Tests to diagnose cancer underfunded and staff overstretched

Tests to diagnose cancer underfunded and staff overstretched NHS services for diagnosing cancer are underfunded, understaffed, and key waiting time targets are being missed, according to two new reports from Cancer Research UK

See also:

• Scoping the future: an evaluation of endoscopy capacity across the NHS in England Cancer Research UK
• Horizon scanning: an evaluation of imaging capacity across the NHS in England Cancer Research UK
• NHS cancer services lagging behind rest of Europe The Daily Telegraph
• GPs denied access to cancer diagnostic tools due to NHS underfunding GP Online
• NHS cancer diagnosis services understaffed and need a cash injection to meet rising demand, say experts The Independent

Poor Beginnings: Health Inequalities among young children across England

Poor Beginnings: Health Inequalities among young children across England Simply by growing up in a certain part of England a child under five is more likely to have poor health that will impact the rest of their lives

The first five years of a child's life are critical to their future development. This new report is based on official data published by Public Health England. It looks at four key measures of young children's health and well-being - obesity, tooth decay, accidental injury and 'school readiness'. The report provides a clear picture of the health of children under five years old living in England and shows how growing up in different areas of the country has a dramatic effect on their lives. National Children's Bureau

See also:

• Child health data 'shows regional gaps' BBC News
• VIDEO: 'Every child needs best start in life' BBC News
• Child health subject to 'shocking' postcode lottery, says charity The Guardian

Action demanded on weekend NHS risk

Action demanded on weekend NHS risk The case for improving hospital care at weekends is "simply unassailable", medical chiefs say, as new figures on death rates are published. BBC News

See also:

• Increased mortality associated with weekend hospital admission: a case for expanded seven day services? The BMJ
• Seven day care - our view Royal College of Surgeons
• VIDEO: Weekend death figures explained BBC News
• VIDEO: Following a consultant working weekends BBC News
• Is there a Monday to Friday culture in the NHS? BBC News
• NHS weekend: 7-day services explained BBC News
• 11,000 people die annually because they go to hospital on weekend The Daily Mail
• 'The weekend effect' means 11,000 extra NHS deaths a year The Daily Telegraph
• Hospital patients admitted at weekends ‘15% more likely to die’ The Guardian
• NHS hospitals must share staff and resources to reduce deaths of patients admitted on weekends, says top doctor The Independent

Seven-day GP opening 'unachievable'

Seven-day GP opening 'unachievable' The goal of seven-day GP opening is unachievable in this Parliament and risks destabilising services, the Royal College of Surgeons says. BBC News

See also:

• GP access a top priority for NHS NHS England
• More than one in 10 GP roles in England vacant Royal College of General Practitioners 
• VIDEO: 'It's impossible being a GP' BBC News
• Plans for seven day practices are 'pie-in-the-sky', GPs warn The Daily Telegraph

Update on the current Cancer Drugs Fund list

Update on the current Cancer Drugs Fund list The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) has today completed a further review of the effectiveness of treatments it funds to ensure it delivers the best outcomes for patients.

Professor Peter Clark, Chair of the Cancer Drugs Fund and an oncologist, said: “There is no escaping the fact that we face a difficult set of choices, but it is our duty to ensure we get maximum value from every penny available on behalf of patients. We must ensure we invest in those treatments that offer the most benefit, based on rigorous evidence-based clinical analysis and an assessment of the cost of those treatments.”

NHS 'had no mental health beds left'

NHS 'had no mental health beds left' An NHS trust was told there were no mental health beds available across England for its patients, its medical director says. BBC News

High rise in indemnity costs for GPs, survey shows

High rise in indemnity costs for GPs, survey shows ‘Frightening figures’ may fuel recruitment crisis OnMedica

Breast cancer care quality threatened by lack of specialist nurses

Breast cancer care quality threatened by lack of specialist nursesA near 20% rise in cases of breast cancer in UK in last decade has not been matched by increase in specially trained staff

A shortage of specialist nurses to help people with breast cancer is threatening the quality of care, a charity has said.

A near 20% rise in newly diagnosed cases in England over the last decade has not been matched by increases in nurses, according to Breast Cancer Care. Continue reading... The Guardian

Tattoos to 3D printing: five inventions that will revolutionise healthcare

Tattoos to 3D printing: five inventions that will revolutionise healthcare People know more about their car than their own health. With these technologies, that is about to change

Most people know they are sick or their health is at risk because of symptoms – pain, temperature, swelling, rash etc. These are the alarm bells that drive people to doctors. However, new epidemics like obesity and type 2 diabetes can start causing damage a long time before symptoms appear, and no alarms go off.

Today we can meet these challenges with new allies. Beyond the health and fitness uses, the new world of wearables (external surface sensors) and, in time, digestibles (nanoparticle sensors that can transmit information from within), offer the opportunity to restore control back to us. Advances in biotechnology as well as material science offer us alternatives never before dreamed possible. Continue reading... The Guardian

Nurse returns to Kettering General Hospital after helping people with Ebola in Sierra Leone

Nurse returns to Kettering General Hospital after helping people with Ebola in Sierra Leone A nurse from Kettering General Hospital has described the importance of the international aid effort to prevent the spread of Ebola. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton war veteran with Alzheimer’s told he’s ‘too ill’ for care home ‘not ill enough’ for specialist care fund

Northampton war veteran with Alzheimer’s told he’s ‘too ill’ for care home ‘not ill enough’ for specialist care fund A war veteran from Northampton has been left with no nursing care despite having Alzheimer’s after a disagreement between social services and care home bosses. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

We need to step into the world of digital innovation

We need to step into the world of digital innovation The NHS mantra should be: “Every patient needs a barcode”.

That was the revolutionary thought outlined by Tim Kelsey, NHS England’s National Director for Patients and Information and Chair of the National Information Board, as he opened day two of the Health and Care Innovation Expo 2015 conference in Manchester.

He told delegates: “Hospitals across the country are spending more than one million pounds a year carting around records with staff driving around trucks of paper. Fax machines, treasury tags…these are entrails, the legacy of a dead world that we need to put behind us.

“Not so long ago I met a doctor who said that patients didn’t want computers and neither did he. We in the NHS have a moral responsibility to tell the story of why change is needed.

“If doctors have digital tools to remind them to get the right medication to the right patients at the right time, errors are halved. NHS England

See also:

• Speech: Using technology to improve delivery of health and care services Department of Health
• Securing public confidence is key to unlocking the power of technology to transform healthcare NHS England
• Failing to innovate would be a disservice to patients – Sir Bruce Keogh NHS England

Research and analysis: Improving patient flow: evidence to help local decision-makers

Research and analysis: Improving patient flow: evidence to help local decision-makers This article links findings from 3 Monitor publications offering evidence that may help local NHS decision-makers evaluate options for improving patient flows through local health and care systems.

Research and analysis: A&E delays: why did patients wait longer last winter?

Research and analysis: A&E delays: why did patients wait longer last winter?In quarter 3 2014/15, the performance of accident and emergency departments (A&E) against the 4-hour standard reached its lowest in 10 years.

Our detailed report shows that the target 4-hour emergency care indicator is a measure of the performance of the whole health and care system, not just emergency care departments; the findings show that across England the rest of the hospital struggled to cope with the increase in admissions because of very high occupancy rates. Our supporting documents include:

• our findings at a glance
• conclusions from 10 tested hypotheses
• our econometric analysis
• next steps

Monitor

See also:

• Survey shows record numbers admitted via A&E OnMedica

New service to manage cyber security threats in health and care

New service to manage cyber security threats in health and care  A new national service will provide expert advice and guidance on cyber security threats and best practice to the NHS and other health and care organisations. CareCERT (Care Computing Emergency Response Team) will be run by experts at the Health and Social Care Information Centre and will aim to enhance cyber resilience across the health and social care system. Health and Social Care Information Centre

Care of dying 'still inconsistent'

Care of dying 'still inconsistent' Palliative care experts say more investment is needed to improve the care of dying patients. BBC News

See also:

• Doctors must address spiritual needs of dying patients, say experts The Daily Telegraph
• Care of the Dying Adult (draft guideline) NICE

Exclusive: Huge variation in CCG antibiotic spending per patient revealed

Exclusive: Huge variation in CCG antibiotic spending per patient revealed CCGs in some parts of England spend more than twice as much per registered patient on antibiotic treatments than their counterparts elsewhere in the country, GP Online can reveal.

Life-extending cancer drugs to be axed by NHS

Life-extending cancer drugs to be axed by NHS NHS England de-lists costly Kadcyla drug, among 16 others, in wake of ‘overspent’ Cancer Drugs Fund.

New and costly cancer drugs developed to extend the lives of patients are expected to be axed on Friday from an NHS list. Among the drugs NHS England is expected to “de-list” from the Cancer Drugs Fund is Kadcyla, which holds the record as the most expensive cancer drug brought to market, costing £90,000 annually per patient.

Kadcyla, made by Roche, was rejected from general NHS use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the body that assesses new medicines for their cost-effectiveness. Continue reading... The Guardian

Colchester hospital still falling short after two years, watchdog finds

Colchester hospital still falling short after two years, watchdog finds Care Quality Commission discovers disorganised care records and failings in medicine rounds at Essex hospital put in special measures in 2013

The standard of care given to patients at an NHS hospital that has been in special measures for nearly two years remains inadequate, a health watchdog has said.

At Colchester general hospital in Essex, between 80% and 100% of the nurses on some shifts are agency or temporary workers, a report on the latest inspection by the Care Quality Commission(CQC) reveals.
Continue reading... The Guardian

Watchdog poised to call for inspection of every health service in Northamptonshire

Watchdog poised to call for inspection of every health service in Northamptonshire Every NHS body and social services department in Northamptonshire could be inspected in the wake of an unfavourable audit of the county’s mental health services. Northampton Chronicle and Echo