Northampton hospital staff in protest over lockout tactics | Natalie Bloomer NHS trust's decision to lock out pathology team has grave implications for public sector industrial action.
Carol Whittaker is terrified she will be forced out of the job she loves. In what is believed to be the first time in the history of the NHS, hospital employees including Whittaker, have been "locked-out" of work, following a bitter dispute over pay and hours.
"We have had our swipe cards cancelled and access to the laboratory denied. I can't believe they are treating us like this. I am not crying yet today, but most days I am in tears. After all these years, I feel totally let down by the management," says Whittaker, who has worked for 23 years as a senior biomedical scientist at Northampton General hospital. Continue reading... The Guardian
Wednesday 23 July 2014
Everything you need to know about sickness absence: a simple guide for NHS managers
Everything you need to know about sickness absence: a simple guide for NHS managers This online tool aims to further improve the management of staff sick leave in the NHS. It answers questions such as, what do you do when a staff member calls in sick? How do you handle long-term or recurring absences? How can managers reduce stress, support staff to return to work and prevent sickness absence from becoming an issue in the first place? NHS Employers
What happens when the money runs out?
What happens when the money runs out? Our most recent quarterly monitoring report and the latest in our series of breakfast events looked at past and future pressures on health and social care. The Department of Health’s annual accounts for 2013/14, published today, provide the definitive answer to how the NHS has spent its funding in the year to March 2014. This information means we can look both backwards and forwards to assess its financial performance.
National confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness: annual report 2014 – England, Northern Ireland,...
National confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness: annual report 2014 – England, Northern Ireland,... This report finds that mental health patients are at their highest risk of dying by suicide in the first two weeks after leaving hospital. It calls for suicides within 3 days of hospital discharge and deaths and serious injuries caused by restraint to be NHS ‘never events’. University of Manchester
Survey of health managers on the future of the NHS
Survey of health managers on the future of the NHS This survey of IHM members reveals that over half (53.7%) of health and social care managers signalled doubt that greater integration of health and social care will take the pressure off the NHS. Other key concerns and issues included uncertainty on whether their organisations could deliver safe and compassionate care; an appetite for greater collaboration between the public and private sector; and increasing financial pressure inspiring greater innovation. Institute of Healthcare Management
NHS staff balloted over strike action
NHS staff balloted over strike action Midwives, nurses and ambulance workers are among more than 400,000 NHS workers in England being balloted on industrial action, including strikes, over pay. BBC News
See also:
See also:
- Unions ballot members for strike action over NHS pay Health Service Journal
- NHS workers to be balloted on strike action over pay The Guardian
- Health unions ballot members on strike action over pay freeze Pulse
- UNISON, Unite, GMB and RCM to ballot NHS staff on industrial action over pay NHS Employers
- Union ballots risk patient safety when we need discussion, not disruption NHS Employers
Study offers insight into genetics of schizophrenia
Study offers insight into genetics of schizophrenia "More than 100 schizophrenia genes have been pinpointed," reports the Daily Mail. In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers have gained further insights into the genetics of the condition, which it is hoped could lead to new treatments.
Researchers have identified genetic differences at 108 positions in the genome (the complete set of DNA that "defines" an individual organism) that are more likely to be present in people with schizophrenia.
The study compared the genetic make-up of more than 36,000 people with schizophrenia with that of more than 110,000 controls. They found differences in 108 positions in the genome, 83 of which had not previously been reported.
A particularly interesting finding was evidence of genetic differences in genes active in the immune system. Whether or not the immune system plays a role in the development of schizophrenia is a possibility not previously considered by most experts.
This study provides further evidence of a genetic element to the condition, but it does not prove that the genetic differences actually cause schizophrenia.
However, it is hoped these results will lead to new avenues of research that can be explored, and may eventually lead to better treatments for the condition.
Researchers have identified genetic differences at 108 positions in the genome (the complete set of DNA that "defines" an individual organism) that are more likely to be present in people with schizophrenia.
The study compared the genetic make-up of more than 36,000 people with schizophrenia with that of more than 110,000 controls. They found differences in 108 positions in the genome, 83 of which had not previously been reported.
A particularly interesting finding was evidence of genetic differences in genes active in the immune system. Whether or not the immune system plays a role in the development of schizophrenia is a possibility not previously considered by most experts.
This study provides further evidence of a genetic element to the condition, but it does not prove that the genetic differences actually cause schizophrenia.
However, it is hoped these results will lead to new avenues of research that can be explored, and may eventually lead to better treatments for the condition.
Annual NHS national sickness absence rate declines to lowest level in five years
Annual NHS national sickness absence rate declines to lowest level in five years Annual NHS national sickness absence rates in England are at their lowest point since 2009-10, when they first started being recorded by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) (2). The latest figures show that NHS workers on average had one day off sick out of every 25 (14.82 days a year) in 2013-14 a 4.06 per cent absence rate. This is a decrease in the number of days off sick from 2012-13, when the sickness absence rate stood at 4.24 per cent, one day off out of every 24 (15.52 days a year). Health & Social Care Information Centre
DH taskforce demands urgent action to tackle GP workforce crisis
DH taskforce demands urgent action to tackle GP workforce crisis General practice is close to a collapse that would put 'unmanageable pressure' on the rest of the NHS, amid a workforce crisis triggered by early retirements and a slump in GP recruitment, a DH taskforce has warned. GP Online
See also:
See also:
- Securing the future of the GP workforce: delivering the Mandate on GP expansion. Health Education England
- RCGP response to GP Taskforce report Royal College of General Practitioners
GPs to submit monthly data on friends and family test
GPs to submit monthly data on friends and family test NHS England wants maximum patient participation, but hasn’t set target. OnMedica
Rise in bailouts as more hospitals overspend on budgets
Rise in bailouts as more hospitals overspend on budgets 65 hospital trusts overspent their budgets in 2013-14, compared with 45 trusts the previous year.
The NHS's finances are deteriorating sharply, with more hospitals ending up in the red as they struggle to look after the growing number of patients needing care, government figures reveal.
Sixty-five hospital trusts overspent their budgets by a combined £767m in 2013-14, with 35 of them sharing £536m in non-repayable bailouts in order to keep services running smoothly. Continue reading... The Guardian
The NHS's finances are deteriorating sharply, with more hospitals ending up in the red as they struggle to look after the growing number of patients needing care, government figures reveal.
Sixty-five hospital trusts overspent their budgets by a combined £767m in 2013-14, with 35 of them sharing £536m in non-repayable bailouts in order to keep services running smoothly. Continue reading... The Guardian
Deadly Mers virus 'could now be airborne', warn scientists in study on Saudi Arabian barn
Deadly Mers virus 'could now be airborne', warn scientists in study on Saudi Arabian barn Scientists have found the first evidence that a deadly virus originating in the Middle East may have become airborne. The Independent
England's poorest will live nine years less than the richest, according to stark new ONS stats
England's poorest will live nine years less than the richest, according to stark new ONS stats Millions of people across England are destined to die nine years earlier than they should - and have their lives blighted by ill-health prematurely - because they are poor. The shocking new figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, have prompted urgent calls for action and forced government officials to admit the situation of health inequality is “unacceptable.” The Independent
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