UK 'in grip of worst flu season since 2011'

UK 'in grip of worst flu season since 2011' The UK is in the grip of its worst flu season for seven years, figures suggest.

Health officials say flu rates have once again risen in every part of the UK.

The number of people going to GPs in England with suspected flu rose by over 40% compared to the previous week, figures up to last Sunday show.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have also seen increases.

The last time there was more flu circulating than this was in 2010-11, when swine flu - responsible for the pandemic of the year before - came back.

Hospitals are also seeing "very high" rates of admissions - although it appears the strain known as "Aussie flu" is not causing the most serious illnesses, according to the report from Public Health England.

Instead - of the four strains circulating - a B strain, which does not normally cause high rates of severe illness, is responsible for about half the hospital cases. BBC News

Noel Conway: Terminally ill man granted assisted dying appeal

Noel Conway: Terminally ill man granted assisted dying appeal A terminally ill man who wants to be helped to die has been granted permission to take his case to appeal.

Two judges from the Court of Appeal said there should be a full hearing of 68-year-old Noel Conway's case.

Mr Conway, a retired lecturer from Shropshire who has motor neurone disease, was too ill to attend court.

Last October, the High Court rejected his challenge to the Suicide Act 1961 which he argues breaches his right to a "peaceful and dignified death".

Mr Conway wants a doctor to be allowed to prescribe him a lethal dose of drugs. BBC News

NHS crisis: 100,000 waited 30 minutes in ambulance this winter

NHS crisis: 100,000 waited 30 minutes in ambulance this winter Latest figures show almost a quarter of those had to wait at least an hour before being seen

More than 100,000 patients this winter have had to wait in the back of an ambulance for at least 30 minutes because of A&E overcrowding, NHS figures have revealed.

In all 104,987 patients brought to hospitals in England have been stuck inside an ambulance for upwards of half an hour.

A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied.

The UK has fewer doctors and nurses than many other comparable countries both in Europe and worldwide. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Britain comes 24th in a league table of 34 member countries in terms of the number of doctors they have relative to their populations. Greece, Austria and Norway have the most; the three countries with proportionately the fewest medics are Turkey, Chile and Mexico. Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, regularly points out that the NHS in England has more doctors and nurses than when the Conservatives came to power in 2010. That is true, although there are now fewer district nurses, mental health nurses and other types of health professionals.

We will be monitoring the situation in hospitals over the next few months and want to hear your experiences of the NHS this winter. We are keen to hear from healthcare professionals as well as patients about the situation. Have operations been cancelled? Has pressure led to certain wards being closed? How are staff coping? Help us document what is going on across the UK. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS bosses urged GPs to purchase a cheaper flu jab

NHS bosses urged GPs to purchase a cheaper flu jab NHS England asked doctors to purchase the trivalent jab - which offers no protection against the B Yamagata strain, referred to as 'Japanese flu', according to documents obtained by HSJ. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS attempts to save £3 per flu jab have fuelled winter crisis as 'Japanese flu' spreads through hospitals The Daily Telegraph

VIDEO: Go behind the scenes with Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

VIDEO: Go behind the scenes with Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) is offering a closer look at local healthcare with its #weareNHFT video online. NHFT has launched a video and magazine to give people a glimpse of some of the behind the scenes work going on across hospitals and within the community.

It is part of the on-going #weareNHFT campaign to demonstrate the values and work of the dedicated staff across the trust. Northamptonshire Telegraph

KGH marks 10 years of life-saving bowel screening

KGH marks 10 years of life-saving bowel screening Kettering General Hospital is celebrating 10 years of providing a life-saving bowel screening service which has found almost 800 cancers.

The trust went live with its first bowel screening patient in December 2007 when it became the screening centre for the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland area as part of a national scheme to introduce bowel cancer screening across the country. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Guidance: The wellbeing of 15-year-olds: analysis of the What About YOUth? survey

Guidance: The wellbeing of 15-year-olds: analysis of the What About YOUth? survey A report highlighting associations between health behaviours, other self-rated life factors (such as bullying and body image) and wellbeing. Public Health England

The Hidden Cancer - The Need to Improve Blood Cancer Care

The Hidden Cancer - The Need to Improve Blood Cancer Care This report makes important recommendations on how to make improvements and ensure that we all work together to raise awareness of blood cancer. It is also a call to the Government and NHS to ensure that blood cancers and needs of blood cancer patients are properly addressed. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Blood Cancer

See also:

• GPs told to test all patients with one or more blood cancer symptoms GPonline
• Doctors should order more blood cancer tests, MPs say The Guardian

No homes for nurses: how NHS land is being sold off to build unaffordable homes

No homes for nurses: how NHS land is being sold off to build unaffordable homes This report examines the NHS sites that have been sold under the Government’s public land sale programme. These include hospitals, community health centres and other health service infrastructure that have been identified as surplus by the NHS. It compares the homes planned on these sites to the average wages of NHS key workers. New Economics Foundation

Pressure 'easing' on busy A&E units

Pressure 'easing' on busy A&E units Pressures on busy A&E units have begun to ease in England, but hospitals still remain over-crowded, NHS figures show.

Latest weekly data up to last Sunday showed the number of times ambulances have been delayed waiting outside A&E fell by nearly a quarter to 12,500.

Bed closures due to the vomiting bug norovirus have also fallen.

But NHS England warned the cold snap expected to hit the north of England over the next few days could lead to an increase in illnesses. BBC News

East of England ambulance delays kill 20, says MP

East of England ambulance delays kill 20, says MP Twenty people died after ambulance delays over 12 days when a trust failed to move into its highest state of emergency, an MP has said.

Labour's Clive Lewis told the Commons senior managers wanted to move East of England Ambulance Service Trust to so-called REAP 4 on 19 December.

Mr Lewis said the decision was not taken until 31 December.

The trust said it experienced "significant pressure" over the winter period. BBC News

Minister for loneliness appointed to continue Jo Cox's work

Minister for loneliness appointed to continue Jo Cox's work A minister for loneliness, a project first started by the late MP Jo Cox, has been announced by Downing Street.

Tracey Crouch said she was proud to take on the "generational challenge" to tackle an issue affecting about nine million UK people, young and old.

The 42-year-old said she would work across political parties in the role.

The Commission on Loneliness was first set up by Ms Cox, who was killed before the EU referendum.

A 2017 report said loneliness was as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. BBC News

Family doctors working 'beyond safe levels', says GPs' leader

Family doctors working 'beyond safe levels', says GPs' leader As doctors describe dealing with up to 70 patients a day, college warns of risks to public health

GPs across Britain are working above safe levels because of relentless and unmanageable workloads, leading doctors have warned. Continue reading... The Guardian

Half of England's care home providers failing the elderly

Half of England's care home providers failing the elderly Half of England’s major care home providers are failing their elderly residents in at least a quarter of their properties, say researchers. For some, the proportion is even higher. The Daily Mail

Adoption and spread of innovation in the NHS

Adoption and spread of innovation in the NHS The first large-scale clinical trials of statins were held in the mid-1980s and statins became available on prescription from the NHS in the 1990s. By the early 2000s, the English NHS was prescribing around 8 billion daily doses of statins each year, contributing to dramatic reductions in rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease.

Meanwhile, despite considerable progress, the NHS, like other health systems, is still struggling to implement basic hygiene protocols such as hand washing in hospitals, 150 years after Joseph Lister published his observations in the Lancet on antiseptic methods. Some innovations are incendiary, spreading with a spark from funders, regulators, professionals or the public. Others seem stubbornly immobile, no matter how easy they appear to implement or how persuasive the evidence. The King's Fund

See also:

• How can the NHS tap into innovations from the front line? The King's Fund

Funding system failing people with continuing healthcare needs

Funding system failing people with continuing healthcare needs A new report says Government must take steps to improve complex process beset with delays and poor-quality assessments because care is compromised too often due to access to funding

NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) funding is intended to help some of the most vulnerable people in society, who have significant healthcare needs.

But too often people's care is compromised because no one makes them aware of the funding available, or helps them to navigate the hugely complicated process for accessing funding.

Those people that are assessed spend too long waiting to find out if they are eligible for funding, and to receive the essential care that they need. About one-third of assessments in 2015–16 took longer than 28 days. In some cases people have died whilst waiting for a decision. Public Accounts Select Committee

See also:

• Elderly dying amid NHS wrangles over who pays for care, PAC warns The Daily Telegraph
• Care cuts could put patients' safety at risk, warn MPs The Guardian

Health service 'haemorrhaging' nurses, figures reveal

Health service 'haemorrhaging' nurses, figures reveal The NHS is "haemorrhaging" nurses with one in 10 now leaving the NHS in England each year, figures show.

More than 33,000 walked away last year, piling pressure on understaffed hospitals and community services.

The figures - provided to the BBC by NHS Digital - represent a rise of 20% since 2012-13, and mean there are now more leavers than joiners.

Nurse leaders said it was a "dangerous and downward spiral", but NHS bosses said the problem was being tackled.

The figures have been compiled as part of an in-depth look at nursing by BBC News

See also:

• Why are so many nurses quitting the NHS? BBC News

Changing profession

Changing profession From the running of general practices to carrying out surgical operations, the role of nurses is changing. So what are some of the things modern nurses do? BBC News

Alarm in hospitals as NHS triggers emergency plans in 14 trusts after Carillion collapse - The Independent

Alarm in hospitals as NHS triggers emergency plans in 14 trusts after Carillion collapse The NHS has triggered emergency contingency plans across 14 hospital trusts to maintain essential services previously delivered by collapsed contractor Carillion.

Additional staff have been sent to six major hospitals where Carillion is contracted to provide essential maintenance, catering, cleaning and portering services with NHS hospitals at maximum capacity.

The construction and services company, which went into compulsory liquidation on Monday, is also in the middle of constructing two new NHS hospitals which could now face further delays. The Independent

Alys Cole-King: ‘Suicide in the NHS family is particularly resonant for me’ | Hélène Mulholland

Alys Cole-King: ‘Suicide in the NHS family is particularly resonant for me’ Suicide prevention expert Alys Cole-King wants distressed NHS colleagues to seek support themselves during the winter crisis

Reports by overstretched NHS staff of the pressures of the winter crisis moved Dr Alys Cole-King to fire off a series of tweets last week:“You matter as much as your patients”, she said encouraging anyone struggling at work in the NHS to tell someone, with a link to online self-help material for those feeling suicidal. Continue reading... The Guardian

I was a doctor prone to fainting. This is how I got over it

I was a doctor prone to fainting. This is how I got over it Like 12% of medical students, the graphic sights of the operating theatre caused me to faint. But slowly, after many queasy incidents, I learned how to cope

Medicine is great, but it involves pain, pus and blood. For some, seeing those things is a problem. When I started medical school, I was worried. Before applying, I had spent a night in the local casualty department as work experience. I watched a junior doctor try to prise a splinter from a young woman’s hand. It was hurting her, and she kept yelping. The doctor got irritated and said the anaesthetic “should be working by now”. He kept digging into her hand with a scalpel tip; she started to cry. I felt lightheaded, my skin went cold, I moved my legs to keep the blood flowing, but seconds later I fainted. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• 'I fainted quite a bit': what I learned from my nursing placement The Guardian

Measles strikes more than 100 people across five regions

Measles strikes more than 100 people across five regions A measles outbreak has spread to five regions in England, infecting 122 confirmed cases.

West Yorkshire has the most sufferers with 34 people being struck down with the life-threatening infection, followed by 32 in the West Midlands, 29 in Liverpool and Cheshire, 20 in Surrey and Sussex, and seven in Greater Manchester. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Measles outbreaks confirmed in 5 areas across UK Public Health England
• Measles outbreak in five English regions BBC News
• Measles outbreak spreading across England health officials warn The Independent

'Suicidal' patient tied ligature on hospital ward

'Suicidal' patient tied ligature on hospital ward A mental health patient died after tying a ligature around her neck in a hospital bedroom, an inquest has heard.

Kayley MacLeod, 21, was found not breathing and unresponsive at St Mary's Hospital in Kettering in October 2016.

A jury at Northampton County Hall was told she had self-harmed there and wrote a note days before which read "I'm the most suicidal I've ever been".

The four-day inquest will look at her care plan, risk assessment and how often she was observed in hospital. BBC Northamptonshire

Medical ‘blunders’ by KGH result in payouts totalling almost £28m

Medical ‘blunders’ by KGH result in payouts totalling almost £28m Medical negligence claims against Kettering General Hospital have seen payouts worth almost £28m in the past five years.

The claims include £8,280,790.53 in damages alone during 2016-17, more than the total payouts for each of the four years before that.

KGH pays into an annual NHS scheme called the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts to cover such claims, meaning payments don’t come out of KGH’s funds.

All of the payouts were for incidents after 1995, with the total costs leaving KGH 100th out of 258 trusts when it comes to the amount settled. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Funding and staffing of NHS mental health providers: still waiting for parity

Funding and staffing of NHS mental health providers: still waiting for parity In 2013 the government made a commitment to achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health. That commitment was followed by a pledge of £1.25 billion for child and adolescent mental health, a national strategy for adult mental health and an investment of £1 billion to support its delivery.

The spending gap between NHS acute hospitals and NHS mental health providers widened further last year, according to a new report from The King’s Fund.

Analysis done for the report shows that 84 per cent of mental health trusts, which provide the great majority of mental health services, received an increase in funding last year, significantly higher than in previous years. But funding for acute and specialist hospitals has continued to grow more quickly as national leaders have prioritised reducing financial deficits and improving performance in A&E. The King's Fund

See also:

• Mental health funding gap widens further The King's Fund
• Mental health still losing out in NHS funding, report finds The Guardian

Collection: Teenage pregnancy

Collection: Teenage pregnancy The teenage pregnancy prevention framework and the framework for supporting teenage mothers and young fathers are designed to:

• help local areas assess their local programmes to see what’s working well
• identify any gaps in services
• strengthen the prevention and support pathways for all young people, young parents and their children

Both frameworks provide an evidence-based structure for a collaborative whole system approach to prevent teenage pregnancies and support teenage parents.

The teenage pregnancy narrative reports bring together key data and information for local authorities to help inform commissioning decisions to reduce unplanned teenage conceptions and improve outcomes for young parents. Public Health England

No hospital is an island: learning from the Acute Care Collaboration vanguards

No hospital is an island: learning from the Acute Care Collaboration vanguards This report covers the learning from 13 acute care collaborations that were established in September 2015 as part of the new care models programme. It highlights six common strategies that have emerged, including the way clinical practices are being standardised; how vanguards are making better use of clinical support services; and how the skills of healthcare professionals are being used more creatively and flexibly. NHS England

High impact change model: managing transfers of care

High impact change model: managing transfers of care This change model, developed with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, outlines a practical approach to managing patient flow and hospital discharge. It identifies eight system changes that will have the greatest impact on reducing delayed discharge. The resource supplements the model by bringing together examples of work being undertaken across the country, for each of the eight system changes. Local Government Association

Cost legacy of decades-old NHS blunders begins to rise

Cost legacy of decades-old NHS blunders begins to rise NHS medical blunders dating back more than two decades are still costing millions of pounds a year in compensation, it has emerged.

The negligence bill for mistakes made before 1995 - mainly maternity failings - has begun to rise for the first time in five years.

A patients' charity said the figures showed just how long some families have to wait for payouts.

The NHS said it had taken steps to speed up the process. BBC News

See also:

• What does NHS compensation pay for? BBC News

Employers urged to 'normalise' menopause in the workplace

Employers urged to 'normalise' menopause in the workplace Employers need to do more to "normalise conversations" about the menopause in the workplace, say experts.

The comments came after a BBC survey found 70% of respondents did not tell their bosses they were experiencing symptoms.

Some firms have brought in menopause-specific policies but experts said for many it was still a taboo subject.

GP and menopause expert Louise Newson said it was a "silent issue for too many organisations". BBC News

GP access not to blame for rising pressure on A&E, researchers find

GP access not to blame for rising pressure on A&E, researchers find GPs are being incorrectly used as scapegoats to explain away rising rates of A&E attendances, according to researchers who found that long-term conditions and deprivation are the likely root cause. GPonline

'I knew I was in labour' – why are women being turned away from hospital during childbirth?

'I knew I was in labour' – why are women being turned away from hospital during childbirth? As a number of women recount how they were mistakenly told to go home and wait, before giving birth on the pavement or in a lift, experts warn that more investment in early-labour care is needed

Because her first baby had arrived quickly, Lizzie Hines was told at all her antenatal midwife appointments that she should go to hospital as soon as she recognised the first signs of labour. So, a couple of hours after she first felt twinges, cramps and contractions, she and her husband set off for a hospital in central London, but when she arrived, the midwife who examined her told her she wasn’t in labour. “I knew that not to be true,” she says. “I knew I was in labour.”

They were told to go home for a few hours; Hines asked if she could stay, but was told she couldn’t unless she wanted to wait in the corridor. Her husband booked them into a nearby hotel to wait it out, and they walked around the corner, with Hines, wearing pyjamas and a coat, steadying herself against the walls of the building with each contraction. It was 7am. Continue reading... The Guardian

Pity the NHS, but it’s not time to get rid of Jeremy Hunt | Polly Toynbee

Pity the NHS, but it’s not time to get rid of Jeremy Hunt | Polly Toynbee The missed targets and overflowing beds are unprecedented, but at least Hunt admits it’s all about money. Two cheers for him remaining

A minister presiding over a service in meltdown should expect to be sacked. Instead, on the NHS’s 70th birthday, Jeremy Hunt will be the longest-serving health secretary ever. And that’s a good thing. He is reviled by an NHS whose senior doctors and managers he has bullied, blamed and beheaded for the underfunding they repeatedly warned him against. Yet better the devil they know.

When 68 of the most senior heads of A&E from the largest trusts tell the prime minister that patients are dying in corridors, that’s not shroud-waving or crying wolf, that’s real “prematurely” dead bodies. The current level of safety is “intolerable”, they write, with emergency departments “in a state of emergency”. Continue reading... The Guardian

Flu cases rocket by 35%, official figures reveal

Flu cases rocket by 35%, official figures reveal The dreaded flu outbreak shows no signs of stopping as cases of the killer virus have rocketed by 35 per cent in a week, official figures reveal.

Government data shows 4,128 people were struck down across England last week - compared to the 3,044 new cases recorded the week before.

It comes as the flu death toll across the home nations is now officially 97 - with many more fatalities expected in the coming weeks.

However, the total amount of deaths is likely to be much higher as laboratory tests only capture a fraction of the true number. The Daily Mail

One in four A&E patients at KGH in December waited for more than four hours

One in four A&E patients at KGH in December waited for more than four hours More than 25 per cent of patients who attended KGH’s A&E department in December had to wait for longer than four hours.

New NHS figures show 7,488 people visited A&E there in the last month of 2017. A total of 73.4 per cent of these were admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time of four hours – meaning 1,989 had to wait longer than expected. Northamptonshire Telegraph

A&E performance reaches a new low

A&E performance reaches a new low We are in the middle of winter, and pressures on the NHS are rising. The media and groups of NHS staff are describing an A&E service in crisis, while the government says the NHS is more prepared for winter than ever before. What does the latest national data say about how A&E departments are coping compared with previous winters? The King's Fund

Feeling the heat the decline of stop smoking services in England findings from a survey of local authority tobacco control leads

Feeling the heat the decline of stop smoking services in England findings from a survey of local authority tobacco control leads A report by Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health showing that cuts to the public health budget nationally have led to dramatic changes in services for smokers. Only 61% of local authorities continue to offer all local smokers access to evidence-based support in line with NICE guidance.

Local areas report year-on-year budget cuts to stop smoking services. There is now at least one local authority in England where there is a zero budget for addressing smoking.

The survey of local authorities across England also found that 1 in 9 areas report that GPs are no longer prescribing nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum, to smokers. One in 10 GPs do not provide access to varenicline, an effective prescription-only medication that helps smokers to quit.

What doctors, nurses and patients think about the NHS

What doctors, nurses and patients think about the NHS The NHS has been under the spotlight even more than usual over the Christmas period, with hospitals described as unsafe and overcrowded.

Doctors say patients are dying in corridors, and are asking for money for beds and staff.

Newsbeat asked for your experiences at hospitals and was inundated with responses.

They were raw - but gave positive as well as negative accounts. BBC News

'Liver branding' surgeon Simon Bramhall fined £10,000

'Liver branding' surgeon Simon Bramhall fined £10,000 A liver surgeon who branded his initials on the livers of two patients has been fined £10,000.

Simon Bramhall, 53, used an argon beam machine to write his initials on the organs of the anaesthetised patients in 2013 while working at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Bramhall, of Tarrington, Herefordshire, admitted two counts of assault by beating at Birmingham Crown Court.

He was also sentenced to a 12-month community order. BBC News

See also:

• Surgeons don’t have to sign their names… in us | Barbara Ellen The Guardian

Carillion: Government contractor enters compulsory liquidation 'with immediate effect'

Carillion: Government contractor enters compulsory liquidation 'with immediate effect' Company employs some 20,000 people in the UK and holds contracts for HS2, prisons, the NHS and the armed forces.

One of the Government's most important contractors has collapsed into liquidation as a result of its lenders refusing to provide any more financial support, raising fears about the future of hundreds of major projects at an already challenging time for the British economy.

Following several days of tense negotiations, the board of construction giant Carillion on Monday said that it had “no choice but to take steps to enter into compulsory liquidation with immediate effect’’. The Independent

Sexual health services must be protected to prevent a crisis | The big issue

Sexual health services must be protected to prevent a crisis | The big issue A petition is the first step in the battle to stop the loss of ringfencing of funds

We were pleased that Nick Cohen highlighted the impact of the systematic reduction in public health funding on vital prevention and clinical services (“You don’t have to be poor to be an addict. But it helps”, Comment). Like the drug and alcohol services he referred to, there is a growing deficit between need and the availability of sexual health services. In London, a number of sexual health clinics have closed recently and patients are reportedly being turned away.

We are on the verge of a crisis in sexual health services, but the stigma and blame attached to public health issues such as drug and alcohol use can also be a critical barrier to convincing hearts and minds (and voters) to fight against this predicament in sexual health. Despite this, the fight is on. Already, 5,000 people have signed a petition to protect sexual health services. Continue reading... The Guardian

Dentists warn of child tooth decay crisis as extractions hit new high

Dentists warn of child tooth decay crisis as extractions hit new high NHS surgeons removed multiple teeth from under-18s in England a record 42,911 times in 2016-17, figures show

NHS surgeons are performing record numbers of operations to pull out rotten teeth in children. Continue reading... The Guardian 

See also:

• Hospital operations for child teeth removal increase in England BBC News

Medical students urged to volunteer as NHS winter crisis worsens

Medical students urged to volunteer as NHS winter crisis worsens Exclusive: Emails seen by the Guardian reveal inexperienced undergraduates are being asked to help in A&E units and wards

Medical students are being urged to help relieve the NHS winter crisis because hospitals are so short-staffed they are struggling to cope with the surge in patients, the Guardian can reveal.

Despite their lack of experience, undergraduates are being asked to volunteer in A&E units and on wards reeling under the weight of extra demand caused by the cold weather, an outbreak of flu and people suffering serious breathing problems.

A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied. Continue reading... The  Guardian

NHS crisis fuelled by closure of 1000 care homes housing more than 30000 pensioners - Telegraph.co.uk

NHS crisis fuelled by closure of 1000 care homes housing more than 30000 pensioners The growing NHS crisis has been fuelled by the closure of almost 1,000 care homes housing more than 30,000 pensioners, research suggests. It comes as NHS figures show the worst Accident & Emergency crisis on record. The Daily Telegraph

NHS boss diagnosed with Alzheimer's tells of the disease

NHS boss diagnosed with Alzheimer's tells of the disease Three years ago, Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Though devastated, the NHS manager, from Yorkshire, was determined to remain upbeat. The Daily Mail

NHS winter pressures: going home from hospital

NHS winter pressures: going home from hospital The spotlight on NHS performance during winter – and this series of blogs so far –lingers on problems getting to and (where necessary) into hospital quickly in an emergency. Problems at the hospital front door may seem more immediate, but the less visible delays at the back door are no less important.

Delays leaving hospital primarily affect older people (those aged 65 plus). In March 2017 the NHS Benchmarking Network suggested that 83% of delayed discharges involved people aged 65 plus and 39% involved people aged 85 plus (based on data from 47 NHS organisations from England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The Health Foundation

Black alerts: for emergencies only?

Black alerts: for emergencies only? The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have said that the NHS is delivering more and has planned better for this winter than ever before, but news of long waits and over-crowded A&E departments is still making the headlines. The King's Fund

Fatigue and sleep deprivation – the impact of different working patterns on doctors

Fatigue and sleep deprivation – the impact of different working patterns on doctors This briefing highlights why doctors are at risk of fatigue and the acute and long-term impacts this can have. It also presents a framework for how Government, organisations and doctors themselves can manage this risk. British Medical Association

Thinking on its own: AI in the NHS

Thinking on its own: AI in the NHS This report illustrates the areas where artificial intelligence (AI) could help the NHS become more efficient and deliver better outcomes for patients. It also highlights the main barriers to the implementation of this technology and suggests some potential solutions. Reform

Sharp rise in flu cases

Sharp rise in flu cases Hospitals in England are now seeing very high rates of patients with flu, according to Public Health England figures.

A sharp rise in cases seen by GPs in the past week - up 78% on the week before - suggests it could be the worst flu season for seven years.

But PHE said the current levels of flu were "not unprecedented".

Deaths from flu remained static with 27 in the past seven days.

Around 5,000 people were admitted to hospital with flu in the first week of January, based on PHE figures for 22 out of 137 trusts.

Prof Paul Cosford, medical director from Public Health England, said: "The levels of flu being seen are high and of course that is contributing to the pressures in the NHS, but they are not unprecedented levels." BBC News

See also:

• UK flu levels continue to increase according to PHE statistics Public Health England 
• Syndromic surveillance: weekly summaries for 2018 Public Health England 
• Flu rises again in England putting increasing pressure on general practice services Royal College of General Practitioners
• Why do the majority of NHS staff not get the flu vaccine? BBC News
• Flu deaths soar by 77% in a week, figures show The Daily Mail
• Flu levels soaring with one in five hospital cases suffering 'Aussie flu' The Daily Telegraph
• Flu epidemic will hit within a month if trends continue, new figures show The Daily Telegraph
• Flu cases double as UK faces medium-level epidemic GPonline
• Rate of flu patients placed in intensive care shoots up 65% in a week as 18-year-old dies from disease The Independent

Carillion share price collapse sparks fears Government could be left with cost of NHS contracts

Carillion share price collapse sparks fears Government could be left with cost of NHS contracts A dramatic fall in the share price of one of Britain’s biggest outsourcing companies has sparked fears that the taxpayer could be left to pick up the cost of contracts that provide crucial maintenance work in NHS hospitals.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said today that the Government was monitoring Carillion closely amid fears that it could collapse as the health service struggles to cope with the worst winter crisis on record. The Independent

Six patients die amid 400 errors as NHS staff accidentally switch off oxygen supply

Six patients die amid 400 errors as NHS staff accidentally switch off oxygen supply An NHS investigation has been launched following the deaths of six patients when hospital staff accidentally switched off their oxygen cylinders.

A safety alert has been issued after watchdogs uncovered more than 400 incidents in which cylinder controls were wrongly operated - including 24 cases where patients came to “moderate or severe harm”.

The blunders saw six patients die, while five suffered cardiac arrest or stopped breathing and five were left unconscious.

Incidents involved newborns, patients on resuscitation trolleys and those on cardiac units, a safety alert discloses. The Daily Telegraph

A&E waiting times hit their worst on record, figures show

A&E waiting times hit their worst on record, figures show The NHS is struggling with its worst winter ever as A&E waiting times hit their highest on record, damning figures released today reveal.

New data from NHS England shows the health service is operating at a poorer level than at the same point in 2016, which was branded a 'humanitarian crisis' and saw the British Red Cross drafted in to help.

The alarming statistics show:

• One in five patients at major casualty units waited longer than four hours - the safe limit set by the Government - to be seen in December
• The statistics showed that for all A&E units, 85.1 per cent of patients were seen within the four-hour period - equaling last January's record low. 
• More than 300,000 patients were forced to wait for at least four hours in all A&E units - the highest amount since figures began in 2010.
• Ambulance delays have also risen to record proportions, with more than 5,000 patients left stuck in the back of the vehicles waiting to be transferred to A&E.
• While bed occupancy levels have hit their worst point yet this winter, with 24 trusts declaring they had no free beds at some point last week, the figures show.

The 'disappointing' figures have been escalating rapidly in the past few weeks, with the crisis now at the forefront of a political row over funding. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Response to the latest NHS waiting time figures The King's Fund
• A&E chiefs warn PM that patients are dying in corridors The Daily Mail
• Hospital crowding soars amid rising cases of norovirus and 'Aussie' flu The Daily Telegraph
• Number of A&E patients treated within four hours at lowest ever level The Guardian
• How the NHS winter beds crisis is hitting patient care The Guardian
• The Guardian view on the NHS crisis: it’s not just the flu | Editorial The Guardian

Northampton General Hospital to buy care home places as winter pressures hit

Northampton General Hospital to buy care home places as winter pressures hit A hospital is to start paying for care home places for people waiting to leave the site in a bid to ease what it calls "severe" pressure on beds.

Northampton General Hospital said it needed to double the number of patients with complex needs who left the hospital each day.

Many patients are fit enough to leave hospital but are awaiting social care assessments from the county council.

The hospital said it would spend about £1m on the care home places. BBC Northampton

Northampton hospital let patient's children stay overnight to spend last Christmas with their mum

Northampton hospital let patient's children stay overnight to spend last Christmas with their mum A family were able to spend one last Christmas together, enjoy bacon sandwiches and unwrap gifts, thanks to the efforts of their care team at Northampton General Hospital.

Ward sister, Sarah Dainty, and her team on Spencer Ward brought Christmas forward to make sure her patient, who was receiving end-of-life care, could spend one last Christmas Day with her family. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Residents withdrawn from Burton Latimer care home over management concerns

Residents withdrawn from Burton Latimer care home over management concerns A Burton Latimer care home at the centre of a police investigation into neglect allegations will be temporarily taken over by Northamptonshire County Council.

Two people were arrested last year after allegations were made over treatment at Latimer Grange Care Home in Station Road.

That investigation is ongoing but the county council has ended its contract with the home and is withdrawing residents who live there because of a number of concerns. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Latimer Grange care home residents removed by council BBC Northampton

NHS at watershed moment: NHS Providers letter to the secretary of state for health and social care

NHS at watershed moment: NHS Providers letter to the secretary of state for health and social care NHS Providers has written to the secretary of state for health and social care, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, today (11 January 2018), to outline concerns over the pressures being experienced by frontline health and care services this winter. The organisation, which represents 98% of hospital, mental health, community and ambulance service trusts in England, says this is a watershed moment for the NHS, and the government must accept that the service can no longer deliver what is required of it within current funding.

See also:

• We've run out of beds, warn hospital bosses BBC News
• Time for an answer on the NHS? BBC News
• Jeremy Hunt urged to boost NHS budget as flu crisis marks 'watershed moment' for health service The Daily Telegraph
• The winter crisis has left the NHS running on empty – it needs a fix, now | Chris Hopson The Guardian
• Hospital bosses urge Jeremy Hunt: spend now to rescue NHS The Guardian
• NHS crisis: ‘I live in fear I’ll miss a seriously ill patient and they will die’ The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt: NHS needs 'significantly more funding in years ahead ' – video The Guardian
• The NHS is in crisis. But it's not up to volunteers to rescue it | Dan Corry The Guardian
• NHS 'no longer able to meet standards in its constitution', health bosses tell Jeremy Hunt The Independent

Leading Large Scale Change: a practical guide: A guide to leading large scale change through complex health and social care environments

Leading Large Scale Change: a practical guide: A guide to leading large scale change through complex health and social care environments Leading Large Scale Change: a practical guide has been produced by the NHS England Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, NHS England, to help all those involved in seeking to achieve transformational change in complex health and care environments. This guide has been fully revised from the original 2011 publication to reflect latest policy and practice. This guide has a number of different resources which can be used according to local needs and circumstances and has been designed to be interactive, offering many links to useful, external sources.

How your organisation can prepare for changes to data regulations under GDPR

How your organisation can prepare for changes to data regulations under GDPR Our Changes to data protection under GDPR factsheet, developed in conjunction with Capsticks, national specialists in healthcare employment law, outlines the key changes in the regulations. NHS Employers

Taking the temperature of nursing in the 21st century

Taking the temperature of nursing in the 21st century Nursing is no longer just a calling – it’s a profession. From running surgeries, to working in multi-disciplinary teams in the community, to carrying out medical procedures, nurses are at the forefront of care, says Kim Thomas

Nicole Broadbent, 28, is a neonatal staff nurse at the Royal Free London hospital, so her patients – premature babies who require intensive care – are tiny and vulnerable. “It’s a hugely responsible job, but also a satisfying one,” she says. “It’s amazing how a 24-week-old baby can be so sick, but then, three, four months down the line, you can see them going home. They fascinate you on a daily basis.”

Neonatal nursing is no ordinary job, requiring a high degree of both skill and commitment. Broadbent was a ballet teacher until a serious ankle injury led her into nursing, via a degree course at Bucks New University. She now finds herself in a professional role that requires familiarity with technology, decision-making abilities and the warmth and empathy to support worried parents. Continue reading... The Guardian

Shifting care closer to home will ease pressure on hospitals

Shifting care closer to home will ease pressure on hospitals | Ewan King There is growing evidence that a greater focus on prevention and self-care reduces demands on the NHS. We need to build on what works.

New year is associated with hope and optimism. But for the NHS, the headlines tell a different story: hospitals at full capacity. As you might expect, these articles focus on what is going wrong: headlines such as “NHS in crisis”, stories of beds in corridors and stressed-out nurses. Clearly these problems are real, but focusing only on hospitals won’t solve the problem. We need to think more broadly if we are to find lasting solutions; we must think about prevention, and how far it is embedded in local systems.

For some time, health and care reforms have been about shifting care closer to home. The programme of vanguards and sustainability and transformation plans was intended to herald a greater focus on prevention and self-care to reduce pressure on hospitals. There is some evidence that these reforms are working: Hertfordshire’s prevention-focused Better Care for Care Home Residents Vanguard, for instance, led to a 45% reduction in hospital admissions and A&E attendances between April 2015 and May last year. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS cancer hospital may have to delay or reduce treatment

NHS cancer hospital may have to delay or reduce treatment Leaked memo says nursing shortage means patients could have to wait longer for chemotherapy, or be given less treatment

An NHS cancer hospital may have to make patients wait to undergo chemotherapy, or reduce the amount of treatment that dying patients receive, because it has so few nurses, a leaked memo has revealed.

Macmillan Cancer Support said the prospect of the Churchill hospital in Oxford in effect rationing life-extending and potentially life-saving chemotherapy was “deeply worrying”, especially for people dying of the disease.

The UK has fewer doctors and nurses than many other comparable countries both in Europe and worldwide. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Britain comes 24th in a league table of 34 member countries in terms of the number of doctors they have relative to their populations. Greece, Austria and Norway have the most; the three countries with proportionately the fewest medics are Turkey, Chile and Mexico. Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, regularly points out that the NHS in England has more doctors and nurses than when the Conservatives came to power in 2010. That is true, although there are now fewer district nurses, mental health nurses and other types of health professionals. Continue reading... The Guardian

Aussie flu is more severe than the Swine flu, expert warns

Aussie flu is more severe than the Swine flu, expert warns The dreaded 'Aussie flu' is more severe than the Swine flu pandemic of 2009 which killed nearly 300,000 people across the world, an expert has warned.

Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at Oxford University, believes this winter 'may well be worse than others'.

His fears come amid the emergence of H3N2, an aggressive strain of influenza A that rocked Australia during its winter and triggered triple the usual number of cases. The Daily Mail

New short breaks services for Northamptonshire children with special needs to be discussed by cabinet

New short breaks services for Northamptonshire children with special needs to be discussed by cabinet A proposed new model for short breaks services for children with disabilities and special educational needs will be discussed by Northamptonshire County Council’s Cabinet next Tuesday (January 16).

The council says the new model has been designed to better suit the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/ or disabilities and reflects feedback received from families as part of the recent public consultation.

The short breaks contracts, which provide day, evening, overnight and weekend respite breaks for children with complex needs, is jointly funded by Northamptonshire County Council and both Nene and Corby Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), and delivered by Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS winter pressures

NHS winter pressures The NHS is once again hitting the headlines, with many hospitals on ‘black alert’ and a large number of elective operations being postponed to reduce the extreme pressure on services over this winter period - referred to in the media as a ‘winter crisis’. Here The King's Fund brings together a range of our content examining the reasons for this.

Official Statistics: End of life care profiles: January 2018 update

Official Statistics: End of life care profiles: January 2018 update The end of life care profiles data update for January 2018 has been published by Public Health England (PHE).

This update contains new data for the financial year ending 31 March 2017 for:

• care home bed rate
• nursing home bed rate

These indicators are presented for clinical commissioning groups (CCG), sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP) and local authorities (upper and lower tier).

The profiles are designed to improve the availability and accessibility of information around end of life care. The data are presented in an interactive tool that allow users to view and analyse them in a user-friendly format.

The profiles provide a snapshot overview of end of life care at various geographies. They are intended to help local government and health services to improve care at the end of life. Public Health England

Accountable care organisations

Accountable care organisations This briefing paper looks at the introduction of Accountable Care Organisations (ACO) in the NHS in England, the development of the ACO policy, and comment on its potential impact. House of Commons Library

NHS efficiency map

NHS efficiency map The Healthcare Financial Management Association and NHS Improvement have worked in partnership to update and revise the NHS efficiency map. The map is a tool that 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.

Once-a-week pill for HIV 'ready for testing in people'

Once-a-week pill for HIV 'ready for testing in people' Human trials of a once-a-week oral pill for HIV could start, after successful tests in pigs, claim US scientists.

The slow-release tablet could free patients from having to take daily medication, they say.

It looks like a normal capsule, but on reaching the stomach its coating dissolves and a special structure packed inside unfolds.

This 4cm (1.5in) star-shaped scaffold stays in the stomach for seven days, steadily releasing its cargo of drugs.

More tests in other mammals, including monkeys, are recommended but the researchers say trails in people could begin within two years. BBC News

Jeremy Hunt has raised the stakes in how history will judge him

Jeremy Hunt has raised the stakes in how history will judge him | David Brindle As well as overseeing the NHS’s 70th birthday celebrations, the health and social care secretary will take charge of long-awaited reform.

So now it is the Department of Health and Social Care. There is no doubt that the new name is a much-needed symbolic boost for the battered cause of adult social care in England, but it is less clear how else Theresa May’s reshuffle – and Jeremy Hunt’s reported refusal to move from the department he continues to lead – will change things. Although we await further detail on how Hunt plans to address the social care challenge with new vigour, and what, if any, new powers he may have to do so, the early judgment must be: not a lot.

The much-anticipated green paper on social care for older people is set to be published by summer 2018 – although, having been promised before last year’s general election, there were hopes the paper would appear much sooner.  Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• My patients want an NHS that is fast and reliable – not Theresa May’s apologies | Zara Aziz The Guardian

Pfizer ends research for new Alzheimer's Parkinson's drugs

Pfizer ends research for new Alzheimer's Parkinson's drugs Despite investing heavily in trying to cure both diseases, the US drugs giant has now decided to redistribute funding to other areas it deems more likely to produce results. The Daily Mail

Britain faces an 'exceptional' outbreak of 'Aussie flu'

Britain faces an 'exceptional' outbreak of 'Aussie flu' UK faces a 'double-whammy' of 'Aussie flu' cases as kids head back to school and experts warn of an 'EXCEPTIONAL' outbreak as travellers return from flu-hit France.

The European country has been rocked by an 'exceptional' outbreak, with nearly 12,000 people having been left hospitalised and more than 30 dead.

Figures show the UK is heading the same way, with scientists concerned the flu causing havoc on the over-stretched NHS is 'unpredictable'.

And flocks of children heading back to school this week after enjoying the festive break could lead to a 'danger period', virologists fear. The Daily Mail

NGH arranging temporary care placements in care homes for patients fit for discharge

NGH arranging temporary care placements in care homes for patients fit for discharge Northampton General Hospital is working to arrange temporary placements in care homes for patients who are medically fit for discharge, but who are waiting for care in their own home or placement in a residential or nursing home. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Chilly Willy Ride does it again - raising nearly £3,000 for Northamptonshire's air ambulance

Chilly Willy Ride does it again - raising nearly £3,000 for Northamptonshire's air ambulance An amazing £2,783.87 was raised for Warwickshire Northamptonshire Air Ambulance by Bikers and Scooters at the 5th Annual Chilly Willy Ride out 2018. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Northamptonshire care village gets the go ahead

Northamptonshire care village gets the go ahead

Plans for a Northamptonshire care village which will create at least 300 jobs have been unveiled.
Developer Crown Care hope its Middlemore project in Daventry will become a blueprint for similar future developments, providing housing for elderly people through a variety of care options in a £60m scheme. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

What is 'Aussie' flu and should we be worried?

What is 'Aussie' flu and should we be worried?

The NHS is preparing itself for a bad flu season.

One of the strains circulating this year - H3N2 - has been dubbed Aussie flu because it is the same strain that recently caused big problems for Australia.

Australia's 2017 flu season was the worst the country had experienced in nearly a decade.

Experts are waiting to see if similar will happen in the UK, after a recent rise in cases. BBC News

See also:

• Vaccine warning as Australian ‘flu threat grows Northamptonshire Telegraph

Using rotational posts

Using rotational posts NHS Employers - 

This briefing explores how rotational posts can be an effective response to the challenges faced by employers in attracting and retaining staff. It provides examples from NHS organisations and outlines advice on how to implement rotational posts. King's Fund

Reform, ration, or return to first principles: the choices for the NHS - The Guardian

Reform, ration, or return to first principles: the choices for the NHS - The Guardian

As one of Sir Bruce Keogh’s predecessors, I have every sympathy with his desire to defend government policy, however dubious (Chief doctor denies NHS privatisation by stealth, 1 January). But solemn assurances that accountable care organisations (ACOs) are “simply about improving the quality of care the NHS offers” are a little limp, however eminent their source, given that similar claims are routinely made to justify every NHS reorganisation. The Guardian

Funding the NHS: Is it finally time for a new approach? - BBC News

Funding the NHS: Is it finally time for a new approach? - BBC News 

Even by the usual standards of New Year pressures, it has been a traumatic week for much of the NHS.

In England, an unprecedented call has gone out from NHS leaders that a month's worth of non-urgent operations and appointments should be postponed. That's been echoed in other parts of the UK. BBC News

Jeremy Hunt keeps Heath Secretary with added social care brief despite overseeing NHS 'winter crisis' - The Independent

Jeremy Hunt keeps Heath Secretary with added social care brief despite overseeing NHS 'winter crisis' - The Independent Jeremy Hunt has kept his job as Health Secretary, despite overseeing what is widely viewed as a winter crisis in the NHS.
However, Theresa May has added social care to his responsibilities, to signal her determination to sort out one of the biggest issues facing the country.Independent

See also:

• Social care added to Jeremy Hunt’s portfolio OnMedica
• College reaction to Cabinet reshuffle RCGP

BMA demands QOF suspension in England to ease winter pressure

BMA demands QOF suspension in England to ease winter pressure GP leaders in England have called for the suspension of QOF targets to ease winter pressure, as ministers in Wales agreed to freeze most of the framework for the second year running. GP Online

Digital lifelines: Why employees are turning to tech to improve their mental wellbeing - Information Age

Digital lifelines: Why employees are turning to tech to improve their mental wellbeing - Information Age How can employers tap into mental health technology to create a better, more happy working environment for their employees Information Age

NHS hospital bans sugar from its meals to tackle staff obesity

NHS hospital bans sugar from its meals to tackle staff obesity

A hospital in Manchester has become the first in Britain to ban sugar from its restaurant in an attempt to tackle growing concerns about obesity among NHSstaff. The Guardian

See also:

• Hospital becomes first to ban all sugary food and drink The Telegraph 
• Sugary drinks face NHS ban if action is not taken NHS Networks

Mental health support in schools: 'Families don’t have to spend years on waiting lists'

Mental health support in schools: 'Families don’t have to spend years on waiting lists'

When Grace Hartill was 11, she began to show the first signs of anxiety. Within a few years, the Barnsley schoolgirl had become withdrawn and had stopped wanting to see her friends.

“It was awful,” she says. “I didn’t want to leave my bedroom because I felt like if I did, something would happen to me or somebody I loved. Home was where I felt safest, so I just isolated myself. I barely went to school.” The Guardian

NHS's real problem is underfunding not Australian flu, says virologist

NHS's real problem is underfunding not Australian flu, says virologist

A leading virologist has said there has been no major outbreak of Australian flu in the UK and its threat is obscuring the real problem facing the NHS, which is underfunding.

Concerns have been raised that an epidemic that hit New Zealand and Australiaduring the southern hemisphere’s winter could now be affecting the UK, after a sharp rise in flu-related hospitalisations and deaths. The Guardian

NHS beds crisis: sick patients can sit in A & E

NHS beds crisis: sick patients can sit in A & E

The NHS minister, Philip Dunne, has been accused of “belittling” the beds crisisby telling MPs that patients who need to be admitted can sit on seats in A&E units while they wait for a bed. The Guardian

Merger will see Corby-based health provider serve more patients with ‘super-practice’

Merger will see Corby-based health provider serve more patients with ‘super-practice’ Corby-based Lakeside Healthcare has announced it is merging with three GP practices in Cambridgeshire, creating a ‘super-practice’ serving more than 150,000 patients.

Eaton Socon Health Centre and Cedar House Surgery in St Neots and Yaxley Group Practice are to merge with Lakeside Healthcare, which operates surgeries in Corby, Kettering, Brigstock, Rushden and Oundle as well as Stamford in South Lincolnshire. The merger will further expand the biggest single GP partnership in the NHS. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton GP 'stroked 16-year-old's nipples'

Northampton GP 'stroked 16-year-old's nipples' A GP stroked a 16-year-old patient's nipples during an unnecessary examination, a tribunal has found.

Dr Jonathan Raphael - a former England and Northampton Saints rugby player - pulled down her bra without asking for her consent at his surgery in Northampton.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) rejected his claim he was attempting to diagnose pregnancy.

It found his actions were sexually motivated.

The panel heard the patient went to see Dr Raphael at Mounts Medical Centre in 2014 because she had not had a period for a few months. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Former Saints captain did stroke 17-year-old's nipples during GP consultation, tribunal finds Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Did funding cuts in health and social care budgets lead to excess mortality in England? The devil is in the detail

Did funding cuts in health and social care budgets lead to excess mortality in England? The devil is in the detail Research into the impact of austerity in health and social care on mortality has been the subject of much attention and discussion. While it’s instinctive to link austerity with poorer health outcomes, especially for more vulnerable people, does the latest research establish a clear causal relationship? The Health Foundation

Using rotational posts

Using rotational posts A new briefing document exploring how rotational posts can be an effective response to the challenges faced by employers in attracting and retaining staff.

The briefing looks at the need to be innovative with workforce supply strategies to attract, develop and retain staff, and how this can be done through rotating substantive staff into different departments, organisations, or across a range of organisations. NHS Employers

Programme launched to support AHPs and healthcare scientists to return to practice

Programme launched to support AHPs and healthcare scientists to return to practice The Department of Health, in collaboration with Health Education England (HEE), has launched a new initiative to support allied health professionals (AHP) and healthcare scientists (HCS) return to practice.

Piloted in the East Midlands by HEE, the programme is now being expanded across the whole of England. NHS Employers

See also:

• Helping allied health professionals and healthcare scientists return to practice Health Education England

Newspaper leaders back CPS call for NHS Royal Commission following surgery cancellations

Newspaper leaders back CPS call for NHS Royal Commission following surgery cancellations Amid yet another winter crisis for the NHS, which this year has led to the cancellation of all non-urgent surgeries for a month, several newspapers have come out in support of an NHS Royal Commission. Centre for Policy Studies

Heart attack care dangerously unequal for women, study finds

Heart attack care dangerously unequal for women, study finds Fewer women who suffer a heart attack would die if they were given the same treatments as men, a new study found.

Researchers analysed the outcomes of 180,368 Swedish patients who suffered a heart attack over a 10-year period.

They found women were three times more likely to die from their heart attack than men in the year after having one.

The British Heart Foundation said: "Heart attacks are often seen as a male health issue, but more women die from heart disease than breast cancer."

Researchers at the University of Leeds and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed data from Sweden's online cardiac registry.

They found women were on average less likely than men to receive the recommended treatments after a heart attack. BBC News

Boots pharmacists raise staffing concerns

Boots pharmacists raise staffing concerns One whistleblower, a former manager, said he resigned in 2015 after he took his concerns to the independent industry regulator.

Several current Boots pharmacists told BBC Inside Out that understaffing could pose a risk to patients.

But the chain said its pharmacies were not understaffed and it had an industry-leading patient safety record. BBC News

Theresa May: The NHS is better prepared than ever before

Theresa May: The NHS is better prepared than ever before Theresa May has said the NHS had never been better prepared for winter than it was this year, despite 16,900 people having to wait more than 30 minutes to be seen by staff at emergency departments over the Christmas week.

Thousand of operations have been delayed for up to a month to help cope with the crisis.

The prime minister told the BBC's The Andrew Marr show the postponement of operations was "part of the plan".

"The NHS has actually been better prepared for this winter pressures than it has been before.

"It's about making sure that those who most urgently need care are able to get that treatment when they need it," she said.

Mrs May praised the "fantastic job" NHS staff were doing. ITV News

Mass closure of NHS walk-in centres is fuelling winter crisis, claim campaigners

Mass closure of NHS walk-in centres is fuelling winter crisis, claim campaigners Easy access to medical help for many denied after 40% of services shut

Dozens of NHS walk-in centres have shut since 2010, depriving patients of easy access to medical help for minor ailments without having to wait days for an appointment, and adding to the pressure on A&E units.

A total of 95 walk-in centres – 40% of the overall original number – have closed since the Conservatives came to power, or are due to shut soon, says the campaigning organisation 38 Degrees.

A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied.

We will be monitoring the situation in hospitals over the next few months and want to hear your experiences of the NHS this winter. We are keen to hear from healthcare professionals as well as patients about the situation. Have operations been cancelled? Has pressure led to certain wards being closed?  Continue reading... The Guardian

The Observer view on NHS funding | editorial

The Observer view on NHS funding | editorial The NHS is still one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Mrs May’s apologies to patients are not enough – she must allocate them more money

Five years ago, Britain’s best-loved institutions were at the centre of Danny Boyle’s Olympic opening ceremony. The NHS took pride of place alongside James Bond, the Queen and EastEnders: as the rest of the world watched with bemusement, the stadium in Stratford was transformed into a 1950s-style hospital in a celebration of the state-funded health service the nation holds so dear.

We have to go back 70 years to the pre-NHS world to understand why the public regards the health service not just as an everyday medical reality but as a cherished national institution. Before 1948, getting sick for many meant not just the pain and worry of illness but the knowledge that their lack of means meant treatable conditions could prove terminal.

Two-thirds of the public are willing to pay more taxes to maintain the level of spending needed on the health service Continue reading... The Observer

See also:

• Funding the NHS: Is it finally time for a new approach? BBC News
• The big issue: healthcare is too important to be left to the politicians The Guardian
• How to save the NHS: experts offer their big ideas The Guardian
• What will it take for the government to confront pressures on the NHS? | Richard Vize The Guardian

Doctors and nurses urged to get flu jab amid warnings that a French epidemic could spread to Britain

Doctors and nurses urged to get flu jab amid warnings that a French epidemic could spread to Britain NHS trusts are failing to get medical workers to have flu jabs amid warnings that a French epidemic could spread to Britain, a Sunday Telegraph analysis has found.

Health officials are pleading with NHS staff to have the jab as figures show as few as one in three workers have been vaccinated at some hospitals.

Public health officials urged staff to protect themselves and their patients amid warnings that flu has reached epidemic levels across the channel. The Daily Telegraph

Ambulance service apologises after pensioner with chest pains dies after hours-long wait

Ambulance service apologises after pensioner with chest pains dies after hours-long wait An ambulance service has apologised to the family of a pensioner who died after waiting nearly four hours for paramedics to arrive. It took three hours 45 minutes for a crew to reach the home of an 81-year-old woman who rang 999 complaining of chest pains.

The emergency call was made at around 8pm on Tuesday and the woman was still alive when she spoke to the control room again at 9.47pm.

It took another two hours for an ambulance to arrive at her property in Clacton, Essex.

Paramedics then had to break into the home and by the time they reached the woman she had stopped breathing and could not be saved. The Daily Telegraph

Could THIS be why you have to wait weeks to see your GP?

Could THIS be why you have to wait weeks to see your GP? Doctors spend almost 400,000 days each year on keeping a portfolio of evidence that shows they are meeting standards, a damning new analysis shows.

The estimate comes as GPs warn they are overwhelmed and flocks of patients are being forced to wait two weeks for an appointment.

Overstretched doctors have been forced to cancel their holidays and work late into the night following a surge in cases of flu this winter.

New research, made by Pulse, suggests the 'collating of information' to prove they are fit to practice to the General Medical Council is only adding to their workload. The Daily Mail