NHS staff morale improves but too many facing abuse

NHS staff say they are now happier and more likely to recommend their organisation as a place to work than last year, but too many still experience unacceptable abuse from patients and the public. Read NHS news piece here

Mental health policy in England

House of Commons Library briefing on mental health policy in England. Around one in four people in the UK suffer from a mental health problem each year. The NHS has set out that it wants to achieve “parity of esteem” between mental and physical health, in terms of access to services, quality of care and allocation of resources.  Click here to read further.

Mental Health Network seeks nominations for new NHS Chair board member

The Mental Health Network (MHN) is currently seeking nominations to its board for a Chair representative from a Mental Health NHS Trust or Foundation Trust.  Click here to read further.

Drop in public satisfaction in the NHS is inevitable consequence of decade of austerity, says NHS Confederation

Responding to the findings of the 2018 British Social Attitudes survey, published by The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust, Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the health sector, said...click here to read

Budget 2018: £1bn real terms cut to wider health budget

The Health Foundation yesterday released analysis following the budget, which included calculations of what the budgets will be in the coming years for NHS England and the wider Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Read report here

Kate Granger Awards recognise inspirational healthcare staff and volunteers spanning 70 years of the NHS

A nurse who started training in 1948 is among the inspirational people and teams receiving special recognition for their dedicated services to the NHS spanning seven decades.
This year’s Kate Granger Compassionate Care Awards, announced at the 2018 Health and Innovation Expo at Manchester Central, were given to individuals, teams and organisations who demonstrate outstanding care for their patients. Click here for full details

My vision for a more tech-driven NHS

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock's speech at NHS Expo 2018 - All around us, a new generation of technology is changing all of our lives. From the mundane but useful, like the ubiquity of satnavs that stop family arguments and warn us of traffic jams, to the profound and extraordinary, like the ability of genomics to design drugs for each individual. Click here for full speech

The NHS at 70

Historical occupational therapy leaflets available to RCOT members To support the NHS70 celebrations this week, RCOT has published a collection of front covers from historical occupational therapy leaflets. Click here to go to link - you do need RCOT membership

The NHS at 70: What will new technology mean for the NHS and its patients?

To mark the BBC's coverage of the NHS's 70th birthday in July 2018, researchers from the Health Foundation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust have joined forces for the first time, using combined expertise to shed light on some of the big questions on the NHS. Click here to go to King's Fund blog

The NHS at 70: Does the NHS need more money and how could we pay for it?

To mark the BBC's coverage of the NHS's 70th birthday in July 2018, researchers from the Health Foundation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust have joined forces for the first time, using combined expertise to shed light on some of the big questions on the NHS. Click here to go to King's Fund blog

NHS met unpredecented patient demand last year

Despite experiencing the worst winter in a decade, frontline NHS staff and managers have risen to the challenge and cared for more patients than ever before. However, this surge in demand has affected the NHS’s performance in key areas, such as waiting times and its reliance on temporary workers. For link to full NHS report click here

Cyber Attack On The NHS

The Public Accounts Committee states that the WannaCry cyber-attack on Friday 12 May 2017, was a wake-up call for the NHS. The Department of Health and Social Care and its arm's-length bodies were unprepared for the relatively unsophisticated WannaCry attack; they had not shared and tested plans for responding to a cyber-attack, nor had any trust passed a cyber-security inspection.The report sets an end of June deadline for the Department of Health and Social Care to provide anupdate on costed plans for vital security investment. See Kings Fund blog here

The Government’s Mandate To NHS England For 2018-19

The government’s mandate to NHS England sets its objectives and budget, and helps to ensure that the NHS is accountable to Parliament and the public. Building on the multi-year approach taken to setting the mandate since 2016, it continues to set objectives and goals to 2020, as well as some specific things that NHS England should be seeking to deliver in the financial year 2018 to 2019. Click here to read Kings Fund blog

A just culture guide

A just culture guide


This guide encourages managers to treat staff involved in a patient safety incident in a consistent, constructive and fair way. It supports a conversation about whether a staff member involved in a patient safety incident requires specific individual support or intervention to work safely.


See the guide at: https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/just-culture-guide/

Consultation outcome: Protecting whistleblowers seeking jobs in the NHS

Consultation outcome: Protecting whistleblowers seeking jobs in the NHS


Details of the consultation outcome can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/protecting-whistleblowers-seeking-jobs-in-the-nhs

Responsibility for prescribing between primary and secondary/tertiary care

Responsibility for prescribing between primary and secondary/tertiary care


NHS England guidance aims to provide clarity on the responsibilities of all professionals involved in commissioning and prescribing across primary, secondary and tertiary care, and to provide support in developing shared care agreements and in the transfer of care.
Read the guidance at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/responsibility-for-prescribing-between-primary-and-secondary-tertiary-care/

NHS Staff Survey 2017

NHS Staff Survey 2017


Approximately 1.1 million NHS employees in England were invited to participate in the 2017 NHS Staff Survey between September 2017 and November 2017. The response rate was 45 per cent. Summary of the results: 31 per cent of staff were satisfied with their level of pay; 68 per cent say their immediate manager takes an interest in their health and wellbeing; 58 per cent of staff worked additional unpaid hours; staff are reporting lower satisfaction with the quality of work and care they are able to deliver; 38 per cent of staff reported feeling unwell due to work related stress in the last 12 months; and 87 per cent of staff reported having an appraisal in the last 12 months.


See the national briefing: http://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/Caches/Files/P3088_ST17_National%20briefing_v5.0.pdf


See the full survey results http://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/Page/1064/Latest-Results/2017-Results/

Vascular surgery: GIRFT Programme National Specialty Report.

Vascular surgery: GIRFT Programme National Specialty Report.

This report provides a detailed picture of vascular procedures and how they are delivered. It is intended to enable clinicians and managers to consider how best to configure their vascular services as part of a 'hub and spoke' model for the benefit of their patients.

Get full details and the report at http://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/vascular-surgery-report/

Academy of the Medical Royal Colleges on the impact on healthcare after Brexit

The impact on healthcare after Brexit - a statement from the Academy of the Medical Royal Colleges.

The challenges faced by the healthcare sector in relation to the regulation and continued supply of life-saving medicines and medical devices after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union are of great concern to those who are responsible for patient care.

Read the statement at http://www.aomrc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TMBrexitspeech_060318-3.pdf

CQC: Introduction of combined trust-level quality and use of resources ratings

Introduction of combined trust-level quality and use of resources ratings


Following feedback from members of the public, healthcare providers and other stakeholders The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has updated its guidance.


Read more at http://www.cqc.org.uk/news/stories/introduction-combined-trust-level-quality-use-resources-ratings