NHS hospitals now so overwhelmed patients could die, says top doctor

NHS hospitals now so overwhelmed patients could die, says top doctor The warning from doctors in acute care comes after the NHS admits it missed almost all key targets in January – its worst-ever set of figures.

Hospitals are now so overwhelmed patients could die, a doctors’ leader said on Thursday, adding that the NHS is now in an “eternal winter”.

The stark warning from doctors involved in acute care came after figures showed record numbers of sick people are having to wait longer than they should for treatment, with the NHS admitting it has missed almost all its key waiting time targets in the same month for the first time in hospitals in England. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The King's Fund responds to NHS performance data for January The King's Fund
• NHS is creaking at the seams: Alarming figures show record delays in A&E, cancer waiting times and surgery The Daily Mail

Men with breast cancer being failed as they are 'treated like women'

Men with breast cancer being failed as they are 'treated like women' First major investigation into male breast cancer reveals significant differences in biology of disease, despite same treatments for men and women. The Daily Telegraph

NHFT in top quarter of NHS trusts for openness and transparency

NHFT in top quarter of NHS trusts for openness and transparency Local healthcare provider Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been ranked 56th out of 230 NHS Trusts in the Department of Health's ‘Learning from Mistakes League'.

See also:

• Statement to Parliament: An NHS that learns from mistakes Department of Health
• Speech: From a blame culture to a learning culture Department of Health
• Press release: New league launched to encourage openness in the NHS Monitor
• Transparency data: Learning from mistakes league Monitor

Kettering Hospital’s maternity service named as finalist for national award

Kettering Hospital’s maternity service named as finalist for national award Kettering General Hospital’s maternity service is a finalist for a national award that celebrates the way organisations use feedback from patients and staff to improve healthcare services. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Living with a long-term condition: the importance of psychological support

Living with a long-term condition: the importance of psychological support In a guest blog to coincide with the launch of our report on integrating physical and mental health care, Tessa Jelen writes about the importance of information and support – for both physical and mental wellbeing – for people diagnosed with a long-term condition. Tessa was a member of a focus group we ran as part of our research that explored service user perspectives on what well-co-ordinated, integrated care would look like. The King's Fund

The structure of the NHS in England

The structure of the NHS in England Major reforms to the structure of the health service in England were introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, with a large number of new organisations established on 1 April 2013. This briefing provides an overview of the funding and accountability relationships under the new system, and an introduction to the roles of key organisations. It also highlights some of the key health policy issues for the current Parliament, including patient safety, funding, and the integration of health and social care. House of Commons Library

A&E delays 'reach record levels'

A&E delays 'reach record levels' A&E delays in England have reached record levels, official figures show, as demand soars. BBC News

See also:

• NHS records worst ever performance figures The Guardian

Second NHS strike day 'more difficult'

Second NHS strike day 'more difficult' The second day of the 48-hour junior doctors' strike on Thursday is likely to be more difficult for hospitals in England, NHS bosses are warning. BBC News

See also:

• Hospitals 'may end up over-crowded during strike' BBC News
• Junior doctors' strike could continue until SUMMER: Patients face months of chaos after union refuses to rule out further action The Daily Mail
• Junior doctors' strike: Second day expected to be "more difficult" The Daily Telegraph
• Time to admit and resolve NHS errors The Daily Telegraph
• Junior doctors' strike: thousands of operations cancelled as 48-hour walkout begins The Daily Telegraph
• BMA legal challenge over junior doctor contract 'bound to fail' says government GP Online
• Junior doctors slam 'bullying' government as 48-hour walkout begins GP Online
• Junior doctors in third walkout as dispute over new contract escalates The Guardian
• In the junior doctors dispute neither side wants to settle, both want a fight The Guardian
• Working as a junior doctor is like being in an abusive relationship The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt has given my working week a facelift. The result is hideously ugly | Stephen Fabes The Guardian
• Striking junior doctors run lifesaving classes for parents The Guardian

Teen pregnancy rate 'continues to fall'

Teen pregnancy rate 'continues to fall' The number of teenage girls getting pregnant in England and Wales is continuing to fall, figures show. BBC News

New report calls for UK to become ‘tobacco-free’ by 2035

New report calls for UK to become ‘tobacco-free’ by 2035 Tobacco-related diseases on track to cost £3.6bn per year. OnMedica

See also:

• Aiming High: Why the UK should aim to be tobacco free Cancer Research and the UK Health Forum

World Kidney Day: 10-year-old boy with no kidneys waits 9 years for donor organs

World Kidney Day: 10-year-old boy with no kidneys waits 9 years for donor organs There are around 7,000 people on the UK national transplant waiting list. The Independent

Nuffield Health: employee wellbeing is as important as patient health

Nuffield Health: employee wellbeing is as important as patient health Su Waters, head of recruitment, explains what it’s like to work at the not-for-profit healthcare provider, which is taking on staff in a range of roles Continue reading... The Guardian

Number of kidney stone cases increases by 115% in 10 years

Number of kidney stone cases increases by 115% in 10 years An increase in obesity may account for the greater prevalence of the condition, which can be mitigated by drinking enough water

Emergency hospital admissions for kidney stones have risen by 115% in a decade, figures indicate. Continue reading... The Guardian

Time to admit and resolve NHS errors

Time to admit and resolve NHS errors Telegraph View: Jeremy Hunt's laudable approach to clinical errors also shows the BMA how it should end its mistaken industrial action. The Daily Telegraph

British mums sent home sooner after birth than any other developed country

British mums sent home sooner after birth than any other developed country British women are sent home after 36 hours compared with two days in the US and more than four days in France. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• UK mothers spend least time in maternity wards in developed world, study warns The Independent

Junior doctors’ strike sees Northampton General Hospital cancel 421 appointments

Junior doctors’ strike sees Northampton General Hospital cancel 421 appointments Bosses at NGH have been forced to cancel more than 400 appointments as junior doctors go on strike from 8am this morning (Wednesday). Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Junior doctors set for 48-hour strike

Junior doctors set for 48-hour strike Hospitals in England are braced for the third strike by junior doctors in their contract dispute with the government. BBC News

See also:

• Junior doctor and consultant contract negotiations British Medical Association
• Junior doctor contract negotiations Department of Health
• Correspondence: Health Secretary's response to proposed claim for judicial review by BMA Department of Health
• NHS England prepares for 48-hour action by junior doctors NHS England
• VIDEO: Junior doctors' strike The dispute explained BBC News
• VIDEO: Junior doctors: Why we are striking BBC News
• Another 5,200 operations are cancelled as junior doctors walk out AGAIN in first 48-hour strike The Daily Mail
• 5,000 operations cancelled as junior doctors enter sustained strikes The Daily Telegraph
• Doctors strike: the NHS exists to serve patients, not keep doctors happy The Daily Telegraph
• No, junior doctors won't leave the country because of Jeremy Hunt's new contract The Daily Telegraph
• More than 5,000 NHS operations cancelled as doctors prepare to strike The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt fails to make any weekend visits to hospitals over 12 months The Independent

NHS to introduce financial incentive to improve staff health

NHS to introduce financial incentive to improve staff health NHS England has announced plans to offer financial incentives to improve the health and wellbeing of NHS staff in England. NHS Employers

Protesters criticise scheme that puts Jobcentre advisors in GP practices

Protesters criticise scheme that puts Jobcentre advisors in GP practices Disability rights and mental health campaigners have slammed a pilot scheme to put Jobcentre employment advisors inside GP practices. GP Online

GP blackspots: Old, rich and white people more likely to get appointment than young and less well-off, report finds

GP blackspots: Old, rich and white people more likely to get appointment than young and less well-off, report finds Young people and the less well-off find it more difficult to get an appointment with a GP than older, whiter, richer people, according to a damning parliamentary report.

A growing shortage of doctors has been blamed on the Department of Health (DoH) and NHS England, which “failed” to ensure GP numbers kept pace with demand. The Independent

See also:

• Access to General Practice in England Public Account Committee 
• RCGP response to PAC report on access to general practice in England Royal College of General Practitioners
• MPs slam government 'complacency' over GP workforce crisis GP Online