Friday 2 November 2012

KGH boss confident of plans to improve

KGH boss confident of plans to improve: Bosses at under-fire Kettering General Hospital say they are confident they can turn its fortunes around after its regulator stepped in and put it under ‘special measures’. Evening Telegraph

Payment by Results: time for a rethink?

Payment by Results: time for a rethink?:
It’s now a decade since Delivering the NHS Plan made a specific commitment to a new way of paying hospitals that would align payment for work done – delivering on the promise that ‘money will follow the patient’. A year later the new fixed price system – Payment by Results (PbR) – began to roll out, covering just 15 surgical procedures and accounting for a few million pounds’ worth of activity.

A public health approach to violence prevention in England

A public health approach to violence prevention in England:
A new report was published on Tuesday 23 October, Protecting People, Promoting Health – A public health approach to violence prevention in England.
The department commissioned the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) to produce a high level report to provide information and evidence for policy makers, public health and commissioners to use in developing preventative approaches with strategic partners.
The publication contains new figures on the cost of violence, estimating national costs to the NHS and a wider cost to society. The report also draws on the latest evidence that many of the key risk factors that make individuals, families and communities vulnerable to violence are changeable.
It aims to increase awareness and strengthen commitment to prevention across government, NHS, local authorities, private and voluntary sectors as well as education, employers and other agencies. Department of Health

Concern over NHS end of life care

Concern over NHS end of life care: Norman Lamb says terminally ill patients should not be put on the Liverpool Care Pathway to end their lives without relatives being consulted. BBC News

Trust reveals £1bn PFI overspend

Trust reveals £1bn PFI overspend: The costs of redeveloping a hospital in Nottinghamshire have more than doubled to over £2bn, the BBC discovers. BBC News

Welfare advice saves GP visits and prescribing

Welfare advice saves GP visits and prescribing: Practice workload and prescription volumes can be reduced by providing welfare advice and support to patients, a UK study has shown. GP Online

NHS Diabetes report on transition to adult services for young people with diabetes

NHS Diabetes report on transition to adult services for young people with diabetes: This report describes an NHS Diabetes project to assess best practice and develop a practical work programme to improve the transition process to adult services for young people with diabetes, which can be applied nationally. It is aimed at providers, commissioners and clinicians involved in the delivery of transition services in this area and may also be of use to service users to support involvement in service improvement.

£3bn returned to Treasury from Health



£3bn returned to Treasury from Health:
About £3bn has been returned to the Treasury by the Department of Health in the last two years, it has been revealed.
At a time that the NHS is facing tight financial settlements, figures show that the department had handed back around £1bn of the funding it was allocated for health spending in 2011-12 with just £316m of the £1.4bn that it had left unspent in the last financial year having been carried over f... Healthcare Today

What is the Liverpool Care Pathway?

What is the Liverpool Care Pathway?: There have been several recent news stories about the Liverpool Care Pathway – a programme for delivering palliative care to people with a terminal illness.

NHS use of private sector increasing

NHS use of private sector increasing:Number of routine NHS-funded operations carried out by private sector climbs by more than 10% in a year, figures show
The number of routine NHS-funded operations carried out by the private sector has risen by more than 10% in a year, official figures show.

85% of hospital trusts adopt controversial end-of-life care regime

85% of hospital trusts adopt controversial end-of-life care regime:
Eighty-five per cent of trusts have adopted a controversial end-of-life care regime which can involve withholding food and drink from terminally-ill patients, figures suggest. The Independent

NHS feels the strain as hospital treatment for obese patients soars

NHS feels the strain as hospital treatment for obese patients soars:
The number of obese patients who need hospital treatment has soared from 1,800 to nearly 9,000 in just five years. The Independent

Monitor takes on new powers to protect patient services at failing hospitals

Monitor takes on new powers to protect patient services at failing hospitals: Today Monitor takes on a series of new powers under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to enable the regulator to protect patient services at failing hospitals.