NHS stroke care getting better

NHS stroke care getting better But there still remain "unacceptable variations across the country" experts warn. OnMedica

NHS 111 phone line will undergo 'fundamental' reform, Jeremy Hunt promises

NHS 111 phone line will undergo 'fundamental' reform, Jeremy Hunt promises The NHS 111 phone line service will undergo “fundamental” reform in the wake of a report into an unnecessary death of a child, Jeremy Hunt has said.

William Mead, from Cornwall, died of Sepsis after NHS 111 failed to diagnose his condition. The Independent

See also:

• Hunt sorry for baby death failings BBC News
• VIDEO: 'I touched him but he didn't move' BBC News
• Sepsis: Why can it be so hard to spot? BBC News
• Jeremy Hunt apologises to Mead family over NHS sepsis failings The Daily Mail
• Report condemns NHS out-of-hours service as not safe for sick children The Daily Mail
• How many more lives will be lost because of the NHS 111 service? The Daily Mail
• What's the point of the NHS if it can't spot a dying child? The Daily Mail
• NHS 111 will be "fundamentally" overhauled in wake of a string of scandals, Jeremy Hunt says The Daily Telegraph
• NHS 111 helpline 'broken', says mother of baby who died of sepsis The Guardian
• Mother tells how NHS 111 helpline failed to save son – video The Guardian
• What is sepsis? The Guardian
• William Mead's 'fate was sealed' after NHS 111 call handlers failed to identify his deadly illness, says mother The Independent
• NHS 111 failed baby who died of sepsis, concludes report OnMedica

Going to hospital? Don't shave your legs or have a manicure! It's not just what happens AFTER surgery that counts - the mistakes before an an op that can affect your recovery

Going to hospital? Don't shave your legs or have a manicure! It's not just what happens AFTER surgery that counts - the mistakes before an an op that can affect your recovery One NHS operation is cancelled every ten minutes in England - around 60,000 a year - because patients fail to follow doctors' instructions beforehand. The Daily Mail

200,000 patents left without a doctor by GP surgery closures

200,000 patents left without a doctor by GP surgery closures Patients across the UK have been faced with their local doctor's surgery shutting down - and some have even been told to register with a new practice an hour’s drive away. The Daily Mail

The mental health crisis centres keeping people out of A&E

The mental health crisis centres keeping people out of A&E Regulars at the Bristol Sanctuary say the drop-in centre has saved their lives, yet many like it across the country rely on donations – and some face closure

In the dim but brightly painted room, Zara Johansson is chatting softly to her support worker about the mental health care she has received recently. Nearby, several colouring books are open on a table next to a shelf of self-help books. In the main room, a volunteer is making tea.

Johansson, 31, is among the more than 100 people with severe emotional distress who have turned to the Bristol Sanctuary for help since it opened in April 2015. Continue reading... The Guardian

Anger as government blocks TTIP legal documents relating to health service

Anger as government blocks TTIP legal documents relating to health service Business secretary refuses to disclose advice that could show how private health firms might sue government under US-Europe trade deal.

The controversial trade deal between Europe and the US came under further fire on Tuesday after campaigners accused the government of blocking access to legal advice that shows its impact on the health service.

Campaigners warned that the legal documents could reveal the extent to which private health companies can sue the government using a secret tribunal system if a Whitehall policy change were to hit their profits. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS watchdog signed off doomed £750m contract despite doubts

NHS watchdog signed off doomed £750m contract despite doubts MPs demand full inquiry after Monitor gave go-ahead for Addenbrooke’s deal that collapsed just eight months later.

An NHS contract worth £750m that collapsed in December after just eight months was effectively signed off by the regulator and NHS England, despite questions about its viability.

The contract – the biggest in NHS history – was the first designed to bring together hospital, mental health services and community care for adults and older people in Cambridgeshire, introducing a single point of contact for patients. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS comes 14th in Europe-wide survey on health systems

NHS comes 14th in Europe-wide survey on health systems Poor accessibility, a top-down management culture and mediocre treatment results cited as main flaws by Health Consumer Powerhouse

The NHS is only the 14th best health system in Europe and is delivering mediocre results in too many areas of care, including patient survival, a new continent-wide survey has claimed.

The findings conflict with those of the influential Commonwealth Fund thinktank, which two years ago said the UK offered the best overall health provision out of 11 western nations it studied. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The 2015 Euro Health Consumer Index Health Consumer Powerhouse

Parents who don't vaccinate their children are irresponsible

Parents who don't vaccinate their children are irresponsible Fifteen years after the MMR vaccination was declared safe, some are still refusing it. This is madness and has to stop. The Daily Telegraph

Developers finally submit plans to convert fire-ravaged hospital near Duston into homes

Developers finally submit plans to convert fire-ravaged hospital near Duston into homes Long-awaited plans to demolish a fire-gutted former psychiatric hospital near Duston and replace the site with flats and houses have been submitted. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Mental-health 'serious incidents' rise

Mental-health 'serious incidents' rise More than 8,000 serious incidents were reported by mental health trusts in England last year - an increase of more than a third over a three-year period. BBC News

See also:

• Spike in mental health patient deaths shows NHS 'struggling to cope' The Guardian

NHS England to ask military veterans how to improve mental health services

NHS England to ask military veterans how to improve mental health services NHS England is asking armed forces veterans to share their experience of mental health services and help improve future care across the country.

The launch of a national survey will help improve the care available for veterans as they move from military to civilian life.

NHS 111 'missed chances to save baby'

NHS 111 'missed chances to save baby' The NHS out-of-hours helpline missed an opportunity to save the life of a baby who died from blood poisoning following a chest infection, says a damning report. BBC News

See also:

• NHS helpline 'not sensitive enough' to detect deadly child illnesses The Daily Telegraph
• NHS non-emergency helpline 'unable to identify children's deadly diseases' The Guardian

First wave of technological innovation pilots for NHS announced

First wave of technological innovation pilots for NHS announced ‘Test Bed’ projects to target elderly and those with long-term conditions and mental ill health. OnMedica

Spending on agency midwives in England

Spending on agency midwives in England This report is a result of freedom of information (FOI) requests that the RCM sent to 136 NHS trusts in England last year about spending on agency nurses. The FOI had a response rate of over 95 per cent with 130 trusts responding and it found that over 73 per cent of trusts in London with maternity services rely on agency midwives to staff their services. As a result, the spend on agency midwives has increased from £10,159,099 in 2012 to £17,849,767 in 2014 - representing an increase of almost 76 per cent. Royal College of Midwives

General practice faces nurse exodus as two thirds say they are underpaid

General practice faces nurse exodus as two thirds say they are underpaid Two thirds of practice nurses believe they are underpaid and a third plan to retire in the next five years, according to a poll that sheds new light on the deepening GP crisis. GP Online

Number of mental health nurses falls 10%

Number of mental health nurses falls 10% Labour attacks government over ‘shocking’ English figures, which show workforce shrank as demand for services surged

The number of specialist mental health nurses has fallen more than 10% over the past five years, the Guardian has learned, putting the care of rising numbers of patients at risk.

The loss of one in 10 of the entire mental health nursing workforce in England has occurred mainly in hospitals and mental health units treating some of the sickest patients, official NHS figures show.
Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• I wish I could do more to protect your loved ones in mental health crisis The Guardian
• 'I didn't matter': the long wait for mental health treatment The Guardian

Tackling mental illness early: the people being taught to spot warning signs

Tackling mental illness early: the people being taught to spot warning signs Thousands are being trained to offer timely help to those at risk, including teenagers, corporate lawyers and firefighters

Prevention is better than cure and that goes for mental health too, perhaps even more than other illnesses.

So, up and down the country, more is being done to make people aware of the risks and of what they can do to develop the psychological flexibility that can help avert mental illness. Continue reading... The Guardian

George Osborne and Bill Gates announce £3 billion pledge to fight malaria

George Osborne and Bill Gates announce £3 billion pledge to fight malaria The pledge supports the World Health Organisation's mission to reduce malaria deaths by 90% by 2030. The Independent

See also:

• The Ross Fund - Combatting the world's most serious diseases Department of Health
• Osborne pledges cash to beat malaria BBC News

Harvard and MIT close to 'cure' for Type 1 diabetes which will end daily injections

Harvard and MIT close to 'cure' for Type 1 diabetes which will end daily injections Scientists at MIT and Harvard have proven that planting insulin-producing cells into mice can completely restore insulin function for a long time. The Daily Telegraph