Intrapreneurship can get innovation in the NHS unstuck

Intrapreneurship can get innovation in the NHS unstuck Innovation is the most exhausted word in the health care vernacular. Everyone seems to be doing it, but who’s doing it right? Na'eem Ahmed discusses the issue and gives his ideas for unlocking innovation. The Health Foundation

Changes to right to work checks

Changes to right to work checks On 16 May 2014, the Home Office made changes to the type of documents employers can ask for to verify an individual's right to work in the UK. NHS Employers

How Monitor, CQC and the NHS Trust Development Authority will work together to assess how well led-organisations are

How Monitor, CQC and the NHS Trust Development Authority will work together to assess how well led-organisations are One of the five questions CQC now asks of all providers is ‘how well-led is this organisation?’. The quality of leadership is one of the most important determinants of the quality and safety of services. This framework outlines the dimensions of leadership that organisations will be assessed on and allows organisations to align themselves with the common expectation of what good looks like. Care Quality Commission

• Framework
• CQC news

Hospital admissions cut plan 'risky'

Hospital admissions cut plan 'risky' A £3.8bn scheme to cut hospital admissions in England and treat more people at home is risky, and "overly optimistic", health researchers warn. BBC News

See also:

• Admitting fewer patients 'won't cut costs' BBC News

GPs say no to charging patients

GPs say no to charging patients Calls to charge patients for GP visits in the UK have been rejected by family doctors at the British Medical Association's annual conference. BBC News

See also:

• RCGP statement on proposals to charge for GP appointments Royal College of General Practitioners
• GPs vote against charging patients for appointments The Guardian

AUDIO: To A&E or not to A&E?

AUDIO: To A&E or not to A&E? Dr Clifford Mann and Professor Keith Willett debate new estimates of the number of A&E patients that could be treated in the community. BBC News

See also:

• Emergency Departments - More useful than the official data suggests College of Emergency Medicine
• People not overusing A&E findings The Guardian
• RCGP response to College of Emergency Medicine report proposing to have GPs in Emergency Departments of hospitals Royal College of General Practitioners

Superbugs pose graver threat than climate change: scientists

Superbugs pose graver threat than climate change: scientists Antibiotic resistant superbugs pose a graver threat to humanity than climate change due to a 'feeble' global response, leading scientists warn. The Daily Telegraph

Patients forced to use GP out of hours by poor appointment times

Patients forced to use GP out of hours by poor appointment times Thousands of patients are being forced to use GP out of hours services because surgeries fail to offer convenient appointments, a study suggests. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• More daytime GP appointments better than longer opening hours OnMedica

Drug-resistant HIV pandemic is a 'real possibility', expert claims

Drug-resistant HIV pandemic is a 'real possibility', expert claims A new HIV pandemic is “a real possibility”, one of the world’s leading authorities on infectious disease has said, warning that a rise of drug resistant strains of the virus could “reverse progress made since the 1980s” in combating the disease. The Independent

Interim guidance: implementing patients’ right to choose any clinically appropriate provider of mental health services

Interim guidance: implementing patients’ right to choose any clinically appropriate provider of mental health services This guidance covers issues such as how to support patients in the choices they are able to make; how to respond to any significant changes in where patients are referred to when patients make their choices; and clarity on pricing and paying for mental health services. There are exemptions to the new right to choice, which are also set out in the guidance. NHS England

Most patients 'right to go to A&E'

Most patients 'right to go to A&E' Efforts to redirect patients away from busy A&E departments will not work, say doctors, as a new study shows most need to be seen there. BBC News

Invest in nurse leaders to improve dementia care

Invest in nurse leaders to improve dementia care The RCN has published a report into a major year-long programme which has highlighted the importance of investing in nurse leaders and dementia nurse specialists to improving dementia care. Royal College of Nursing

E-cigs 'better than patches and gum' as quitting aid

E-cigs 'better than patches and gum' as quitting aid “E-cigarettes more effective than patches to help quit smoking, says study,” The Guardian reports. A UK study has found that people who use the aids are 60% more likely to quit than those who try nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches or gum, or willpower alone.

This was a “real world” study that surveyed a representative sample of the English population about their smoking habits.

The results of this study, whilst interesting, should be viewed with caution, as there are numerous limitations. This includes the fact it was not a randomised controlled trial (RCT), which is the best way to assess the effectiveness of treatments.

Turbo charging volunteering: co-production and public service reform

Turbo charging volunteering: co-production and public service reform This report sets out ways that ‘co-production’ of services can be applied more widely in health, housing, social care and other contexts and finds that there are clear social benefits from producing services in this way. It argues that service users, their friends and families, are able to build a much broader range of activities and gain the respect that goes with being “equal partners”. In addition, the report finds that there are significant savings to be realised through co-production. For example, research has identified that it could cut NHS costs by at least 7% (£4.4 billion) a year and potentially up to a fifth. Centre Forum

Public health experts call for action on dementia

Public health experts call for action on dementia Tackling known risk factors could prevent up to a fifth of new dementia cases. OnMedica

See also:

• Call for new policy focus on brain health to reduce the risk of dementia NHS Networks

Politicians alienating GPs with 'relentless' attacks, senior doctor claims

Politicians alienating GPs with 'relentless' attacks, senior doctor claims Dr Chaand Nagpaul accuses MPs of belittling family doctors, causing some young doctors to shun becoming GPs

Politicians are alienating GPs with "relentless attacks" and use of "political gimmickry" to tackle the unsustainable pressures facing family doctors, a key leader of the profession warns on Thursday.

In a critique of the coalition and Labour opposition, Dr Chaand Nagpaul will accuse them of belittling GPs by bemoaning the difficulty patients have getting appointments and the lack of extended opening times. Continue reading... The Guardian

Hospitals criticised for discharging vulnerable patients at night

Hospitals criticised for discharging vulnerable patients at night Growing pressure on NHS hospitals has led to hundreds of thousands of patients being discharged in the middle of the night, despite efforts to cut back on the controversial practice, it has been revealed. The Independent

See also:

• Rising numbers of hospital patients sent home in the midst of night The Daily Telegraph
• Hospitals break NHS pledge to protect frail and elderly Daily Mail

NHS in the red: Hospitals forced to beg Government for equipment loans and electricity bills

NHS in the red: Hospitals forced to beg Government for equipment loans and electricity bills
The intense financial pressure faced by NHS hospitals has been laid bare in a series of letters, which range from pleas for bailout loans to replace defunct equipment, attempts to fend off legal threats from suppliers and even requests to pay off electricity bills. The Independent

See also:

• Hospitals forced to ask Government for emergency bail-out loans The Daily Telegraph

Borough bids to bolster domestic abuse services in Northampton

Borough bids to bolster domestic abuse services in Northampton Councillors launched the first stage of a major report aimed at tackling domestic violence in Northampton last night. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

High proportion of NHS staff feel swift and effective action is not taken to deal with inappropriate behaviours, new survey finds

High proportion of NHS staff feel swift and effective action is not taken to deal with inappropriate behaviours, new survey finds Two fifths (43 per cent) of NHS staff feel that swift and effective action is not taken to deal with inappropriate behaviours and performance in their organisation, a survey published today by The King’s Fund has found.