KGH fall below national A&E waiting time average Kettering General Hospital falls below the national average when it comes to A&E waiting times, according to the latest national statistics. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Monday, 21 December 2015
Reform of support for healthcare students in England
Reform of support for healthcare students in England This note explains the proposed changes to funding for students on NHS funded courses in England, that lead to professional registration as nurses, midwives, or other allied health professionals as announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. From September 2017 NHS bursaries which provide tuition fee funding, grants and living cost support, will be replaced by funding through the standard student support package of loans. The paper provides background to the proposals, data on nursing and midwifery students and gives reaction to the proposals. House of Commons Library
Efficiency, equity and equality in health and health care
Efficiency, equity and equality in health and health care Three common “Es” have high ethical and political content for health policy: efficiency, equity and equality. This paper examines the links between the three, with especial attention given to (a) the claimed conflict between efficiency and equity, (b) the equity of inequalities and (c) the conflict between six equity principles: equal health, equal health gain, equal value of additional health, maintaining existing distributions, allocation according to need and equal per capita resources. Centre for Health Economics
Cost-effectiveness thresholds in health care: a bookshelf guide to their meaning and use
Cost-effectiveness thresholds in health care: a bookshelf guide to their meaning and use This paper explains the essential meaning of a cost-effectiveness threshold, using the simple metaphor of a bookshelf. Implications of its use, misuse and non-use are explored. These matters are discussed in the context of decisions by governments and agencies concerning the inclusion or exclusion of healthcare technologies in public programmes. Centre for Health Economics
Failure to fortify flour with folic acid 'led to 2,000 birth defects'
Failure to fortify flour with folic acid 'led to 2,000 birth defects' "UK experts are backing the call for flour to be fortified with folic acid – a move which they say would have prevented about 2,000 cases of serious birth defects since 1998," BBC News reports.
Folic acid supplementation around the time of conception and early pregnancy is known to help the formation of a baby's brain and spinal cord. It also reduces the risk of a baby being born with neural tube defects, the most common being spina bifida.
The compulsory fortification of flour with folic acid was introduced in the US and 77 other countries in 1998. The UK chose not introduce the policy, opting to advise women to take supplements instead.
Researchers looked at health records to see how many cases of neural tube defect there have been in the UK over the past 15 to 20 years, and estimated how many there might have been had flour fortification been introduced.
Their results suggest there would have been around 21% fewer babies born with neural tube defects since 1998 – around 2,000 babies.
Current UK recommendations are that women who are pregnant, thinking of trying to have a baby or likely to become pregnant should take a 0.4mg (400 micrograms) folic acid supplement until the twelfth week of pregnancy.
This reliable and informative research has added to the weight of evidence to bring about a change in policy. NHS Choices
Folic acid supplementation around the time of conception and early pregnancy is known to help the formation of a baby's brain and spinal cord. It also reduces the risk of a baby being born with neural tube defects, the most common being spina bifida.
The compulsory fortification of flour with folic acid was introduced in the US and 77 other countries in 1998. The UK chose not introduce the policy, opting to advise women to take supplements instead.
Researchers looked at health records to see how many cases of neural tube defect there have been in the UK over the past 15 to 20 years, and estimated how many there might have been had flour fortification been introduced.
Their results suggest there would have been around 21% fewer babies born with neural tube defects since 1998 – around 2,000 babies.
Current UK recommendations are that women who are pregnant, thinking of trying to have a baby or likely to become pregnant should take a 0.4mg (400 micrograms) folic acid supplement until the twelfth week of pregnancy.
This reliable and informative research has added to the weight of evidence to bring about a change in policy. NHS Choices
Hospitals fail to hit nurse targets
Hospitals fail to hit nurse targets The vast majority of hospitals in England are struggling to recruit enough nurses, figures show. BBC News
See also:
See also:
- VIDEO: Hospitals missing nurse number targets BBC News
- A&E matron: It's like a complex chess game BBC News
- Speech: Creating a modern nursing workforce Department of Health
Free wi-fi 'in all NHS buildings'
Free wi-fi 'in all NHS buildings' Free wi-fi is to be provided in all NHS buildings in a bid to improve services and reduce costs, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says. BBC News
See also:
See also:
- Every NHS building to get free Wi-Fi The Guardian
A&Es 'not equipped to cope with winter'
A&Es 'not equipped to cope with winter' A&E units across the UK are not equipped to cope with the rising demands being seen this winter, emergency care doctors say. BBC News
Funding for community pharmacy services to be cut by £170 million
Funding for community pharmacy services to be cut by £170 million Efficiencies won’t have any impact on quality of care or access, argues government. OnMedica
NHS bosses order 'review' by the same people who had proposed shutting units
NHS bosses order 'review' by the same people who had proposed shutting units The ‘independent’ review, commissioned by NHS England, found that soaring waits for A&E treatment in North-West London were ‘unrelated to the closures’ of two casualty units in 2014. The Daily Mail
Revealed: NHS hospitals investigate one in seven deaths of vulnerable patients
Revealed: NHS hospitals investigate one in seven deaths of vulnerable patients Jeremy Hunt urged to investigate after trusts examine just 209 of 1,436 deaths of inpatients with learning disabilities.
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is facing calls for a nationwide inquiry into the deaths of highly vulnerable patients in NHS care after it emerged that just one in seven such fatalities in hospitals in England have been investigated.
Data released to the Guardian under freedom of information laws show that hospitals in England have investigated just 209 out of 1,436 deaths of inpatients with learning disabilities since 2011. Continue reading... The Guardian
See also:
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is facing calls for a nationwide inquiry into the deaths of highly vulnerable patients in NHS care after it emerged that just one in seven such fatalities in hospitals in England have been investigated.
Data released to the Guardian under freedom of information laws show that hospitals in England have investigated just 209 out of 1,436 deaths of inpatients with learning disabilities since 2011. Continue reading... The Guardian
See also:
They asked for our opinion on the NHS. And then they didn’t listen | Ann Robinson
They asked for our opinion on the NHS. And then they didn’t listen | Ann Robinson The Department of Health held a public consultation on the health service, and the response crashed the site. But despite polite assurances, there is no real shift on key concerns.
The government has published its NHS mandate with the accompanying consultation response. You may remember this consultation process. It was the invitation to participate that got lost in the post.
Campaigning groups 38 degrees and OurNHS highlighted the fact that the deadline for the public to comment on the proposed mandate was fast approaching but no one seemed to know about it. Then, I wrote a piece for the Guardian and you shared, commented and crashed theDepartment of Health (DH) website. There had been 900 responses before the piece, and by the close of play four days later the figure had reached nearly 130,000. Continue reading... The Guardian
The government has published its NHS mandate with the accompanying consultation response. You may remember this consultation process. It was the invitation to participate that got lost in the post.
Campaigning groups 38 degrees and OurNHS highlighted the fact that the deadline for the public to comment on the proposed mandate was fast approaching but no one seemed to know about it. Then, I wrote a piece for the Guardian and you shared, commented and crashed theDepartment of Health (DH) website. There had been 900 responses before the piece, and by the close of play four days later the figure had reached nearly 130,000. Continue reading... The Guardian
Our hospitals are turning into care homes and it's testing the NHS to destruction
Our hospitals are turning into care homes and it's testing the NHS to destruction The NHS faces its worst winter yet, and part of the problem lies in record levels of 'bed blocking' by patients who have nowhere else to go. The Daily Telegraph
Pensioners to be charged £26 'lifting fee' for falling over at home
Pensioners to be charged £26 'lifting fee' for falling over at home A local council is considering introducing the additional fee to its £260-a-year Careline service. The Daily Telegraph
Friday, 18 December 2015
Ambulance service expecting call every 35 seconds tonight as Christmas paries peak in Northamptonshire
Ambulance service expecting call every 35 seconds tonight as Christmas parties peak in Northamptonshire East Midlands Ambulance Service is urging people to think carefully about their alcohol consumption as the service expects its busiest night this year. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Nursing associate role offers new route into nursing
Nursing associate role offers new route into nursing Health Minister Ben Gummer announced a plan to create a new nursing support role.
Provisionally called nursing associates, they will work alongside healthcare support workers and fully qualified nurses focusing on patient care.
Provisionally called nursing associates, they will work alongside healthcare support workers and fully qualified nurses focusing on patient care.
Guidance: NHS mandate 2016 to 2017
Guidance: NHS mandate 2016 to 2017 The mandate helps set direction for the NHS and helps ensure the NHS is accountable to Parliament and the public. The mandate must be published each year, to ensure that NHS England’s objectives remain up to date. This mandate was produced following public consultation.
By setting a multi-year mandate with a multi-year budget the government is enabling the NHS to plan more effectively to deliver our long-term aim to achieve the transformation set out in the NHS’s Five Year Forward View and create a fully 7-day NHS.
This mandate reaffirms the government’s commitment to an NHS that remains available to all, based on clinical need and not ability to pay, and that is able to meet patients’ needs and expectations now and in the future. Department of Health
By setting a multi-year mandate with a multi-year budget the government is enabling the NHS to plan more effectively to deliver our long-term aim to achieve the transformation set out in the NHS’s Five Year Forward View and create a fully 7-day NHS.
This mandate reaffirms the government’s commitment to an NHS that remains available to all, based on clinical need and not ability to pay, and that is able to meet patients’ needs and expectations now and in the future. Department of Health
New guidance on disability discrimination
New guidance on disability discrimination New guidance on disability discrimination has been published by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). NHS Employers
Health Survey for England, 2014
Health Survey for England, 2014 The Health Survey for England series was designed to monitor trends in the nation’s health, to estimate the proportion of people in England who have specified health conditions, and to estimate the prevalence of risk factors associated with these conditions. Health and Social Care Information Centre
NHS death investigations to be reviewed
NHS death investigations to be reviewed A review into the way deaths are investigated throughout the NHS has been announced by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. BBC News
See also:
See also:
- News story: NHS Improvement response to the report into Southern Health Monitor
- NHS England publishes report into Southern Health NHS England
- 'Southern Health wouldn't tell me how my son died' BBC News
- ‘A failure of leadership’: official report’s verdict on NHS trust’s scrutiny of deaths Community Care
- Jeremy Hunt criticises NHS trust over response to unexpected deaths The Guardian
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