Jeremy Hunt to unveil plans for digital-led NHS treatment by 2018

Jeremy Hunt to unveil plans for digital-led NHS treatment by 2018 Access to medical records, booking GP appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions could all be done via an app by the end of next year

Jeremy Hunt is to pledge that every patient in England should be able to access their medical records and book an appointment with a GP via an app by the end of 2018.

The health secretary will use his speech at an NHS conference on Tuesday to promise the national rollout of an integrated app, which patients will also be able to use for ordering repeat prescriptions and accessing NHS 111 – the non-emergency medical helpline. The Guardian

See also:

• Technology can be hugely beneficial - but we must not alienate vulnerable patients Royal College of General Practitioners

'Medical opinions ignored' by NHS payment assessor, workers say

'Medical opinions ignored' by NHS payment assessor, workers say Three health workers said an assessor organisation discounted medical views so some patients were denied NHS care.

Norman Lamb MP said England-wide data obtained by the BBC showed a "regional disparity" and was "an injustice". However the assessor organisation, Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU, says it follows national guidelines to decide on payments. Under national criteria, the NHS pays for long-term support and care if a patient's condition is severe enough.

However, BBC Inside Out East has found a wide difference among clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England in the percentage of patients rejected following assessment for continuing health care (CHC). BBC News

Psychiatric care is postcode lottery, say medical experts

Psychiatric care is postcode lottery, say medical experts There are not enough NHS psychiatrists in some parts of the UK and more should be recruited to improve care, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

In Scotland, there are 10 consultant psychiatrists per 100,000 people - but only eight for the same number in England and Northern Ireland, and just six in Wales. London's tally is more than double that of the east of England. English health ministers said thousands of new posts were already planned.

The government in England recently announced there would be 570 extra consultant psychiatrists by 2020-21.  And the Welsh government said it was committed to improving mental health services in Wales.  B

But the Royal College of Psychiatrists said there were too few medical students specialising in psychiatry and not enough psychiatrists becoming consultants. BBC News - Health

See also:

• Patients face mental health post-code lottery as psychiatrists twice as available in some parts of country  The Telegraph

NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS fraility in older people

NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS fraility in older people The NHS is trialling new wearable sensors, based on technology used by NASA and the CGI film industry, to help identify older patients at risk of falls as part of a new drive to tackle frailty.

The technology will help make one small step a lot easier for the over-65s (although giant leaps may still prove a challenge). NHS England

Service specification for integrated urgent care

Service specification for integrated urgent care NHS England has published a national service specification for integrated urgent care services. It outlines the steps that commissioners must take to deliver this important transformation and to move from an ‘assess and refer’ to a new ‘consult and complete’ model of service delivery. NHS Networks

'Unrelenting pressure' on NHS staff spells trouble for cancer care

'Unrelenting pressure' on NHS staff spells trouble for cancer care Bigger workloads, increasingly complex patient needs, and vacancies in key roles are creating ‘unrelenting pressure’ on cancer care workforce, new report warns.

Current workforce pressures are affecting the level of care being delivered to cancer patients, according to a new report From the Frontline by Macmillan Cancer Support.

A survey undertaken by nfpSynergy for Macmillan of over 250 GPs and nurses working in primary care across the UK, found that over half (52%) are not confident the NHS workforce is able to provide adequate care to cancer patients, given the current pressures it faces

As winter looms, NHS debate warms up

As winter looms, NHS debate warms up Cooler weather and the first sniff of autumn in the air have been accompanied by the familiar opening salvo of warnings about a difficult winter ahead for the NHS.

The body representing hospitals and other trusts in England, NHS Providers, has said that without an emergency cash bailout the service will face unprecedented pressure.

At the same time the issue of longer waits for routine surgery has jumped up the political agenda.

The government was defeated in the Lords over the failure to meet the 18-week waiting time target in England. BBC News

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people A 13-year-old girl who died from a brain aneurysm has helped a record eight different people, including five children, through organ donation.

Jemima Layzell, from Somerset, who died in 2012, donated her heart, pancreas, lungs, kidneys, small bowel and liver.

Jemima's parents said she was clever, compassionate and creative - and would have been "very proud of her legacy".

NHS Blood and Transplant said no other donor had helped as many people. BBC News

The Brexit leak shows a government on collision course with the NHS

The Brexit leak shows a government on collision course with the NHS The scheme to cut immigration is at odds with the need to fill 176,000 health and care vacancies. For the sector to survive, its workers must be given special status

The leaked 82-page government Brexit-immigration report should ring alarm bells for the NHS as it tackles the greatest workforce crisis in the health service’s history. The Home Office proposes measures to reduce the number of lower-skilled EU migrants by offering them residency for a maximum of only two years, whereas those in “high-skilled occupations” would be granted permits to work three to five years.

The report says: “Put plainly, this means that, to be considered valuable to the country, immigration should benefit not just the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off.” Continue reading... The Guardian

Ministers drop 'misguided' plans to privatise NHS Professionals

Ministers drop 'misguided' plans to privatise NHS Professionals The government has abandoned plans to privatise an NHS employment agency it owns that supplies doctors and nurses to hospitals to ease their understaffing.

Labour welcomed what it called “a major U-turn on a misguided policy from a government with no solution to the workforce crisis in the NHS”. Continue reading.. The Guardian

Thinking of suing the NHS? Here’s why you should think again

Thinking of suing the NHS? Here’s why you should think again With medical negligence cases sharply up, citizens need to ask if they really want services drained to compensate a few claimants who can prove their case

Not a week goes by without another sign of extreme stress in the NHS. Winter is coming, as the warning goes, with 40,000 nurse vacancies unfilled, debts mounting and for the first time ever the NHS next year takes a real cut in per-capita income. Continue reading... The Guardian

GP who created fake patient 'M Mouse' escapes suspension

GP who created fake patient 'M Mouse' escapes suspension A GP who listed "M Mouse" among hundreds of bogus patients has escaped suspension after a tribunal decided it was his way of coping with his workload.

Dr Andrew Thomson fiddled appointments over a five-year period but avoided sanction after a medical tribunal highlighted his "propensity for overwork".

He was warned that the "exceptional course" adopted in the misconduct hearing by the medical practitioners' tribunal in Manchester did not reduce the seriousness of his conduct at the Academy Health Centre, in Forfar, Tayside. The Daily Telegraph

Suicide rate for young women highest for 20 years as experts warn of mental health crisis

Suicide rate for young women highest for 20 years as experts warn of mental health crisis Suicide among women in their early twenties is at its highest level in two decades, ONS figures show, as experts warn of a mental health crisis among young women who struggle with the pressures of modern life and social media.

While the overall figures for Great Britain show rates are at a seven-year low, women aged between 20 and 24 are increasingly likely to die by suicide. The Daily Telegraph

KGH showing signs of improvement, inspection finds

KGH showing signs of improvement, inspection finds An inspection at Kettering General Hospital has found it has made significant improvements to patient safety and care.

The hospital was issued a warning notice by the Care Quality Commission in October 2016 after being placed into special measures. A subsequent inspection in June found the hospital has met the requirements of the notice, but it will still be in special measures until a full inspection takes place this autumn when it could be regraded.

Interim chief executive Fiona Wise said: “We have worked hard and comprehensively to address the issues raised by the CQC and I think the report reflects that. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Partnerships for improvement: ingredients for success

Partnerships for improvement: ingredients for success The idea of partnerships and collaboration across organisational boundaries is at the heart of NHS reforms in England. Although we have helped to develop the evidence base for how networks of people can improve quality of care, less is known about what makes for successful partnerships between providers at an organisational level.

For this reason, we commissioned the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham to look at a range of current organisational partnerships. This report focuses on five different partnering arrangements, as well as interviews with national leaders, and draws learning to help inform and guide policymakers and providers. The Health Foundation

Tobacco, drugs and obesity: taking stock of recent policy

Tobacco, drugs and obesity: taking stock of recent policy The current government has now produced two plans and a strategy in important areas of public health and behaviour. So it’s a good time to take stock of what the tobacco control plan, the childhood obesity plan and the drug strategy together tell us about the government’s approach to these issues. The King's Fund

Managing the costs of clinical negligence in trusts

Managing the costs of clinical negligence in trusts The cost of clinical negligence in trusts is significant and rising fast, placing increasing financial pressure on an already stretched system. NHS Resolution and the Department are proposing measures to tackle this, but the expected savings are small compared with the predicted rise in overall costs. At £60 billion, up from £51 billion last year, the provision for clinical negligence in trusts is one of the biggest liabilities in the government accounts, and one of the fastest growing. Fundamentally changing the biggest drivers of increasing cost will require significant activity in policy and legislation. National Audit Office

See also:

• Compensation claims draining the NHS of £1.6bn a year The Daily Mail
• NHS negligence bill set to more than double as waiting lists lengthen The Daily Telegraph

Not by degrees: improving student mental health in the UK's universities

Not by degrees: improving student mental health in the UK's universities This report finds that levels of mental illness, mental distress and low wellbeing among students in higher education in the UK are increasing, and are high relative to other sections of the population. It calls for universities to make mental health a strategic priority and adopt a whole-university approach to prevention, promotion and support. Institute for Public Policy Research

Public 'tricked' into buying unhealthy food

Public 'tricked' into buying unhealthy food The UK's obesity crisis is being fuelled by businesses pushing unhealthy food and larger portions on shoppers, according to health experts.

The Royal Society for Public Health warned consumers were being tricked by a marketing ploy known as upselling.

The tactic involves shops, cafes and restaurants encouraging customers to upgrade to larger meals and drinks or adding high-calorie toppings and sides.

A poll suggested eight in 10 people experienced it every week. BBC News

See also:

• New report reveals ‘upselling’ is fuelling the obesity crisis Royal Society for Public Health
• Shoppers eat an extra 17,000 calories a year because of 'supersize' tactics The Daily Telegraph

Tackling health anxiety could save NHS over £400m a year, study finds

Tackling health anxiety could save NHS over £400m a year, study finds Researchers find people who have had a serious illness fear it will happen again and symptoms persist when nothing is wrong

The NHS could save more than £420m a year by offering treatment for health anxiety and “cyberchondria”, a psychological ailment caused by people obsessively looking up their symptoms online, a study has estimated.

The study, funded and published by the National Institute for Health Research, said the savings could be made just on the costs of care in hospital outpatient departments, with research showing health anxiety fades and stays away after a course of therapy. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Cognitive behaviour therapy for health anxiety in medical patients (CHAMP): a randomised controlled trial with outcomes to 5 years (open access) National Institute for health Research
• Anxiety over health 'caused by cyber-chondria' BBC News
• Britain's epidemic of cyberchondria The Daily Mail
• 'Cyberchondria' fuelling anxiety epidemic clogging up hospital clinics The Daily Telegraph