Tuesday 11 October 2016

Staff and volunteers celebrate Northampton General Hospital’s unsung heroes

Staff and volunteers celebrate Northampton General Hospital’s unsung heroes Over 60 shortlisted individuals and teams gathered to find out who would be declared winners at the Best Possible Care awards at Northampton’s Park Inn hotel. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Reuniting care

Reuniting care Eighteen months into the multispecialty community provider (MCP) and primary and acute care system (PACS) vanguards, commissioners are preparing to contract for the new models while providers are considering how to bind themselves together as a coherent system – the focus of our new report.

During the initial phase of the programme, commissioners and providers worked in relatively informal partnerships to develop the MCP and PACS care models. That may have been a pragmatic approach to kick-starting the vanguards, but rather more robust arrangements are now clearly needed before commissioners can transfer substantial budgets to providers on long-term contracts.

So how should multiple local providers – primary care, community services, local hospitals, social care and potentially other services – bind themselves together as a coherent organisation or partnership, one that is capable of managing a multi-million pound budget and making the most efficient use of resources? The King's Fund

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3 in 5 of England’s most deprived boys will be overweight or obese by 2020

3 in 5 of England’s most deprived boys will be overweight or obese by 2020 Stark new figures show a looming significant weight gap between the poorest and wealthiest primary-school aged boys living in England. Three in five (60%) of the most deprived boys aged 5-11 are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2020, compared to about one in six (16%) of boys in the most affluent group.

The most deprived girls didn’t however show the same trend, and are projected to have similar obese and overweight prevalence rates to their more affluent counterparts with an average of 1 in 5 girls predicted to be obese or overweight by 2020. Obesity Health Alliance

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The Damage of Debt: The impact of money worries on children’s mental health and well-being

The Damage of Debt: The impact of money worries on children’s mental health and well-being The aim of this report is to provide fresh insights on how low well-being and poor mental health in children are linked to household poverty and problem debt; and to explore the views of children and parents who live in low income households with debt problems on how their family’s financial situation affects their well-being and mental health. The report makes recommendations to address these issues. The Children’s Society

Receptionists 'put people off seeing doctor'

Leaders call for major rethink on NHS

Leaders call for major rethink on NHS A fundamental shift of provision of care from hospitals to the community is central to a radical new vision for how the NHS should be run, published at the weekend.

The manifesto* published in The Lancet, is written by a leading group of clinicians, scientists, social entrepreneurs and peers including Professor Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, Lord Nigel Crisp, the former chief executive of the NHS, and Professor Dame Sue Bailey, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. OnMedica

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UK nurses lacking skills to treat transgender patients, says research

UK nurses lacking skills to treat transgender patients, says research RCN survey of nurses points to inadequate training, with only a fifth saying workforce has relevant training and experience

UK nurses are failing to meet the needs of transgender patients and feel they lack training and experience to treat the growing number of trans people seeking medical treatment in relation to their gender identity, according to research.

A survey of more than 1,200 nursing staff across the UK found 87% of those nurses who have directly cared for a trans patient felt unprepared to meet the patient’s needs. Continue reading... The Guardian

We need mental health support at work – and every employer should commit to it | Norman Lamb

We need mental health support at work – and every employer should commit to it | Norman Lamb World Mental Health Day is a good opportunity for government and business to finally take this issue as seriously as physical health

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, and in both cases we are on a continuum, where our health can vary day to day. It is estimated that one in four people experience a mental health issue in any given year, and that one in six employees is depressed, anxious or suffering from stress-related problems at any time. However, many of us know little about mental health. We often don’t spot the signs that a colleague, employee, or we ourselves are struggling, and this delays help and recovery. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS accused of abandoning children with life-threatening disease

NHS accused of abandoning children with life-threatening disease The NHS rationing body has been accused of abandoning children with a life threatening genetic condition after it refused funding for a breakthrough drug that will let them live ‘long and healthy lives’.

Hopes were raised after ‘spectacular’ trial results in which youngsters with the tumour-causing disease tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), some of whom had been given as little as 12 months to live, were saved by the one-a-day tablet.

But in July, NHS England reversed an earlier decision to recommend prescribing the breakthrough drug everolimus, claiming that it was ‘not currently affordable’. The Daily Mail

First ever head-to-head study reveals doctors are WAY better than symptom-checker apps at diagnosing illnesses (...for now, at least)

First ever head-to-head study reveals doctors are WAY better than symptom-checker apps at diagnosing illnesses (...for now, at least) The research by Harvard Medical School is the first test to compare human and virtual doctors. Doctors correctly diagnosed 84 per cent of patients. Computers only got 50 per cent right. BBC News

Pregnant women could be forced to show their passports at hospital before giving birth 

Pregnant women could be forced to show their passports at hospital before giving birth Pregnant women will be forced to hand over passports before they give birth at NHS hospitals under controversial proposals to clamp down on health tourism.

A pilot scheme backed by the Home Office will see every mother-to-be told to prove their right to use the health service when their labour is booked in.

The London trust behind the scheme said all those seeking to give birth would be asked for photo identification, or proof of right to remain in this country.

The trust board papers also say changes in the law will mean patients are charged for ambulance and A&E services if they cannot provide proof of identity, unless the situation is an emergency or matter of life and death. The Daily Telegraph