University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital join forces to improve health

University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital join forces to improve health Closer links between the University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust will pave the way for academic research to be put into practice and open up new opportunities for research projects to improve health and wellbeing. Northampton Herald and Post

See also:

• Research agreement announced between hospital and university Northampton General Hospital

Behavioural insights in health care: Nudging to reduce inefficiency and waste

Behavioural insights in health care: Nudging to reduce inefficiency and waste Health care spending is rising and the NHS faces a funding gap of up to £30bn in the period to 2020. Therefore, making health care more sustainable by reducing inefficiency and waste is critical. Individual behaviour lies at the heart of this issue. Health care consumers’ behaviours are major determinants of their health, while health care providers’ behaviours are major determinants of whether the best and most appropriate care is delivered. However, the behaviours of both can be inconsistent with their intentions, leading to outcomes that could be improved.

It has been suggested that nudges – approaches that steer people in certain directions while maintaining their freedom of choice – might offer an effective way to change behaviour and improve outcomes at lower cost than traditional policy tools. The Health Foundation

Medics sentenced for boy's death

Medics sentenced for boy's death A doctor and nurse who "seriously neglected" a six-year-old boy who died in hospital are given suspended sentences for his manslaughter. BBC News

NHS integration: Can accountable care organisations deliver a truly GP-led NHS?

NHS integration: Can accountable care organisations deliver a truly GP-led NHS? East London GP and healthcare professor Dr Martin Marshall says GPs should not reject out of hand the latest fad among policy wonks: accountable care organisations. Set up correctly, he argues, they might be able to deliver on promises of a GP-led health service. GP Onlinr

Shortfall in health visitors and school nurses threatens babies’ life chances

Shortfall in health visitors and school nurses threatens babies’ life chances A possible decline in health visitor numbers and a massive shortfall in school nurses could jeopardise the life chances of the estimated 200,000 babies living in ‘complex’ family situations, Unite, the country’s largest union, has warned. OnMedica

See also:

• Health visitors’ jobs fear as report highlights threat to babies’ life chances Unite

Reckitt Benckiser: Nurofen manufacturer under investigation by UK watchdog for selling 'misleading' painkillers

Reckitt Benckiser: Nurofen manufacturer under investigation by UK watchdog for selling 'misleading' painkillers Exclusive: Versions supposedly targeting different parts of the body were in fact identical. The Independent

See also:

• How to pick the best painkiller BBC News
• Nurofen tablets taken off shelves in Australia still sold in the UK The Daily Mail
• Painkiller rip-off: Pills for migraine, period pain, backache 'are identical' The Independent

Nurses jailed for falsifying stroke patients' records

Nurses jailed for falsifying stroke patients' records Rebecca Jones and Lauro Bertulano jailed for ‘playing with people’s lives’ by making up blood test results at Princess of Wales hospital, Bridgend

Two nurses have been jailed for “playing with people’s lives” by falsifying vulnerable stroke patients’ vital medical tests.

Jailing Rebecca Jones, 31, and Lauro Bertulano, 46, the judge Tom Crowther QC said the pair had betrayed patients and their families. “This was not a failure to do your job, but a failure of compassion and humanity,” he said. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Nurses jailed over faked results BBC News

My time as a junior doctor was hell, but it led me to the most rewarding job

My time as a junior doctor was hell, but it led me to the most rewarding job I was controlled, belittled and threatened. Now I’m a consultant my abuser has less power over me

During their training, junior doctors become familiar with the retrospectoscope. This valuable instrument allows the medical practitioner to look back on and reconsider the diagnoses they missed or the medical errors they made. With the retrospectoscope, the lung tumour is blindingly obvious on the chest x-ray.

I have spent the last few months watching the battle between the junior doctors and the government play on while considering whether I support their defiance. I have put my retrospectoscope to good use, to revisit my 18 years of training and shed light on their plight. Continue reading... The Guardian