Wednesday 15 February 2017

Great NHS gamble: Do Northamptonshire's jargon-laden plans mask GP practice mergers?

Great NHS gamble: Do Northamptonshire's jargon-laden plans mask GP practice mergers? Plans to find £230 million worth of cuts in Northamptonshire's NHS services over the next five years could be "hiding" job losses and mergers with management jargon - fears a political group. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

BUDGET CUTS: Dementia sufferer's vital lifelines will be axed as part of Northamptonshire cuts

BUDGET CUTS: Dementia sufferer's vital lifelines will be axed as part of Northamptonshire cuts The daughter of a dementia sufferer whose vital memory cafe and day centre are set to be scrapped has labelled the county council cut as "disgusting." Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Management changes at KGH as interim chief executive appointed

Management changes at KGH as interim chief executive appointed Kettering General Hospital has announced two interim management appointments. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Two days of roadworks to change entrance to KGH

Two days of roadworks to change entrance to KGH The main road entrance to Kettering General Hospital is permanently changing from Monday, February 20, as part of plans to improve car parking and traffic flow. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Seizing opportunities for digital development in the NHS

Seizing opportunities for digital development in the NHS‘It’s not about gadgets, it’s about service redesign.’

I’m paraphrasing a little, but this was the message from NHS Improvement Programmes’ Director Bernard Quinn at a recent digital health conference. Bernard’s team is already hard at work making that transformation happen: NHS Improvement’s Digital Outpatients programme is hoping to bring £3 billion of benefit from digitising the process of booking and receiving an outpatient service where possible.

If you’re interested in the use of digital technology within the NHS in England, you’ll know that it can be a case of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. Some regions are beginning their digital plans at pace, others are already enjoying the benefits of integrated care records or real-time analytics, while some still struggle on with Windows XP. The King's Fund

The sustainability and transformation plans: a critical assessment

The sustainability and transformation plans: a critical assessment This report assesses the published drafts for STP plans and it raises concerns around the credibility of the implementation measures outlined in the plans. It argues that the scale of the planned reduction in hospital services implies rationing and risks the collapse of some services. Centre for Health and the Public Interest

Financial analysis of STPs

Financial analysis of STPs This analysis of the 44 STPs in England estimates that £9.5bn of capital funding is required to create the infrastructure to deliver the plans. The BMA sent out a series of FOI requests and have compiled information for each STP area on the financial needs required to implement the plans in each area. British Medical Association

Healthcare social media toolkit

Healthcare social media toolkit This toolkit aims to support the health care sector in utilising social media effectively and efficiently. It includes guidance on strategy and content creation, downloadable templates and resources and advice on how to encourage team members in using social media. Skills for Health

Early deaths among care leavers revealed

Early deaths among care leavers revealed Young people who have grown up in care are far more likely to die in early adulthood than other young people, Freedom of Information figures reveal.

They show 90 people who left care in the UK between 2012 and 2016 died in the years when they would have turned 19, 20 or 21.

Care leavers make up 1% of the population at these ages, but make up around 7% of the deaths. BBC News

Abortion pill online sales 'increasing in Britain'

Abortion pill online sales 'increasing in Britain' The number of abortion pills being bought online in Britain is increasing, data shown to the Victoria Derbyshire programme suggests.

Government figures show 375 doses, sent to addresses in England, Wales, and Scotland, were seized in 2016, compared with just five in 2013.

Taking the pills while pregnant without medical approval is illegal in the UK.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said as awareness of the online pills increased, more women were using them. BBC News

See also:

Work needed to boost GPs’ knowledge of cancer drug

Work needed to boost GPs’ knowledge of cancer drug Better coordination is needed between GPs and hospital specialists to improve the former’s knowledge of breast cancer drug tamoxifen, according to a study* published today in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP).

The Cancer Research UK funded study found poor knowledge amongst GPs of the drug and its preventive benefits for women.

In the UK, more than 53,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and 11,000 die of the disease. Women with a family history of the disease have a higher risk and this accounts for 5–10% of all breast cancer cases, so prevention is important. OnMedica

See also:

Scarlet fever: Doctors warn parents to look out for symptoms amid increase in outbreaks

Scarlet fever: Doctors warn parents to look out for symptoms amid increase in outbreaks Doctors are warning parents to check their children for rashes and swollen tongues following an increase in outbreaks of scarlet fever.

The bacterial illness, which mainly affects children under 10, is easily treated by antibiotics but is extremely contagious, even after treatment has begun. The Independent

See also:

NHS crisis revealed: 24 A&E units marked for closure or downgrading

NHS crisis revealed: 24 A&E units marked for closure or downgrading Dozens of accident and emergency units are facing closure or being downgraded in a far-reaching overhaul of urgent care which senior doctors warn would have “disastrous” consequences for the NHS. An analysis of documents drawn up to remodel the health service in England shows that 24 casualty units from Durham to Somerset have been marked for potential closure despite record demand for A&Es and serious overcrowding across the country as the NHS goes through its most severe winter crisis since records began. Last month produced the worst performance for A&E waits in 13 years. iNews

See also:

‘Bedblocking’ is stifling our hospitals. But there are ways to ease the burden

‘Bedblocking’ is stifling our hospitals. But there are ways to ease the burden A lack of at-home social care is delaying discharges at a cost to the NHS of £800m a year. But Nottingham is bucking the trend

Lilian Hemsley, 86, was admitted to Queen’s Medical Centre on the outskirts of Nottingham on 30 December following a fall. Seven days later she was able to return home to Chilwell, south Nottinghamshire with a package of help in place. “The social workers were fantastic,” she says. “I had to have my bed moved downstairs and a commode – I wasn’t allowed home until they were sorted out. But they did it really quickly.” Following some interim homecare, Hemsley is getting help washing and dressing in the morning for four weeks through Nottinghamshire county council’s reablement service. She will soon be assessed for ongoing care needs.

As soon as a patient is admitted, social workers establish potential care needs – and sort them out quickly Continue reading... The Guardian

Tens of thousands of new mothers can't reach a midwife, study finds

Tens of thousands of new mothers can't reach a midwife, study finds Women are visiting already stretched A&E units and GP surgeries instead, according to charity NCT

Tens of thousands of new mothers a year are seeking help at an A&E unit or GP surgery because they cannot reach a midwife to ask them for advice, a new study has found.

Mothers worried about a problem with their own or their baby’s health are adding to the strain on family doctors, emergency departments and walk-in centres because of midwife shortages and because they have “nowhere else to go”, says the parenting charity the NCT – which undertook the research. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS to be hit by crippling business rates rise, analysis finds

NHS to be hit by crippling business rates rise, analysis finds NHS hospitals and GP surgeries in England and Wales face a £635 million hike in their business rates over the next five years, it emerged as health authorities threatened legal action.

A new analysis found that health authorities, many of which are already struggling to cope with huge financial pressure, will see their business rates will rise by an average of a third by 2021.

Some of the country's biggest hospitals will see their business rates double amid warnings that they will have to find further savings to fill black holes in their budgets. The Daily Telegraph