Friday 21 February 2014

Council backs £126m of savings

Council backs £126m of savings A package of £126m of savings (including £18 m from adult social care) over the next five years is agreed by Northamptonshire County Council. BBC Northamptonshire

Doctor unintentionally slowed police investigation into baby death

Doctor unintentionally slowed police investigation into baby death Questions have been raised over the level of training given to some staff at Northampton General Hospital after a paediatrician unintentionally slowed down a police investigation into the death of a Northampton baby, it has been revealed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Shine: Improving the value of local healthcare services

Shine: Improving the value of local healthcare services How healthcare teams took on the challenge to improve quality while reducing the cost of services. The Health Foundation

NHS data critics 'scaremongering'

NHS data critics 'scaremongering' Opponents of the plan to share medical records on a giant database are "peddling scaremongering myths", medical research organisations say. BBC News

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Mental health and crisis care

Mental health and crisis care This briefing summarises the key principles and commitments in the concordat and highlights how stronger local partnerships can deliver improved crisis care. NHS Confederation

What type of people choose assisted suicide?

What type of people choose assisted suicide? "Women, divorcees and atheists are most likely to choose assisted suicide," the Mail Online reports, "with nearly 20% saying they are 'simply weary of life'".

The Mail’s headline is misleading. The story comes from a study of assisted suicides in Switzerland, where the practice is legal.

The study found that in 16% of assisted suicides, no underlying cause of death was recorded.

This is important, but there is no evidence that these cases were “weary of life”, an expression which the Mail has taken from another study.

This study found that cancer was the most common cause given for assisted suicides. It also found that assisted suicide was more likely in women than men, those living alone than those living with others (particularly divorced older women), and those with no religious affiliation (compared with Protestants and Catholics).

The NHS payment system: evolving policy and emerging evidence

The NHS payment system: evolving policy and emerging evidence This research report reviews different approaches to payment for health services in the English NHS. It explores the evidence on whether recent payment initiatives have met their goals.

Is integration or fragmentation the starting point to improve prevention?

Is integration or fragmentation the starting point to improve prevention? Initiatives to promote integration are being introduced at all levels of the system, with a patient experience based narrative setting the standard against which success should be judged. University of Birmingham Health Services Management Centre

Struggle to recruit managers will add to cycle of failure

Struggle to recruit managers will add to cycle of failure The pressure on chief executives and the risk of failure are so great that few candidates are coming forward.

The NHS management body count is mounting. In the year since Robert Francis QC unveiled his final report following the Mid-Staffordshire scandal, 10 chief executives have resigned over performance issues.

Is this a sign of a commitment to the highest standards of leadership, or a system where senior managers are being set up to fail?

Shambolic record-keeping by NHS wastes money and endangers patients | Jenny Rohn

Shambolic record-keeping by NHS wastes money and endangers patients | Jenny Rohn A centralised patient record system is essential to the running of a modern health service. It’s a shame the UK doesn’t have one. The Guardian

Lifesaving defibrillators should be as 'ubiquitous' as fire extinguishers, doctors say

Lifesaving defibrillators should be as 'ubiquitous' as fire extinguishers, doctors say Lifesaving defibrillators should be as “ubiquitous” as fire extinguishers, doctors have said, after research in the UK revealed that the machines were on-hand in public spaces for just four per cent of heart attacks. The Independent

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