Progress in making NHS efficiency savings

Progress in making NHS efficiency savings: The NHS made a substantial amount of efficiency savings in 2011-12. These will need to be sustained and built on if savings targets are to be met. National Audit Office

See also:

• More than half of NHS trusts rationing treatments The Daily Telegraph
• NHS: spending watchdog questions claims of £5.8bn savings The Guardian
• NHS Confederation and NHS Employers comment on National Audit Office report Progress in making NHS efficiency savings 
• NHS will struggle to make long-term savings, NAO warns GP Online
• NHS facing 'tough savings challenge' BBC News
• The King's Fund responds to the National Audit Office’s report on progress in making NHS efficiency savings
• NHS savings ''may be unsustainable''  Public Service

Do personal health budgets improve quality of life for patients?

Do personal health budgets improve quality of life for patients?: The personal health budgets evaluation, published recently by the Department of Health, contains encouraging news for those who believe that giving patients greater choice, flexibility and control can improve their quality of life. The scheme offers personal budgets to people with long-term conditions to cover non-medical support services such as therapy and nursing services, home care, day care and meal services, complementary therapies, mobility assistance, leisure services and equipment.

National Audit of Schizophrenia report published

National Audit of Schizophrenia report published: A NICE guideline on the treatment and management of schizophrenia in adults (NICE CG82) was published in 2009. The aim of this audit, the first of its kind, was to examine how far this guideline is being implemented and to stimulate improvements in the care and treatment of adults in the community with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
 
One of the aims of the audit was to measure practice in the prescribing of antipsychotic medications. Some of they key findings highlighted regarding pharmacological treatments were as follows: 

• Only 62% of service users reported that the information about their medication was in a form they could properly understand.
• While clinical staff reported that they thought they had involved service users in the choice of medication in 62% of cases, only 41% of service users felt their views were taken into account.
• Appropriate treatment guidelines are being followed for the majority of service users. ...

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Medicines management and QIPP in community services

Medicines management and QIPP in community services:
The document has examples of reducing length of stay or avoiding admission, reducing prescribing costs and working differently with the resources available to make efficiency savings.

Third end primary school overweight

Third end primary school overweight: One in three children in the final year of primary school in England is overweight or obese, figures show. BBC News

Many cleft palate cases 'missed'

Many cleft palate cases 'missed': Surgeons say many babies born in the UK with a cleft palate are being diagnosed late, causing unnecessary distress. BBC News

NHS must work together to pull struggling trusts back from financial cliff edge

NHS must work together to pull struggling trusts back from financial cliff edge: Regulators, commissioners and the Department of Health will need to do more to prevent NHS trusts sliding towards a financial cliff edge, the NHS Confederation has said.

A narrative for person-centred, coordinated (‘integrated’) care

A narrative for person-centred, coordinated (‘integrated’) care: The NHS Commissioning Board has commissioned National Voices, the national coalition of health and social care charities and its members, to develop a narrative for integrated care from the perspective of the patient and service user. This work is also in partnership with the Local Government Association, supported by the Department of Health and Monitor.  The aim of the narrative is to help ensure a shared understanding of what good person-centred, co-ordinated or integrated care looks like for an individual, using language that everyone can identify with. Comments on the narrative are invited until the 28th February 2013.

• Narrative
• Consultation response
• NHS Commissioning Board - news

Learning development and personal effectiveness resources

Learning development and personal effectiveness resources: These resources are designed to support doctors and dentists in all aspects of their work and work-life balance. The self review tools and e-modules have been developed in collaboration with clinicians of all career stages. They seek to address some of the challenges associated with everyday clinical and professional practice such as relationships with colleagues, stressors and conflict in the workplace.

• Resources and further information

Do we need a telehealth tsar?

Do we need a telehealth tsar?: Telehealth pilots show promising results but technology will not deliver benefits if care pathways are poorly designed
Among the numerous challenges facing the NHS in England, caring for more than 15 million patients with chronic conditions is arguably the biggest and accounts for 70% of its budget. Telehealth can offer better long-term care at lower cost, but despite its attractions and ministerial backing, implementation remains patchy.

Mental health patients to be given new rights

Mental health patients to be given new rights: Patients to be allowed to choose consultants, a move that will give them parity with those with physical health problems
Patients with mental health problems are to be given new rights over which consultant psychiatrist they see under new plans to end institutional bias against them in the NHS.
The move, to be announced on Thursday by the Department of Health, will allow people with conditions such as depression to choose which specialist they go to for treatment from 2014.

Imperial Tobacco, one of the world's biggest cigarette firms, loses display battle

Imperial Tobacco, one of the world's biggest cigarette firms, loses display battle:
One of the world's biggest tobacco firms lost a Supreme Court fight today against a planned cigarette display ban. Healthcare Today

HPA update on seasonal norovirus activity

HPA update on seasonal norovirus activity: Figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that in the two weeks ending December 2 there has been a 28 per cent reduction in the number of confirmed lab reports of norovirus.