Antibiotic call over hospital care tubes

Antibiotic call over hospital care tubes Fewer children would develop infections in intensive care if the plastic tubes used to deliver drugs straight into their veins were coated in antibiotics, a study in The Lancet suggests. BBC News

Exclusive: NHS officials declare 20% of GP practices 'vulnerable' in parts of England

Exclusive: NHS officials declare 20% of GP practices 'vulnerable' in parts of England More than 20% of GP practices in parts of England have been identified as 'vulnerable' by NHS officials administering an emergency support fund. GP Online

Final-year medical students face delay to job offers

Final-year medical students face delay to job offers Students say UK Foundation Programme Office hold-up is a blow at a time when morale is already low due to junior doctor contracts row

Thousands of final-year medical students have been left with no idea where they will begin work after the body responsible for making job offers took a last-minute decision not to publish the results of their applications on Thursday.

Students due to hear news of where they were starting their first jobs expressed anger and frustration after the examining body admitted it would not be publishing the details on time.
Continue reading... The Guardian

Leading hospital under CQC scrutiny over high heart surgery death rate

Leading hospital under CQC scrutiny over high heart surgery death rate Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham must report surgery results weekly to inspectors, who considered closing unit

One of the country’s best-known hospitals has been told to report weekly to inspectors on the results of its adult heart operations after it was discovered too many of its patients were dying during and after treatment.

The Guardian can reveal that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham before Christmas after it was alerted to the high death rate in open-heart surgery. Calculations by the Guardian suggest that 17 people may have died over the last three years who should have survived. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The history of heart surgery failures: tragedies born of arrogance not malpractice The Guardian

How much are junior doctors paid, and why are they threatening to strike?

How much are junior doctors paid, and why are they threatening to strike? As the British Medical Association prepares for industrial action, ending in the first 'all out' strike by medics in the history of the NHS, we examine the issues.The Daily Telegraph

Sepsis diagnosis numbers hits 400 a day with over-prescription of antibiotics blamed

Sepsis diagnosis numbers hits 400 a day with over-prescription of antibiotics blamed  Experts say the rise in Sepsis is down to several reasons, including resistance to antibiotics, the aging population and more patients undergoing surgery and chemotherapy. The Daily Mail

Nigerian nurse worked in UK hospitals for decade before she was detected as illegal immigrant

Nigerian nurse worked in UK hospitals for decade before she was detected as illegal immigrant Medic struck off after being able to avoid detection for ten years without being questioned about immigration status or producing correct documentation. The Daily Telegraph

‘I will not be getting the care I have now’: Northampton man’s fears over social care cuts

‘I will not be getting the care I have now’: Northampton man’s fears over social care cuts A former youth worker from Northamptonshire who has used a wheelchair all his life believes the £24 million of care cuts approved by the county council could have a drastic affect on lives. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A perfect storm: an impossible climate for NHS providers’ finances? An analysis of NHS finances and factors associated with financial performance

A perfect storm: an impossible climate for NHS providers’ finances?  An analysis of NHS finances and factors associated with financial performance This report examines the financial performance of the NHS in England. The main focus is on the finances of NHS providers and the financial position of the commissioners of care (NHS England and clinical commissioning groups).

The report examines commissioners’ budgets and how spending has changed by type of provider, as well as the specific issues facing NHS providers. It also includes the findings of a statistical analysis that set out to identify factors that are most strongly associated with an acute or specialist provider’s deficit.

Analysis finds that organisations with a high proportion of their pay bill going on agency staff coupled with more of their income being paid through the PbR tariff rather than negotiated prices are associated with being in deficit. We also find that poor quality ratings either from CQC or the hospital’s own staff are associated with poor finances. This is not causation and our analysis can’t tell us if finances cause quality problems, quality problems cause finance problems or, as is most likely, they are bound together in complex inter-connected ways. The Health Foundation

See also:

• Poor financial performance not to blame for NHS woes OnMedica

Engagement is up according to the NHS Staff Survey, but at what cost?

Engagement is up according to the NHS Staff Survey, but at what cost?  When the concept of engagement at work was introduced by William Kahn in 1990, he described it as the expression of our ‘preferred self’ in tasks that promote connection with our work and with others. Engagement underlies effort, involvement, flow, mindfulness and intrinsic motivation. The good news then is that levels of engagement, as recorded in the NHS Staff Survey, have increased since last year. So can we all relax?

Far from it. While the survey results can be presented from a ‘glass half full’ perspective, if we see the glass as half empty then the results are disturbing. They suggest that of the 1.4 million people who make up the NHS workforce:

• 41 per cent would not recommend their trust as a place to work
• 57 per cent say they are unable to meet the conflicting demands on them at work
• 13 per cent report being bullied by their managers
• 15 per cent have been assaulted at work in the previous year
• only 39 per cent feel they are able to deliver the quality of care they wish to patients
• 31 per cent did not agree that they would feel happy with the quality of care in their organisations if a friend or relative needed treatment
• only 42 per cent agreed that their roles actually make a difference to patients.

And the list goes on: only 52 per cent of staff report feeling satisfied with the recognition for their contributions; only 42 per cent feel their work is valued by their organisations; 27 per cent do not have the opportunity to show initiative and 25 per cent do not feel able to make suggestions to improve the work of their team or department; and only 56 per cent say they are able to make improvements happen in their area of work. The King's Fund

A long and winding road: improving communication with patients in the NHS

A long and winding road: improving communication with patients in the NHS This report warns that poor communication in the NHS has a profound impact on patient care, staff burnout and public funds. It argues that inadequacies in communication are damaging medical care and wasting much-needed NHS resources and estimates that the total cost, in England alone, is likely to be in excess of £1 billion a year. It says that better communication between healthcare professionals and patients can save costs, improve health outcomes and enhance the quality of experience of patients and the professionals who support them. Marie Curie

Research and analysis: Interventions to prevent burnout in high risk individuals: evidence review

Research and analysis: Interventions to prevent burnout in high risk individuals: evidence review Although there is existing evidence on what works to treat burnout and work-related stress, there is less on what works to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

This report provides an overview of literature covering how to prevent burnout and work-related stress in individuals and within organisations. Public Health England

Healthcare public health in England: capacity and capability review

Healthcare public health in England: capacity and capability review This report summarises the responses of around 110 directors of public health, training programme directors and specialty registrars who responded to survey and focus-group work exploring their views on the state of the healthcare public health function - particularly that delivered back into the NHS. Responses from Scotland were very positive, but the situation in England was very mixed with some real challenges and concerns. Faculty of Public Health

What is the role of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in care and support planning?

What is the role of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in care and support planning? This paper suggests that the knowledge, skills, experience and resources of VCSE organisations are crucial to the widespread implementation of care and support planning. It argues that charities have a vital role in supporting people to develop care and support plans, and in working with people with long-term conditions and their clinical teams to put the plans into practice. National Voices

Meningitis B petition rejected

Meningitis B petition rejected Offering the meningitis B vaccine to all children is "not cost effective" and would be a waste of NHS resources, the government says. BBC News

See also:

• Meningitis B vaccine: Hearts v heads BBC News
• Offering meningitis b vaccine to all children not cost effective for NHS, government says The Daily Mail
• Meningitis B: Government rejects call for vaccine for all children despite record petition The Daily Telegraph
• Government rejects calls for meningitis B vaccine for all children The Guardian

Health services watchdog gets powers to set fees to cover all its services

Health services watchdog gets powers to set fees to cover all its services CQC will be able to charge for full costs of assessments and inspections from April 1. OnMedica

Jeremy Hunt's confrontation with junior doctors 'derailed the NHS' own work to deliver seven-day service'

Jeremy Hunt's confrontation with junior doctors 'derailed the NHS' own work to deliver seven-day service' British Medical Journal editor Dr Fiona Godlee accused Mr Hunt of 'misusing' evidence of higher weekend mortality in hospitals to 'beat up' doctors. The Independent

See also:

• Seven-day services needs 'proper resourcing' British Medical Association

Best-selling blood pressure app is 'so inaccurate it gives false warnings 80% of the time - putting people's health at risk'

Best-selling blood pressure app is 'so inaccurate it gives false warnings 80% of the time - putting people's health at risk' Scientists from Johns Hopkins University revealed the app called Instant Blood Pressure - which has been downloaded more than 100,000 times - gives inaccurate readings. The Daily Mail

Brilliant clinicians need a brilliant support workforce

Brilliant clinicians need a brilliant support workforce Support workers have a vital role to play in the future of the NHS so how can they be given the time and support to develop?

In healthcare, the focus is often on brilliant surgeons, nurses or doctors (who, of course, we applaud). However, nurses and other medical professionals in the UK would not be able to do their job without the dedicated assistance of the support workforce.

The level of responsibility these health and care support workers have is increasing as the financial strain on the NHS makes the case for transferring more activities away from clinical staff. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Who makes up the support workforce in healthcare? – infographic The Guardian

Almost 300 GP surgeries in England could close due to finances – poll

Almost 300 GP surgeries in England could close due to finances – poll BMA survey of 2,830 GP surgeries – a third of practices in England – finds that 10% believe they are financially ‘unsustainable’

Almost 300 GP surgeries in England face closure because of financial pressures and nearly half have doctors planning to leave the NHS, according to a BMA survey.

The poll, which received responses from about a third of all surgeries, paints a bleak picture of the prospects for general practice with just one in 20 reporting that its finances were in a strong state. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• One in 10 GP practices in England are financially unsustainable, BMA poll suggests GP Online
• Second patient group considering legal action over GP practice cuts GP Online