Cross party parity on mental health

Cross party parity on mental health Gone are the days when mental health was a niche public concern. Over the past few years there have been many advocates for ‘parity of esteem’ – a commitment to putting support for mental health on a par with support for physical health. That mental health is prominent in each of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos is a testament to these voices, and reflects a shift in public opinion that considers equitable treatment of mental ill health as a key policy agenda. King's Fund

Caring by design

Caring by design This report sets out a series of recommendations for industry, care providers and policymakers to help solve the social care system's recruitment and retention crisis. The report argues that more flexible job design, rather than just a skills solution, is needed in order to improve the quality of care and provide a cost-efficient solution for employers who are significantly reducing the cost of staff turnover. King's Fund

• Report
• Press release

International profiles of health care systems

International profiles of health care systems This report presents an overview and comparison of the health care systems of 19 countries around the world. Each overview covers health insurance, public and private financing, health system organisation and governance, health care quality and coordination, disparities, efficiency and integration, use of information technology and evidence-based practice, cost containment, and recent reforms and innovations. In addition, summary tables provide data on a number of key health system characteristics and performance indicators, including overall health care spending, hospital spending and utilisation, health care access, patient safety, care coordination, chronic care management, disease prevention, capacity for quality improvement, and public views. Commonwealth Fund

Police looking at claims of data 'fiddling' at hospital

Police looking at claims of data 'fiddling' at hospital A BBC investigation into patient waiting times at Kettering General led to allegations of misconduct. Claims a hospital's waiting time figures were 'fiddled' to meet targets have been passed to police. It follows a BBC investigation into alleged misconduct at Kettering General Hospital which left thousands waiting over a year for treatment.
The trust which runs the hospital denied manipulating data but apologised for losing track of patients.
Northamptonshire Police said it had not yet launched a full investigation but was evaluating evidence. BBC Health News

GP contacts with patients up 7.5% in two years

GP contacts with patients up 7.5% in two years The total number of telephone and face-to-face contacts between patients and GPs rose 7.5% over the two years from 2014/15 to 2016/17, analysis by a leading think tank reveals. GP Online

CQC outstanding practices have 50% more GPs

CQC outstanding practices have 50% more GPs GP practices rated outstanding by the CQC have one-and-a-half times as many GPs per 1,000 patients as those rated inadequate, according to a GPonline analysis. GP Online

Pupils risking their lives as mental health services collapse

Pupils risking their lives as mental health services collapse  Funding cuts to mental health services have made thresholds for treatment so high that young people are risking their lives in desperate bids to get help, Tes can reveal. Stretched children and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) are driving growing numbers of pupils to make what look like suicide attempts just so they can have their mental illness treated. TES News

See also: 

Teenagers are attempting suicide to access health services Mail Online.

'A grim reality': concern over longer waits for NHS operations

'A grim reality': concern over longer waits for NHS operations Patients are being left in pain and discomfort due to fiancial pressures facing NHS, says Royal College of Surgeons. An increasing number of patients are having to wait more than six months for an operation in hospital, official NHS figures show. The number of people in England being forced to wait that long has almost trebled in the past four years, from 45,054 in March 2013 to 126,188 in March this year – a 180% rise. The Guardian

Protection of Nurses Working with Children and Young People

Protection of Nurses Working with Children and Young People 

Royal College of Nursing, May 2017.

This guidance aims to raise awareness among nurses and their managers of the complex issues surrounding safeguarding in the context of relationships between nurses and children and young people. Lancashire Care Library. 

KGH working to bring down waiting times after data quality issue probe

KGH working to bring down waiting times after data quality issue probe 

KGH say they have put a number of measures in place after an investigation revealed more than 100 patients were affected by data quality issues. Northamptonshire Telegraph.

Half of NHS areas planning to cancel or delay spending because of financial pressures

Half of NHS areas planning to cancel or delay spending because of financial pressures 

The NHS is now planning to delay or cancel spending in half of local areas this year to meet financial targets, according to The King’s Fund’s latest quarterly monitoring report. King's Fund.

NHS pressures

NHS pressures 

The BMA is warning that the NHS in England is unlikely to recover from the pressure it faces during the winter, with trends suggesting that the health system is entering a state of year-round crisis. NHS Networks.

NHS funding choices and the 2017 general election

NHS funding choices and the 2017 general election 

Analysis of the major political parties’ manifestos by Nuffield Trust finds that none of the parties has pledged to spend enough money on the NHS in England to close its funding gap, cope with increased demand and sustain high quality care. NHS Networks.

What policies are needed to improve children’s health?

What policies are needed to improve children’s health? 

Ahead of the general election, the King's Fund considers what policies are needed to improve children's health. NHS Networks.

Mayur Lakhani elected as new RCGP President

Mayur Lakhani elected as new RCGP President 

Mayur is a practising GP in Leicestershire and was Chair of RCGP Council from 2004 to 2007. He will serve a two-year term from November 2017 until November 2019, succeeding Dr Terry Kemple, who demits office at the College’s Annual General Meeting in November after completing his two-year term. RCGP.

Health and social care integration: roundtable write-up

Health and social care integration: roundtable write-up 

New Local Government Network (NLGN) - This paper summarises the discussions from two roundtable events held in January and March 2017 with officers, practitioners, elected members and thought leaders from local government and health. The discussions focused on the challenges of implementing an integrated approach to health and social care. King's Fund.

The NHS and social care: prospects for funding, staffing and performance in the 2020s

The NHS and social care: prospects for funding, staffing and performance in the 2020s 

Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) - This briefing is part of a series examining key issues relating to the 2017 general election. It focuses on the forecast for health and care funding, staffing and performance as well as looking back on the recent service reforms and how they have impacted on quality of care and service delivery. King's Fund.

The hospital as a multi-product firm: the effect of hospital competition on value-added indicators of clinical quality

The hospital as a multi-product firm: the effect of hospital competition on value-added indicators of clinical quality 

Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) - This paper examines the impact of the introduction of patient choice in elective surgical procedures on patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). It finds that by introducing competition via the mechanism of patient choice, there may have been a negative effect of clinical quality. King's Fund.

2016 adult inpatient survey: statistical release

2016 adult inpatient survey: statistical release
Care Quality Commission (CQC) - This report outlines the findings of the 2016 adult inpatient survey which illustrates the experiences of care of over 77,000 patients who received care in an NHS hospital during July 2016. It provides a snapshot of the quality of care in NHS hospitals and finds that patient experience has remained relatively stable since 2006. King's Fund.

See also:

Patients increasingly forced to wait for help after calling for nurses The Telegraph.

Getting a Brexit deal that works for the NHS

Getting a Brexit deal that works for the NHS

Nuffield Trust - This briefing finds that the NHS could face costs of almost half a billion pounds if retired British people living in other EU countries decide to return to UK in the event of their healthcare being withdrawn after Brexit. Additionally, this figure could be substantially higher if the NHS has to pay to replace staff if EU migration is reduced, or if it faces a rise in the cost of medicines. King's Fund. 

See also:
News Daily: How much will Brexit cost the NHS? - BBC News  BBC News.
Brexit could cost NHS £500m if pensioners are forced to return to UK  GPonline.