also revealed that the percentage of 11- to 15-year-olds taking drugs has risen sharply in the last two years. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England - 2016 NHS Digital
• Drug use more likely than smoking among secondary school pupils The Guardian

Man, 30, was found dead from drugs in Northampton care flat just three days after leaving psychiatric hospital

Man, 30, was found dead from drugs in Northampton care flat just three days after leaving psychiatric hospital A 30-year-old Northampton man accidentally died from illegal drugs just days after leaving a psychiatric hospital, an inquest heard.

Stephen James Martin was found dead in his new care flat in St George's Street, off Barrack Road, in August 2016, just three days after being discharged from St Andrews Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Increasing number of nurses and midwives leaving profession ‘highlights major challenges faced by health and care sectors'

Increasing number of nurses and midwives leaving profession ‘highlights major challenges faced by health and care sectors' New figures show a continuation of previous trends.

In July, we published data which showed that for the first time there were more nurses and midwives leaving the register than joining it. Today’s figures show that trend is continuing. Over the last 12 months the number of UK graduates leaving the profession has increased by nine percent.

The number of nurses and midwives from Europe leaving the register has also increased by 67 percent, while the number joining the register from the EU has dropped dramatically by 89 percent. Nursing and Midwifery Council

See also:

• EU nurses 'turning their backs on UK' BBC News
• Number of EU nurses registering to work in Britain falls by 90 per cent The Daily Telegraph

Measuring up: your community and your workforce

Measuring up: your community and your workforce Find out more about NHS Employers' new tool which compares your current workforce data with data from your local community, in order to start the conversation about recruiting locally to increase workforce supply.

Rotten teeth 'more likely' in deprived areas

Rotten teeth 'more likely' in deprived areas Children from Blackburn are four times more likely to have fillings than their counterparts in South Gloucestershire, says a new report on dental health.

The report found that as well as there being a regional divide, there was a consistent gap between the dental health of the rich and poor in England.

People from the most deprived backgrounds were twice as likely to be admitted to hospital for dental work.

But the Nuffield Trust report found an overall improvement in dental health.

The report, Root causes: quality and inequality in dental health, collated the most recent data to look at the state of the nation's teeth. BBC News

NHS junior doctors 'had a point' about patient safety during strikes, admits Jeremy Hunt

NHS junior doctors 'had a point' about patient safety during strikes, admits Jeremy Hunt Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has accepted that junior doctors “had a point” when they challenged his commitment to patient safety given the significant staffing gaps across the NHS.

Speaking in front of MPs on the Commons Health Select Committee, Mr Hunt accepted there were unacceptable gaps in rotas, but said the Government was working to close them. The Independent

Outdated fitness to practise investigations 'must change', warns government

Outdated fitness to practise investigations 'must change', warns government Fitness to practise investigations are outdated, according to a government consultation that sets out plans to adopt a 'more preventative and supportive' model. GPonline

One in seven GPs 'turning to drink or drugs to cope with work stress'

One in seven GPs 'turning to drink or drugs to cope with work stress' One in seven GPs is turning to drink or drugs to help them “deal with work pressures” a new survey suggests. The poll of family doctors found almost half said their ability to care for patients had been affected by the stress of their job.

GPs said they were downing bottles of wine, taking painkillers to sleep and anti-depressants in response to pressures of work.

One said their reaction to a suicidal patient had been resentment.

The survey of more than 800 GPs by Pulse magazine found around 11 per cent had turned to alcohol, and 6 per cent to prescription drugs in response to work pressures. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• RCGP reiterates urgent need for investment in response to stress in general practice survey Royal College of General Practitioners 

Clinical leadership – moving from good will to good practice

Clinical leadership – moving from good will to good practice It is widely accepted that clinical leadership is a critical factor in health and care delivery. This is demonstrated clearly in a variety of documented examples where clinical leadership has contributed to improved services and quality of care. For example, clinically generated ideas underpinning Northumbria transformations, whole-system pathway design by clinical networks in New Zealand, and self-regulating nursing teams in the Netherlands. The King's Fund

What do the numbers say about emergency readmissions to hospital?

What do the numbers say about emergency readmissions to hospital? New figures show that emergency readmissions to hospital have risen by a fifth since 2012/13. Find out more about what our new analysis of emergency readmissions data tells us. Healthwatch

Agency, bank and overtime spending in UK maternity units in 2016

Agency, bank and overtime spending in UK maternity units in 2016 This report finds that NHS spending on temporary staffing in midwifery reached more than £97 million in 2016. It argues that the current shortage of midwives and pay restraint are contributory factors to the increasing reliance on temporary staffing. Royal College of Midwives

Lifting the cap: the fiscal and economic impact of lifting the NHS pay cap

Lifting the cap: the fiscal and economic impact of lifting the NHS pay cap This briefing examines the fiscal and economic impact of two alternative scenarios for NHS pay over the next two years: increasing pay in line with Consumer Price Index inflation, and a ‘catch-up’ rate of increasing NHS pay in line with private sector earnings plus one per cent. Institute for Public Policy Research

Moving more, ageing well

Moving more, ageing well This report highlights the need for innovative solutions for keeping older people active and independent that could save billions of pounds in NHS and social care costs by preventing disease. It recommends that teaching health and social care professionals such as pharmacists and Meals on Wheels staff to deliver exercise interventions, could be key to curtailing the UK’s growing ageing crisis. UKactive

Do NHS operating theatres really have 'wasted time'?

Do NHS operating theatres really have 'wasted time'? The BBC story about wasted time in operating theatres has generated a lively debate.

We reported that analysis by the regulator NHS Improvement showed there could have been 280,000 more non-emergency operations, at 100 English hospital trusts, last year.

There were said to be 140 minutes of unused time per operating list.

So, is it simply a case of improving efficiency, or are there wider problems that need to be addressed across the NHS?

Are the solutions to be found in the way operating theatres are managed or are theatre staff having to stand idle because of logjams elsewhere in the system? BBC News

'Despicable' fraud costs NHS in England £1bn a year

'Despicable' fraud costs NHS in England £1bn a year More will be done to protect the NHS in England from "despicable" acts of fraud, the head of the health service's new anti-fraud body has said.

Sue Frith promised a crackdown as she released figures suggesting the yearly bill for fraud in the NHS topped £1bn.

Cases include patients falsely claiming for exemptions on dental and prescription fees, and dentists charging for work they had not done.

Ms Frith said the fraud takes vital funds from front line care. BBC News

Male infertility treatment ‘insensitive’

Male infertility treatment ‘insensitive’ Male infertility care can be insensitive and one-sided, says charity Fertility Network UK which has surveyed men seeking help to become fathers.

Men can feel excluded, with female partners being the main focus of attention in clinics, it found.

The charity says men's needs are too often ignored, which must change.

Gareth Down, 31, set up a support group for men with fertility problems because he says he had nowhere to turn for help when he needed it. BBC News

GPs refuse to collect data on patients' immigration status

GPs refuse to collect data on patients' immigration status GPs are crossing out the supplementary questions section of new GMS1 forms because they do not want to be involved with gathering information on patients' immigration status, a medical charity has said. GPonline

NHS chief accuses Jeremy Hunt of 'own goal' over pay rises

NHS chief accuses Jeremy Hunt of 'own goal' over pay rises Simon Stevens insists increases should not depend on higher productivity and health secretary must find new money to boost salaries

The head of the NHS has rejected Jeremy Hunt’s insistence that its staff’s pay rise next year should depend on them improving their productivity as “an own goal of the first magnitude”.

Simon Stevens’s remarks set him on a collision course with the health secretary weeks before the budget, in which Philip Hammond is expected to set out what salary increase the NHS’s 1.7 million staff will get from next April. Continue reading... The Guardian

Drug giants' legal threat to the NHS for using cheap drugs

Drug giants' legal threat to the NHS for using cheap drugs Two of the world's biggest drugs firms are threatening to sue the NHS to stop it using a treatment nearly 70 times cheaper than their medication.

Novartis and Bayer made the threat against 12 health boards in Cumbria and North-East England which have advised doctors to use a different treatment for a devastating eye condition.

Doctors have accused the pharmaceutical giants of trying to 'dictate' which drugs they can use. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Health chiefs facing legal fight over cheaper eye drug BBC News
• Legal threat to NHS plans for cheap treatment to prevent blindness The Daily Telegraph

NHS plans to stop thyroid pill after price soars by 5,000%

NHS plans to stop thyroid pill after price soars by 5,000% The NHS is planning to stop prescribing a life-changing pill after its manufacturer raised the price by more than 5,000 per cent.

Liothyronine, used to treat patients with an underactive thyroid, has soared from 16p per tablet to £9.22 – an increase of 5,662 per cent.

The medicine, a synthetic version of the hormone T3, is relied on by sufferers who do not respond well to the cheaper alternative levothyroxine which is the standard treatment.

Because there is only one supplier of the drug, it means thousands of patients could be forced to travel to Europe to buy liothyronine, where a packet costs just a few euros. The Daily Mail

Guidance: Data security and protection for health and care organisations

Guidance: Data security and protection for health and care organisations This document sets out what all health and care organisations will be expected to do to demonstrate that they are putting into practice the 10 data security standards recommended by the National Data Guardian. Department of Health

Professionalism animations to support nurses and midwives

Professionalism animations to support nurses and midwives Three animations demonstrate how nurses and midwives could use the Enabling professionalism framework to reflect on practice and challenge poor behaviour.

Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) from the four countries of the UK, supported by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), have today launched three animations that outline how nurses and midwives can use the Enabling professionalism in nursing and midwifery practice guide to reflect on their practice. Nursing and Midwifery Council

NHS pay rise conditional on boost in productivity, Jeremy Hunt suggests - The Independent

NHS pay rise conditional on boost in productivity, Jeremy Hunt suggests - The Independent Philip Hammond will only fund a pay rise for doctors and nurses if the NHS becomes more productive, Jeremy Hunt has suggested.

The Health Secretary hinted the Chancellor had agreed to discuss a pay rise in parallel with looking at “the ways that we could improve productivity”. The Independent

See also:

Lifting the cap: the fiscal and economic impact of lifting the NHS pay cap King's Fund
NHS bosses issue 'cry for help' after years of Government funding cuts  The Independent

No end in sight for GP workforce crisis, warns think tank

No end in sight for GP workforce crisis, warns think tank Numbers of staff in primary care are 'moving further away from the government target of net growth of 5,000 more' full-time equivalent GPs by 2020, a report by the Health Foundation warns.

Report calls for better mental health support in the workplace

Report calls for better mental health support in the workplace "Up to 300,000 people with long-term mental health problems have to leave their jobs each year, a report says," writes BBC News. This was just one of the UK media outlets that published the findings of a report looking at the extent of mental ill health in the workplace, and the related economic and social costs. NHS Choices

See also:

Mental health costs employers '£33 billion to £42 billion a year FMWorld
Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers  Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health

The £97m bill for 'midwife shortage'

The £97m bill for 'midwife shortage' UK maternity units are turning to expensive temporary staffing arrangements such as overtime and agency staff to plug gaps in midwife rotas, union leaders say.

Royal College of Midwives data showed the bill hit nearly £100m in 2016, with services having to pay hourly fees twice as high as the normal rates. BBC News

The Front Line In The Battle For The Nation's Mental Health Isn't The NHS - HuffPost UK

The Front Line In The Battle For The Nation's Mental Health Isn't The NHS - HuffPost UK Half of all mental health problems are established by the age of 14 and after school, the average adult will spend 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. The front lines in the battle for good mental health in the UK are not within our NHS, they are in our nation's schools, colleges, universities and workplaces. By the time we reach the NHS, all too often we've already reached crisis point. HuffPost

Young people 'not receiving mental health care they need' - BBC News

Young people 'not receiving mental health care they need' - BBC News Young people are facing long waiting times and unequal access to mental health services, a review by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said.
The commissioner said this could be "putting young people's lives at risk". BBC News

See also:

Review of children and young people's mental health services: phase one report Care Quality Commission

I’ve been a cancer nurse for over 30 years – things have never been so bad

I’ve been a cancer nurse for over 30 years – things have never been so bad
This morning, we had nine new patients on the ward. They will all need support to manage the rollercoaster that is having cancer. The Guardian

Rotten state of children's teeth in England exposed in hospital data

Rotten state of children's teeth in England exposed in hospital data Twice as many children under the age of 10 receive hospital treatment for tooth decay as those treated for broken arms, figures for England show.

There were 34,205 cases of patients under 10 needing hospital treatment for dental caries in the year to March, the youngest less than a year old, according to the faculty of dental surgery (FDS) at the Royal College of Surgeons. The Guardian

NHS trusts accused of backdoor privatisation over subsidiary firms

NHS trusts accused of backdoor privatisation over subsidiary firms Health trusts have been accused of taking a first step towards privatisation by transferring the employment of support staff to new subsidiary companies.

At least three NHS foundation trusts in Yorkshire, the West Country and northern England have set up firms with the intention of taking thousands of workers off the NHS’s books. The Guardian

GPs to vote on breaking away from NHS to set up private model

GPs to vote on breaking away from NHS to set up private model GPs are threatening to break away from NHS and calling on their union to help them set up a "private alternative model," in a vote next week.

The motion, due to be debated by a national conference of doctors next week, follows repeated claims by the British Medical Association that the health service is at breaking point. The Telegraph

See also:

Family doctors threaten to quit NHS and go private Mail Online

Kettering General Hospital celebrates its 120th birthday

Kettering General Hospital celebrates its 120th birthday Kettering General Hospital is celebrating its 120th birthday today (Monday, October 30). Over that time the hospital has supported the healthcare needs of millions of local people from the cradle to the grave. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Rising pressure: the NHS workforce challenge

Rising pressure: the NHS workforce challenge This report analyses the profile and trends of the NHS workforce. It also focuses on two pressure points: the impact of the removal of the NHS bursary on student nurse numbers, and staff retention.

It has found increasing cause for concern. The report highlights that national policy and planning for the NHS workforce in England is not fit for purpose. It shows high staff turnover and workforce instability, and a drop in the number of trainee nurses.

The report outlines the growing gap between the national rhetoric of short-term announcements and policies addressing the NHS workforce, and the reality of no overall strategy and falling staff numbers. The Health Foundation

See also:

• Number of NHS managers rises as nursing recruitment falls The Daily Mail
• Number of NHS managers recruited soars as shortage of nurses grows The Daily Telegraph
• NHS England workforce planning 'not fit for purpose', says report The Guardian

NHS pressures – future trends

NHS pressures – future trends We are aware that the NHS is under growing pressure, with A&E attendances, waiting times and admissions all on the rise in recent years. We are undertaking regular analysis on our new pressure points in the NHS webpage, where we have highlighted several worrying trends as spiralling demand outstrips the ability of services to cope.

Based on current trends, our assessment is that unless urgent action is taken, millions more patients will be waiting for longer than four hours for treatment in A&E, and there will be dramatic rises in the number of people waiting on trolleys for treatment, or at home for non-emergency elective procedures. The British Medical Association

See also:

• A&E wait times of more than four hours to affect a million more people The Guardian

Sharing experiences improves well being of healthcare staff

Sharing experiences improves well being of healthcare staff Healthcare staff who regularly share the emotional, social or ethical challenges they face in the workplace experience less psychological distress, improved teamwork and increased empathy and compassion for patients and colleagues, a new study commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research reports.

In the first in-depth study in the UK, researchers from the University of Surrey, Kings College London, the University of Sheffield and The King’s Fund examined the impact of Schwartz Center Rounds®(Rounds), on both clinical and non-clinical staff. Rounds are monthly forums that offer a safe space for staff to share experiences with colleagues and to discuss the challenges they face in their work and its impact on them. University of Surrey

See also:

• A Longitudinal National Evaluation of Schwartz Centre Rounds®: an intervention to enhance compassion in relationships between staff and patients through providing support for staff and promoting their wellbeing NHS National Institute for Health Research
• NHS staff should be given a 'safe space' The Daily Mail

The new disability confident standard

The new disability confident standard Important information and useful resources to support organisations to achieve the new disability confident standard. NHS Employers

Police handling a third more mental health cases, figures suggest

Police handling a third more mental health cases, figures suggest The number of mental health cases dealt with by police in England and Wales has risen by more than a third in three years, figures obtained by Labour show.

There were 215,000 such cases in 2016-17 - up from 155,000 incidents in 2013-14, freedom of information figures from 23 of 43 forces suggested.

Shadow police minister Louise Haigh said forces were "at breaking point".

The government said £30m of funding to improve community-based places of safety was "having an impact". BBC News

See also:

• Mental health services are in crisis and we police struggle to pick up the slack The Guardian

IVF: Patients face postcode lottery for treatment

IVF: Patients face postcode lottery for treatment Nearly 90% of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) fail to offer would-be-mothers the recommended three cycles of IVF treatment, new figures show.

Of the 208 CCGs in England, only 24 meet national guidelines and seven offer no treatment at all.

Couples trying to conceive through IVF have described the disparity as "crazy and unfair".

Campaign group Fertility Fairness has urged the government to intervene.

Its figures are based on Freedom of Information requests sent to CCGs across England, of which all 208 replied. BBC News

See also:

Some NHS regions fail to fund any IVF treatment, report finds - The Times The Times

The nurse hired to combat cancer myths online

The nurse hired to combat cancer myths online A cancer charity has appointed a digital nurse to combat "fake news" online, which they say leaves patients "scared and at risk of bogus cures".

Macmillan Cancer Support found two-fifths of people with cancer looked up information about their diagnosis on the internet.

One in eight of those went online because they didn't fully understand what their doctor had told them.

Glaswegian nurse Ellen McPake, who landed the job, says she wants to correct the misinformation that exists. BBC News

See also:

• Cancer charity hires 'fake news' nurse to warn patients off bogus cures The Daily Telegraph

NHS Airbnb-style scheme 'not ruled out' by minister

NHS Airbnb-style scheme 'not ruled out' by minister The idea of NHS hospital patients recuperating in Airbnb-style accommodation has not been ruled out, health minister Philip Dunne has said.

Southend Hospital had been linked to a trial where hospital patients could be discharged to people's spare rooms.

The hospital distanced itself from the idea following criticism by politicians and health groups.

But Mr Dunne told BBC Radio 5 live he "wouldn't immediately reject it" as "one's got to trial different things".

The pilot scheme, proposed in Essex, would have seen some 30 hospital patients staying in local residents' spare rooms instead of in hospital while they waited to be discharged. BBC News

See also:

• Health minister does not rule out NHS paying B&B owners to offer rooms to recuperating patients The Daily Telegraph
• Thanks but no thanks, CareRooms. In the NHS we need staff, not beds The Guardian

Grenfell Tower mental health response 'largest of its kind in Europe'

Grenfell Tower mental health response 'largest of its kind in Europe' Psychologist leading response says at least 11,000 people may have been affected, and that 1,300 have already been seen

The mental health response following the Grenfell Tower fire is the biggest operation of its kind in Europe, a doctor has said, with the number of people affected likely to exceed 11,000.

The unprecedented need following the blaze has transformed the Central and North West London NHS Trust (CNWL) into “the largest trauma service in the UK”, according to Dr John Green, the psychologist leading the mental health response to the tragedy. Continue reading... The Guardian

UK at risk as more than 500,000 missing out on flu jab, says Labour

UK at risk as more than 500,000 missing out on flu jab, says Labour Government is accused of failing to take threat seriously after vaccination targets missed and publicity spending cut

More than half a million adults over 65 and almost 350,000 toddlers could miss out on their flu vaccinations after a failure to meet government targets, Labour has said.

The warning comes amid fears that Britain could be hit by its biggest flu outbreak in years this winter following major outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand. Continue reading... The Guardian

Philip Hammond tells Jeremy Hunt he will not fund pay rise for nurses unless NHS made more efficient, Health Secretary suggests

Philip Hammond tells Jeremy Hunt he will not fund pay rise for nurses unless NHS made more efficient, Health Secretary suggests Philip Hammond has told Jeremy Hunt he will not provide extra money for a pay rise for doctors and nurses unless the NHS becomes more efficient, the Health Secretary has suggested.

Mr Hunt said the Chancellor had made clear that “if we can have a negotiation and look at some of the ways that we could improve productivity” then he will be “willing to have a discussion” about the possibility of handing over more money.

The Health Secretary announced earlier this month that the public sector pay cap, which has limited increases to one per cent, will be abolished for the NHS. The Daily Telegraph

NHS Trust apologises after transgender woman's medical records are sent to another patient

NHS Trust apologises after transgender woman's medical records are sent to another patient An NHS Trust has apologised to a transgender woman whose medical records were sent to another patient by mistake.

Imperial College Trust admitted it had breached patient confidentiality after records belonging to Sarah Preece, a patient undergoing gender reassignment surgery, were placed in the wrong file.

Ms Preece only learned of the mistake when another patient wrote to inform her that she had received files containing highly sensitive information, including details of her surgery. The Daily Telegraph

Tell us how county council's £9.8million of cuts will hit you and Northampton, urges Healthwatch

Tell us how county council's £9.8million of cuts will hit you and Northampton, urges Healthwatch Healthwatch Northamptonshire wants residents hit by the upcoming £9.6million worth of county council cuts to tell them how they will be affected.

They say the council's planned cuts to libraries, children's services and bus subsidiaries could have a direct impact on health and wellbeing in the county.

It comes after the council announced they would need to find nearly £12million in savings to balance the budget by the end of September 2018. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Review of children and young people's mental health services: Phase one report

Review of children and young people's mental health services: Phase one report This report looks at the quality and accessibility of mental health services for children and young people. It summarises the current state of knowledge from across a range of sources.

The Prime Minister asked us to conduct a review of quality and access across the system of mental health services for children and young people. This report marks the first phase of that review.

The report brings together the insights and experiences of many different people and organisations. It summarises the current state of knowledge, the problems and challenges, and the effect of these problems and challenges on children and young people and their families and carers. Care Quality Commission

See also:

• Young people 'not receiving mental health care they need' BBC News
• UK children who need mental health services face 'postcode lottery' The Guardian
• When the state abandons suicidal children, something has gone badly wrong The Guardian

Investigation: WannaCry cyber attack and the NHS

Investigation: WannaCry cyber attack and the NHS The WannaCry cyber attack had potentially serious implications for the NHS and its ability to provide care to patients. It was a relatively unsophisticated attack and could have been prevented by the NHS following basic IT security best practice. There are more sophisticated cyber threats out there than WannaCry so the Department and the NHS need to get their act together to ensure the NHS is better protected against future attacks. National Audit Office

See also:

• NHS 'could have prevented' WannaCry ransomware attack BBC News
• NHS must 'get its act together’ or suffer a bigger cyber attack, says National Audit Office The Daily Telegraph
• NHS could have avoided WannaCry hack with basic IT security' says report The Guardian

Social care spending up £556m as costs also rise

Social care spending up £556m as costs also rise Annual spending by local authorities on social care rose by £556 million in 2016/17 to £17.5 billion, new figures show.

That constitutes a 3.3 per cent increase in cash terms and a 1.0 per cent increase in real terms. It is the first time social care expenditure has risen in real terms since 2009/10.

In 2016/17 Local Authorities were able to raise the council tax precept by two percent for the first time in order to fund adult social care. This raised an additional £382 million.

The Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report published by NHS Digital shows that, while expenditure has risen, there has been minimal change in activity, which may be linked to the increasing costs in the provision of care.

Public health: everyone's business?

Public health: everyone's business? This is the second report in the Provider Voices series. It uses 12 interviews with health leaders from a range of trusts and other parts of the service to help gain a better understanding of NHS providers’ role in shaping and delivering public health and care. NHS Providers

Why it is so difficult to develop new antibiotics

Why it is so difficult to develop new antibiotics Over-reliance on and misuse of antibiotics has led to warnings of a future without effective medicines. Why is it so difficult for scientists to discover new drugs?

It's a tale of scientific discovery taught the world over: the serendipitous find of a mould that revolutionised modern medicine.

Almost 90 years ago, Alexander Fleming returned from holiday to find Penicillium on Petri dishes left in his basement laboratory at St Mary's Hospital in London.

By the 1950s, the golden age of antibiotic discovery, an array of new medicines was being found.

Today, scientists are searching for a new breakthrough, testing microbes in sources as diverse as soil, caves and Komodo dragon blood, as well as developing new, lab-made synthetic drugs. BBC News

The hopes and fears of young people facing life-limiting conditions

The hopes and fears of young people facing life-limiting conditions A pioneering project has begun which aims to get young people with life-limiting conditions to express their emotions and opinions. BBC News

Sharp rise in number of children admitted to intensive care in England

Sharp rise in number of children admitted to intensive care in England Researchers warn that the increase in children admitted to paediatric intensive care units since 2009 is putting additional pressure on overstretched services

The number of children admitted to intensive care in England has risen sharply since 2009, putting additional pressure on already overstretched health services, researchers have warned.

A study of admissions to paediatric intensive care units in England found a nearly 15% increase from 2004 to 2013, with a larger than expected rise against population growth from 2009 onwards. In Wales there was a more than 2% rise over the period studied. Continue reading... The Guardian

Having a mental illness doesn’t mean you can’t work – I’m proof

Having a mental illness doesn’t mean you can’t work – I’m proof Government research has confirmed that mental health costs the nation £99bn. It doesn’t make financial sense for employers to discriminate

It’s official. The government-commissioned Thriving at Work report has found that many of us are not, in fact, thriving at work. About 300,000 of us with long-term mental health problems lose their job each year in the UK. For me, this is news alongside sky is blue; Liverpool FC are perpetually underachieving; David Davis understands the Brexit process as much as he does superstring theory.

There’s a crisis safety net when individuals reach the nadir, and that’s it Continue reading... The Guardian

Three lessons from Houston that could help your city fight the diabetes crisis

Three lessons from Houston that could help your city fight the diabetes crisis I’ve worked in public health for 20 years but my peers and I were completely caught off guard by the true picture of the city’s obesity and diabetes problem

Diabetes is such a global crisis that it unavoidably brings us together. Over the past two years Houston has been getting to grips with the problem, as one of the first members of a coalition called Cities Changing Diabetes.

On 26 and 27 October, our city is hosting the US’s first global summit on urban diabetes in order to share what we’ve learned. So here are three unexpected things our experience has taught us that could help other cities in their fight. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Houston's health crisis: by 2040, one in five residents will be diabetic The Guardian
• Diabetes: the scourge of city living The Guardian

Stop rationing cataracts until patients are nearly blind, NHS warned

Stop rationing cataracts until patients are nearly blind, NHS warned The NHS must stop rationing cataract surgery, or delaying it so long that elderly patients are almost blind, new national health service guidance states.

Investigations have found that patients who are losing their sight are waiting up to 15 months for cataract surgery, amid a stark postcode lottery across the health service

Thousands of sufferers are being forced to wait as their eyesight deteriorates, with some going untreated until they are nearly blind. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Cataracts in adults: management NICE
• NHS are told to halt rationing and offer surgery to all The Daily Mail

NHS must help staff who have to deal with terror attacks

NHS must help staff who have to deal with terror attacks The NHS must plan for the devastating long term effects on staff dealing with mass casualty terror attacks, such as the Manchester suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande gig which killed 22 innocent concert-goers, warns a new report.

Experts claim the physical and psychological complications of such atrocities on medical staff who have to deal with the repercussions of the horrific events are 'severe, under-reported, and underappreciated'. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Lessons in planning from mass casualty events in UK The BMJ
• Simon Wessely et al: The most common response to traumatic events is resilience The BMJ
• Karim Brohi: Trauma networks and terrorist events—to care for many, care for one The BMJ

Direct route to Northampton A&E will close next month for building work

Direct route to Northampton A&E will close next month for building work A main entrance to Northampton General Hospital will be closed next month while developers crane in pieces of a new building.

The Cliftonville entrance to the hospital, off Billing Road, will be closed to all vehicles except ambulances between November 13 and December 11. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Sustainable primary care provides a platform for system change

Sustainable primary care provides a platform for system change In the final blog in our series about the transformation of the Canterbury health system in New Zealand, Vince Barry, Chief Executive of Pegasus Health, looks at how building sustainable primary care creates a platform for change. The King's Fund

Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers

Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers Thriving at Work sets out what employers can do to better support all employees, including those with mental health problems to remain in and thrive through work.

It includes a detailed analysis that explores the significant cost of poor mental health to UK businesses and the economy as a whole. Poor mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion a year, with an annual cost to the UK economy of between £74 billion and £99 billion.

The review quantifies how investing in supporting mental health at work is good for business and productivity. The most important recommendation is that all employers, regardless of size or industry, should adopt 6 ‘mental health core standards’ that lay basic foundations for an approach to workplace mental health. It also details how large employers and the public sector can develop these standards further through a set of ‘mental health enhanced standards’. The review also makes a series of recommendations to government and other bodies. Department of Health & Department for Work and Pensions

See also:

• 300,000 people lose jobs each year due to poor mental health BBC News
• Mental health sick notes should ease people back to work, says Government-commissioned report The Daily Telegraph
• Mental health problems are forcing thousands in UK out of work – report The Guardian
• Up to 300,000 people with long-term mental health issues lose their jobs each year OnMedica

The non-executive director's guide to NHS data: part one

The non-executive director's guide to NHS data: part one This briefing is the first in a new series of guides to be launched by the NHS Confederation in association with healthcare intelligence provider CHKS. The guides are for non-executive directors (NEDs) and aim to show how data can be used to drive improvement, provide effective oversight and support the transformation of care. The first guide considers data in acute care settings. It will be followed by a further three publications over 2017/18. NHS Confederation

People like us? Understanding complaints about paramedics and social workers

People like us? Understanding complaints about paramedics and social workers This research, carried out by the University of Surrey, sets out to improve understanding of the reasons for the disproportionately high number and nature of complaints to the HCPC about two professions - paramedics from across the UK, and social workers in England. It also considers what preventative action could be taken to address the issues and themes brought out in the report. Health & Care Professions Council

Hospital backs away from 'Airbnb beds' plan

Hospital backs away from 'Airbnb beds' plan A hospital has backed down over plans for patients to recuperate in people's homes as part of an Airbnb-style trial.

Southend Hospital in Essex said it has no plans to "support the pilot at this time".

The trial by healthcare start-up CareRooms involves 30 hospital patients staying in local residents' spare rooms while waiting to be discharged. BBC News

See also:

• Southend hospital set to pilot Airbnb-style scheme BBC News
• Airbnb-style stays for recuperating patients to ease hospital bed-blocking The Daily Telegraph
• NHS may rent spare rooms to ease bed crisis The Guardian

Patients face 'distressing readmissions'

Patients face 'distressing readmissions' The number of patients in England being readmitted to hospital within 30 days of discharge has risen by nearly a quarter in the last four years, a watchdog has said.

Figures compiled by Healthwatch suggest one in five of these potentially distressing readmissions happen 48 hours after being sent home.

The watchdog warns patients may be being rushed out early.

NHS England says it is impossible to know the reasons for the readmissions.

An emergency readmission occurs when a patient needs to go back into hospital unexpectedly for further treatment, within 30 days of having been discharged.

Readmissions in such a short space of time raise concerns about patients being discharged unsafely, and about the pressure on hospitals to free up beds. BBC News

NHS cost cutting leaving disabled people 'interned' in care homes

NHS cost cutting leaving disabled people 'interned' in care homes Disabled people in the UK face being “interned” in care homes due to NHS cost-cutting measures, in what amounts to a potential breach of their human rights, it has emerged.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned a new policy that caps funding for NHS care outside hospital means disabled people may be prevented from living at home with their families despite being well enough to do so.

Out of hospital care, known as continuing healthcare, can be arranged in a care home, nursing home, hospice or a person’s own home. But the EHRC said the new funding caps, which have been rolled out in at least 44 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across the UK, set an upper limit on the provision of care in a person’s home, which for many is not sufficient to meet their care needs. The Independent

To those who take antibiotics – the resistance crisis is not your fault | Hannah Flynn

To those who take antibiotics – the resistance crisis is not your fault | Hannah Flynn A new government campaign suggesting that growing antimicrobial resistance is the fault of patients is lazy and dishonest

Singing and dancing pills are the latest weapon to be pulled out of the NHS’s public health armoury, in a last-ditch battle to beat antibiotic resistance. The animated capsules are featured in Public Health England’s Keep Antibiotics Working campaign, which was unveiled earlier this week, and aims to encourage patients to use fewer antibiotics. Yet like all other attempts to curb the impending antibiotic Armageddon, it will fail. Why? Because it is based on the lazy assumption that patients are to blame.

We should be in a strong position to curb the threat of antimicrobial resistance in the UK, as our comparatively non-interventionist approach to illness (necessitated by having one of the lowest spends per capita on healthcare in the western world) has meant we have a much stronger grip on prescribing than many other places. This is admirable and should be celebrated more than it is, yet this is exactly why a campaign encouraging people to use fewer antibiotics is destined to fail. Patients aren’t the decision-makers here.

Using antibiotics as growth agents has been banned in the EU since 2006, but it isn’t in the US Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

•  Antibiotic resistance could spell end of modern medicine, says chief medic The Guardian

Sick children like my daughter don't get enough information – so I made an app

Sick children like my daughter don't get enough information – so I made an app When my daughter had cancer she was told nothing about hospital environments or her treatment. I want to use her experience to benefit others

Tuesday 29 November 2011 was the darkest of days. On that day six years ago, my wife and I listened in stunned silence as we were given the news that our 13-year-old daughter, Issy, had a rare bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma.

That was the start of a year of treatment that involved six hospitals, 18 rounds of chemotherapy, numerous blood transfusions, a failed stem cell harvest, an operation to remove her sacrum and an eight-week NHS-funded trip to the US, where she received proton beam therapy. Continue reading... The Guardian

'Attention seekers' cost the NHS £1.7 million a year

'Attention seekers' cost the NHS £1.7 million a year 'Attention seekers' who pretend to be ill are costing the NHS £1.7million a year, official figures reveal.

The number of hospital beds taken up by patients with fake disorders has more than trebled in the past decade, according to NHS Digital statistics. Each faker is estimated to cost the NHS between £800 to £900 a day.

Experts believe the problem is driven by 'Dr Google' as people can readily access medical information to fool doctors into believing they are unwell.

Nearly 100 people were treated for Munchausen's syndrome by the NHS between 2015 and 2016, resulting in a cumulative 1,966 days in hospital, figures add. Munchausen's syndrome is a psychological disorder where someone pretends to be ill. The Daily Mail

‘You need a whole system to work for the whole system to work’

‘You need a whole system to work for the whole system to work’ Recently, the Fund hosted a visit by leaders of the health system in Canterbury, New Zealand. In this guest blog – the second of three drawing on experiences shared during the visit – David Meates, Chief Executive of the Canterbury District Health Board, explains how organisations within the Canterbury health system have moved from playing the ‘blame game’ to working together to provide the best possible care for the local population. The King's Fund

Towards an effective NHS payment system: eight principles

Towards an effective NHS payment system: eight principles This report sets out eight principles for a future payment system, primarily arguing that clarity of purpose is required to refocus the system’s many objectives. It argues that that now is the ideal time to review the system, with vanguards and STPs already changing the way that care is delivered, while a two-year fixed payment by results tariff offers space for reform. The Health Foundation

Children and young people's mental health – the role of education: government response

Children and young people's mental health – the role of education: government response In May 2017, two Commons Select Committees published a joint report which examined key issues relating to children and young people's mental health across education and health care. This report outlines the government's response to the recommendations arising in the original inquiry report. House of Commons Education and Health Committees

Use of resources assessment: a brief guide for acute non-specialist trusts

Use of resources assessment: a brief guide for acute non-specialist trusts The Use of resources assessment framework aims to improve understanding of how effectively and efficiently NHS providers are using their resources. By the end of 2019, all acute non-specialist trusts will have undergone an assessment. This briefing provides an overview for non-specialist acute trusts on the agenda for the onsite visit and other useful information. NHS Improvement 

Postnatal depression: Call for new fathers to be screened

Postnatal depression: Call for new fathers to be screened A man who suffered depression after the birth of his son has called for all new fathers to be screened for the illness.

"I remember I was in a car park one day and I just broke down crying," said Mark Williams of Bridgend-based Fathers Reaching Out charity.

Both Mr Williams and his wife suffered from postnatal depression after the traumatic birth of their child.

He wants mental health checks for all new parents but there are currently no plans to change the guidelines. BBC News

E-cigarettes: Cross-party group of MPs launches inquiry

E-cigarettes: Cross-party group of MPs launches inquiry MPs are to carry out an inquiry into e-cigarettes amid concerns there are "significant gaps" in what is known about them and how they are regulated.

The science and technology committee will look at their effectiveness as a stop-smoking tool and the impact of their growing use on health.

Nearly three million people in the UK now "vape" regularly - four times more than in 2012. BBC News

Hackers breach top plastic surgery clinic

Hackers breach top plastic surgery clinic A high-profile plastic surgery clinic has said it is "horrified" after hackers allegedly stole data during a cyber-attack.

London Bridge Plastic Surgery (LBPS) said its IT experts and police found evidence of the breach.

A group claiming to be behind the breach said it had "terabytes" of data, the Daily Beast news site reported.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the attack. BBC News

Ambulances failing to reach the most seriously ill patients in time

Ambulances failing to reach the most seriously ill patients in time Ambulances are failing to reach dying and critically ill patients fast enough with the system at breaking point, an ITV News investigation has found.

Paramedics are expected to reach the most serious emergencies - such as cardiac arrests or strokes - within eight minutes.

But our research has revealed that thousands of patients in England have had to endure delays well in excess of that target, with some forced to wait for several hours.

See also:

• Critically ill patients wait over 30 minutes for ambulance The Daily Mail

Jane Flint: ‘Having an atheist chaplain is about patient choice’

Jane Flint: ‘Having an atheist chaplain is about patient choice’ The first non-religious pastoral carer in the NHS on why patients need someone to just be there – to hear their stories or bear witness to their pain, whatever their beliefs.

The stress of coming into hospital can take its toll on patients and relatives alike and Jane Flint’s role as a member of the chaplaincy at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS trust is to offer emotional and spiritual support to patients, visitors and staff. The difference between her and the other 12 chaplains is that she is an atheist. Duties are the same as for the other chaplains bar offering prayers, rituals or a religious perspective. “It was wonderful to have you with me. Just knowing that there was someone available who had similar beliefs to mine and that you were coming to see me or I could ask for a visit made such a difference to the rest of my time in hospital,” wrote a former NHS patient.

Like them, Flint will see non-religious and religious people alike who request her services. The role, says Flint, is about “just being there”, whether to hear people’s life stories, to provide a sounding board, or to bear witness to somebody’s pain. It can be about conducting a service for a miscarried child, or for a person who was all alone in life; it can be to provide company, or to give someone time. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Are hospital chaplains a waste of NHS money? The Guardian