Staff survey shows hospital improving:
The way staff view their working life at Kettering General Hospital is improving, with a new staff survey ranking it below average in fewer areas. Evening Telegraph
Thursday 22 March 2012
Pledge on funding ‘is a start’ but mums continue fight to save Northampton breast feeding cafe
Pledge on funding ‘is a start’ but mums continue fight to save Northampton breast feeding cafe:
CAMPAIGNERS for threatened breast feeding services in Northampton said a pledge to look into some funds for new mums is a start. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
CAMPAIGNERS for threatened breast feeding services in Northampton said a pledge to look into some funds for new mums is a start. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Results of 2011 NHS staff survey published
Results of 2011 NHS staff survey published:
All full-time and part-time staff who were directly employed by an NHS organisation on 1 September 2011 were eligible to respond. Fieldwork for the survey was carried out between late September and early December 2011.
The results are primarily intended for use by NHS organisations to help them review and improve staff experience so that staff can provide better patient care. NHS Networks
All full-time and part-time staff who were directly employed by an NHS organisation on 1 September 2011 were eligible to respond. Fieldwork for the survey was carried out between late September and early December 2011.
The results are primarily intended for use by NHS organisations to help them review and improve staff experience so that staff can provide better patient care. NHS Networks
NHS faces 'a decade of savings'
NHS faces 'a decade of savings': The NHS faces a decade-long savings drive, managers say, amid signs services are already being hit. BBC News
NHS: The shape of things to come
NHS: The shape of things to come: Facts on the changes to the health and social care bill BBC News
Health and Social Care Bill completes Parliamentary process
Health and Social Care Bill completes Parliamentary process: The Health and Social Care Bill has concluded its passage through Parliament. The next stage in the process is Royal Assent, which is expected early May. NHS Employers
Lancet studies: Effect of daily aspirin on cancer
Lancet studies: Effect of daily aspirin on cancer: Source: Lancet, Lancet Oncology
There has been widespread media coverage on new evidence published by the Lancet in the form of three analyses investigating the association of daily aspirin consumption on cancer.
Effect of daily aspirin on risk of cancer metastasis
The first analysis investigated the frequency of distant metastasis in patients who developed incident cancer during randomised controlled trials of daily aspirin versus control.
This analysis included five large randomised trials (n=17,285) of daily aspirin (?75 mg daily) versus control for the prevention of vascular events. The trials included were restricted to UK trials because of the availability of centralised and well validated death certification and cancer registration. Electronic and paper records were reviewed for all patients with incident cancer. The effect of aspirin on risk of metastases at presentation or on subsequent follow-up (including post-trial follow-up of in-trial cancers) was stratified by ...
There has been widespread media coverage on new evidence published by the Lancet in the form of three analyses investigating the association of daily aspirin consumption on cancer.
Effect of daily aspirin on risk of cancer metastasis
The first analysis investigated the frequency of distant metastasis in patients who developed incident cancer during randomised controlled trials of daily aspirin versus control.
This analysis included five large randomised trials (n=17,285) of daily aspirin (?75 mg daily) versus control for the prevention of vascular events. The trials included were restricted to UK trials because of the availability of centralised and well validated death certification and cancer registration. Electronic and paper records were reviewed for all patients with incident cancer. The effect of aspirin on risk of metastases at presentation or on subsequent follow-up (including post-trial follow-up of in-trial cancers) was stratified by ...
Learning disability reports
Learning disability reports:
CQC have published a further 19 reports from a targeted programme of 150 unannounced inspections of hospitals and care homes that care for people with learning disabilities.
CQC have published a further 19 reports from a targeted programme of 150 unannounced inspections of hospitals and care homes that care for people with learning disabilities.
Children's hospices to benefit from grant
Children's hospices to benefit from grant:
The Department of Health is to share out its £10 million Children's Hospice and Hospice-at-home grant between 40 hospices.The government will fund the voluntary sector £10 million every year to provide hospices until 2015, when a new system is set up. The DH website said: "The new funding system will be informed by pilots which have been set up to gather evidence and test the recommendations of the Independent ... Healthcare Today
The Department of Health is to share out its £10 million Children's Hospice and Hospice-at-home grant between 40 hospices.The government will fund the voluntary sector £10 million every year to provide hospices until 2015, when a new system is set up. The DH website said: "The new funding system will be informed by pilots which have been set up to gather evidence and test the recommendations of the Independent ... Healthcare Today
Alcohol abuse contributes to big rise in deaths from liver disease
Alcohol abuse contributes to big rise in deaths from liver disease:
Deaths rose by 25% in less than a decade, with highest rates in north-west and north-east, report finds
Heavy drinking is a major cause of a 25% increase in deaths from liver disease in England in under a decade, according to the government's specialist NHS unit on terminal care.
The first report from the fledgling National End of Life Care Intelligence Network warns that the victims of liver disease are getting younger, with deaths increasing among people in their forties. Deaths rose from 9,231 in 2001 to 11,575 in 2009; some 60% of these were men, and 90% of them were under 70.
Deaths are more common in England's northern regions marked by high employment and low educational achievement.
The findings were described as making stark reading by Martin Lombard, the NHS's national clinical director for liver disease. They are certain to increase calls for stronger measures against binge drinking and for awareness of the results of unhealthy living. "The key drivers for increasing numbers of deaths from liver disease are all preventable – alcohol, obesity, hepatitis C and hepatitis B," Lombard said. "We must focus our efforts and tackle this problem sooner rather than later."
The figures for causes of death between 2001 and 2009 show a general decline in other major causes, such as heart disease, but the report acknowledged that cancer and vascular and respiratory conditions were still the big killers. However, more than one in 10 deaths among people in their forties followed a liver condition, and its place in the medical league table of "years of life lost" is high: 37% of liver disease deaths for people in their forties were alcohol related, split 41% for men and 30% for women.
Alcohol was a much greater factor for deaths in deprived areas, judged by the national ward index of social deprivation: 44% of deaths were from liver disease in areas at the bottom of the table, 28% in those at the top. Terminal liver disease is very demanding of NHS resources, with two-thirds of those affected dying in hospital, compared with an average of 55% for other conditions.
The report, Deaths from Liver Disease – Implications for End of Life Care in England, showed that the north-west region had the highest liver disease death rate – 24 per 100,000, with 11.4 from alcohol complications. It was followed by the north-east with 21.9 and 10.1. The east of England had the lowest rate, 12.9 and 4.9, followed by the south-west, 14.3 and 6.4, and the south-east,14.8 and 5.8.
The British Liver Trust called for higher alcohol prices, taxing of high fat food, and testing for viral hepatitis, and said: "The current nature of the disease means that people are diagnosed late in their condition. This exposes the inadequacies in our healthcare in identifying patients early and also the lack of will to invest in prevention strategies that will have a serious impact, such as alcohol pricing, taxing high fat foods and testing for viral hepatitis."
The report's lead author, Julia Verne, said it represented the first summary of key facts, on which future discussions could be built. "It is crucial that commissioners and providers of health and social care services know the prevalence of liver disease in their local areas."
Claire Henry, director of the National End of Life Care Programme, said: "Clinicians caring for people with liver disease need to be having conversations with them about end of life care. This is exceptionally challenging for those with liver disease, who are often younger, come from ethnically diverse or deprived backgrounds, and may feel stigma associated with the disease. It is additionally complicated for those dying of alcohol-related liver disease, who may also have mental health or drug dependence problems, and little family or social support.
"These factors make good communication about end of life care so important."
The Department of Health said: "These figures are a stark reminder of the preventable damage that eating too much and drinking too much alcohol can do.
"Urgent action is needed to halt this trend. Our upcoming liver strategy will set out our plans on this issue, drawing on our plans to tackle problem drinking and obesity." The Guardian
Heavy drinking is a major cause of a 25% increase in deaths from liver disease in England in under a decade, according to the government's specialist NHS unit on terminal care.
The first report from the fledgling National End of Life Care Intelligence Network warns that the victims of liver disease are getting younger, with deaths increasing among people in their forties. Deaths rose from 9,231 in 2001 to 11,575 in 2009; some 60% of these were men, and 90% of them were under 70.
Deaths are more common in England's northern regions marked by high employment and low educational achievement.
The findings were described as making stark reading by Martin Lombard, the NHS's national clinical director for liver disease. They are certain to increase calls for stronger measures against binge drinking and for awareness of the results of unhealthy living. "The key drivers for increasing numbers of deaths from liver disease are all preventable – alcohol, obesity, hepatitis C and hepatitis B," Lombard said. "We must focus our efforts and tackle this problem sooner rather than later."
The figures for causes of death between 2001 and 2009 show a general decline in other major causes, such as heart disease, but the report acknowledged that cancer and vascular and respiratory conditions were still the big killers. However, more than one in 10 deaths among people in their forties followed a liver condition, and its place in the medical league table of "years of life lost" is high: 37% of liver disease deaths for people in their forties were alcohol related, split 41% for men and 30% for women.
Alcohol was a much greater factor for deaths in deprived areas, judged by the national ward index of social deprivation: 44% of deaths were from liver disease in areas at the bottom of the table, 28% in those at the top. Terminal liver disease is very demanding of NHS resources, with two-thirds of those affected dying in hospital, compared with an average of 55% for other conditions.
The report, Deaths from Liver Disease – Implications for End of Life Care in England, showed that the north-west region had the highest liver disease death rate – 24 per 100,000, with 11.4 from alcohol complications. It was followed by the north-east with 21.9 and 10.1. The east of England had the lowest rate, 12.9 and 4.9, followed by the south-west, 14.3 and 6.4, and the south-east,14.8 and 5.8.
The British Liver Trust called for higher alcohol prices, taxing of high fat food, and testing for viral hepatitis, and said: "The current nature of the disease means that people are diagnosed late in their condition. This exposes the inadequacies in our healthcare in identifying patients early and also the lack of will to invest in prevention strategies that will have a serious impact, such as alcohol pricing, taxing high fat foods and testing for viral hepatitis."
The report's lead author, Julia Verne, said it represented the first summary of key facts, on which future discussions could be built. "It is crucial that commissioners and providers of health and social care services know the prevalence of liver disease in their local areas."
Claire Henry, director of the National End of Life Care Programme, said: "Clinicians caring for people with liver disease need to be having conversations with them about end of life care. This is exceptionally challenging for those with liver disease, who are often younger, come from ethnically diverse or deprived backgrounds, and may feel stigma associated with the disease. It is additionally complicated for those dying of alcohol-related liver disease, who may also have mental health or drug dependence problems, and little family or social support.
"These factors make good communication about end of life care so important."
The Department of Health said: "These figures are a stark reminder of the preventable damage that eating too much and drinking too much alcohol can do.
"Urgent action is needed to halt this trend. Our upcoming liver strategy will set out our plans on this issue, drawing on our plans to tackle problem drinking and obesity." The Guardian
Thousands of nursing posts cut: official figures
Thousands of nursing posts cut: official figures: Thousands of nursing posts have been shed in the NHS, official figures have revealed, as the health service struggles to make savings.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
Doctors must be trained in care of the dying: report
Doctors must be trained in care of the dying: report: Doctors should be trained to treat dying patients with dignity and help them pass away at home surrounded by loved ones if they choose, a major report has said.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
Smokers fume as rise in 'sin' tax adds 37p a packet
Smokers fume as rise in 'sin' tax adds 37p a packet:
So-called "sin taxes" have gone up sharply, leaving smokers and drinkers digging deeper to pay for the vices that Charles Dickens called "fog and grog". The Independent
So-called "sin taxes" have gone up sharply, leaving smokers and drinkers digging deeper to pay for the vices that Charles Dickens called "fog and grog". The Independent
NHS staff numbers show biggest overall fall in ten years - as numbers of clinical support and infrastructure support staff decline and those of professionally qualified clinical staff increase slightly.
NHS staff numbers show biggest overall fall in ten years - as numbers of clinical support and infrastructure support staff decline and those of professionally qualified clinical staff increase slightly.: The number of staff working for the NHS fell by 19,799 in 2011 – its biggest fall in ten years – as numbers of clinical support and infrastructure sup... NHS Information Centre
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