Southern Health NHS Trust 'paid millions' to Katrina Percy's associates A troubled NHS trust has paid millions of pounds to companies owned by previous associates of its embattled chief executive, BBC News has learned.
One firm received more than £5m despite winning a contract valued at less than £300,000, while another was paid more than £500,000 without bidding at all.
Both are owned by former acquaintances of Southern Health NHS Trust's chief executive Katrina Percy.
The trust said it took its financial responsibilities "very seriously". BBC News
Friday, 29 July 2016
Stepping Hill Hospital cuts jobs as it loses £75 a minute
Stepping Hill Hospital cuts jobs as it loses £75 a minute A hospital losing £75 a minute is to close a ward and axe 350 full time posts, an NHS trust reveals. BBC News
NHS England announces 'immediate action' to fund rises in GP indemnity costs
NHS England announces 'immediate action' to fund rises in GP indemnity costs NHS England will introduce new funding 'to fully offset the rising cost of GP indemnity' in the short term while it works on wider plans to reform current indemnity arrangements, it has announced. GP Online
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Creeping privatisation of healthcare is damaging the NHS, study finds
Creeping privatisation of healthcare is damaging the NHS, study finds The creeping privatisation of healthcare under the guise of "patient choice" could be damaging a central concept of the NHS, leading to worse treatment for the old, the poor and the sick, a new study suggests.
Researchers warned that the Government’s sudden shift to the widespread use of private healthcare firms in England was a “radical” experiment that could go “catastrophically wrong”. The Independent
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Researchers warned that the Government’s sudden shift to the widespread use of private healthcare firms in England was a “radical” experiment that could go “catastrophically wrong”. The Independent
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- Patient choice and private provision decreased public provision and increased inequalities in Scotland: a case study of elective hip arthroplasty (abstract) Journal of Public Health
- Study finds private hip operation policy failed to boost rates BBC News
- The impact of private sector contracts on NHS provision and treatment inequalities EurekAlert!
Women's prison suicide rate soars as charity warns of 'horrifying' self-harm
Women's prison suicide rate soars as charity warns of 'horrifying' self-harm The number of women killing themselves in prison has “risen alarmingly”, new government figures have revealed - prompting warnings from top charity leaders over unsafe jail conditions.
Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show the total number of deaths classed as “self-inflicted” rose by 28 per cent over the past 12 months compared with the previous year. The Independent
Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show the total number of deaths classed as “self-inflicted” rose by 28 per cent over the past 12 months compared with the previous year. The Independent
Can the NHS really not afford second transplants for cancer patients like me?
Can the NHS really not afford second transplants for cancer patients like me? | Hannah Partos NHS England has stopped funding stem cell transplants for relapsed blood cancer patients. Experts have condemned the decision and it’s left me reeling.
If I had not been given a stem cell transplant, I would be dead by now. At 22, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. Doctors told me a transplant of healthy stem cells from an unrelated donor was my only hope. Last month, I was thrilled to celebrate three years in remission. I hope the cancer never returns, but if it does, my only chance of survival will be another transplant. Except this time around, I might not be given that chance.
Two weeks ago, NHS England announced it would stop routinely funding second stem cell transplants for patients who have relapsed more than a year after their first transplant. NHS England, the body which oversees the budget for commissioning NHS services, has ruled that the treatment is “not currently affordable”, even though it was widely available in England before 2013, and is routinely given to patients in Europe and the US. Continue reading... The Guardian
If I had not been given a stem cell transplant, I would be dead by now. At 22, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. Doctors told me a transplant of healthy stem cells from an unrelated donor was my only hope. Last month, I was thrilled to celebrate three years in remission. I hope the cancer never returns, but if it does, my only chance of survival will be another transplant. Except this time around, I might not be given that chance.
Two weeks ago, NHS England announced it would stop routinely funding second stem cell transplants for patients who have relapsed more than a year after their first transplant. NHS England, the body which oversees the budget for commissioning NHS services, has ruled that the treatment is “not currently affordable”, even though it was widely available in England before 2013, and is routinely given to patients in Europe and the US. Continue reading... The Guardian
From ketamine to cupboard therapy: the future of mental health treatment
From ketamine to cupboard therapy: the future of mental health treatment Once upon a time, the future of mental health treatment was drugs. The advent of Prozac and whole class of similar medication in the 1990s gavedoctors an easy option and big pharma easy money.
But 20 years on, the problems have not gone away. In fact, mental illness is much more pervasive, with depression now the world’s second biggest cause of disability.
Moreover, a dramatic reduction in drug research and development suggests pills will not be the only – or even the primary – answer to mental health problems in the long term.
But what will be? Continue reading... The Guardian
But 20 years on, the problems have not gone away. In fact, mental illness is much more pervasive, with depression now the world’s second biggest cause of disability.
Moreover, a dramatic reduction in drug research and development suggests pills will not be the only – or even the primary – answer to mental health problems in the long term.
But what will be? Continue reading... The Guardian
Cancer sufferers risk losing access to effective drugs, says support group
Cancer sufferers risk losing access to effective drugs, says support group Medicine regulator Nice will act as gatekeeper for new treatments, leading to fears NHS patients may be denied them on cost grounds
Cancer patients in the UK will miss out on drugs available in other countries under new arrangements for deciding which expensive medicines the NHS will pay for, according to a charity.
Breast Cancer Now has criticised the relaunched Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), which was originally a pot of money to pay for costly new medicines not considered cost effective or not yet assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Continue reading... The Guardian
Cancer patients in the UK will miss out on drugs available in other countries under new arrangements for deciding which expensive medicines the NHS will pay for, according to a charity.
Breast Cancer Now has criticised the relaunched Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), which was originally a pot of money to pay for costly new medicines not considered cost effective or not yet assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Continue reading... The Guardian
Three in four NHS trusts deny life-changing cataract surgery finds Mail probe
Three in four NHS trusts deny life-changing cataract surgery finds Mail probe The life-transforming procedure costs less than £1,000 per eye – yet it is being rationed by NHS managers in the UK so that even those in direst need are being subjected to humiliating tests. The Daily Mail
Britain 'grinds to a halt' with average person walking half a mile a day
Britain 'grinds to a halt' with average person walking half a mile a day Britons are being urged to take to their feet after official data showed walking levels have fallen by more than a third in three decades.
Jeremy Hunt last night called on the public to make lifestyle changes to stop Britain from “grinding to a halt” after statistics showed the average person walks less than half a mile a day.
The Health Secretary - who wears a fitness tracker, in a bid to ensure he manages 10,000 steps daily – said small changes could help people dramatically boost their health. The Daily Telegraph
Jeremy Hunt last night called on the public to make lifestyle changes to stop Britain from “grinding to a halt” after statistics showed the average person walks less than half a mile a day.
The Health Secretary - who wears a fitness tracker, in a bid to ensure he manages 10,000 steps daily – said small changes could help people dramatically boost their health. The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, 28 July 2016
Brain tumour patient assaulted by pregnant woman and mum in Northampton hospital car park
Brain tumour patient assaulted by pregnant woman and mum in Northampton hospital car park A brain tumour patient was left with a black eye after an angry driver and her pregnant daughter assaulted her in the car park of Northampton General Hospital during a road rage incident. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
The state of maternity services in England
The state of maternity services in England This policy briefing focuses on the meaning of maternity care and analyses the main characteristics of maternity services in England. It outlines the broader implications of changing quality in maternity care settings and includes suggestions for further actions and policy measures needed to improve the quality of care in English maternity services. Picker Institute Europe
Antibiotic resistance: 'Snot wars' study heralds new class of drugs
Antibiotic resistance: 'Snot wars' study heralds new class of drugs A new class of antibiotics has been discovered by analysing the bacterial warfare taking place up people's noses, scientists report. BBC News
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Drug 'may slow' Alzheimer's brain death
Drug 'may slow' Alzheimer's brain death A drug appears to slow the death of the brain and preserve mental function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, a study shows. BBC News
Mental health research 'being short-changed', academics claim
Mental health research 'being short-changed', academics claim Universities will lose out on tens of millions of pounds as a result of a change to the way mental health research is funded, researchers have claimed.
Campaigners say that the move by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) “flies in the face” of a growing emphasis on mental health by politicians and the public.
The row stems from a decision not to fund clinical and bioscience mental health research at the same level as similarly expensive research into physical health. Times Higher Education
Campaigners say that the move by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) “flies in the face” of a growing emphasis on mental health by politicians and the public.
The row stems from a decision not to fund clinical and bioscience mental health research at the same level as similarly expensive research into physical health. Times Higher Education
How sexist stereotypes mean doctors ignore women's pain
How sexist stereotypes mean doctors ignore women's pain Research shows hospital staff take women's pain less seriously, spent less time treating them and are more likely to wrongly diagnose physical pain as 'just emotional' The Independent
NHS 'abandoning' thousands by rationing hepatitis C drugs
NHS 'abandoning' thousands by rationing hepatitis C drugs Addaction says NHS England decision to treat just 10,000 people a year with costly drugs is ‘potential death sentence’
NHS England has been accused by a charity of “abandoning” thousands of people to a potential death sentence by rationing drugs that can cure hepatitis C.
An estimated 215,000 people in the UK have chronic hepatitis C infection (160,000 in England), which new but costly drugs can cure. Addaction, a charity that helps people overcome drug and alcohol abuse, says the decision to treat 10,000 people a year is “manifestly unfair”. Continue reading... The Guardian
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NHS England has been accused by a charity of “abandoning” thousands of people to a potential death sentence by rationing drugs that can cure hepatitis C.
An estimated 215,000 people in the UK have chronic hepatitis C infection (160,000 in England), which new but costly drugs can cure. Addaction, a charity that helps people overcome drug and alcohol abuse, says the decision to treat 10,000 people a year is “manifestly unfair”. Continue reading... The Guardian
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NHS spends £87m on paracetamol at 20 TIMES the high street cost
NHS spends £87m on paracetamol at 20 TIMES the high street cost The price per prescription of £3.83 - compared to just 25p a packet from the supermarket - cost tax payers a staggering £87,600,000 last year as GPs in England wrote 22,900,000 for patients. The Daily Mail
Pensioner who broke her pelvis while protesting about local A&E closure is taken to ANOTHER unit 15 miles away for treatment
Pensioner who broke her pelvis while protesting about local A&E closure is taken to ANOTHER unit 15 miles away for treatment Joan Carpenter, 82, was protesting outside Chorley A&E when she fell. Instead of being taken inside, she was driven 15 miles to Royal Preston Hospital. Her son said this was 'absurd'. The Daily Mail
Nuisance caller cost the taxpayer £78,000 by making 408 calls to the ambulance service in two years
Nuisance caller cost the taxpayer £78,000 by making 408 calls to the ambulance service in two years A woman who cost the taxpayer £78,000 by phoning ambulance service more than 400 times in two years has been jailed.
Mariette Mcharg, 54, also cost the health service a further £94,611 in unscheduled care.
She was sentenced to six months in jail for a number of offences including the assault of an officer and the assault of two nurses. The Daily Telegraph
Mariette Mcharg, 54, also cost the health service a further £94,611 in unscheduled care.
She was sentenced to six months in jail for a number of offences including the assault of an officer and the assault of two nurses. The Daily Telegraph
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