Care home given formal warning over standards:
A WELLINGBOROUGH care home has been issued with a formal warning by the Care Quality Commission for failing to meet the needs of the people in its care. Evening Telegraph
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
The secret of their success | Vijaya Nath
The secret of their success | Vijaya Nath: What did the participants who ventured to Kaiser in our recent study tour learn from the experience? And what is the value of taking NHS leaders out of their own system to learn from another? Kings Fund
Nursing 'needs more compassion'
Nursing 'needs more compassion': New nurses should be judged on their compassion not just their skills, the NHS Confederation chairman is to say. BBC News
State-funded elderly care 'drop'
State-funded elderly care 'drop': The number of elderly people in England getting council-funded care has fallen by 11% in the last two years and looks like it will fall further, figures obtained by Labour suggest. BBC News
Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) silicone breast implants
Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) silicone breast implants:
A review into PiP breast implants has found that, although the regulator acted appropriately and followed scientific and clinical advice, there is room for improvement and lessons to be learned.
A review into PiP breast implants has found that, although the regulator acted appropriately and followed scientific and clinical advice, there is room for improvement and lessons to be learned.
Use of non-geographic telephone numbers (e.g. 0845) by the NHS and GPs’ practices
Use of non-geographic telephone numbers (e.g. 0845) by the NHS and GPs’ practices:
This briefing provides an overview of current Department of Health guidance on NHS and general practice use of non-geographic phone numbers.
This briefing provides an overview of current Department of Health guidance on NHS and general practice use of non-geographic phone numbers.
Cancer death rates drop
Cancer death rates drop:
According to research published by Cancer Research UK, the number of people dying from cancer in the UK is at its lowest in 40 years.The charity's data showed that for people diagnosed with cancer from the ages of 50-59, death rates have decreased 40%.This drop means that 310 in 100,000 people diagnosed with cancer died in 1971 compared to 185 per 100,000 in 2010. There were over 21,000 deaths in th... Healthcare Today
According to research published by Cancer Research UK, the number of people dying from cancer in the UK is at its lowest in 40 years.The charity's data showed that for people diagnosed with cancer from the ages of 50-59, death rates have decreased 40%.This drop means that 310 in 100,000 people diagnosed with cancer died in 1971 compared to 185 per 100,000 in 2010. There were over 21,000 deaths in th... Healthcare Today
Risk register veto 'wrong'
Risk register veto 'wrong':
A report by Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner, has deemed the government veto on the publication of the NHS risk register to be "unjustified".The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley vetoed the publication of the register because he said it was "in the public interest".He said last week that they had exercised the right to legally veto publication because of the need for a "sa... Healthcare Today
A report by Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner, has deemed the government veto on the publication of the NHS risk register to be "unjustified".The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley vetoed the publication of the register because he said it was "in the public interest".He said last week that they had exercised the right to legally veto publication because of the need for a "sa... Healthcare Today
Warning that patients are suffering due to medicine shortages - The Independent
Warning that patients are suffering due to medicine shortages - The Independent:
 Daily Mail | Warning that patients are suffering due to medicine shortages The Independent Medicine shortages are having an “adverse” impact on patients, including vulnerable groups such as those with mental health problems, the All-Party Pharmacy Group said. In a report detailing its inquiry into medicine shortages, the group said the ... Patients suffering from medicine shortageITN Exporting medicines for profit puts British patients at risk, say MPsThe Guardian (blog) NHS Patients Face Prescription Shortages Parliamentary Group WarnsHuffington Post UK Netdoctor -Financial Times all 38 news articles » |
Patients 'waiting up to nine years' for NICE to approve drugs
Patients 'waiting up to nine years' for NICE to approve drugs: Patients are waiting up to nine years for drugs to treat life-threatening conditions to become available through the NHS due to delays in approving them, a study claims.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
A quarter of all deaths could be avoided with better healthcare: report
A quarter of all deaths could be avoided with better healthcare: report: A quarter of all deaths could be prevented with timely healthcare and better prevention, official figures show.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
Nice approves prostate cancer drug
Nice approves prostate cancer drug:
A drug to treat advanced prostate cancer should be given to patients on the NHS, a health watchdog has said. The Independent
A drug to treat advanced prostate cancer should be given to patients on the NHS, a health watchdog has said. The Independent
Cuts to services hitting people with learning disabilities
Cuts to services hitting people with learning disabilities: Specialist nurses fear that people with learning disabilities are missing out or facing a reduced service as demands increase, but resources are not being made available, says the Royal College of Nursing. RCN
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Trial of mental health, learning disabilities and social care electronic journals
Trial of mental health, learning disabilities and social care electronic journals:
 |
| E-Journals |
We are running a three-month trial of the Emerald Health and Social Care e-journals collection. This collection includes 22 journals covering the fields of mental health, learning disabilities, forensic psychology and vulnerable groups, with titles including:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities
- Ethnicity and Inequality in Health and Social Care
- Journal of Adult Protection
- Journal of Criminal Psychology
- Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion
- Quality in Ageing and Older Adults
- Tizard Learning Disability Review
A complete list of titles included is available via the Emerald website.
The journals are available for you to access now via our Emerald page. You will need an Athens username and password – click on “Login” on the top left of the screen, and then click on “Athens login”. Once you are logged in you will see a complete list of our subscriptions including the Health and Social Care Collection at the end of the list.
As well as being accessible via Emerald, you will also find these journals when you search My Journals or the healthcare databases via NHS Evidence (again, you will need an Athens account for this).
If you don’t already have an Athens account you can register for one via the Athens self-registration page. If you’d like any help with registering for Athens or accessing the journals online, please get in touch with us. There are also user guides available for the Emerald site, and for accessing e-journals.
We’d like to know what you think of this new collection and whether it is something that you would like us to subscribe to. Please contact us with your feedback!
MPs warning of medicine shortages
MPs warning of medicine shortages: Patients in England are suffering from shortages in the supply of some medicines, an all party group of MPs says. BBC News
Half a million could lose disability benefits
Half a million could lose disability benefits: The £13bn-a-year disability benefits bill needs to be cut by around 20 per cent, says Iain Duncan Smith Public Service
New Medicine Service guidance available
New Medicine Service guidance available: The NHS Employers organisation and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) have jointly published a comprehensive guidance document for the New Medicine Service (NMS).
NHS Confederation responds to RCN figures on community nursing
NHS Confederation responds to RCN figures on community nursing: David Stout, says community services play an important role in keeping patients out of hospital and it is essential to plan safe and appropriate staffing numbers to meet the needs of patients.
Health regulator must learn lessons of breast implant scandal, report warns
Health regulator must learn lessons of breast implant scandal, report warns:
Health minister Earl Howe finds MHRA acted appropriately in PIP scandal but needs to improve its communication with public
A government report on the actions of a regulator and the Department of Health during the PIP breast implant scandal has concluded that serious lessons must be learned from the affair, which affected as many as 47,000 women in Britain.
The health minister Earl Howe concluded that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) acted "appropriately" before and after the scandal, but needed to improve in key respects in order to better identify problems early and communicate with the public.
He put the blame for the health scare on the "deliberate fraud" of the now defunct French company Poly Implant Prothèse, whose owner is in prison awaiting trial.
But Howe stressed that the scandal had revealed ways in which both the MHRA and the Department of Health should improve. They should work to improve their communications, he said, and ensure that full and accurate information was made available as early as possible.
Last month a report by MPs said the action taken to communicate with the public as the scandal broke in December was inadequate.
Howe said: "It must be emphasised that this case was one of deliberate fraud by the PIP manufacturer which purposefully misled European regulators. Regulation alone cannot prevent fraudulent activity such as this. But serious lessons must be learned from this scandal. The MHRA needs to look at how it gathers evidence so it is able to identify problems early. It needs to better analyse reports about higher risk medical devices. And it needs to improve the way it communicates with the public."
He added: "It is clear that problems occurred that weren't reported to the regulator. A vigilance system is only as good as the information that is reported to it. More needs to be done to ensure that problems with medical devices are reported, so problems can be identified and action taken to address them."
The review found that the MHRA began to receive reports of potential problems with PIP implants in 2002, almost a decade before the scandal broke in December. It also says that a director's post at the MHRA, whose occupant would have had strategic oversight of medical devices such as implants, was vacant from September 2010 until February 2012.
Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said these and other findings contributed to a "damning indictment" of the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, and the relevant authorities.
"Their handling of the issue has caused confusion and anxiety to thousands of women," she said, adding: "The review doesn't really explain the gap between the French authorities deciding to recall all silicone PIP implants and the British authorities taking action.
As many as 47,000 women in Britain are estimated to have been given substandard PIP implants, the vast majority of them – at least 37,000 – in private clinics. According to the latest government figures, 6,632 of them have been formally referred to the NHS. Of that total, 3,865 have already had scans and more than 400 have decided to have their implants removed.
Last month's report by the Commons health select committee said most women learned of the potential problems with their implants in December, 21 months after the MHRA became aware of the fact that the silicon in them was substandard. As well as the clinics themselves, the regulator was criticised for not having done more to warn people.
Howe said the MHRA had fulfilled its role of monitoring all incidents reported to it, making sure that those incidents were investigated fully and that necessary action was taken. He said the MHRA needed to "review and develop" its communications capability, and obtain evidence from a "wider and more detailed set of sources".
The regulator must also be able to routinely review information about potential risks in order to identify any problems early. Howe also called for improved coordination between the European regulators.
He said: "This report won't repair the distress caused to women who have PIP implants, but it should give them and the public reassurance that we have identified the lessons; that we will take all steps to act on them; and that, should something like this happen again, our systems for dealing with it will be stronger."
Professor Sir Kent Woods, the MHRA chief executive, welcomed the report. "We will act quickly to implement the recommendations and use the lessons learned from this episode to improve the regulatory system for medical devices in the UK and Europe," he said.
Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), said: "Poor post-marketing surveillance of medical devices lies at the root of the PIP crisis. At the BAAPS we feel there needs to be significantly more stringent monitoring of all medical devices including breast implants and all cosmetic injectables, via compulsory, regular reporting of adverse effects and mystery shopping which are all part of our regulation proposals.
"This is an opportunity for the Department of Health to get it right, and put the necessary systems and checks in place to avoid a repeat fiasco. Clearly changes are also needed at European level of the CE marking process."
Rajiv Grover, BAAPS president-elect, said a compulsory implant register should be reinstated, a proposal that is being examined by Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, in a separate review of the wider system of cosmetic surgery regulation in the wake of the PIP scandal. The Guardian
A government report on the actions of a regulator and the Department of Health during the PIP breast implant scandal has concluded that serious lessons must be learned from the affair, which affected as many as 47,000 women in Britain.
The health minister Earl Howe concluded that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) acted "appropriately" before and after the scandal, but needed to improve in key respects in order to better identify problems early and communicate with the public.
He put the blame for the health scare on the "deliberate fraud" of the now defunct French company Poly Implant Prothèse, whose owner is in prison awaiting trial.
But Howe stressed that the scandal had revealed ways in which both the MHRA and the Department of Health should improve. They should work to improve their communications, he said, and ensure that full and accurate information was made available as early as possible.
Last month a report by MPs said the action taken to communicate with the public as the scandal broke in December was inadequate.
Howe said: "It must be emphasised that this case was one of deliberate fraud by the PIP manufacturer which purposefully misled European regulators. Regulation alone cannot prevent fraudulent activity such as this. But serious lessons must be learned from this scandal. The MHRA needs to look at how it gathers evidence so it is able to identify problems early. It needs to better analyse reports about higher risk medical devices. And it needs to improve the way it communicates with the public."
He added: "It is clear that problems occurred that weren't reported to the regulator. A vigilance system is only as good as the information that is reported to it. More needs to be done to ensure that problems with medical devices are reported, so problems can be identified and action taken to address them."
The review found that the MHRA began to receive reports of potential problems with PIP implants in 2002, almost a decade before the scandal broke in December. It also says that a director's post at the MHRA, whose occupant would have had strategic oversight of medical devices such as implants, was vacant from September 2010 until February 2012.
Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said these and other findings contributed to a "damning indictment" of the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, and the relevant authorities.
"Their handling of the issue has caused confusion and anxiety to thousands of women," she said, adding: "The review doesn't really explain the gap between the French authorities deciding to recall all silicone PIP implants and the British authorities taking action.
As many as 47,000 women in Britain are estimated to have been given substandard PIP implants, the vast majority of them – at least 37,000 – in private clinics. According to the latest government figures, 6,632 of them have been formally referred to the NHS. Of that total, 3,865 have already had scans and more than 400 have decided to have their implants removed.
Last month's report by the Commons health select committee said most women learned of the potential problems with their implants in December, 21 months after the MHRA became aware of the fact that the silicon in them was substandard. As well as the clinics themselves, the regulator was criticised for not having done more to warn people.
Howe said the MHRA had fulfilled its role of monitoring all incidents reported to it, making sure that those incidents were investigated fully and that necessary action was taken. He said the MHRA needed to "review and develop" its communications capability, and obtain evidence from a "wider and more detailed set of sources".
The regulator must also be able to routinely review information about potential risks in order to identify any problems early. Howe also called for improved coordination between the European regulators.
He said: "This report won't repair the distress caused to women who have PIP implants, but it should give them and the public reassurance that we have identified the lessons; that we will take all steps to act on them; and that, should something like this happen again, our systems for dealing with it will be stronger."
Professor Sir Kent Woods, the MHRA chief executive, welcomed the report. "We will act quickly to implement the recommendations and use the lessons learned from this episode to improve the regulatory system for medical devices in the UK and Europe," he said.
Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), said: "Poor post-marketing surveillance of medical devices lies at the root of the PIP crisis. At the BAAPS we feel there needs to be significantly more stringent monitoring of all medical devices including breast implants and all cosmetic injectables, via compulsory, regular reporting of adverse effects and mystery shopping which are all part of our regulation proposals.
"This is an opportunity for the Department of Health to get it right, and put the necessary systems and checks in place to avoid a repeat fiasco. Clearly changes are also needed at European level of the CE marking process."
Rajiv Grover, BAAPS president-elect, said a compulsory implant register should be reinstated, a proposal that is being examined by Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, in a separate review of the wider system of cosmetic surgery regulation in the wake of the PIP scandal. The Guardian
Nurses stretched to 'breaking point' as 60,000 frontline health service posts under threat, says RCN
Nurses stretched to 'breaking point' as 60,000 frontline health service posts under threat, says RCN: Overworked nurses are being stretched to "breaking point" amid spending cuts that have placed more than 60,000 frontline jobs in the NHS at risk, it was claimed today.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
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