Chief exec says Northampton General Hospital needs two more wards

Chief exec says Northampton General Hospital needs two more wards Two more wards are needed for use by Northampton General Hospital to ensure safer care, its chief executive has said. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

How can healthcare get it so right and so wrong? Part 2

How can healthcare get it so right and so wrong? Part 2 Like it or not, the whole system of healthcare delivery in the UK depends on leaders to inspire a better way of doing business. But at the top of the NHS there has been a loss of credible leadership – in fact it’s been decimated, says Martin Bromiley. The Health Foundation

See also:

• How can healthcare get it so right and so wrong? Part 1 (which focuses on Kettering General Hospital)

Ministers 'will ban car smoking'

Ministers 'will ban car smoking' The UK government will make it a criminal offence to smoke in cars in England when children are passengers, a Downing Street source says. BBC News

EU rules on child drugs 'cost lives'

EU rules on child drugs 'cost lives' EU rules must be changed to allow more testing of potentially life-saving cancer drugs on children, says Institute of Cancer Research. BBC News

See also:

• Children denied life-saving cancer drugs The Daily Telegraph

Female stroke survivors’ quality of life investigated

Female stroke survivors’ quality of life investigated “Women have a poorer quality of life after stroke than men,” reports BBC News.

This headline stemmed from a new US study that found women had a lower quality of life than men three and 12 months after experiencing a stroke or mini-stroke.

Regulating quality and safety of health and social care: international experiences

Regulating quality and safety of health and social care: international experiences This report is concerned with standards of quality and safety within health and social care systems. Care standards are intended to support efforts in maintaining and improving the quality of care; they have been developed across countries, although the ways in which they are implemented and applied differs between nations. Taking a range of six countries, it reviews the regulatory mechanisms that have been implemented to ensure that essential standards of care are applied and are being adhered to, and consider the range of policy instruments used to encourage and ensure continuous quality improvement. It looks at on Australia, England, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA. It is intended to inform policy thinking for the Department of Health and others in developing the regulation of safety and quality of health and social care in England. It was prepared as part of the project 'An "On-call" Facility for International Healthcare Comparisons' funded by the Department of Health in England through its Policy Research Programme. Rand Corporation

• Report
• Report summary

State of the sector 2013

State of the sector 2013 This report contains the findings from a survey of nearly 170 drug and alcohol services, from across England’s four PHE regions. Amongst its findings, it reports that the picture on engagement with health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) is mixed, with positive examples, but other services reporting a lack of engagement; 35 per cent of drug and alcohol services surveyed reported a decrease in funding, against 20 per cent reporting an increase and 33 per cent no change; and almost half reported that they were employing fewer frontline staff and 6 out of 10 services reported an increase in the use of volunteers. Drugscope

• Report
• Executive summary
• Briefing on impact of public health reform on drug and alcohol services
• DrugScope - press release

You can find the Northamptonshire PCC FOI response here.

3.2 million Britons have diabetes

3.2 million Britons have diabetes Charity calls on NHS to fully implement Health Checks to help identify people at risk of Type 2 diabetes. OnMedica

See also:

• Rise in new diabetes cases BBC News

Mental health issues 'cost UK £70bn a year', claims thinktank

Mental health issues 'cost UK £70bn a year', claims thinktank Mental health issues are costing Britain £70bn a year, the west's leading economic thinktank said on Monday, as it urged the government to help those with depression, stress and anxiety into work. The Guardian

What can clinical commissioning groups learn from Oxfordshire?

What can clinical commissioning groups learn from Oxfordshire? Oxfordshire CCG's experience demonstrates that although commissioners control the finances, providers are still in charge.

The unravelling of the plans by Oxfordshire clinical commissioning group to introduce outcomes-based service contracts shows that while commissioners have the money, providers are still running the system. What will it take to break their power?

Revealed: Big Pharma's hidden links to NHS policy, with senior MPs saying medical industry uses ‘wealth to influence government’

Revealed: Big Pharma's hidden links to NHS policy, with senior MPs saying medical industry uses ‘wealth to influence government’

NHS bosses allowed a lobbying company working for some of the world’s biggest drugs and medical equipment firms to write a draft report which could help shape future health policy.

NHS England commissioned a group called the Specialised Healthcare Alliance (SHCA) to consult with patients’ groups, charities and health organisations and produce a report feeding into its future five-year strategy for commissioning £12bn of services. The Independent

See also: 

• NHS hires drugmaker lobbyists The Guardian

NHS bosses accused of 'climate of fear' over care.data

NHS bosses accused of 'climate of fear' over care.data Rebel GPs wont be told punishment for opting out data-sharing until it is too late. The Daily Telegraph

What are Crisis Pregnancy Centres and where are they in the UK?

What are Crisis Pregnancy Centres and where are they in the UK? Telegraph abortion investigation: There are more than 100 Crisis Pregnancy Centres (CPCs) across the UK. But what are they and where are they located? Here is an overview.

See also:

• Abortion scandal: women told 'terminations increase chance of child abuse' The Daily Telegraph
• Abortion scandal: 'abortions increase breast cancer risk', claims counsellor The Daily Telegraph
• Abortion scandal: 'abortions increase chance of infertility', claims counsellor The Daily Telegraph