Half of CCGs plan to cancel or delay NHS spending

Half of CCGs plan to cancel or delay NHS spending 

Around half of CCGs are planning to delay or cancel spending on treatment this year in order to meet their financial targets, it has been revealed.
Think tank The King’s Fund’s latest quarterly monitoring report published today shows that half of CCG finance leads said that achieving this year’s financial forecast was likely to depend on delaying or cancelling spending. OnMedica.

Public sector workers take more time off sick with mental health problems - The Sunday Post

Public sector workers take more time off sick with mental health problems - The Sunday Post ALMOST half of public sector workers have been forced to take time off work because of problems with their mental health, a large new survey has found.
Mental health charity Mind said its research revealed a higher prevalence of mental health problems in the public sector, as well as a lack of support available when people do speak up. The Sunday Post.

Also:

Public sector workers are more likely to say their mental health is poor and to have less support than private ... - City A.M. City A.M.
Public sector employees 'more anxious', charity says BBC News.

Cancer patient dies after being denied transfer due to bed shortage

Cancer patient dies after being denied transfer due to bed shortage 

Coroner fears more deaths if situation not remedied but UCLH says beds were available and suggests another hospital trust was involved
A cancer patient died after he was denied an urgently needed transfer to another hospital because no bed was available, a coroner has said. The Guardian. 

The Guardian view on the NHS: come clean about its real cost | Editorial

The Guardian view on the NHS: come clean about its real cost | Editorial 

None of the manifestos promise enough to make sure that patients get the good standard of care
It has become a cliche of general election campaigns to claim the NHS is in danger – such a cliche that, so far, no party has yet made it in 2017. Yet it might be truer than it has ever been. The health service is under greater financial strain than it has been in its 69-year history. Targets like A&E waiting time limits, introduced by Tony Blair to drive improvements in the service, are being downgraded, and increasingly missed. The Guardian. 

Four in ten NHS trusts to cut routine operations

Four in ten NHS trusts to cut routine operations
The King’s Fund said National Health Service managers were increasingly having to make ‘tough decisions’ on how to spend their money. Mail Online.

GPs face the social care gap every day. But we can’t fill it | Zara Aziz

GPs face the social care gap every day. But we can’t fill it | Zara Aziz Health professionals feel increasingly like social workers as we try to access care for the vulnerable. Making them liable for the cost of their illness is wrong

Hospitals and GP surgeries are busier than ever. The burden of ill-health is especially noticeable in poor people, those suffering from mental health conditions, and the elderly. I help to look after the health of all of these groups of patients in my role as a GP, as well as (to a lesser extent) young people and those suffering from acute or self-limiting illnesses. The Guardian

Working at HMP Wandsworth: a healthcare environment like no other

Working at HMP Wandsworth: a healthcare environment like no other As a healthcare professional in one of the UK’s largest prisons, you’ll be exposed to a unique set of challenges and opportunities

HMP Wandsworth is soon to become a remand prison, meaning thousands more men will pass through its doors. To cope with this increased demand, the Offender Healthcare Service is recruiting.

Offenders have a vast range of physical and mental health needs, and substance misuse conditions. It’s estimated that 36% of prisoners in England and Wales have a physical disability or mental illness, and around 30% are estimated to have learning difficulties that affect their ability to cope with the criminal justice system. The Guardian

NHS spending 'at its highest level in history'

NHS spending 'at its highest level in history' The study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) found that annual spending on the NHS has reached £2,160 per person – up from just £500 in 1970. Daily Mail

NHS funding choices and the 2017 general election

NHS funding choices and the 2017 general election Nuffield Trust - This analysis of the major political parties manifestos has found that none of the parties have pledged to spend enough money on the NHS in England to close its funding gap, cope with increased demand and sustain high quality care. This briefing sets out four spending scenarios, setting them alongside a continuation of existing government plans and calculates how much money each would require by 2022/23. It finds that all the major political parties' plans fail to reach the lowest projecting of possible future NHS spending patterns and consequently spending as a proportion of GDP is set to fall under the three main parties' proposals. The King's Fund

NHS faces £500m-a-year bill post-Brexit for returning retirees, says thinktank

NHS faces £500m-a-year bill post-Brexit for returning retirees, says thinktank If current EU healthcare scheme for retired UK citizens ends, NHS costs will climb, with nurse and care worker shortages set to have a further impact

The NHS would be hit with a bill for an extra £500m a year if all the retired British citizens now living in Europe could no longer get care post-Brexit and returned to the UK, a report from a healthcare thinktank has calculated.

According to the Nuffield Trust, the cost of Brexit to the NHS and social care system would be higher still if the numbers of nurses and care workers currently coming to the UK from Europe fell. Its report says there could be a shortfall of 70,000 paid carers by 2025/26 if the migration of unskilled workers to Britain from Europe is no longer permitted. The Guardian

• Brexit could lead to extra £500m bill for NHS OnMedica
• Brexit expat retirees 'may cost NHS millions' BBC News

Mental health and new models of care: lessons from the vanguards

Mental health and new models of care: lessons from the vanguards

Report on recent research with vanguard sites in England by the King's Fund and Royal College of Psychiatrists. King's Fund.

Union: KGH staff victims of ‘ludicrous’ £20 parking fees

Union: KGH staff victims of ‘ludicrous’ £20 parking fees

A trade union says a temporary £20 parking fee at KGH will mean staff will bear the burden of the addition of a second tier to Car Park B. Northamptonshire Telegraph.

Sustainable workforce key to wider care challenges, says Health Foundation

Sustainable workforce key to wider care challenges, says Health Foundation 

A Health Foundation briefing on the challenges facing the NHS and social care workforce in England, points to a combination of issues around recruitment, retention and morale. Health Foundation.

Healthy commissioning: how the Social Value Act is being used by clinical commissioning groups

Healthy commissioning: how the Social Value Act is being used by clinical commissioning groups National Voices - This report, produced in partnership with Social Enterprise UK, finds that only 13 per cent of CCGs can clearly show that they are actively committed to persuing social value in their procurement and commissioning decisions.  King's Fund. 

See also:

Commissioners ‘failing’ to consider wider societal issues OnMedica. 
Commissioners ignore social value law NHS Networks

Autism diagnoses 'could be reduced under NHS plan'

Autism diagnoses 'could be reduced under NHS plan' 

Proposals to reduce the number of children being diagnosed with autism are being considered by NHS commissioners in south-west London. BBC News. 

NHS patients offered the chance to see a GP weeks earlier - if they pay - Telegraph.co.uk

NHS patients offered the chance to see a GP weeks earlier - if they pay - Telegraph.co.uk 

NHS patients are being offered the chance to jump the queue to see a GP weeks earlier - if they pay for it. Touchscreen advertising within NHS practices is offering patients facing waits of almost a month a same-day appointment for £39. The Telegraph. 

General election 2017: party manifesto pledges on health and care

General election 2017: party manifesto pledges on health and care

With the general election manifestos published, GPonline looks at what the three main parties in England are promising for health. GPOnline.

Hospital beds occupied by mental health patients at record high - iNews

Hospital beds occupied by mental health patients at record high - iNews
Hospital beds occupied by mental health patients are at an all time high, according to analysis published by the British Medical Association (BMA). Analysis by the union shows that almost 90 per cent were filled at the end of 2016 – a figure experts ... iNews

Which Political Party Has The Best Proposals On Mental Health? - HuffPost UK

Which Political Party Has The Best Proposals On Mental Health? - HuffPost UK 

The manifestos of the three largest parties collectively contain 75 references to mental health — 70 more than the respective manifestos in 2010, excluding the indexes. Those that have read the recently released manifestos could be forgiven for ... HuffPost UK

Modified antibiotic successfully kills drug-resistant bug

Modified antibiotic successfully kills drug-resistant bug 

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in the US modified the drug so it works in three separate ways on bacteria, making it much harder for them to develop resistance. Mail Online