Campaign calls for more people in Northamptonshire to test themselves for HIV

Campaign calls for more people in Northamptonshire to test themselves for HIV A fifth of people living with HIV are unaware of their infection, according to figures published by health authorities in Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Guidance: Disability and domestic abuse: risk, impacts and response

Guidance: Disability and domestic abuse: risk, impacts and response This document improves understanding of the complexities of disabled people’s experiences of domestic abuse and promotes consideration of these complexities within the public health system. It also supports local and national action, and provides guidance to improve response across local authorities; health and social care services; clinical commissioners; domestic abuse services; disability services; police and crime commissioners; and the wider public health system. Public Health England

Collaboration in general practice: surveys of GPs and CCGs

Collaboration in general practice: surveys of GPs and CCGs Primary care is facing unprecedented demand to find new ways to deliver care – with an increased emphasis on managing population out-of-hospital through a focus on improved prevention, access and quality of care. All the while, spending on general practice has fallen or flat-lined for the past five years. Collaborative working – including the formation of federations and networks within general practice – is at the heart of overcoming these challenges.

The Royal College of General Practitioners and the Nuffield Trust were commissioned by NHS England to examine the landscape of scaled-up general practice and to develop an online network to support new and emerging collaborations.

See also:

• Exclusive: Huge surge in GP collaboration to deliver services at scale GP Online
• Viewpoint: Collaborative working at scale in primary care is the future for GPs and patients GP Online

Child obesity - brave and bold action

Child obesity - brave and bold action This report argues that the scale and consequences of childhood obesity demand bold and urgent action from government and it highlights areas for improvement including greater regulation of the marketing of unhealthy snacks; implementing a sugar tax; and greater powers awarded to local authorities to tackle the environment leading to childhood obesity. House of Commons Health Select Committee

Disruption expected as junior doctors' strike called off

Disruption expected as junior doctors' strike called off Hospitals across England are facing major disruption with the cancellation of thousands of operations, despite a 24-hour strike by junior doctors being called off. BBC News

See also:

• Contract negotiations  British Medical Association
• Statement to Parliament: Statement on junior doctors' contract Department of Health
• BMA industrial action suspended NHS Employers
• The junior doctors' contract dispute: lessons from history Nuffield Trust
• RCGP response to suspension of industrial action Royal College of General Practitioners
• VIDEO: Junior doctors' row in 70 seconds BBC News
• My operation was cancelled due to strike plans BBC News
• Hundreds of operations cancelled despite doctors' strike being called off The Guardian
• Junior doctors' strike called off but disruption still widespread The Guardian
• Doctors' strike: Jeremy Hunt announces 'potential agreement' with BMA The Guardian
• Junior doctors strike called off after last-minute deal The Independent

NHS choir aims for Christmas Number 1

NHS choir aims for Christmas Number 1 NHS staff have released a charity single that they hope will be this year's Christmas Number 1. BBC News

The UN says dating apps increase HIV

The UN says dating apps increase HIV More than 220,000 adolescents are thought to have HIV in Asia and the Pacific, but fewer than half is receiving treatment. The Independent

See also:

• 'Explosion' of dating apps like Grindr is responsible for a 'hidden HIV epidemic in young people', UN warns The Daily Mail
• Dating apps driving 'hidden epidemic' of HIV infections among young Asian males, says UN The Daily Telegraph
• Mobile dating apps spur HIV epidemic among Asia’s teenagers, says UN The Guardian
• ‘Hidden epidemic’ of HIV hitting adolescents in Asia-Pacific region, UN agencies warn United Nations

'I challenge Jeremy Hunt to keep this medical equipment going for an hour': Nurse's angry post blasting lack of pay rise goes is shared more than 50,000 times

'I challenge Jeremy Hunt to keep this medical equipment going for an hour': Nurse's angry post blasting lack of pay rise goes is shared more than 50,000 times Critical care nurse Nicola Kitchin, 37, of Worcester, has been 'overwhelmed' after her angry post went viral and has now racked up almost 75,000 likes and 52,000 shares on Facebook. The Daily Mail

How can the health and social care workforce meet the challenge of integrating services?

How can the health and social care workforce meet the challenge of integrating services? Meeting the integration commitments laid out by the NHS Five Year Forward View won’t be easy. Here are three of the main challenges

What are the ingredients for a truly clear integrated health and social care service model? To help drive this agenda, Skills for Health and Skills for Care gathered experts from both sectors to discuss how integrated services can be realised and what barriers need to be broken down to achieve this. The outcomes of the discussions will surprise you.

Among the many improvements stipulated in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View – particularly when considered alongside the Care Act 2014 – is a new model enabling health and social care services to work cohesively together. The concept of integration will mean something different depending on the type of service provider you are. One of the issues discussed was how organisations can seamlessly integrate their workforces to meet the demands of long-term integration and ultimately deliver better outcomes for citizens. Continue reading... The Guardian

Nurse and midwife revalidation: five key questions

Nurse and midwife revalidation: five key questions New process is fast approaching, but some areas still require clarity.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) new revalidation process begins in April 2016. Its aim is for all nurses and midwifes to regularly demonstrate that they “practise safely and effectively”.

Since our first article on revalidation for nurses in July 2015, the process has moved on, but questions about it remain. Continue reading... The Guardian

Rapid response: a fear of litigation means I often treat patients I shouldn't

Rapid response: a fear of litigation means I often treat patients I shouldn't Inappropriate referrals are the symptom of a culture of risk aversion in the NHS. Consequently everyone receives a diluted service

Ken is lying on the sofa. He’s only just got up and is still a little tousled in his PJs, but despite all that, he’s as bright and poised as any of the paintings or ceramics that surround him. “Thank you so much for coming,” he says. “I’m sorry to be a pain.”

Ken is 62, still in full-time work, goes to yoga classes and on trips abroad. He is perfectly independent. This has been a bad week, though. His sciatica has flared up and put him out of commission again. His doctor has referred him to us, the rapid response team. Continue reading... The Guardian

Why don't doctors ever see you on time?

Why don't doctors ever see you on time? Surely by now, doctors and nurses at the clinics must have a rough idea how long appointments will take and so offer only a fair number of slots. The Daily Telegraph