Tuesday, 6 June 2017

Teen to host auction for Northampton General Hospital resuscitation team in memory of her dad

Teen to host auction for Northampton General Hospital resuscitation team in memory of her dad Georgia Nickels, 17, of Wootton is raising money to celebrate the life of her dad, Jez who passed away suddenly six years ago from a brain haemorrhage, leaving behind Georgia, then 10 and her three-year-old sister, Mia. The resuscitation team at Northampton General Hospital looked after Jez in his last few hours of life and since his death, Georgia has managed to raise £2,000 to help the department buy a bladder analyser machine, which they were in desperate need of. Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

Organisation awarded thousands to deliver mental health sessions to Northamptonshire primary schools

Organisation awarded thousands to deliver mental health sessions to Northamptonshire primary schools A wellbeing team has been awarded £10,000 to work with 50 year five classes in Northamptonshire as research shows this age is "very important stage in children’s lives," bosses say. Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

Study shows GPs delivering quality cancer care for patients in rural areas, says RCGP

Study shows GPs delivering quality cancer care for patients in rural areas, says RCGP 
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the RCGP, has responded to a BJGP study published today on the level of cancer care for patients living in rural areas.She said: “Our patients deserve quality care and good access to GP services wherever they live, so it’s encouraging that this study demonstrates GPs and our teams in remote and rural areas are overcoming the specific challenges facing them, and delivering good cancer care. Royal College of General Practitioners.

Commissioning: barking up the wrong tree?

Commissioning: barking up the wrong tree? In 2008, at the 60th anniversary of the NHS, Kenneth Clarke, the health secretary who introduced the purchaser/provider split into the NHS in 1991 observed: ‘if one day subsequent generations find you cannot make commissioning work, then we have been barking up the wrong tree for the last 20 years’.
Well, we are not quite there yet. But it is clear that faith in the ‘purchaser/provider split’ or in ‘commissioning’– and its accompanying concepts ‘choice and competition’ – as the key drivers of reform is fast dissolving. The King's Fund.

Looking for needles in haystacks: population health and the manifestos

Looking for needles in haystacks: population health and the manifestos Two of the five tests we set out for the parties’ manifestos and for the incoming government were commitments to priority for population health and to working with people and communities.
So, how do the manifestos stack up against these tests? An early spoiler: looking for a strategic approach to population health in the manifestos is like looking for needles in a haystack. The King's Fund.

Is general practice in crisis?

Is general practice in crisis? 
Ahead of the general election, the King's Fund considers whether general practice is in crisis. NHS Networks.

Depressed elderly being failed by the NHS

Depressed elderly being failed by the NHS
A study found that people in their 70s with depression or anxiety were four times less likely to be referred for therapy than those in their 20s. Mail Online.

See also: 

London attack: Goodwill and planning got NHS through - BBC News

London attack: Goodwill and planning got NHS through - BBC News 
The NHS puts lots of effort into planning for a major incident - whether it is a terrorist attack, a cyber-attack, an outbreak of infectious disease or simply a major power cut.
But what the past few months have shown is that the dedication and goodwill of staff play a vital role. BBC News.

Exclusive: Majority of GPs ready to close lists in workload protest

Exclusive: Majority of GPs ready to close lists in workload protest
More than half of GPs are ready to participate in a mass closure of patient lists to highlight the crisis facing general practice, a GPonline poll suggests. GPonline.

Should doctors use WhatsApp to bypass archaic NHS tech?

Should doctors use WhatsApp to bypass archaic NHS tech? 
Being able to seek advice on patient care is invaluable but I worry about how to keep sensitive information confidential
It’s Thursday night, and as I gear myself up for yet another round of night shifts a message flashes across my phone screen – it’s a group of colleagues on WhatsApp. They’re discussing an anonymised foetal cardiac tracing, recorded during the course of a birth, and sharing thoughts on the interpretation and appropriate management. The Guardian.

Thousands of children's operations cancelled each year, NHS figures show

Thousands of children's operations cancelled each year, NHS figures show
Paediatricians’ leader says figures obtained by Labour are further evidence NHS is being pushed to the brink
Thousands of operations on children are being cancelled each year, often because NHS hospitals do not have enough beds, staff or equipment. The Guardian.

NHS told to 'think the unthinkable' on cuts and closures 

NHS told to 'think the unthinkable' on cuts and closures 
NHS leaders are planning "unthinkable" measures including closing services, stopping treatments and systematically extending waiting times, amid growing financial pressures, health officials say. The Telegraph.

Monday, 5 June 2017

Bosom buddies: Northampton women start peer support group for breast cancer survivors

Bosom buddies: Northampton women start peer support group for breast cancer survivors Three Northampton breast cancer survivors have registered a charity and provide local peer support group to help others who have been diagnosed with the disease. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

General election 2017: who will be most generous to the NHS?

General election 2017: who will be most generous to the NHS? You might think that comparing the parties’ offers on the funding of the NHS would be a straightforward job. Surely nothing more than a little arithmetic, based on pounds, pence and growth rates.

Alas no. Though everyone promises more money, the parties start (and finish) counting the extra money from different years, include different elements of health spending and use different methodologies to tot up the numbers. I will try to set out the key measures of what the parties have offered, based on their headline manifesto commitments combined with public and private clarifications to fill in some of the gaps. Taking them in the order in which they were released. King's Fund

One in seven practices in Scotland has a long-term GP vacancy

One in seven practices in Scotland has a long-term GP vacancy One in seven practices in Scotland has at least one GP post that has been vacant for six months or longer, a BMA poll reveals. GP Online

A trauma doctor tells of staff flooding into work as casualties arrived

A trauma doctor tells of staff flooding into work as casualties arrived Royal London hospital consultant explains the mass casualty plan that brought in extra staff and facilitated multiple operations

Malik Ramadhan is a doctor and the divisional director of emergency care and trauma at the Royal London Hospital, where 12 casualties from the London Bridge attacks were taken. He was one of scores of doctors, nurses and other staff who were called into work on Saturday night to treat those injured. He spoke to Denis Campbell. The Guardian

The NHS needs a culture shift if it truly wants to put patient safety first | Richard Vize

The NHS needs a culture shift if it truly wants to put patient safety first | Richard Vize The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch may be good for patients and staff, but will it tackle a piecemeal approach and design safety into the NHS?

The launch of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) marks an opportunity for substantial improvement in patient safety. But there may be fears that it will provide a veneer of progress, while the wider system still fails to tackle the root causes of safety problems. The Guardian

Friday, 2 June 2017

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

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