Malaria experts fear disease's resurgence

Malaria experts fear disease's resurgence For the first time in 10 years, global malaria cases are no longer falling, and experts are worried. BBC News - Health
See also:

• War on malaria: on the brink of a breakthrough? The Telegraph
• Commonwealth leaders pledge to renew fight against malaria The Telegraph

Self care apps help patients come off diabetes medication

Self care apps help patients come off diabetes medication Self-care smartphone apps can bring 'significant improvements' in diabetes management and education, a trial across 18 London GP practices has found. GP Online

NHS ransomware attack response criticised

NHS ransomware attack response criticised The government and NHS bodies have been criticised by MPs for failing to implement measures to improve cyber-security nearly a year after a major ransomware attack on the service.

Twenty-two recommendations were made after the WannaCry attack led to nearly 20,000 cancelled hospital appointments.

The Public Accounts Committee said it was "alarming" these measures had still not been introduced. BBC News - Health
See also:

• NHS progress on cyber security 'alarming' following hack attach, say MPs The Pulse

Organisations “taking measures” to prevent violence against staff, says NHS Employers

Organisations “taking measures” to prevent violence against staff, says NHS Employers Responding to media reports on the increase of violence against hospital staff, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said organisations were “taking measures” to prevent violence against staff. NHS Employers

KGH launches ‘Care at Home’ initiative

KGH launches ‘Care at Home’ initiative Kettering General Hospital has launched an alternative way of caring for some clinically stable hospital patients.

The KGH Care at Home initiative was launched at the beginning of February and has already helped 59 patients to be supported outside of hospital.

KGH’s aim is to look after 28 patients at any one time in their own home (or care home) each month with specialist medical and therapy provided by a company called Healthcare at Home, which specialises in supporting hospitals across the country. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Half-hour treatment for swollen prostate condition that affects one-in-three men over 50 arrives at Northampton ... - Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Half-hour treatment for swollen prostate condition that affects one-in-three men over 50 arrives at Northampton General Hospital Men can now benefit from a new treatment for swollen prostates at Northampton General Hospital without major surgery or a lengthy stay on the ward.


The procedure uses implants to reposition and move tissue rather than removing it, saving time for patients and the NHS. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Steep rise in reported assaults against NHS staff

Steep rise in reported assaults against NHS staff Last year in England physical assaults on NHS staff rose by nearly 10% compared to 2015/16, according to new figures published today (Tuesday) by UNISON and HSJ.

The figures were obtained following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request – submitted by HSJ working on behalf of UNISON – to all the 244 NHS trusts in England. Answers were received from 181 organisations.

The biggest increase was in the acute sector, with reported attacks on health workers in hospitals with an A&E department up a staggering 21%, says UNISON. There were 18,720 assaults in 2016/17 in the acute trusts who responded, compared to 15,469 the previous year.

See also:

• Two hundred attacks on hospital staff every day The Daily Mail
• Rise in attacks on NHS workers blamed on lack of staff and delays The Guardian
• Violence against NHS staff rockets as cuts cause 'hostile' environment, warns report The Independent

Independent NHS, Simpler Quangos

Independent NHS, Simpler Quangos A new report out by the TaxPayers’ Alliance shows that the NHS could save nearly £800 million by merging various NHS management bodies.

The report advocates reducing the number of quangos from 19 to 7:

• This would save approximately £760 million.
• This would also release top managerial time to improve efficiencies in the system.
• And granting more independence to NHS England would free it from meddling politicians.
• Savings to the Department of Health could save a further £40 million.

See also:

• NHS could save £800million A YEAR by slashing the number of quangos The Daily Mail

Strategic direction for sexual assault and abuse services

Strategic direction for sexual assault and abuse services This strategic document outlines how services for victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse, in all settings of the health and care system, need to evolve between now and 2023. It sets out six core priorities that NHS England will focus on to reduce inequalities experienced.

Sustainable improvement change model

Sustainable improvement change model NHS England’s sustainable improvement team has published an updated and enhanced version of the change model.

The model, originally developed in 2012 with hundreds of health and care staff, is a framework for any project or programme that is seeking to achieve transformational, sustainable change. The refreshed version of the model includes a PDF guide and a series of supporting diagnostic tools to use in your work.

Mortality in the UK

Mortality in the UK In the United Kingdom, there has been a long-term downward trend in both the number of deaths and the crude death rate. This briefing discusses the rise in number of deaths and crude death rate since 2011. House of Commons Library

The 'nanobots' and 'ninja polymers' transforming medicine

The 'nanobots' and 'ninja polymers' transforming medicine With advances in stem cell research and nanotechnology helping us fight illnesses from heart disease to superbugs, is the fusion of biology and technology speeding us towards a sci-fi future - part human, part synthetic? BBC News

GP trainee 'cautiously optimistic' as Home Office drops deportation bid

GP trainee 'cautiously optimistic' as Home Office drops deportation bid The Home Office has dropped its bid to deport a Manchester-based doctor who faced being kicked out of the UK just five months before he was due to qualify as a GP - after more than 300,000 people signed a petition to support him. GPonline

See also:

• Doctor due to qualify as GP 'saved from deportation' BBC News
• Decision to save GP trainee from deportation, welcomed OnMedica

Universities are a key resource for the NHS. Why are they so underused?

Universities are a key resource for the NHS. Why are they so underused? The UK’s research ecosystem is fragmented. We need more collaboration to pool expertise and improve public health

Good public health is central to the success of our cities, nations and regions. It’s an area in which higher education has a key role to play, since working to address local and global health challenges and develop cutting-edge drug therapies is deeply rooted within academic institutions. Yet universities are still an underused resource in tackling local public health problems.

The main obstacle is the absence of organisations that connect universities and the NHS. In the UK, there are just six Academic Health Science Centres, which bring together research, education and clinical practice to translate research swiftly into patient care and ensure that patient interactions contribute to the generation of new knowledge. These AHSCs are not spread evenly around the country: three are in London, and one in Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester.

A commitment to ensuring the health and wellbeing of local communities is fundamental to every university’s purpose Continue reading... The Guardian

UK leads fight to eliminate blindness

UK leads fight to eliminate blindness The UK is stepping up efforts to help eliminate trachoma, a painful bacterial infection that can lead to permanent loss of sight among some of the poorest people in the world.

At this week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London the UK's international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has pledged an extra £20million to provide sight-saving antibiotics and surgery to people in 10 Commonwealth countries. The Daily Telegraph

KGH in bottom five for A&E waiting times

KGH in bottom five for A&E waiting times Just four hospital trusts in England hit a lower rate for A&E waiting times targets than Kettering General Hospital.

New NHS statistics for A&E attendances between January and March this year show just 68.8 per of patients were seen in less than four hours.

That’s well below the target of 90 per cent.

KGH’s chief operating officer Rebecca Brown says the department is not fit for purpose. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northamptonshire's air ambulance charity welcomes positive CQC report

Northamptonshire's air ambulance charity welcomes positive CQC report The Air Ambulance Service charity has welcomed a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report into the standard of emergency and urgent care it provides following a comprehensive inspection of services. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS Digital failing to uphold patient interest

NHS Digital failing to uphold patient interest The Health and Social Care Committee raises serious concerns about NHS Digital’s ability to protect patient data, in its report into Memorandum of understanding on data-sharing between NHS Digital and the Home Office.

See also:

• GP patient data must not be treated like the Yellow Pages, demands College Royal College of General Practitioners
• Stop sharing NHS data with Home Office, officials told The Daily Telegraph
• Home Office sharing NHS data shows 'blatant disregard' for GP-patient trust GPonline
• Government 'failing to act on serious concerns about NHS data sharing' raised by doctors The Independent
• MPs attack NHS Digital for 'inappropriate' sharing of GP patient data Pulse

The promise of healthtech: how digital innovators are transforming the NHS

The promise of healthtech: how digital innovators are transforming the NHS Technological innovation is one way in which the NHS can sustainably relieve the demographic and financial pressure it faces. This report surveys the digital health market and identifies the trends that are contributing to its growth and also highlights the major barriers to innovation in the NHS. Public

Integrated commissioning for better outcomes: a commissioning framework

Integrated commissioning for better outcomes: a commissioning framework This practical tool, a product of joint project with NHS Clinical Commissioners, updates the Commissioning for better outcomes framework 2015 to better reflect the changing commissioning landscape. The resource consists of a commissioning framework and commissioning standards which support continuous improvement. Local Government Association