Investigating patient deaths: a waste of time and money?

Investigating patient deaths: a waste of time and money? When you investigate and only identify a root cause, you’re missing the real potential learning. You must work with trained investigators who can look at all casual factors. And you must want to do it, says Martin Bromiley. The Health Foundation

Mental health trusts face funding cut

Mental health trusts face funding cut Mental health trusts in England have had their funding cut by more than 2% in real terms over the past two years, figures show. BBC News

VIDEO: Dementia treatment by 2025 pledge

VIDEO: Dementia treatment by 2025 pledge On Wednesday leaders from the G8 nations committed to finding a cure or treatment for dementia by 2025. BBC News

See also:

• Policy paper: G8 dementia summit agreements Department of Health

Cancer hospital claims made in 2011

Cancer hospital claims made in 2011 A hospital chief executive was told of data manipulation claims in 2011, the BBC discovers.

Doctors given new coma guidelines

Doctors given new coma guidelines All patients in a coma or vegetative state should have access to specialist care, according to new guidelines. BBC News

First drop in obesity prevalence among final year primary school children in England

First drop in obesity prevalence among final year primary school children in England The proportion of Year 6 primary school children who are obese or overweight has fallen for the first time in six years, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre

See also:

• Obesity falls in English schools BBC News

State of maternity services report 2013

State of maternity services report 2013 The focus of this report is the collation and interpretation of some of the basic numbers that tell the story of the state of maternity services. It looks at the rising birth rate in England and also the complexity of the midwifery workload due to factors such as the continuing growth of births to older women. Royal College of Midwives

Thousands of patients' lives put at risk by ‘years of basic GP failures’

Thousands of patients' lives put at risk by ‘years of basic GP failures’

Patients may have been exposed to serious harm “for many years” because of basic errors by family doctors and GP surgery staff, including vaccines not being properly kept and treatment rooms so dirty they were found to contain maggots. The Independent

See also:

• RCGP response to CQC announcement on GP practice inspections RCGP
• GP failings exposed by inspectors BBC News
• GP surgeries that put patients at risk revealed The Guardian
• Dangerous GP surgeries are named and shamed The Daily Telegraph

The NHS needs to welcome complaints and staff who raise concerns

The NHS needs to welcome complaints and staff who raise concerns When warning signs are ignored, minor problems can turn into crises.

Millions of pounds still needed to meet targets for county NHS bosses

Millions of pounds still needed to meet targets for county NHS bosses County health chiefs have announced they are seeking nearly £15m of improvements to meet financial targets before the end of the financial year. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• NHS trust in 'special measures' BBC News
• NHS in Northamptonshire placed in financial special measures Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Parkside House nurses guilty of misconduct

Parkside House nurses guilty of misconduct Five nurses who worked at a Northampton care home where pensioners lived on porridge and had pressure sores so deep their bones were exposed have been found guilty of misconduct. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Hospital criticised over failures which allowed teenager to bleed to death

Hospital criticised over failures which allowed teenager to bleed to death Opportunities were missed to save Victoria Harrison, 17, as she bled for 15 hours following a routine operation at Kettering General Hospital. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Coroner highlights hospital failures in verdict on death of teenager Northamptonshire Telegraph

State of the nation 2013

State of the nation 2013 This report highlights the continuing challenge that diabetes continues to present to the NHS and that quality of care is uneven throughout the country. Checking against NICE standards people who live in the best-performing CCG area are four times more likely to be given eight of the vital health checks recommended by NICE as compared to people living in the worst-performing area. It argues that diabetes care is adequately funded but that the focus of the spending should be on prevention rather than treatment. Diabetes UK

Jail sentence for PIP implant boss

Jail sentence for PIP implant boss The founder of French company PIP, which distributed defective breast implants, is sentenced to four years in prison for fraud. BBC News

See also:

• PIP implants: Company founder jailed for four years The Daily Mail

NICE issues warning over dangerous IV drip use

NICE issues warning over dangerous IV drip use New guidelines from the health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the use of intravenous (IV) drips have prompted a flurry of headlines, with The Guardian reporting that, "Thousands of patients [are] dying from incorrect use of IV drips", and The Daily Telegraph claiming that, "Tens of thousands harmed in hospital by IV drip blunders".

Essential reading for smart spending: Dr Foster hospital guide 2013

Essential reading for smart spending: Dr Foster hospital guide 2013 This report examines how financial austerity is affecting the way money is spent on hospital treatments; the impact of drug and alcohol problems on patients and hospitals; the quality of care at weekends; and the measurement of hospital mortality. The data has been presented in a series of posters which aim to celebrate good care and highlight areas of improvement.

• Report
• Full dataset
• Doctor Foster Intelligence - Hospital Guide

EU funding for research and innovation 2014-2020: seizing the opportunities for NHS organisations

EU funding for research and innovation 2014-2020: seizing the opportunities for NHS organisations Horizon 2020, the new European funding programme for research and innovation for the period from 2014 to 2020, aims to improve access to finance for research and innovation so that innovative ideas can ultimately be turned into products and services, creating growth and jobs in Europe. This briefing gives an overview of Horizon 2020 and of the opportunities it offers to the NHS. The NHS Confederation

Current healthcare systems 'won't cut it' says new NHS boss

Current healthcare systems 'won't cut it' says new NHS boss Current healthcare systems "will not cut it" and radical changes are needed to meet patients' needs, the new head of the NHS says. The Daily Telegraph

Deaths at scandal-hit NHS hospital were not properly investigated because senior midwives 'failed to identify' bad practice, claims damning...

Deaths at scandal-hit NHS hospital were not properly investigated because senior midwives 'failed to identify' bad practice, claims damning... The deaths of mothers and babies at a scandal-hit NHS hospital were not properly investigated because senior midwives “failed to identify” bad practice, according to a damning report. The Independent

See also:

• Midwife 'failure' at baby death unit BBC News
• NHS failed families of babies who died at Furness hospital, inquiry says The Guardian

G8 Dementia Summit: PM pledges to double funding for research by 2025

G8 Dementia Summit: PM pledges to double funding for research by 2025

Scientists seeking new treatments for dementia will have their funding doubled by 2025, the Prime Minister has pledged, as world leaders meet in London for the first ever G8 Dementia Summit. The Independent

See also:

• Press release: G8 dementia: PM calls for UK to lead world in research Department of Health
• UK aims to double dementia funding BBC News
• Stop trying to cure Alzheimer's and prevent it instead says dementia expert The Daily Mail
• Will the G8 dementia summit improve care in the UK? The Guardian