Pharmacists and care staff will be trained to spot sepsis

Pharmacists and care staff will be trained to spot sepsis Pharmacists and care home staff will be trained to spot sepsis under updated guidelines from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

They will be taught to look for symptoms of rapid breathing, a fast heart rate, raised temperature or a rash.

The Health Secretary wants to massively boost the awareness of sepsis, which kills 37,000 in England a year.

He is also publishing guidelines on the internet for parents telling them how to recognise the warning signs in children. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS staff urged to look out for symptoms of sepsis ITV News

Leading large scale change: a practical guide

Leading large scale change: a practical guide NHS England - This guide aims to support all those seeking to achieve transformational change in complex health and care environments. The guide has been informed by the learning and lived experience of system leaders who have strived for sustainable transformational change. King's Fund - news

Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say

Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say Computers could start diagnosing patients’ illnesses within the next few years as artificial intelligence increasingly ousts doctors from their traditional roles, NHS leaders believe.

Machines may soon be able to read X-rays and analyse samples of diseased tissue, such as lumps that can indicate the presence of breast cancer, the NHS’s top doctor said.

NHS England plans to invest more of its £120bn budget in AI to speed up its application to medicine and the health service, especially the task of analysing “huge swaths” of the information collected from patients about their symptoms. The Guardian

NHS boss puts service on high alert in case of heavy winter flu burden

NHS boss puts service on high alert in case of heavy winter flu burden Simon Stevens says major winter outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand suggests NHS could struggle to cope with cases

Britain could face a significant increase in flu cases this winter, which would make it hard for hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes to cope, the chief executive of NHS England said on Tuesday.

Simon Stevens said Australia and New Zealand had just experienced a heavy burden of winter flu cases, raising concerns that Britain may experience the same in the next few months. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS told to brace itself for bad flu season BBC News - Health
• NHS bracing for the 'worst flu season in history' The Daily Mail

Improving work health for a healthy economy

Improving work health for a healthy economy A healthy population is the engine of a healthy economy, says Public Health England’s (PHE) Chief Executive.

Speaking at the opening of PHE’s annual conference, Duncan Selbie said we must look further than the NHS if we are to ensure everyone has a fair chance of good health.

PHE believes that health and wealth are 2 sides of the same coin. Having a job is the key to a long, happy and healthy life.

Illness among working age people costs the UK economy £100 billion a year. About 330,000 every year become unemployed because of health-related issues. Public Health England

Northampton charity celebrates supporting 650 new mums with baby 'starter packs'

Northampton charity celebrates supporting 650 new mums with baby 'starter packs'
A Northampton-based charity, who have supported mums-to-be for over four years, is marking their success after giving away 650 Moses baskets to mostly vulnerable parents.

Working alongside agencies, including health visitors, midwives and children's centres, Baby Basics of Grange Park often supports mums who have been affected by domestic violence. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

New care models: harnessing technology

New care models: harnessing technology This report from the NHS Clinical Commissioners explores how digital tools can help to address rising demand, constrained funding and workforce challenges, and it demonstrates how technology has the potential to revolutionise the way health and care is delivered. It focuses on how five vanguards are implementing innovative digital technology solutions at the heart of a new approach to care.
Report
Press release
King's Fund

Under pressure? NHS maternity services in England

Under pressure? NHS maternity services in England This briefing finds that NHS maternity units are more likely to close towards the end of the week and during holiday periods due to low staffing levels. It reviews the evidence on the long-run pressures faced by maternity units from changes in the number of maternity admissions and the case mix. While the number of maternity cases has remained largely constant since 2010, the case mix continues to change, with women giving birth later in life and with more complex health conditions. There are implications for maternity units if this evolving case mix of mothers requires more care in terms of staffing or other resources. IFS publications  King's Fund

Patients to book GP appointments and access records through NHS app

Patients to book GP appointments and access records through NHS app Patients should be able to access GP services from a new integrated app from next year, Jeremy Hunt has announced. Speaking at the NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester the health secretary said every patient in England would be able to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, see their medical records, contact 111 and access long-term conditions support from an app by the end of next year. GP Online

Developing a model of care to improve mental health crisis response - Nursing Times

Developing a model of care to improve mental health crisis response - Nursing Times Collaboration between police and mental health services can improve the care of people with mental health problems who often use emergency services. This initiative won the HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care in the 2016 Nursing Times Awards.
The partnership began in October 2012 on the Isle of Wight, with a street triage team (a joint response team of police and mental health services). However, the focus soon widened to include phone call management. By 2013, mental health nurses were working in the police control room and speaking to people who were calling in crisis. Nursing Times

Public sector employers 'preparing to hire at fastest pace since 2015'

Public sector employers 'preparing to hire at fastest pace since 2015' NHS staff shortages and rejection of austerity at election encouraging managers to recruit more workers, says survey.
Public sector employers are preparing to hire at the fastest pace since 2015, as NHS staff shortages and the rejection of austerity at the election encourages managers to recruit more workers, according to a survey.
There are about 5.1 million public sector workers in the UK excluding banks rescued in the financial crisis, of whom 1.6 million work for the NHS and 1.5 million work in education. Guardian

NHS plan could see blood pressure checks on supermarket tills

NHS plan could see blood pressure checks on supermarket tills Shoppers could have their blood pressure checked at supermarket tills under radical NHS plans aimed at preventing almost 25,000 heart attacks and strokes.
Firefighters, teachers and office workers will also be trained to carry out tests, in a bid to identify thousands of people are risk of the major killers.
Under the NHS proposals, local planners will be encouraged to find "creative ways" to carry out checks on those in middle age - instead of relying on them to turn up at GPs’. Telegraph

See also:
New approach to preventing heart attacks and strokes Public Health England

Jeremy Hunt to unveil plans for digital-led NHS treatment by 2018

Jeremy Hunt to unveil plans for digital-led NHS treatment by 2018 Access to medical records, booking GP appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions could all be done via an app by the end of next year

Jeremy Hunt is to pledge that every patient in England should be able to access their medical records and book an appointment with a GP via an app by the end of 2018.

The health secretary will use his speech at an NHS conference on Tuesday to promise the national rollout of an integrated app, which patients will also be able to use for ordering repeat prescriptions and accessing NHS 111 – the non-emergency medical helpline. The Guardian

See also:

• Technology can be hugely beneficial - but we must not alienate vulnerable patients Royal College of General Practitioners

'Medical opinions ignored' by NHS payment assessor, workers say

'Medical opinions ignored' by NHS payment assessor, workers say Three health workers said an assessor organisation discounted medical views so some patients were denied NHS care.

Norman Lamb MP said England-wide data obtained by the BBC showed a "regional disparity" and was "an injustice". However the assessor organisation, Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU, says it follows national guidelines to decide on payments. Under national criteria, the NHS pays for long-term support and care if a patient's condition is severe enough.

However, BBC Inside Out East has found a wide difference among clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England in the percentage of patients rejected following assessment for continuing health care (CHC). BBC News

Psychiatric care is postcode lottery, say medical experts

Psychiatric care is postcode lottery, say medical experts There are not enough NHS psychiatrists in some parts of the UK and more should be recruited to improve care, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

In Scotland, there are 10 consultant psychiatrists per 100,000 people - but only eight for the same number in England and Northern Ireland, and just six in Wales. London's tally is more than double that of the east of England. English health ministers said thousands of new posts were already planned.

The government in England recently announced there would be 570 extra consultant psychiatrists by 2020-21.  And the Welsh government said it was committed to improving mental health services in Wales.  B

But the Royal College of Psychiatrists said there were too few medical students specialising in psychiatry and not enough psychiatrists becoming consultants. BBC News - Health

See also:

• Patients face mental health post-code lottery as psychiatrists twice as available in some parts of country  The Telegraph

NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS fraility in older people

NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS fraility in older people The NHS is trialling new wearable sensors, based on technology used by NASA and the CGI film industry, to help identify older patients at risk of falls as part of a new drive to tackle frailty.

The technology will help make one small step a lot easier for the over-65s (although giant leaps may still prove a challenge). NHS England

Service specification for integrated urgent care

Service specification for integrated urgent care NHS England has published a national service specification for integrated urgent care services. It outlines the steps that commissioners must take to deliver this important transformation and to move from an ‘assess and refer’ to a new ‘consult and complete’ model of service delivery. NHS Networks

'Unrelenting pressure' on NHS staff spells trouble for cancer care

'Unrelenting pressure' on NHS staff spells trouble for cancer care Bigger workloads, increasingly complex patient needs, and vacancies in key roles are creating ‘unrelenting pressure’ on cancer care workforce, new report warns.

Current workforce pressures are affecting the level of care being delivered to cancer patients, according to a new report From the Frontline by Macmillan Cancer Support.

A survey undertaken by nfpSynergy for Macmillan of over 250 GPs and nurses working in primary care across the UK, found that over half (52%) are not confident the NHS workforce is able to provide adequate care to cancer patients, given the current pressures it faces

As winter looms, NHS debate warms up

As winter looms, NHS debate warms up Cooler weather and the first sniff of autumn in the air have been accompanied by the familiar opening salvo of warnings about a difficult winter ahead for the NHS.

The body representing hospitals and other trusts in England, NHS Providers, has said that without an emergency cash bailout the service will face unprecedented pressure.

At the same time the issue of longer waits for routine surgery has jumped up the political agenda.

The government was defeated in the Lords over the failure to meet the 18-week waiting time target in England. BBC News

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people

Girl's donated organs help a record eight people A 13-year-old girl who died from a brain aneurysm has helped a record eight different people, including five children, through organ donation.

Jemima Layzell, from Somerset, who died in 2012, donated her heart, pancreas, lungs, kidneys, small bowel and liver.

Jemima's parents said she was clever, compassionate and creative - and would have been "very proud of her legacy".

NHS Blood and Transplant said no other donor had helped as many people. BBC News