Plans to introduce earlier support for people with mental health problems have been revealed by Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board. The Health Board says its blueprint for an integrated network of new community support, which can be accessed without referral or an appointment, is part of a “whole system transformation” in how mental health support is delivered. BCUHB’s new approach is based on the principles of its I CAN campaign, which aims to shift the focus of care to prevention and early intervention; empower people to take control of their mental health; and give a voice to people with mental health problems.
News Archive
The Office for National Statistics recently released their data for infant mortality rates in England and Wales. Tommy’s are calling on the government, alongside other leading charities Bliss, Tamba and SANDS, to redouble efforts to meet its ambition to halve the rate of stillbirth and neonatal death by 2025. The figures show that the rate of stillbirths is reducing but it is clear that there is still a long way to go.
NHS England and Improvement are beginning the third and largest phase of the restructure bringing the two organisations together, which is expected in total to remove about 15 per cent of posts. They have recently launched a consultation on the third phase of their joint working restructure programme.
In total, the restructure, incorporating all three phases, is expected to reduce the current number of posts by around 1,200. The staff consultation on the proposals will run until 29 August.
Tommy’s, along with a group of health experts, NHS doctors, policy makers and organisations representing parents, are interested in views about assisting people to prepare for pregnancy. These views will help them make recommendations for future government action about health before pregnancy.
The Telegraph reports that families have been forced to pay for care after being misled about what costs should be covered by social services. Whistleblowers within the care sector have told the newspaper that councils are ” sailing as close to the law as they can” by offering elderly and vulnerable people less care than they need or asking them to pay for their own equipment. Social care provision in England is means tested with those with more than £23,500 in their savings having to contribute.
Foreign-trained doctors commit six in ten cases of sexual misconduct with patients, even though they make up only a third of NHS medics, new figures have revealed. They accounted for 23 of 38 proven incidents in the past three years, according to figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday. Allegations include indecent behaviour, sexual assault and rape. The alarming statistics have emerged just as the NHS has introduced targets to reduce the numbers of black and ethnic minority staff – almost two-thirds of whom trained abroad – being hauled before disciplinary hearings.
A number of media outlets have reported that the cost of clinical claims in England increased by £137million to almost £2.4billion. Maternity payouts have fueled the surge in NHS compensation pay outs to record level. The data from NHS Resolution revealed how in 2018-19, the cost of clinical negligence is driven up by maternity claims, which represents 10 per cent of the number of clinical claims but half of the value of claims received and 70% of the £83billion reported as 31 March 2019.
A damning inquiry has found that millions of OAPs in need of care are at the mercy of an unlicensed and unskilled workforce. Experts fear as many as 500,000 people pass themselves off as trained care workers after advertising their services online. Many professional care workers and providers offer excellent services but experts are worried at a growing number in a “grey area” who have no training or qualifications and work cash in hand.
A recent episode of Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 discussed the topic – Why do we expect women to wait until after their 12-week scan to share their pregnancy news? Does the convention protect parents or the people around them from the trauma of miscarriage? These questions and much more is explored during the programme.
A mother whose son suffered “hideous” abuse at the hands of nursing staff at Winterbourne View Hospital is working with the NMC to help it improve the way it handles cases involving people with learning disabilities. Claire Garrod is helping launch the regulator’s forthcoming strategy and annual report.
The Nursing Times reported how the NMC is exploring the introduction of using ‘personal experience statements’ to communicate the impact of substandard care. The NMC are in the process of drawing together all of the findings before making any further decisions. The article also mentions NMC Watch.
In an article in The Guardian people are being offered free NHS DNA testing. The government plans to recruit five million healthy volunteers who will have their DNA read to test for diseases such as cancer and dementia. The NHS will also offer DNA analysis to patients with rare genetic disorders and cancers as part of their routine care from this year. The original proposals would have seen people pay for these tests, but they will now be offered for free.