Mental heath patients can put services to the test

Mental heath patients can put services to the test Patients using mental health and community health services are able to give feedback on their experiences of care and treatment from today.

This comes as the Friends and Family Test (FFT), a real time patient feedback tool that is already operating for some hospital services such as maternity and A&E, continues to be rolled out across the NHS.

Mental Health and Community Health are the latest two areas to start gathering information from thousands of patients across the country – a move that comes a month after FFT went live across all 8,000 GP practices in England where up to one million people see their doctor every day.

From today, patients receiving treatment on mental health wards, or receiving medication, counselling or therapy for conditions such as depression, dementia, stress, drug or alcohol addiction, will all be able to give feedback on the services they receive. It will also include services for children receiving care for conditions like autism or support for things like eating disorders or the effects of bullying.

Experimental drug for UK Ebola nurse

Experimental drug for UK Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey, the UK nurse being treated for Ebola, is receiving an experimental anti-viral drug and blood from survivors of the disease, doctors say. BBC News

See also:

• Covering Ebola from the frontline BBC News

Coming up, in 2015

Coming up, in 2015 A clear direction for NHS IT was set in 2014; but could be disrupted by the general election due on 7 May. E-Health Insider

Gagging of NHS whistleblowers just means more patients will die

Gagging of NHS whistleblowers just means more patients will die Politicians and NHS bosses are fond of proclaiming that patient safety is their highest concern. But so often that is just empty rhetoric, says GARY WALKER, a former NHS boss. The Daily Mail

Sexual violence soars in UK hospitals

Sexual violence soars in UK hospitals Records show 50% rise in reports of sexual attacks, with more than 1,600 in past three years.

A hidden outbreak of sexual abuse in British hospitals has been disclosed in new figures revealing that more than 1,600 attacks were reported to police in the last three years. Continue reading... The Guardian

Making NHS seven-day service could threaten patients’ safety, say doctors

Making NHS seven-day service could threaten patients’ safety, say doctors Plans are unfunded, undefined, unrealistic and would see routine operations cancelled on weekdays, says BMA.

Doctors have warned that plans to transform the NHS into a seven-day service are a waste of vital resources that could threaten the quality of care during the week and prove a danger to patient safety.

In a strongly worded attack, the British Medical Association accuses NHS England of pushing ahead with an “unfunded, undefined” strategy that is “wholly unrealistic” given the health service’s chronic staffing and financial problems. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• 'Wholly unrealistic' and 'underfunded': Medical chiefs blast plans to open GP surgeries at weekends amid claims it will threaten patient safety The Daily Mail

Mental health ‘emergencies’ expected to reach highest figures this winter

Mental health ‘emergencies’ expected to reach highest figures this winter Former health minister Paul Burstow says if trend continues, numbers treated for mental health issues in A&E could soar to over a million for the first time

The number of people with a mental health condition admitted to hospital as an emergency is likely to reach its highest level ever this winter, a former health minister has warned. Continue reading... The Guardian

Cancer is the best way to die and we should stop trying to cure it, says doctor

Cancer is the best way to die and we should stop trying to cure it, says doctor Dr Richard Smith said cancer gave sufferers time to say goodbye and pain could be endured through 'love, morphine, and whisky'. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Stop wasting billions trying to cure cancer It's the best way to die, says top doctor The Daily Mail
• Cancer is 'best death' so don't try to cure it, says doctor The Independent

A&E departments under 'intense pressure' on New Year's Eve

A&E departments under 'intense pressure' on New Year's Eve A&E departments around the country reported intense pressures today ahead of one of the busiest nights for ambulance call outs. The Independent

See also:

• A&E departments pushed to breaking point by New Year's Eve The Daily Mail
• A&E's worst week in history with record number of emergencies admitted The Daily Telegraph
• Ambulance services close to breaking point as year’s busiest night approaches The Guardian
• NHS emergency care on wobbly legs The Guardian

Northamptonshire folk urged to dial 999 in ‘emergencies only’ - after rise in ambulance calls

Northamptonshire folk urged to dial 999 in ‘emergencies only’ - after rise in ambulance calls

People in Northamptonshire are being urged to dial 999 only in ‘genuine emergencies’ because freezing conditions are putting a strain on the ambulance service. Northampton Chronicle

Admissions to Kettering General Hospital up by a fifth during Christmas period

Admissions to Kettering General Hospital up by a fifth during Christmas period

Kettering General Hospital has faced a 20 per cent rise in the number of people being admitted to accident and emergency since Christmas. Northampton Telegraph

Frontline NHS staff given honours

Frontline NHS staff given honours

A host of frontline NHS staff are among those recognised in the New Year Honour's list. BBC News

Ebola screening tests under scrutiny

Ebola screening tests under scrutiny

Checks for medics returning to the UK after treating Ebola patients are to be reviewed after they cleared a nurse later diagnosed with the virus. BBC News

News story: Ebola contact tracing underway

News story: Ebola contact tracing underway

Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking contact tracing following the confirmed case of Ebola in a healthcare worker returning from Sierra Leone, and as of 6pm on 30 December 2014, has spoken to 63 passengers.

The person had left Sierra Leone on 28 December and had been a passenger on flight AT596 from Freetown to Casablanca, flight AT0800 from Casablanca to London, and transferred at Heathrow to flight BA1478 for onward travel to Glasgow.

Although the risk of infection to other passengers on the flights is considered extremely low, PHE is contacting 132 passengers, and the crew on the flight from Casablanca to Heathrow. Health Protection Scotland is carrying out a similar exercise for the 71 passengers on the Heathrow to Glasgow flight, speaking with 56 to date.

People contacted by Public Health England will be made aware that a person on their flight was confirmed with Ebola after they returned to the UK, although the person would have been in the very early stages of disease and extremely unlikely to be infectious.

First Ebola case linked to bat play

First Ebola case linked to bat play

The Ebola victim who triggered the current outbreak - a two year old boy from a small village in Guinea - may have been infected by playing in a hollow tree housing a colony of bats, say scientists. BBC News

Skin implant replaces the Pill: New chip lasts for 16 years and can be turned off by remote control when you want to conceive

Skin implant replaces the Pill: New chip lasts for 16 years and can be turned off by remote control when you want to conceive 

Scientists have invented an electronic chip that when slipped under the skin releases daily doses of contraceptive, freeing a woman from the need to remember to take the pill. Mail

David Cameron still more trusted on NHS than Ed Miliband, survey shows

David Cameron still more trusted on NHS than Ed Miliband, survey shows


Labour’s lead as most trusted party on issue falls to three points, while two-thirds of voters willing to pay more tax for NHS

Voters still trust David Cameron more than Ed Miliband on the NHS, despite Labour having made the health service the main focus of its campaigning since the summer, a survey shows.

The ComRes poll shows that 22% say the prime minister is the party leader they most trust to manage the NHS, while 20% name the Labour leader. Guardian

Continue reading...

Guidance: Mental Health Treatment - Supporting Integrated Delivery guidance

Guidance: Mental Health Treatment - Supporting Integrated Delivery guidance

The guidance reflects the changes to responsibility for probation services in England and Wales from 2014 resulting from the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms and the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014. Information on who to contact for further information is also included. Public Health England

Poulter announces DWP prescription check

Poulter announces DWP prescription check

The government is planning to give High Street pharmacists access to Department of Work and Pensions IT systems to check whether patients in England are entitled to free prescriptions. EHI News

Care & Support Public Information Campaign Materials

Care & Support Public Information Campaign Materials

The Department of Health and Public Health England are working to help raise public awareness of the Care and Support reforms being introduced in April 2015 and into 2016.

A public information campaign is underway to help ensure those who are affected by the reforms (existing care and support service users, people approaching the point of need and carers) are aware of the changes, and know where to go for further information.

This page has been developed to host a range of campaign materials for trusted partners to download and cascade through their individual networks.