National Health Service

[SteveH]

Will Rishi Sunak's plan to tackle NHS staffing shortages work?

Will it work?
That answer is yes for recruitment, though with a caveat.

The plan is funded for the first five years but for 10 years after that there is an assumption that future governments will find the money to keep up with the required growth in training places.

It is hard to believe a new administration would dilute NHS workforce growth and the training of thousands more doctors and nurses.

But, never say never when it comes to public finances.

Expanding the number of clinical staff to the extent which is envisaged in the plan will eventually have a positive impact for patients - but retention will be a bigger ask.

The plan's policies to improve morale and hang on to staff look a little vague. Recruitment will not achieve much if there is a continued exodus at the same rate as now.

Is it the right approach?    cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66070467

[SteveH]

Love it or hate it, the NHS is here to stay

The British have a love-hate relationship with the NHS.

According to researchers at the King's Fund, the public gave the NHS its worst rating since records began 40 years ago. Just 29% said they were satisfied with the NHS in 2022.

And yet we still love it. A whopping 90% of the public agrees the service should be free and available to everyone.

But with more than seven million people on waiting lists, almost everyone knows someone who isn't getting the care they need.

As the NHS approaches its 75th anniversary, politicians are falling over themselves to praise the service.

But when the cameras aren't rolling, the message you hear can be a very different one. Just like us, politicians have a love-hate relationship with the NHS.

"The whole system is paralysed and not improving - all the progress is going backwards." That's not the kind of thing you're likely to hear a minister say in public but it is the candid verdict of a former health minister talking privately.

They say the NHS chief executive has become the "rationer-in-chief" tasked with "spreading the jam more and more thinly" as the demand for care races ahead of what's available.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66068224

[SteveH]

'I've worked in the NHS for 48 years and the future is apps and AI'
Dr Hasmukh Shah has worked in the NHS for almost 50 years. He has witnessed people live longer because of it and watched the NHS prosper thanks to overseas doctors. Now he is sharing his thoughts on what he thinks the future holds for the health service

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/ive-worked-nhs-48-years-27255117?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

NHS Wales: Ex-soldiers part of staff training course

Dr Jonathon Gray of Cardiff and Vale health board said new challenges needed "different forms of leadership".

Despite pulling together to open the Dragon's Heart field hospital in the Principality Stadium during the pandemic, those in charge realised their team members were unprepared to deal with the situation.

The Climb programme culminates in a three-day event with tasks such as co-ordinating a full-scale emergency operation, rescuing bodies from collapsed buildings and dealing with unexpected emergencies.

Participants are guided through this by members of an international rescue team and former SAS soldiers.

Dr Gray, the health board's director of improvement and innovation said the challenges facing NHS staff were "ever more complex".

He added: "When could possibly be better than the 75th anniversary of the NHS to be investing and growing the young leaders who will create the future NHS?"

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66095882

[SteveH]

WALES' Health Minister has provided an update on the ongoings at Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, five months after putting it into special measures.

On February 27, Eluned Morgan MS, placed BCUHB back into special measures following 'serious concerns' about the way the health board was being run.

The Health Minister referenced concerns over board effectiveness, organisational culture, service quality and reconfiguration, governance, patient safety, operational delivery, leadership and financial management.

Read more https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23641804.health-minister-provides-update-betsi-special-measures-call/

[SteveH]

Glan Clwyd to issue Infringement Notices to 'inconsiderate' parkers

FROM next week - emergency double red lines around Glan Clwyd Hospital will be protected.

This means, any vehicles parked on them will be issued with Parking Infringement Notices.
The action will be taken from Monday, July 17.

The level of "inconsiderate" parking at Glan Clwyd Hospital is said to have increased "considerably" over the past few months. It is now causing "chaos" on site.

In response to this, it is understood site managers have decided to act.

The Journal and Pioneer has learnt that this is not only affecting emergency vehicles, but it is also causing potential problems for those trying to attend outpatient appointments.

Non-emergency ambulances are also said to be reporting "difficulties" accessing dedicated spaces at the front of the Bodelwyddan based hospital.

It is believed the hospital is looking at various options to manage parking on site but in the meantime, bosses have ordered the infringement notices to be placed on any vehicles parked on routes lines with red lines, plus on any vehicles parked across the zebra crossing and in allocated disabled sections without the necessary blue badge displayed.

The notices do not carry a penalty but it is hoping the move will appeal to the better of nature of drivers.

Patients and visitors to Glan Clwyd Hospital are being urged to explore other options when travelling to the site such as using public transport or being dropped off and picked up for appointments or when visiting friends and relatives in hospital.

[SteveH]

There are around 500 fewer places in care homes in Wales than there were in 2015, figures show.

It comes as the number of people aged over 65 in Wales increased by around 100,000 in the 10 years to 2021.

Care Forum Wales said funding must be urgently overhauled as the number of homes closing due to costs has created a "really difficult" situation.

The Welsh government said it was a council and health board matter but added it was providing ?70m this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66195044

[SteveH]

'Line and death': Crackdown on 'inconsiderate' parkers at Glan Clwyd

On Monday, July 17, emergency double red lines around the Bodelwyddan based hospital became protected; Any vehicles parked on them will be issued with Parking Infringement Notices.

Red lines have been refreshed and signs have gone up around the hospital site warning patients and visitors not "stop".

Hospital bosses have been left no choice but introduce the measures as the amount of people parking on double red lines has become "chaotic".

Read more https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23661388.line-death-crackdown-inconsiderate-parkers-glan-clwyd/?ref=rss&IYA-mail=d2a6ee64-29aa-4d6b-be9e-e1a0d906a347

[SteveH]

A new hospital extension and multi-storey car park are planned at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has applied to Denbighshire County Council, seeking permission to build an adult and older persons? mental health unit at the hospital on Rhuddlan Road, Bodelwyddan.

The health board wants to build the new unit and the multi-storey on two plots of land, both currently used as car parks on the hospital grounds. If the development gets the go-ahead, the purpose-built mental health unit will provide a replacement for the existing Ablett Unit.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/ysbyty-glan-clwyd-multi-storey-27369041?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Hundreds of patients are taking up hospital beds across England and Wales every day despite being ready to leave, according to NHS data.

Figures show the biggest obstacle to speedy discharge is lack of beds in other settings, such as care homes.

Other reasons include hold-ups in sorting transport, medicines and paperwork.

The government said it wanted to "ensure patients leave hospital as soon as they are medically fit".

It is the first time data has been published which breaks down the reasons for discharge delays.

The need to install specialist equipment in a person's home or disagreements between a patient, their family and medical staff are among other reasons given.

The figures showed that, among patients in England in June who had been in hospital at least 14 days, an average of 1,791 a day were unable to be discharged due the lack of a bed in a residential or nursing home

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66284404

[SteveH]

Surge in ill health will have major impact on NHS

The number of people living with major illnesses in England will rise nine times faster than the healthy working age population, projections show.

By 2040 nearly one in five will have health conditions such as dementia and cancer, up from one in six in 2019.

The Health Foundation, which did the analysis, said the population shift would have a major impact on the NHS.

The think tank said it would require a radical shift, with more care in the community, rather than hospitals.

The projections suggest there will be 9.1 million people with a major health condition by 2040, a 37% rise in the latest data from 2019.

By comparison, the number of healthy working-age people will increase by just 4%.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66295170

[SteveH]

A ?DOUBLE whammy? of rock bottom fees and soaring costs will inevitably lead to more care home closures across North Wales, it?s been warned.

Care homes in the region are struggling with increases of up to 100 per cent for utilities and insurance, along with hikes of more than 20 per cent for things like food and incontinence products.

At the same time, the fees providers receive in North Wales can be up to ?10,000 a year less per person than those given to their counterparts in South Wales for providing exactly the same level of care.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23680488.chief-executive-warns-care-homes-north-wales-will-face-closure/

[SteveH]

Dangerous allergic reactions are rising in England and now cause some 25,000 NHS hospital stays a year, data shows.

Health officials say the rate has more than doubled over 20 years, prompting them to issue advice reminding people how to recognise allergies and respond.

For severe food-related allergic reactions, the rise in admissions is even greater.

Provisional figures show admissions rose from under 2,000 twenty years ago to more than 5,000 in 2022/23.

The data, gathered by the NHS and analysed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, does not include people who visited outpatient or Accident and Emergency departments with allergies and were discharged without requiring a hospital stay.

The figures suggest anaphylaxis is on the increase, though some of the rise could be attributed to the growth in population.

How to treat an allergic reaction
Knowing what to do could mean the difference between life and death.
Signs of a severe allergic reaction, also known as anaphylaxis, include:

swelling in the throat or tongue
wheezing
breathing difficulties
dizziness
tiredness
confusion

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66330268

[SteveH]

ORTHOPAEDIC surgical teams at a North Wales hospital have now performed 100 robotically assisted knee replacement surgeries.

Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor is the first NHS hospital in Wales to perform robotic knee replacements.

Using the ROSA system, surgeons are able to personalise the knee replacement which provides more precise operations, potentially shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23687799.surgeons-ysbyty-gwynedd-clock-robotic-milestone/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

AN EXPERT panel from the General Medical Council (GMC) visited Bangor University earlier this month and confirmed that the North Wales Medical School is ready to recruit students.

Bangor University is now actively recruiting students for its September 2024 intake, marking a significant step in its journey towards formal accreditation of the new North Wales Medical School.

It has been delivering Cardiff University?s C21 medicine programme in North Wales since 2019, in collaboration with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and GPs from across the region, with the first cohort graduating this year.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23689346.go-ahead-recruit-students-new-north-wales-medical-school/