Long-term sustainability of NHS and Adult Social Care under threat

Long-term sustainability of NHS and Adult Social Care under threat The Select Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS has slammed the 'short sightedness' of successive governments for failing to plan effectively for the long-term future of the health service and adult social care.

The Department of Health at both the political and official level is failing to think beyond the next few years. There is a shocking lack of long-term strategic planning in the NHS. This short sightedness stems from the political importance of the NHS and the temptation for politicians to reach for short-term fixes not long-term solutions.

"To solve this we need a new body that is independent of government and is able to identify clearly the healthcare needs of a changing and ageing population and the staffing and funding the NHS will require to meet those needs. This new Office for Health and Care Sustainability should be a trusted, independent voice as the Office for Budget Responsibility has become on economic forecasting and on public finance matters. It will need to look ahead and plan for 15-20 years into the future.

See also:

• House of Lords NHS report should be a ‘wake-up’ call to politicians The King's Fund
• Existing GP model 'no longer fit for purpose', says Lords report GPonline
• Public health cuts will lead to more sick people, report warns The Guardian
• Peers warn NHS faces collapse over reliance on foreigners The Daily Mail
• Reliance on overseas workers could threaten future of NHS, peers warn The Daily Telegraph

Updated revalidation standards and guidance

Updated revalidation standards and guidance The Nursing and Midwifery Council has published updated standards and guidance for revalidation. Learn about the key changes. NHS Employers

Fair care for trans patients

Fair care for trans patients The RCN recognises that trans people frequently experience prejudice and discrimination. The nursing community can, through its professional actions and interests, work to eliminate this at both an individual and a societal level in partnership with a range of organisations, including those who represent the needs of trans people.

This resource is designed to help you respond to the needs of patients and clients who identify as transgender. Initially created in response to an RCN Congress resolution, this guidance has been updated following further research from other organisations. Royal College of Nursing

Integration 2020: scoping research

Integration 2020: scoping research This research was commissioned by the Department of Health to inform the development of the integration standard and the next phase of plans to integrated health and social care. The integration standard would enable the collection of qualitative and quantitative data to measure the progress and performance within local areas. This report presents the findings of scoping research and engagement to better understand what integrated health should look like by 2020; testing out the integration standard and how feedback and support should be used to develop the standard. Social Care Institute for Excellence

See also:

• Integration and Better Care Fund policy framework 2017 to 2019 Department of Health

Should exercise be compulsory at work?

Should exercise be compulsory at work? The news this week that more than 20 million people in the UK are physically inactive has led to a lot of discussion over how to tackle the problem. But with no easy solution and rates of obesity rising fast has it come to the point that exercise should become part of our working day? BBC News

Half of A&Es to have specialist mental health teams by 2019

Half of A&Es to have specialist mental health teams by 2019 Plans to implement 24-hour specialist mental health teams in almost half of A&Es across the country have been revealed by NHS England, who hope for the scheme to cover five times more A&Es than now by March 2019.

The service is currently operating in only 10% of emergency departments, but NHS England say they hope to instate it into nearly half in two years.

The news was announced in NHS England’s update to the Five Year Forward View, which outlined a number of new aims and initiatives to tackle chronic problems within mental health care nationally. National Health Executive

What can the UK learn from Finland's approach to mental health?

What can the UK learn from Finland's approach to mental health? An online therapy service for depression, anxiety and substance misuse is cheap and effective and could provide inspiration for the NHS.

While online therapy is viewed with some scepticism in the UK, in Finland the service, Mental Health Hub, is used by every hospital district in the country. It was first set up 10 years ago by Prof Grigori Joffe and Dr Matti Holi at Helsinki University Central hospital in response to fragmented mental health services and because it is hard for patients in rural areas of the sparsely-populated country to get help. Continue reading... The Guardian

Are hospital chaplains a waste of NHS money?

Are hospital chaplains a waste of NHS money? Religious leaders support staff and patients but some people question their role at a time when budgets are squeezed

Kole Morgan was on holiday in Plymouth when she was involved in a serious car accident. The 47-year-old gardener from Bristol sustained extensive injuries including multiple fractures to her back, which kept her in intensive care for 48 hours and in hospital for a fortnight. The other driver, who was found to have caused the accident, died.

Away from her family, in pain and feeling alone, she struggled to process all that had happened. When a nurse suggested she ask the chaplain to visit, Morgan agreed, despite not having any religious affiliations of her own. Continue reading... The Guardian

Thousands of British children exposed to illegal levels of air pollution

Thousands of British children exposed to illegal levels of air pollution More than 2,000 schools and nurseries close to roads with damaging levels of diesel fumes, joint investigation by Guardian and Greenpeace reveals.

Hundreds of thousands of children are being exposed to illegal levels of damaging air pollution from diesel vehicles at schools and nurseries across England and Wales, a joint investigation by the Guardian and Greenpeace’s investigations unit has revealed. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Check whether your child's school is exposed to illegal levels of air pollution The Guardian
• The car is ingrained into people here': West Midlands faces air pollution crisis The Guardian
• Pollution responsible for quarter of deaths of young children, says WHO The Guardian
• Use buggy covers to combat air pollution danger, parents warned The Guardian

What do cuts in sexual health services mean for patients?

What do cuts in sexual health services mean for patients? Our report Understanding NHS financial pressures looks at how the slowdown in funding growth since 2010/11 has affected four very different parts of the health system. We chose one local authority-funded public health service to look at in depth: genito-urinary medicine (GUM) services that provide sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment in hospitals and local clinics.

Despite many examples of innovation in this part of the health system, we saw financial and other pressures having a real impact on patient care.

There is no doubt that GUM services are under pressure financially. The public health grant to local authorities was reduced by 6.7 per cent during 2015/16 with further reductions planned until 2020/21. Across England, spending on STI testing and treatment decreased by almost 4 per cent between 2013/14 and 2015/16, as local authorities implemented these cuts. The situation varies at a local level: around one in seven local authorities actually increased their spending by more than 20 per cent over that two-year period, while around one in four cut their spending by this amount. However, data on future spending plans shows cuts are set to deepen. The King's Fund

Guidance: Antimicrobial Resistance: resource handbook

Guidance: Antimicrobial Resistance: resource handbook This updated version of the handbook identifies current national policy, guidance and supporting materials in relation to the infection prevention and control of healthcare associated infections (HCAI) and antimicrobial stewardship in order to aid in the reduction of antimicrobial resistance. It is designed to assist local health and social care professionals in quickly retrieving relevant information provided by Public Health England, the Department of Health and a wide variety of key stakeholders.

GMC unveils blueprint for better medical training

GMC unveils blueprint for better medical training Rigid training that adapts too slowly needs radical overhaul to provide trainees with more flexibility and patients with doctors who can care for multiple health conditions, the GMC’s plan for training tells health leaders. General Medical Council

GP funding 'billions of pounds' short despite Forward View investment, warns GPC

GP funding 'billions of pounds' short despite Forward View investment, warns GPC General practice funding remains billions of pounds short despite an 8% real-terms rise over the past three years, the GPC has warned. GPonline

Talking about death is a part of my work – I worry I say the wrong thing

Talking about death is a part of my work – I worry I say the wrong thing It’s so important, as a doctor, to choose my words carefully as they can linger in the family’s memory

I am a NHS hospital consultant and work in a healthcare team that specialises in the care of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). This is a genetic condition that affects various organs, but primarily the lungs. It results in recurrent and severe chest infections that ultimately cause the lungs to fail. There have been considerable advancements in new therapies that we are hopeful will change the natural history of the disease. Nevertheless, it remains a life-shortening illness and coping with the death of young adults brings many challenges to the team that I work in.

Patients move to our CF centre when they are 18 years old. The doctor-patient relationship is a dichotomous and delicate balance of professional distance and empathy. But it does not fully guard against emotion when we see those we look after approach death. Over the years we develop bonds with our patients and their families and witness many life events. We share in their laughter and tears. Occasionally I am the focus, a patient recently said to me: “You’ve lost weight ... you need to look after yourself better.” That made me chuckle. Continue reading... The Guardian

Talking about mental illness is no substitute for offering real help

Talking about mental illness is no substitute for offering real help The latest high-profile campaign is welcome and stigma is declining but the NHS must provide better treatment

Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined other notable names, including the rapper Professor Green and the former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell, to record short films about modern approaches to mental illness. They all stressed that it was good to talk, or, in the terminology beloved of the mental health world, to “start the conversation”.

I agree – and salute their efforts. Talking and being listened to are therapeutic and are known to be what doctors call a “protective factor” when it comes to good mental health. They make us better able to deal with stress; talking also helps reduce stigma, which otherwise leads to discrimination and social isolation. Continue reading... The Guardian

How the NHS wastes £7.6bn a year

How the NHS wastes £7.6bn a year REVEALED: How the NHS wastes a staggering £7.6bn a year on overpriced loo rolls, lost crutches and wheelchairs and management consultants... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Daily Mail

NHS boss says prescribing homeopathy for pain is 'absurd'

NHS boss says prescribing homeopathy for pain is 'absurd' Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, made the remark after announcing a series of cost-cutting measures designed to save the health service £1 billion over the next two years. BBC News

Junior doctor who spoke of pressures of A&E work found dead

Junior doctor who spoke of pressures of A&E work found dead A "talented" junior doctor who had spoken about the pressures of working in an A&E department has been found dead at her home.

Rebecca Ovenden, 32, who worked for Devon Air Ambulance and Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, was found by her husband Paul after concern was raised for her welfare. Police are not treating her death as suspicious.

Dr Ovenden is the third female junior doctor to have gone missing or been found dead in Devon in little over a year. The Daily Telegraph

Terminally ill boy denied 'potentially life-saving' treatment by NHS 'would be given it in any US hospital'

Terminally ill boy denied 'potentially life-saving' treatment by NHS 'would be given it in any US hospital' An eight month old boy being denied “potentially life-saving” treatment at Great Ormond Street would be given it at any hospital in America, a court has heard.

The parents of terminally ill Charlie Gard broke down in tears as they listened to medical evidence relating to his rare genetic condition and what his doctors say is a “vanishingly small” chance of his survival.

But an American doctor who has agreed to attempt a pioneering treatment for his mitochondrial disorder, said that it was “reasonable” to attempt to save his life and if he were in a hospital in the USA his parents would have the option. The Daily Telegraph

On-going strain on Northampton A&E forces hospital to station nurses in its corridors 24/7 after 'busiest winter on record'

On-going strain on Northampton A&E forces hospital to station nurses in its corridors 24/7 after 'busiest winter on record' A Northampton hospital is preparing to permanently station nurses in its corridors just to deal with spillover patients from A&E. Northampton Chronicle and Echo