Nurse at Northampton General Hospital suspended for 12 months after binning patient notes

Nurse at Northampton General Hospital suspended for 12 months after binning patient notes A senior nurse at Northampton General Hospital has been suspended by a national watchdog after she threw her patient's notes in a bin, hearing papers say.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) received a referral from Northampton General Hospital about Victoria Susan Butcher who, between March and April 2015, is charged with destroying a patient's notes by putting them in the bin and attempting to conceal her errors in respect of the care she had given to a patient. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

KGH is improving, say health inspectors

KGH is improving, say health inspectors Kettering General Hospital is no longer inadequate, inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have said.

The hospital was placed into special measures after a highly critical inspection report last year.

It will remain in special measures for the time being to access specialist support but has now been given the higher grade of ‘requires improvment’ in a new report. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Kettering General Hospital Care Quality Commission
• Kettering General Hospital to stay in special measures BBC Northampton

A Mixed Picture: An Inquiry into Geographical Inequalities and Breast Cancer

 A Mixed Picture: An Inquiry into Geographical Inequalities and Breast Cancer Although we know that overall outcomes for breast cancer patients are good and have improved over recent years, breast cancer treatment, care and support varies across the country.

Based on where they live in England, a woman with breast cancer may be:

• More than twice as likely to die from breast cancer under the age of 75 than a woman treated in a different area,
• A third less likely to have attended breast cancer screening in the last three years compared to a woman living in another part of the country.

Where a woman lives may also influence her access to medicines and services to support her fertility, recovery and mental health.

This year-long inquiry has shone a light on where and why these inequalities exist and what the possible solutions could be. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer

See also:

• 'Alarming' failings in cancer care fuel premature breast cancer deaths The Daily Telegraph

Links between NHS staff experience and patient satisfaction: analysis of surveys from 2015 and 2015

Links between NHS staff experience and patient satisfaction: analysis of surveys from 2015 and 2015 Using NHS staff and inpatient survey data, this report identifies the most important aspects of staff experience in predicting inpatient satisfaction. It also examines the experiences of staff and patients from a black and minority ethnic background, examining the extent to which treatment of these staff are linked with patient experience. NHS England

Choice in mental health care

Choice in mental health care This guidance provides advice for commissioners, GPs and providers on how to implement patients’ legal rights to choose their care provider and the team they see for their mental health care. NHS England

Results of the national audit of intermediate care

Results of the national audit of intermediate care The national audit of intermediate care 2017 is now complete and a summary report is available. The audit highlights key progress in intermediate care with more than 91% of service users maintaining or reducing their dependency across all services plus reduced average wait times. NHS Benchmarking

Government publishes key vaccine report

Government publishes key vaccine report A long-awaited report into how the government makes decisions about which vaccines to fund has been published.

It follows calls for greater transparency about why a vaccine to protect children against meningitis B was not made more widely available.

Two-year-old Faye Burdett died in 2016 - she was too old to have the vaccine.

An 820,000-signature petition calling for all children to be vaccinated was then submitted, - but the idea was rejected as "not cost effective".

One of the recommendations in the report is lowering the cost-effectiveness threshold for immunisation, potentially making it harder for new vaccines to be approved at current prices. BBC News

See also:

• Cost effectiveness methodology for vaccination programmes Department of Health and Social Care

Girl aged 5 died after GP turned her away for being late

Girl aged 5 died after GP turned her away for being late A five-year-old girl with a history of asthma was turned away from seeing her doctor because she was "late" - and died that night in hospital.

An inquest heard Ellie-May Clark was not seen by Grange Clinic in Newport despite having an emergency appointment because it operated a "10 minute rule".

A chance to "provide potentially life-saving treatment was missed" said the coroner, giving a narrative verdict.

After the hearing in Newport, Ellie-May's family said "she was let down". BBC News

See also:

• Five-year-old girl died after GP turned her away because she was five minutes late for appointment, inquest hears The Daily Telegraph
• Girl with asthma died after doctor turned her away, inquest hears The Guardian

Fifth of prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary, study finds

Fifth of prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary, study finds Family doctors accused of ‘substantial inappropriate antibiotic prescribing’

GPs are fuelling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance by wrongly giving antibiotics to one in five patients who has a cough or sore throat, a government-funded study has found.

Family doctors are displaying “substantial inappropriate antibiotic prescribing” when dealing with patients who have an infection, according to research published by Public Health England (PHE), the government’s public health advisers. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in English primary care Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
• Dont blame GPs for high rates of antibiotic use society must play its part says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• GPs write 20,000 unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions per day, officials suggest GPonline

I'm an experienced nurse. Why do doctors treat me as their PA?

I'm an experienced nurse. Why do doctors treat me as their PA? Old-fashioned attitudes persist, but advanced nurse practitioners have been credited with improving NHS services

I’d worked as an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) for a few years when I had a routine meeting with one of the consultant supervisors. He arrived late, thrust a lunchbox into my hands and told me to heat his food in the microwave.

This wasn’t the first time I had been delegated such a task. I’d booked (and cancelled) dinner reservations, called travel agents and moved cars in hospital car parks. I’m a nurse, not a personal assistant. Frustrated, I questioned why this kept happening. Was it because it was traditional for doctors to be served by permissive and obliging nurses who stood to attention by the patient’s bed as they patrolled the ward? Was it because I worked with surgeons, known for their talent and decisiveness, but also for their arrogant and egocentric characters? Or was it simply that they didn’t understand my role? Continue reading... The Guardian

IVF clinics 'should pay NHS if their treatments cause complications'

IVF clinics 'should pay NHS if their treatments cause complications' Fertility expert says the public should not foot bill for problems caused by drug overprescription

A leading British fertility expert is calling for IVF clinics to foot the bill when assisted reproductive treatments result in their patients requiring care in NHS hospitals.

Geeta Nargund said the public sector should not have to shoulder the financial burden of treating women who are hospitalised with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) or other complications because clinics have used excessive drugs or outdated protocols. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS prescription charges to rise to £8.80 from April

NHS prescription charges to rise to £8.80 from April NHS prescription charges will rise by 2.3 per cent this year, the Government has today announced.

Millions of patients will have to fork out £8.80 for their prescriptions as of April 1 - up from the £8.60 they currently pay.

Campaigners have blasted the 20p jump as 'catastrophic' and warned it will place further strain for people with long-term illnesses on 'already stretched budgets'.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed the news of a price hike this morning, claiming it is in line with inflation. The Daily Mail

BEAST FROM THE EAST: Snow warning for Northamptonshire upgraded to Amber ‘be prepared’ as Highways England advise motorists to stay home

BEAST FROM THE EAST: Snow warning for Northamptonshire upgraded to Amber ‘be prepared’ as Highways England advise motorists to stay home The Met Office has increased the weather warning for snow in Northamptonshire from yellow to amber as the country prepares for three days of snow.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow in Northamptonshire from 2pm today (Monday) but has now issued an upgraded amber warning, meaning ‘be prepared’ for Tuesday morning. Northamptonshire Chronicle and Echo

Fifteen serious incidents recorded at Northampton General Hospital in two years

Fifteen serious incidents recorded at Northampton General Hospital in two years Fifteen serious incidents were recorded at Northampton General Hospital over a period of two years, the lowest among hospitals of its kind in the East Midlands.

Between April 1, 2015 and 31 March, 2017 28 serious incidents were reported, 15 of which were upheld.

Serious incidents include avoidable or unexpected injury, serious harm or death; abuse; Never Events; events that prevent the hospital from providing acceptable healthcare; and anything leading to widespread public concern about the level of healthcare provided. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Arden and GEM CSU: Families fight for £1m in care costs

Arden and GEM CSU: Families fight for £1m in care costs More than 90 families have launched a challenge against a care assessor to claim back about £1m in care costs, a solicitor has said.

Arden and GEM Commissioning Support Group faces allegations it did not properly assess patients for NHS care and wrongly rejected funding claims.

It works for about 30 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

Solicitor Martin Ryan said it was "not fit for purpose" but the group insisted it provided a "professional service". BBC Northamptonshire

Grieving dad urges people to talk about mental health

Grieving dad urges people to talk about mental health The father of a woman who took her life has urged people to "reach out and talk to somebody" about their problems.

Kayley MacLeod, 21, died in 2016 and had been struggling with mental health issues since she was about 15.

Her father Andrew said he hopes her death will help others in her situation to "find a voice". BBC Northamptonshire

RCGP calls for an end to referral management centres that 'prioritise cost-savings over patient care'

RCGP calls for an end to referral management centres that 'prioritise cost-savings over patient care' Referral management centres, which are primarily designed to reduce GP total referral numbers to hospital should not be introduced – and where they already exist, it must be demonstrated that they are safe for patients and cost-effective to the whole NHS, recommends the Royal College of GPs in a new report published today.

The report, Quality patient referrals: Right service, right time cites a 'dearth of evidence' that referral management centres – used by around a quarter of Clinical Commissioning Groups in England – are cost-effective, stating that they are ultimately more expensive to run than other systems designed to improve and maintain the quality of GP referrals. Royal College of General Practitioners

Call to end 'taboo' of talking about death

Call to end 'taboo' of talking about death A charity is calling for a "national conversation" about dying, saying the topic has become "taboo" and a source of anxiety for many. The Sue Ryder charity says people should talk to their loved ones about their final wishes as well as making sure they look after themselves. BBC News

See also:

• New research reveals the biggest concerns people have when a loved one is dying Sue Ryder
• When a loved one is nearing death, what can you expect and what should you do? Sue Ryder 

MPs debate changes to organ donations law

MPs debate changes to organ donations law Plans to change the rules on organ donation consent in England, which it is claimed could save up to 500 lives a year, have been backed by MPs.

A bill requiring people to "opt out" if they do not want their organs used passed its first parliamentary hurdle.

Labour's Julie Elliott, whose daughter is receiving dialysis for a serious kidney disease, said it would give hope to thousands of transplant patients.

The MP said her experience had made her realise how "special" donors were.

Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson's private members' bill, which would bring England into line with Wales which already has an opt-out system for consent, passed its second reading on Friday. BBC News

NHS crisis: Patients face delays for vital treatment amid 'staggering increase' in cancelled operations

NHS crisis: Patients face delays for vital treatment amid 'staggering increase' in cancelled operations Campaigners warn that patients could be put at risk by delays, while Labour accused the Government of presiding over an 'unparalleled winter of discontent'

Patients are facing delays to life-saving treatment amid warnings over a “staggering increase” in cancellations of urgent surgery.

Nearly 1,000 urgent operations have been cut so far this winter for patients with life-threatening illnesses due to pressures on hospital resources, such as beds or staff, according to new analysis of NHS figures.

The total represents a 40 per cent increase in cancellations since 2013-14, when 707 operations were cut, and a surge of 31 per cent since 2010-11 when there were 755 cancellations. The Independent