Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Patient experience winter survey: March 2023
Patient experience winter survey: March 2023 The latest Patients Association survey of patients’ experiences of healthcare shows that when patients are with a healthcare professional their experiences were generally positive. But the report also shows many respondents struggled to access the healthcare they needed in the previous six months.
Training the future GP: enhancing delivery of GP specialty training
Training the future GP: enhancing delivery of GP specialty training This report outlines ways to reform the delivery of education to GP trainees, better preparing them for future practice in different models of care - addressing health inequalities, improving technology and enhancing areas of clinical care such as mental health. The report details opportunities to move to a more flexible model of training that meets the needs, skills and experiences of the trainee, as well as the demands and nuances of local populations. It is based on extensive engagement with key national stakeholders, patients, doctors in training and educators, along with the results of a number of regional pilot programmes. Health Education England
NHS rolls out specialist medical care centres for women during pregnancy
NHS rolls out specialist medical care centres for women during pregnancy Pregnant women with serious medical problems will now have access to specialist treatment centres across the country.
The 17 new centres of excellence will help women with pre-existing medical conditions, or conditions that arise during pregnancy to quickly get the extra care they might need.
As part of the NHS commitment to halve the maternal mortality rate by 2025, a wide ranging team will be on hand to provide specialist medical advice before during and after pregnancy, bringing together expert physicians, obstetricians, midwives, nurses and other clinicians in one place. NHS England
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West Lane Hospital: Mental health care 'chaotic and unsafe'
West Lane Hospital: Mental health care 'chaotic and unsafe' A mental health unit criticised over the deaths of three teenagers was "chaotic and unsafe", a report found.
An independent inquiry found "excessive and inappropriate" restraint was used at Middlesbrough's West Lane Hospital.
The environment "facilitated self-harm", said patients, and staff were told not to intervene unless it was likely to be fatal. BBC News
See also:
- A system-wide independent investigation into concerns and issues raised relating to the safety and quality of CAMHS provision at West Lane Hospital, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
- 'Failures' exposed at West Lane Hospital before deaths of three girls The Northern Echo
- Inside 'chaotic and unsafe' West Lane Hospital where teens took own lives as health chiefs missed 'red flags' Teeside Live
Lung disease: 'For asthma to take her life was just unbelievable'
Lung disease: 'For asthma to take her life was just unbelievable' The number of people needing emergency hospital treatment for asthma, emphysema and other lung conditions is three times higher in some parts of the UK than in the richest areas of the country, new research has shown.
A detailed picture of lung health found much higher illness and death rates in the north-west of England, the central belt of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland, according to a lung disease charity. BBC News
See also:
- Fighting to end the lung health lottery Asthma + Lung UK
- Respiratory index visualisations: Emergency respiratory admissions rate Asthma + Lung UK
Warnings against 'reckless' weight loss surgery abroad
Warnings against 'reckless' weight loss surgery abroad Seven British patients who travelled to Turkey for weight loss surgery died after operations there, a BBC investigation into the trend has found.
Others have returned home with serious health issues after having had gastric sleeve operations, during which more than 70% of the stomach is removed.
The operations, used to treat morbid obesity, are carried out in the UK.
But, because it can take years to get one through the NHS, some people are looking abroad for treatment. BBC News
Vaccine makers preparing human bird flu shot ‘just in case’ of pandemic
Vaccine makers preparing human bird flu shot ‘just in case’ of pandemic World-leading vaccine makers have said they could prepare a new human bird flu shot within months.
H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b – one current outbreak of bird flu or “avian flu” – has killed unprecedented numbers of wild birds and infected mammals globally.
Executives at GSK Plc, Moderna Inc and CSL Seqirus disclosed to Reuters they are already developing or are on the cusp of testing human vaccines matching this current strain as a precautionary measure. Likewise, Sanofi stands “ready” to begin production if needed. The Independent
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NHS doctors offered up to £5,000 to recruit colleagues for private hospitals
NHS doctors offered up to £5,000 to recruit colleagues for private hospitals NHS doctors are being offered cash bonuses of up to £5,000 to recruit colleagues for jobs at private hospitals, as commercial healthcare providers compete for staff with an overstretched public health service.
US-owned HCA Healthcare, which runs more than 30 facilities in London and Manchester, and claims to be the largest private provider in the world, is spending tens of thousands of pounds recruiting NHS-trained doctors, the Guardian can reveal.
Hundreds left with lost or damaged eyesight after NHS delays – research
Hundreds left with lost or damaged eyesight after NHS delays – research Hundreds of patients have lost their eyesight or had it irreparably damaged because of NHS backlogs, new research suggests.
NHS England clinicians have filed 551 reports of patients who lost their sight as a result of delayed appointments since 2019, with 219 resulting in “moderate or severe harm”, according to an FoI request by the Association of Optometrists, which believes that hundreds more cases are unreported. The Guardian
See also:
- Tackling the hospital outpatient backlog in eye care Association of Optometrists
- Sight won't wait Association of Optometrists
- More than 500 patients 'have lost their sight because of huge NHS backlogs' The Daily Mail
- Eye patients going blind because of NHS backlog delays The Daily Telegraph
- Hundreds of patients go blind waiting for eye appointments as NHS backlog grows The Independent
- Hundreds of people have lost sight due to NHS treatment delays Sky News
Why IS it so hard to get an appointment with an NHS dentist? As patients forced into DIY repairs
Why IS it so hard to get an appointment with an NHS dentist? As patients forced into DIY repairs Cash strapped pensioners are being forced to spend savings on costly private dental treatment as they cannot get NHS care, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
And those unable to afford private care are resorting to over-the-counter repair kits to shore up crumbling teeth.
Some are so worried about lack of access to NHS treatment that they have taken to eating only mushy foods in an effort to avoid being left in pain.
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Scotland's minimum alcohol price policy may have led to a 13% drop in booze-related deaths
Scotland's minimum alcohol price policy may have led to a 13% drop in booze-related deaths Scotland's controversial minimum unit pricing policy has been linked to a 13 per cent drop in alcohol deaths.
New research suggests 156 deaths per year on average in Scotland may have been prevented due to the price change.
The study looked at deaths specifically caused by alcohol. The Daily Mail
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Monday, 20 March 2023
New number one trust CEO revealed
New number one trust CEO revealed The overarching theme of HSJ’s 2023 ranking of the NHS’s leading provider trust chief executives is one of change. Twenty-four of the names in the top 50 are new when compared to the 2022 list, although some have appeared in the rankings during previous years.
We also have a new number one chief executive – Angela Hillery, the leader of Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust and Leicestershire Partnership Trust. Health Service Journal
Wellingborough NHS chefs hoping to dish up a win at world famous competition
Wellingborough NHS chefs hoping to dish up a win at world famous competition Two local NHS chefs are set to cook up a storm in a high-profile competition alongside culinary challengers from across Britain.
Kerrey and Natasha – who work for Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) – have been invited to take part in this year’s NHS 4 Nations Chef Challenge, part of the International Salon Culinaire, which is due to take place on 20 March 2023 at ExCeL, London. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Health care funding: Three key questions
Health care funding: Three key questions This analysis from the REAL Centre explores the latest health care funding figures, including how much funding has been committed, how it compares to historical levels and how it stacks up against what is needed to meet current pressures facing health services. The Health Foundation
Number of autistic people in mental health hospitals: latest data
Number of autistic people in mental health hospitals: latest data This is the most up-to-date record of how many autistic people and people with learning disabilities, both adults and children, are currently in inpatient units in England. It also shows how long they have been in these units for, when their care and treatment is checked and what kind of unit they are in. National Autistic Society
Sector leaders to drive progress on national Dame Barbara Windsor Mission to beat dementia
Sector leaders to drive progress on national Dame Barbara Windsor Mission to beat dementia The UK Government has named two leaders in dementia research to spearhead the ambitious national Mission to tackle dementia, which was launched in memory of the late Dame Barbara Windsor.
Hilary Evans is the Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the largest charitable funder of dementia research in Europe. Nadeem Sarwar is currently a senior leader at Eisai, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Together, they will convene industry, the NHS, academia and families living with dementia, to tackle this devastating illness. Department of Health and Social Care
Temporary border measures to enhance Covid surveillance from China removed
Temporary border measures to enhance Covid surveillance from China removed Precautionary and temporary measures introduced in January to improve the UK’s ability to detect potential new variants of Covid from China are being removed. Department of Health and Social Care
Inside the secret talks to end nurse and ambulance strikes
Inside the secret talks to end nurse and ambulance strikes It was one of the most bitter disputes in the history of the NHS, with the Royal College of Nursing staging its most extensive strike action ever. But as a deal with ministers was reached in England this week, the BBC can now reveal details of the secret and unprecedented talks. BBC News
See also:
- Junior doctor strike had unprecedented NHS impact BBC News
- NHS union members step up campaign to reject ‘paltry’ pay deal The Guardian
- Junior doctors in England agree to pay talks after three-day strike The Guardian
- NHS pay rise may have to come from existing budget, says minister The Guardian
- More than 175,000 appointments cancelled over three day junior doctors’ walk out The Independent
- NHS strikes: Junior doctors and government to enter talks after 72-hour walkout Sky News
- NHS pay rises will cost £4bn and will be funded from 'areas of underspending', govt says Sky News
Weight-loss: Are injections the answer to tackling obesity?
Weight-loss: Are injections the answer to tackling obesity? You cannot escape the hype around weight-loss injections.
Social media is full of before-and-after pictures. They are the source of wild gossip about Hollywood stars, and now the UK's National Health Service is going to pay for them.
You can understand the appeal. Excess weight affects our health and leads to stigma - and the mantra of "diet and exercise" has simply failed for most people.
But should we be calling semaglutide, the drug in question, a "miracle" or "skinny jab" when some doctors think it is as controversial as treatments get? Does the hype match the reality? Or are we failing to tackle the causes of obesity and just consigning people to a lifetime of medication? BBC News
See also:
- Maker of 'miracle' weight loss jab Wegovy gets kicked out of trade body after 'bribing pharmacists with sponsored weight-loss courses promoting its own medicines' The Daily Mail
- ‘Skinny jab’ drug firm facing fresh inquiries after ‘serious breaches’ of industry code The Guardian
- Government food tsar quits blaming 'insane' inaction to tackle obesity Sky News
Watchdog fears healthcare tech merger could push up NHS costs
Watchdog fears healthcare tech merger could push up NHS costs The competition watchdog has warned that a proposed merger between two healthcare technology specialists would lead to higher costs and “worse outcomes for the NHS and ultimately patients and UK taxpayers”.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found the £1.2bn deal for the US firm UnitedHealth to buy British rival EMIS could reduce competition to develop and supply digital and data analytics products to the health service. The Guardian
See also:
- Healthcare deal could lead to higher costs for NHS Competition and Markets Authority
- Billion-pound business deal could push up prices for NHS – competition watchdog Evening Standard
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