Friday, 24 March 2017
The effect of hospital ownership on quality of care: evidence from England
The effect of hospital ownership on quality of care: evidence from England This research investigates whether quality of care differs between public and private hospitals in England with data on 3.8 million publicly-funded patients receiving 133 planned (non-emergency) treatments in 393 public and 190 private hospital sites. The authors found no quality differences between hospitals specialising in planned treatments and other hospitals, nor between for-profit and not-for-profit private hospitals. Centre for Health Economics
Paying for it: the human cost of cut-price care
Paying for it: the human cost of cut-price care Care is being purchased across England at prices that are simply not economically sustainable. In Paying for It, we look at the human side of a care market on the brink of failure with stories from across the care system. And we look at why care is priced so low and how people in the system end up paying for cut-price care. Local Government Information Unit
British scientists in world-first TB breakthrough
British scientists in world-first TB breakthrough British scientists have made a world-first breakthrough in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.
Researchers in Oxford and Birmingham say they can isolate different strains of the disease using a process called genome sequencing.
It means patients who may have waited months to get the right drugs can now be diagnosed in just a few days - so they have a greater chance of recovery.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the breakthrough "will save lives".
Cases of TB in the UK have begun falling recently, but England still has one of the highest rates in Europe. BBC News
Researchers in Oxford and Birmingham say they can isolate different strains of the disease using a process called genome sequencing.
It means patients who may have waited months to get the right drugs can now be diagnosed in just a few days - so they have a greater chance of recovery.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the breakthrough "will save lives".
Cases of TB in the UK have begun falling recently, but England still has one of the highest rates in Europe. BBC News
Discovery enables 'mass produced blood'
Discovery enables 'mass produced blood' Scientists say they have made a significant leap towards mass-producing red blood cells suitable for donation.
Red blood cells can already be made in the lab, but the problem is scale.
A team at the University of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant have developed a method to produce an unlimited supply.
The artificial blood will be far more expensive than conventional donation. So it is likely to be used for people with very rare blood types. BBC News
Red blood cells can already be made in the lab, but the problem is scale.
A team at the University of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant have developed a method to produce an unlimited supply.
The artificial blood will be far more expensive than conventional donation. So it is likely to be used for people with very rare blood types. BBC News
Exclusive: GPs reject DH vision of switch to 1,500 superhubs
Exclusive: GPs reject DH vision of switch to 1,500 superhubs Four out of five GPs believe the government's vision of primary care migrating from the current system to 1,500 'superhubs' would undermine general practice, a GPonline poll shows.
New child care standards could cut hospital admissions
New child care standards could cut hospital admissions Experts have published care standards to help deal with growing numbers of children and young adults attending emergency departments and to ensure they are treated appropriately.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s new Standards for Short Stay Paediatric Assessment Units (SSPAUs) were published today.
The college said the number of children and young people (15 years and under) being seen in hospital emergency departments in England rose by 7.6% between 2014-15 and 2015-16 – the equivalent of 4.4 million attendances.
There were now two and a half times more under 15-year-olds at emergency departments than over 80-year-olds in England. OnMedica
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s new Standards for Short Stay Paediatric Assessment Units (SSPAUs) were published today.
The college said the number of children and young people (15 years and under) being seen in hospital emergency departments in England rose by 7.6% between 2014-15 and 2015-16 – the equivalent of 4.4 million attendances.
There were now two and a half times more under 15-year-olds at emergency departments than over 80-year-olds in England. OnMedica
Westminster attack medics: 'It was a day London has trained for'
Westminster attack medics: 'It was a day London has trained for' As news of the terror attack broke, the capital’s NHS workers rushed into action
It was a typically busy day in the emergency department at King’s College hospital when Dr Emer Sutherland started receiving text messages from relatives and friends.
They were the first indication of the scale of the horror unfolding just two miles down the road in Westminster. Within minutes, she and her colleagues were on major alert and preparing to receive the first of many critically injured casualties. Continue reading... The Guardian
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It was a typically busy day in the emergency department at King’s College hospital when Dr Emer Sutherland started receiving text messages from relatives and friends.
They were the first indication of the scale of the horror unfolding just two miles down the road in Westminster. Within minutes, she and her colleagues were on major alert and preparing to receive the first of many critically injured casualties. Continue reading... The Guardian
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The most common cause of cancer? Simple bad luck
The most common cause of cancer? Simple bad luck Despite the belief cancer is usually inherited or triggered by lifestyles, two thirds of cases can be put down to DNA errors, experts from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center claim. The Daily Mail
Bake Off's Prue Leith backs hospital food campaign
Bake Off's Prue Leith backs hospital food campaign The new judge on the Great British Bake Off is demanding legally enforceable minimum nutrition standards for hospital food. The DailyMail
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Funding row leads to fears over future of Corby Urgent Care Centre
Funding row leads to fears over future of Corby Urgent Care Centre Patients are being reassured that an urgent care centre is not closing despite a row over funding.
Bosses at Corby Urgent Care Centre (UCC) have warned that it will close its doors to patients at 8pm on Friday, March 31, as a result of Corby and Nene Clinical Commissioning Groups’ refusing to organise the extension of a contract in line with minimum fees due under the NHS national tariff.
However, the NHS Corby Clinical Commissioning Group has said it is not closing. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Bosses at Corby Urgent Care Centre (UCC) have warned that it will close its doors to patients at 8pm on Friday, March 31, as a result of Corby and Nene Clinical Commissioning Groups’ refusing to organise the extension of a contract in line with minimum fees due under the NHS national tariff.
However, the NHS Corby Clinical Commissioning Group has said it is not closing. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Health care funding: is the grass greener on the other side?
Health care funding: is the grass greener on the other side? The financial difficulties facing the NHS have given rise to the suggestion from some quarters that the UK would be better off with a different model for funding health care.
Why, it is argued, aren’t we more like the Germans who use social insurance as the main way of paying for care, or the French who take out private insurance to cover part of the costs of their care. Or why don’t we adopt the system used in Australia where almost half the population receives tax breaks to help pay for private insurance, as well as paying taxes to fund the Medicare system that covers the entire population. The assumption behind these questions is that other methods of paying for care would be preferable to our tax-funded model.
Our briefing describes the three principal methods used to fund health care, drawing on international experience. The Kings Fund
Why, it is argued, aren’t we more like the Germans who use social insurance as the main way of paying for care, or the French who take out private insurance to cover part of the costs of their care. Or why don’t we adopt the system used in Australia where almost half the population receives tax breaks to help pay for private insurance, as well as paying taxes to fund the Medicare system that covers the entire population. The assumption behind these questions is that other methods of paying for care would be preferable to our tax-funded model.
Our briefing describes the three principal methods used to fund health care, drawing on international experience. The Kings Fund
The performance of the NHS in England in transforming children’s mental health services
The performance of the NHS in England in transforming children’s mental health services A new report which examines the progress made by the Government in improving children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS).
The report analyses NHS England’s new ‘Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard’, which tracks the performance of local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). Education Policy Institute
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The report analyses NHS England’s new ‘Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard’, which tracks the performance of local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). Education Policy Institute
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Self-care: everybody's talking about it
Self-care: everybody's talking about it This paper highlights the need to support patients to better manage their own health and the need for greater recognition of the potential for voluntary and community services contribution towards this. The discussion paper outlines the benefits of promoting self-care approaches and the briefing for the voluntary and community sector contains case studies. Regional Voices
Bed-blocking rates unacceptable, government says
Bed-blocking rates unacceptable, government says More than 2,500 hospital beds a day are taken up by patients whose release has been delayed due to problems in the social care system.
Analysis of official so-called "bed-blocking" statistics reveals the areas where the NHS is worst affected.
The Local Government Association said under-funded authorities had placed care providers under "huge pressure".
The government said the difference "of over 20 times between best and worst councils is unacceptable".
Although the NHS is responsible for most delayed transfers, the number attributable to social care has been increasing as well.
Out of 1.87 million delayed days between April 2016 and the end of January 2017, just over 1 million were down to the NHS. There were 635,000 where social care was responsible and 145,000 that were a mixture of both. BBC News
Analysis of official so-called "bed-blocking" statistics reveals the areas where the NHS is worst affected.
The Local Government Association said under-funded authorities had placed care providers under "huge pressure".
The government said the difference "of over 20 times between best and worst councils is unacceptable".
Although the NHS is responsible for most delayed transfers, the number attributable to social care has been increasing as well.
Out of 1.87 million delayed days between April 2016 and the end of January 2017, just over 1 million were down to the NHS. There were 635,000 where social care was responsible and 145,000 that were a mixture of both. BBC News
Locum and salaried GPs excluded from NHS planning because of huge data gaps
Locum and salaried GPs excluded from NHS planning because of huge data gaps The lack of data on the sessional GP workforce means they are being excluded from major decisions on future workload and new models of care, the BMA has warned. GP Online
Teenage pregnancy rates hit all-time low after nearly halving in last eight years
Teenage pregnancy rates hit all-time low after nearly halving in last eight years Teenage pregnancy rates in England and Wales have almost halved in the last eight years, plummeting to the lowest level since records began.
In 2015, there were 20,351 conceptions in girls under 18, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – down 10 per cent from the previous year.
There were 21 pregnancies among every 1,000 girls under 18 in 2015, just under half the 2007 rate of 41.6 per 1,000.
Reasons given for the drop include better sex education, improved access to contraception, a shift in aspirations towards education and increased stigma towards teenage mothers.
When comparable records began in 1969 there were 45,495 conceptions in girls under 18, a rate of 47.1 pregnancies per 1,000 girls under 18. The Independent
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In 2015, there were 20,351 conceptions in girls under 18, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – down 10 per cent from the previous year.
There were 21 pregnancies among every 1,000 girls under 18 in 2015, just under half the 2007 rate of 41.6 per 1,000.
Reasons given for the drop include better sex education, improved access to contraception, a shift in aspirations towards education and increased stigma towards teenage mothers.
When comparable records began in 1969 there were 45,495 conceptions in girls under 18, a rate of 47.1 pregnancies per 1,000 girls under 18. The Independent
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Less than half of women breastfeed after two months, survey finds
Less than half of women breastfeed after two months, survey finds Poll for Public Health England reveals many feel embarrassed to feed their babies in front of strangers and family members
Almost three-quarters of women in England start breastfeeding after giving birth but less than half are still doing so two months later, according to NHS and Public Health England data.
PHE recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, as does the World Health Organisation, because it boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection. But a comparison of initial breastfeeding rates and those after six to eight weeks in the final quarter of 2015 found that they were 40% lower for the latter (44% compared with 73%). Continue reading... The Guardian
Almost three-quarters of women in England start breastfeeding after giving birth but less than half are still doing so two months later, according to NHS and Public Health England data.
PHE recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, as does the World Health Organisation, because it boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection. But a comparison of initial breastfeeding rates and those after six to eight weeks in the final quarter of 2015 found that they were 40% lower for the latter (44% compared with 73%). Continue reading... The Guardian
Having weekend surgery DOESN’T make you more likely to die
Having weekend surgery DOESN’T make you more likely to die Researchers from Edinburgh University analysed more than 50,000 emergency operations over a three year period, starting in 2005. They were tracked until 2012. The Daily Mail
See also:
See also:
- Effect of day of the week on short- and long-term mortality after emergency general surgery British Journal of Surgery
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Access to health and social care services for Northamptonshire’s homeless and vulnerably housed population: The views of homeless people and professionals
Access to health and social care services for Northamptonshire’s homeless and vulnerably housed population: The views of homeless people and professionals In late 2016 Healthwatch Northamptonshire undertook a piece of work to find out more about the views and experiences of Northamptonshire’s homeless and vulnerably housed population, a seldom heard group. We were particularly interested in finding out about the barriers homeless people face when accessing and using local services. We spoke to five organisations working with homeless people across the county and 25 homeless people or people who had been recently homeless in Northampton, Rushden and Wellingborough.
We heard about some good support for homeless people in Northampton and other towns, particularly that provided by homeless charities, but the support available across the county appears to be variable. Access to GP practices was not a big problem although in some parts of the county people had to register at GP practices some distance away. We also learnt that homeless people often distrust GPs and health professionals, feeling they do not understand their lives and the issues they face, or that they do not need to register with these services if they are not ill or in pain. Rather than wanting better access to services such as GPs and dentists, the homeless people we spoke to prioritised their more immediate needs, such as having somewhere to sleep, dry feet and podiatry services, and access to good, hot food. We also learnt about alcohol use and how this can be a barrier to people accessing mental health services and other support. Many homeless people experience mental health issues and access to psychiatrists and Community Psychiatric Nurses was difficult for some, particularly outside of Northampton.
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We heard about some good support for homeless people in Northampton and other towns, particularly that provided by homeless charities, but the support available across the county appears to be variable. Access to GP practices was not a big problem although in some parts of the county people had to register at GP practices some distance away. We also learnt that homeless people often distrust GPs and health professionals, feeling they do not understand their lives and the issues they face, or that they do not need to register with these services if they are not ill or in pain. Rather than wanting better access to services such as GPs and dentists, the homeless people we spoke to prioritised their more immediate needs, such as having somewhere to sleep, dry feet and podiatry services, and access to good, hot food. We also learnt about alcohol use and how this can be a barrier to people accessing mental health services and other support. Many homeless people experience mental health issues and access to psychiatrists and Community Psychiatric Nurses was difficult for some, particularly outside of Northampton.
See also:
- The barriers between Northampton's homeless and the health care they need examined in new report Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Radio presenter tours Northamptonshire for annual healthcheck campaign
Radio presenter tours Northamptonshire for annual healthcheck campaign BBC Northampton's Helen Blaby is taking to the road next month urging listeners to get a health check. Northamptonshire Telegraph
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