Campaign shines spotlight on child and adult safeguarding issues in Northamptonshire

Campaign shines spotlight on child and adult safeguarding issues in Northamptonshire A week-long public awareness campaign to raise the profile on child and adult safeguarding in Northamptonshire starts next week.

The first ever Northamptonshire Safeguarding Week (May 23-27, 2016) will shine a spotlight on a wide range of current issues on this complex subject.

It will also see the launch of the new Northamptonshire Neglect Toolkit at a conference in Kettering on May 26 attended by nearly 400 practitioners, including social workers, GPs and police. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Fit for the future: public health people

Fit for the future: public health people A new report, Fit for the Future – Public Health People, a review of the public health workforce has been published by Public Health England. The report outlines recommendations to achieve a workforce that can meet future public health challenges and will contribute to the renewal of the Department of Health’s national public health workforce strategy.

See also:

• Public health workforce of the future: a 20-year perspective Centre for Workforce Intelligence

In the bag - making moving between hospital and social care better

In the bag - making moving between hospital and social care better The introduction of a 'red bag' Hospital Transfer Pathway has helped to improve and speed up the transfer between hospital and care home settings. NICE

Huge hospital overspend to be unveiled

Huge hospital overspend to be unveiled An unprecedented overspend by hospitals and other NHS trusts in England is expected to be announced later by health bosses. BBC News

See also:

• NHS poised to record worst financial performance with £2bn-plus deficit The Daily Mail  
• NHS in England set to announce £2.3bn deficit The Guardian

More mental health patients sent hundreds of miles for care due to local bed shortages

More mental health patients sent hundreds of miles for care due to local bed shortages More than 5,400 mental health patients had to travel out of area for a psychiatric bed last year, research by Community Care and BBC News has found.

Figures obtained from 42 of England’s 56 NHS mental health trusts under the Freedom of Information Act revealed 5,411 patients were sent to out of area hospitals in 2015-16, up 13% from 4,093 in 2014-15.

Some patients are being sent almost 300 miles for care due to their local units being full. One trust had to declare a major incident due to bed shortages.

See also:

• More patients sent hundreds of miles BBC News

BMA fears 'uphill struggle' to sell deal

BMA fears 'uphill struggle' to sell deal Junior doctors' leaders fear they could face an "uphill struggle" to convince the profession to accept the new contract agreed with ministers. BBC News

See also:

• Statement to Parliament: Junior doctors contract agreement Department of Health
• Jeremy Hunt admits there are 'lessons to be learned' over junior doctors' row The Daily Mail
• The junior doctors' battle is over. But the NHS war is just beginning The Daily Telegraph
• GPs to vote on strike action as they say patients should trouble them less The Daily Telegraph
• New NHS contract will hit weekday service, doctors fear The Guardian
• Strikes have no winners – and the junior doctors’ dispute is no exception The Guardian
• 'There is still deep anger': junior doctors on the new contract deal The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt accused of prolonging junior doctors' dispute The Guardian
• Proposals for seven-day NHS are immoral, says leading GP The Guardian

Mental health services kept waiting for promised 'revolution'

Mental health services kept waiting for promised 'revolution' With pressure to improve mental health services and provide parity of esteem with physical health, there are challenges and benefits for the NHS and its patients.

Improving the UK’s mental health system is among the greatest challenges facing the NHS. Rising suicide rates, long waiting times for inpatient and community mental health team appointments, and people in crisis unable to find a hospital bed anywhere near home are just some of these challenges.

Mental health has never been so high profile, with politicians lining up almost weekly to declare it a priority and even the prime minister pledging earlier this year to set in motion a mental health “revolution”. However, translating rhetoric about paving the way for radical improvements and achieving “parity of esteem”, so that people in need of mental health support can expect swift, appropriate treatment on a par with physical health, is proving tricky. Continue reading... The Guardian

Breast cancer drug rejected for nhs despite doubling destruction of tumours

Breast cancer drug rejected for nhs despite doubling destruction of tumours Women who took Perjeta were 40 per cent more likely to be disease-free after three years but the drug will not be available on the NHS following the decision by NICE. The Daily Mail

The defeat of Big Tobacco on plain packaging is good for democracy

The defeat of Big Tobacco on plain packaging is good for democracy Another blow for Big Tobacco. The industry has lost its case against the Government’s plain packaging policy, meaning that all cigarettes will soon have to be sold in unbranded boxes, probably sporting little pictures of horrible tumours and ghastly blackened lungs. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Cigarette pack changes upheld by court BBC News
• Tobacco firms lose high court battle over plain packaging The Guardian
• Cigarette companies lose last-minute bid to stop plain packaging EU law The Independent