Monday, 18 August 2014
'Red flag' death symptom missed
'Red flag' death symptom missed A doctor missed a "red flag symptom" as he assessed a toddler who died three days later, a disciplinary panel finds. BBC Northamptonshire
Compensation payouts to Northampton General Hospital patients total almost £24m
Compensation payouts to Northampton General Hospital patients total almost £24m Compensation payments to Northampton General Hospital patients totalled £23.9 million over five years, latest figures showed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
One in five arriving at Northampton General Hospital’s A&E could not see a GP
One in five arriving at Northampton General Hospital’s A&E could not see a GP One in five people who arrive at Northampton General Hospital’s A&E do so because they cannot see a GP, an independent survey suggests. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Work underway on two more A&E units at Northampton General Hospital
Work underway on two more A&E units at Northampton General Hospital Work has started on more improvements to Northampton General Hospital’s emergency department as the new dedicated children’s treatment rooms are completed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
New model process flowchart for raising concerns
New model process flowchart for raising concerns We have developed a model process flowchart for raising concerns which you can freely download and adopt to reflect your local policy and process. NHS Employers
Developing a high-performance support workforce in acute care: innovation, evaluation and engagement
Developing a high-performance support workforce in acute care: innovation, evaluation and engagement This study aimed to identify and facilitate the development of innovative practice as it relates to support worker roles in an acute health-care setting; evaluate various acute trust policies and practices designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of stakeholder interaction with support worker roles; and to secure the engagement of various stakeholders in sharing knowledge, practice and learning on support worker roles. National Institute for Health Research
Salmonella outbreak investigated
Salmonella outbreak investigated Public Health England is investigating a Salmonella outbreak which has affected more than 150 people in England over the past few months. BBC News
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GP trainees shun traditional employment
GP trainees shun traditional employment Survey shows just 15% interested in a conventional partnership work. OnMedica
Half of voters happy to pay more tax to fund NHS poll
Half of voters happy to pay more tax to fund NHS poll Public's willingness to pay extra tax to help the NHS reaches highest level in over a decade.
Almost half of voters say they would be happy to pay more income tax as long as the money went directly to the NHS, which is facing a £30bn gap in its finances by 2020.
Polling firm ComRes found that 49% of people would be prepared to pay more tax to help fund the health service, one in three (33%) people said they would not be ready to do so, and 18% did not know either way. Continue reading... The Guardian
Almost half of voters say they would be happy to pay more income tax as long as the money went directly to the NHS, which is facing a £30bn gap in its finances by 2020.
Polling firm ComRes found that 49% of people would be prepared to pay more tax to help fund the health service, one in three (33%) people said they would not be ready to do so, and 18% did not know either way. Continue reading... The Guardian
Cancer death rates drop by a third
Cancer death rates drop by a third Combined death rates for breast, bowel, lung and prostate cancer, which account for half of all cancer deaths in UK, have dropped. The Daily Telegraph
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Millions needlessly clogging up A&E
Millions needlessly clogging up A&E Millions of people are needlessly attending overstretched A&E units, investigation finds, as new figures reveal 70 per cent of people who attend hospital casualty units in many areas leave with just advice. The Daily Telegraph
Ebola outbreak: College campuses on alert as new term begins
Ebola outbreak: College campuses on alert as new term begins Universities in the UK have been put on alert to be ready for a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus when the new term starts in September. The Independent
See also:
See also:
- Ebola virus disease: clinical management and guidance Public Health England
- Ebola crisis 'vastly underestimated' BBC News
- Ebola 'to last at least six months' BBC News
Friday, 15 August 2014
Can CCGs become accountable care organisations?
Can CCGs become accountable care organisations? 'We need clinical commissioning groups to become accountable care organisations' – that’s what Jeremy Hunt said recently in parliament and during a speech at the Commissioning Show.
Jeremy Hunt is not the only one saying this kind of thing. I’ve heard representatives from acute hospitals, GP federations and CCGs all make the same claim: they want to become an accountable care organisation (ACO).
But what does this really mean? The basic concept of an ACO is that a group of providers agrees to take responsibility for all care for a given population for a defined period of time under a contractual arrangement with a commissioner.
Essentially accountable care organisations, which have emerged from the United States over the past few years, are the next generation of managed care, but with a fundamental difference. While managed care initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s handed over a capitated contract to a network of providers to manage a defined population, they were not accountable for improving care, or even delivering care (networks quickly realised they could save money by restricting access). Learning from the scars of this legacy, these more recent managed care initiatives have included a stipulation to improve quality.
Jeremy Hunt is not the only one saying this kind of thing. I’ve heard representatives from acute hospitals, GP federations and CCGs all make the same claim: they want to become an accountable care organisation (ACO).
But what does this really mean? The basic concept of an ACO is that a group of providers agrees to take responsibility for all care for a given population for a defined period of time under a contractual arrangement with a commissioner.
Essentially accountable care organisations, which have emerged from the United States over the past few years, are the next generation of managed care, but with a fundamental difference. While managed care initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s handed over a capitated contract to a network of providers to manage a defined population, they were not accountable for improving care, or even delivering care (networks quickly realised they could save money by restricting access). Learning from the scars of this legacy, these more recent managed care initiatives have included a stipulation to improve quality.
Research and analysis: Review of radiation dose issues from the use of CT in the UK
Research and analysis: Review of radiation dose issues from the use of CT in the UK In this report, COMARE presents a comprehensive review of the radiation dose issues associated with CT scans in the UK. The implications of the increase in the numbers of CT scans in the UK are considered in the report, with focus on the number of younger patients undergoing CT scans, who have greater sensitivity to x-rays. The report provides an update on the radiation protection aspects of justification (balancing risk and benefit) and optimisation (balancing the risk from the radiation dose with the quality of the image). Department of Health
See also:
See also:
- Sharp rise in CT scans on children BBC News
- Cancers caused by CT scan cannot be calculated due to lack of data: Comare report The Daily Telegraph
Prostate drug ruling 'a fiasco'
Prostate drug ruling 'a fiasco' Patients say a decision by the NHS in England to reject a treatment for men with prostate cancer is a "fiasco". BBC News
See also:
See also:
- Appraisal of earlier treatment with abiraterone for prostate cancer NICE
- Prostate cancer (metastatic, hormone relapsed, not treated with chemotherapy) - abiraterone acetate (with prednisolone) draft guidance NICE
- Prostate cancer drug abiraterone ruled too expensive to use pre-chemotherapy on NHS The Independent
- Prostate cancer patients 'unjustly' denied drug The Daily Telegraph
- Rationing watchdog denies prostate drug that can extend life for men by four months Daily Mail
The front line of the UK's Ebola prevention efforts
The front line of the UK's Ebola prevention efforts Hugh Pym on how Porton Down is helping the UK get ready. BBC News
Failing GPs: A Pandora's Box?
Is UK obesity fuelling an increase in 10 cancers?
Is UK obesity fuelling an increase in 10 cancers? “Being overweight and obese puts people at greater risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers,” reports BBC News.
The news is based on research using information in UK GP records for more than 5 million people, to see whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with 22 types of common cancers.
The researchers found that increasing BMI was associated with increased risk of several types of cancer. Some of these associations weren’t linear, meaning that there wasn’t always a steady increase in cancer risk with increased BMI. Additionally, some of the links seemed to be dependent on individual patient characteristics, such as gender and menopausal status.
The researchers estimated that 41% of uterine and 10% or more of gallbladder, kidney, liver and colon cancers could be attributable to excess weight.
However, increasing BMI was also found to decrease the risk of some types of cancer (such as prostate and premenopausal breast cancer).
The researchers suggest that BMI affects cancer risk through a number of different processes. However, the study was not able to demonstrate that being overweight or obese directly increase or decrease risk of these cancers, nor is it able to show the biological reasons for any of the associations found.
It is also not able to account for all possible factors that contribute to cancer risk, such as genetics and lifestyle factors.
The news is based on research using information in UK GP records for more than 5 million people, to see whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with 22 types of common cancers.
The researchers found that increasing BMI was associated with increased risk of several types of cancer. Some of these associations weren’t linear, meaning that there wasn’t always a steady increase in cancer risk with increased BMI. Additionally, some of the links seemed to be dependent on individual patient characteristics, such as gender and menopausal status.
The researchers estimated that 41% of uterine and 10% or more of gallbladder, kidney, liver and colon cancers could be attributable to excess weight.
However, increasing BMI was also found to decrease the risk of some types of cancer (such as prostate and premenopausal breast cancer).
The researchers suggest that BMI affects cancer risk through a number of different processes. However, the study was not able to demonstrate that being overweight or obese directly increase or decrease risk of these cancers, nor is it able to show the biological reasons for any of the associations found.
It is also not able to account for all possible factors that contribute to cancer risk, such as genetics and lifestyle factors.
Cancer patients: best and worst places to live for survival revealed
Cancer patients: best and worst places to live for survival revealed Up to 6,000 patients could be dying of cancer early because of variations in care around the country, charity warns. The Daily Telegraph
See also:
See also:
- 6,000 cancer patients dying needlessly under a year due to postcode lottery Macmillan Cancer Support
- Cancer patients dying early because of postcode lottery The Guardian
900,000 elderly needing care left to fend for themselves
900,000 elderly needing care left to fend for themselves Age UK estimates that one in three older people in England and Wales who struggle with tasks as basic as washing and dressing get no care. The Daily Telegraph
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