A survey by independent consumer magazine Which? has shown that 51% of dentists are now only taking on patients if they agree to pay for their treatment privately - reports the Daily Mail.
In some areas the situation is so bad that only 13% of dentists are taking on NHS patients.
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said the figures showed NHS dentistry is becoming 'a thing of the past'.
"What is most worrying is that many people on low incomes are effectively excluded from dental care", he said.
"One 80-year-old woman who came to me needed teeth taking out and new false teeth putting in. She was told that would cost between £500 and £800 to have done privately - because she can't get an NHS dentist."
Researchers from Which? contacted 466 dentists across the country, posing as patients.
Recent surveys by Which? has also highlighted disatisfaction at the state of the NHS. Spokesperson Frances Blunden said:
"The government has ploughed enormous amounts of money into the NHS but on the ground the public are seeing cuts in services and considerable difficulties getting treatment."
Presumably Norman Lamb will be one MP at least who will not be approving the waste of an extra £2.5bn a year on the audit-failing and terminally wasteful EU - at least until this serious public service problem is solved?
As he himself admits - and he will obviously be far from the only MP - his constituents are suffering as a result.
How will he explain to the 80-year-old woman he mentions as being unable to get an NHS dentist that, despite this abject failure of a key public service, he has nevertheless approved upping the EU's grant by a whopping 60%.
Monday 30 April 2007
Post-natal depression hits 20% of mothers
The Daily Mail reports today that the rate of new mothers suffering depression has doubled to hit 20%.
The rise is being blamed on the distressing experiences suffered by many women during labour at over-stretched NHS maternity units all over the country.
The survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) shows the number of mothers of children up to a year old who have the condition is even higher - at 27% - and also found that the risk of becoming depressed was far higher for women who had a bad experience during the birth.
The survey showed that 41% of mothers with post-natal depression (PND) had endured a bad birth, compared to just 25% of all mothers surveyed.
Only 14% of PND mothers described their birth as good, compared to 37% of all mothers.
The RCM blames a shortage of 10,000 NHS midwives for the problem, as it makes it harder for hospitals to provide a good service to pregnant women. One of the main problems is mothers being left alone too soon after the birth.
Last week official figures showed there were 339 fewer midwives in the NHS in 2006 than in 2005, while the birth rate is rising. Maternity units in some areas are also facing closure, with ante-natal classes being cut or reduced.
The rise is being blamed on the distressing experiences suffered by many women during labour at over-stretched NHS maternity units all over the country.
The survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) shows the number of mothers of children up to a year old who have the condition is even higher - at 27% - and also found that the risk of becoming depressed was far higher for women who had a bad experience during the birth.
The survey showed that 41% of mothers with post-natal depression (PND) had endured a bad birth, compared to just 25% of all mothers surveyed.
Only 14% of PND mothers described their birth as good, compared to 37% of all mothers.
The RCM blames a shortage of 10,000 NHS midwives for the problem, as it makes it harder for hospitals to provide a good service to pregnant women. One of the main problems is mothers being left alone too soon after the birth.
Last week official figures showed there were 339 fewer midwives in the NHS in 2006 than in 2005, while the birth rate is rising. Maternity units in some areas are also facing closure, with ante-natal classes being cut or reduced.
Sunday 29 April 2007
NHS Direct complaints rise by 50%
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, figures reported by the BBC show.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
NHS Direct complaints rise by 50%
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, figures reported by the BBC show.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
The Patients Association said people were now turning to them for help.
But NHS Direct, which had about 400,000 calls in March, said the situation was improving after a major reorganisation.
We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct
Patients Association spokeswoman
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Performance data from NHS Direct showed that in recent months the service had struggled to answer calls or deal with non-urgent cases quickly enough under its targets agreed with government.
It now means that the number of complaints it is receiving has risen by 50% in the last four months.
The 1.89 complaints per 10,000 calls in March meant there were still under 100 complaints for the month, but the figure is more than twice the target of 0.75 complaints per 10,000 calls.
Service 'scandal'
It is also recognised that it is likely that many more people have been unhappy with the service, but have not lodged formal complaints.
A spokeswoman for the Patients Association said: "We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct.
"It is scandalous that this service is not doing what it should.
"Some are even saying NHS Direct has referred them to us. We are a charity, we should not be picking up the pieces for a publicly-funded service."
A spokesman for NHS Direct said: "We have dropped below the planned targets, but the service is now improving and getting near to the standard it should be.
"There was a major reorganisation last year and it has taken time for that to bed down."
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
The Patients Association said people were now turning to them for help.
But NHS Direct, which had about 400,000 calls in March, said the situation was improving after a major reorganisation.
We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct
Patients Association spokeswoman
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Performance data from NHS Direct showed that in recent months the service had struggled to answer calls or deal with non-urgent cases quickly enough under its targets agreed with government.
It now means that the number of complaints it is receiving has risen by 50% in the last four months.
The 1.89 complaints per 10,000 calls in March meant there were still under 100 complaints for the month, but the figure is more than twice the target of 0.75 complaints per 10,000 calls.
Service 'scandal'
It is also recognised that it is likely that many more people have been unhappy with the service, but have not lodged formal complaints.
A spokeswoman for the Patients Association said: "We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct.
"It is scandalous that this service is not doing what it should.
"Some are even saying NHS Direct has referred them to us. We are a charity, we should not be picking up the pieces for a publicly-funded service."
A spokesman for NHS Direct said: "We have dropped below the planned targets, but the service is now improving and getting near to the standard it should be.
"There was a major reorganisation last year and it has taken time for that to bed down."
Thursday 26 April 2007
Deadly NHS bug 'continues rising'
The BBC reports that more hospital patients in England are getting the deadly Clostridium difficile bug, according to new figures.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) data showed 55,681 cases were reported among over 65s in 2006 - up 8% in a year.
MRSA cases continued their downward trend, but they are not falling quickly enough to meet next year's target.
The HPA said C. difficile rates were "very high" and the Patients Association called for more to be done to protect patients from bugs.
Patients Association spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said: "Too many people are dying from these infections. We must learn from other countries such as Holland which have got infection rates close to zero.
"That is what we should be aiming for. We need to make NHS chief executives more accountable and ring-fence infection control budgets as it is to easy to raid them when there are cuts."
She also said all patients should be screened - at the moment only those at highest risk are routinely tested as they enter hospital.
The HPA does not look at deaths although figures from 2004 show that MRSA was mentioned on over 1,000 death certificates in England and Wales, while C difficile was listed on over 2,000.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) data showed 55,681 cases were reported among over 65s in 2006 - up 8% in a year.
MRSA cases continued their downward trend, but they are not falling quickly enough to meet next year's target.
The HPA said C. difficile rates were "very high" and the Patients Association called for more to be done to protect patients from bugs.
Patients Association spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said: "Too many people are dying from these infections. We must learn from other countries such as Holland which have got infection rates close to zero.
"That is what we should be aiming for. We need to make NHS chief executives more accountable and ring-fence infection control budgets as it is to easy to raid them when there are cuts."
She also said all patients should be screened - at the moment only those at highest risk are routinely tested as they enter hospital.
The HPA does not look at deaths although figures from 2004 show that MRSA was mentioned on over 1,000 death certificates in England and Wales, while C difficile was listed on over 2,000.
Care funding for aged chaotic, claim charities
The Daily Telegraph reports that one of the biggest charity coalitions of its kind is demanding an urgent national debate on funding long-term care for the elderly, amid warnings that the current system is shambolic.
While one in five people will need care in the future, the system is not fit for current pensioners let alone their children, the coalition claims. Yet few people know at first hand the extent of the chaos.
The "Caring Choices" coalition, run by the King's Fund, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Help the Aged, and Age Concern, and supported by 11 other organisations spanning health and care, is hosting debates across the country to address failings and look at solutions.
Julia Unwin, the director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a social research charity, says: "The current system is neither fair, clear nor sustainable and the time has come to devise a system that is fit for the 21st Century."
While one in five people will need care in the future, the system is not fit for current pensioners let alone their children, the coalition claims. Yet few people know at first hand the extent of the chaos.
The "Caring Choices" coalition, run by the King's Fund, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Help the Aged, and Age Concern, and supported by 11 other organisations spanning health and care, is hosting debates across the country to address failings and look at solutions.
Julia Unwin, the director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a social research charity, says: "The current system is neither fair, clear nor sustainable and the time has come to devise a system that is fit for the 21st Century."
Wednesday 25 April 2007
The price is smells, flies and asthma
The reduction in the frequency of domestic rubbish collections has led to concerns about public health, reports the Daily Telegraph today.
A recent study found that fortnightly pick-ups can increase the risk of health problems, including asthma and nausea.
Researchers found that the level of bacteria and fungal spores in the air above bins that had not been emptied for two weeks was more than 10 times that in locations where there was a weekly collection.
The report in the journal Science of the Total Environment said that decaying rubbish heated by warm weather provided a fertile breeding ground for spores.
"Exposure to fungi on this level can trigger sore throats, respiratory systems, faintness, weakness and depression, asthma and other allergic reactions," Tom Kosatsky, a medical epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal, has been quoted as saying.
Doretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said that while most supported recycling, fortnightly collections meant residents had to endure smells, flies and maggots.
There have also been concerns for binmen. Scandinavian scientists found that fortnightly collections allowed organic waste to degrade and putrefy. They noticed that during the working week the respiratory tracts of binmen became inflamed.
The Department for Environment said its research found no evidence of health problems linked to fortnightly collections. Common sense measures, such as keeping waste tightly wrapped and bin lids closed, would help deal with potential smells or insects, it added.
A recent study found that fortnightly pick-ups can increase the risk of health problems, including asthma and nausea.
Researchers found that the level of bacteria and fungal spores in the air above bins that had not been emptied for two weeks was more than 10 times that in locations where there was a weekly collection.
The report in the journal Science of the Total Environment said that decaying rubbish heated by warm weather provided a fertile breeding ground for spores.
"Exposure to fungi on this level can trigger sore throats, respiratory systems, faintness, weakness and depression, asthma and other allergic reactions," Tom Kosatsky, a medical epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal, has been quoted as saying.
Doretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said that while most supported recycling, fortnightly collections meant residents had to endure smells, flies and maggots.
There have also been concerns for binmen. Scandinavian scientists found that fortnightly collections allowed organic waste to degrade and putrefy. They noticed that during the working week the respiratory tracts of binmen became inflamed.
The Department for Environment said its research found no evidence of health problems linked to fortnightly collections. Common sense measures, such as keeping waste tightly wrapped and bin lids closed, would help deal with potential smells or insects, it added.
Hospital failings allow superbugs to spread
Thousands of patients risk contracting potentially deadly superbugs because NHS hospitals are not taking basic steps to stop the spread of infection, the Daily Telegraph reports today.
Independent research by Dr Foster Research, an independent health information company, into the state of infection control at 167 NHS hospital trusts in England exposed chaotic monitoring systems and hospitals losing the battle against MRSA and other deadly infections.
Only 10 of the trusts surveyed could provide data showing that they had isolated more than 90% of individuals with MRSA. This is the level that infection control experts recommend as an essential safeguard in the battle against hospital-acquired bugs.
In half of the trusts surveyed, patients had to wait up to 72 hours for their screening results to be returned, putting thousands of others at risk of contracting an infection. And only five trusts could show that patients were screened and told whether they were infected in less than 24 hours.
The revelations come at a time when cases of C. difficile and MRSA are soaring and deaths linked to hospital superbugs have increased dramatically.
Office for National Statistics figures show that between 2004 and 2005, the number of deaths recorded as associated with MRSA rose 39%. Those that mentioned Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) rose by 69%. Mentions of C. difficile on death certificates rose from 2,247 in 2004 to 3,807 the following year, while mentions of MRSA rose from 1,168 to 1,629.
Patient groups have branded the revelations as "alarming". Michael Summers, of the Patients' Association, accused the Government of not taking the risk of MRSA seriously and blamed NHS cutbacks for the growing problem.
"Cuts in spending in the NHS have had a devastating impact on infection control. People phoning our helpline tell us that bed sheets aren't being washed and that beds are not being cleaned," he said.
"It's not good enough. The number of deaths from MRSA has been rising steadily since 1993 when 51 people died from the bug. In 2005, almost 1,700 people lost their lives from the infection."
Under-capacity in the health service was also blamed for exacerbating the problem. Countries with low rates of hospital-acquired infections, such as the Netherlands, are able to isolate infected patients because their hospitals are less crowded. Bed occupancy rates in the Netherlands are around 60% compared with more than 87% in Britain.
Yet billions of pounds that could be used to tackle this problem - a factor in the deaths of over 5,000 people in 2005 - by providing hospitals with more resources for cleaning, more beds and more isolation facilities, MPs instead plan to hand over to the EU.
Some MPs claim that the billions they want to pay the EU may not, if saved, necessarily be used for this purpose. But this is a feeble excuse for intending to approve obviously wasteful spending while public services clearly need more support.
More public money is required from somewhere and, until they can suggest another source, blocking vastly increased payments to a wasteful and audit-failing body like the EU is an obvious candidate for consideration.
So will MPs take the responsible course and vote against the EU budget deal? Or expose their supposed commitment to improving public services as nothing more than talk?
Independent research by Dr Foster Research, an independent health information company, into the state of infection control at 167 NHS hospital trusts in England exposed chaotic monitoring systems and hospitals losing the battle against MRSA and other deadly infections.
Only 10 of the trusts surveyed could provide data showing that they had isolated more than 90% of individuals with MRSA. This is the level that infection control experts recommend as an essential safeguard in the battle against hospital-acquired bugs.
In half of the trusts surveyed, patients had to wait up to 72 hours for their screening results to be returned, putting thousands of others at risk of contracting an infection. And only five trusts could show that patients were screened and told whether they were infected in less than 24 hours.
The revelations come at a time when cases of C. difficile and MRSA are soaring and deaths linked to hospital superbugs have increased dramatically.
Office for National Statistics figures show that between 2004 and 2005, the number of deaths recorded as associated with MRSA rose 39%. Those that mentioned Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) rose by 69%. Mentions of C. difficile on death certificates rose from 2,247 in 2004 to 3,807 the following year, while mentions of MRSA rose from 1,168 to 1,629.
Patient groups have branded the revelations as "alarming". Michael Summers, of the Patients' Association, accused the Government of not taking the risk of MRSA seriously and blamed NHS cutbacks for the growing problem.
"Cuts in spending in the NHS have had a devastating impact on infection control. People phoning our helpline tell us that bed sheets aren't being washed and that beds are not being cleaned," he said.
"It's not good enough. The number of deaths from MRSA has been rising steadily since 1993 when 51 people died from the bug. In 2005, almost 1,700 people lost their lives from the infection."
Under-capacity in the health service was also blamed for exacerbating the problem. Countries with low rates of hospital-acquired infections, such as the Netherlands, are able to isolate infected patients because their hospitals are less crowded. Bed occupancy rates in the Netherlands are around 60% compared with more than 87% in Britain.
Yet billions of pounds that could be used to tackle this problem - a factor in the deaths of over 5,000 people in 2005 - by providing hospitals with more resources for cleaning, more beds and more isolation facilities, MPs instead plan to hand over to the EU.
Some MPs claim that the billions they want to pay the EU may not, if saved, necessarily be used for this purpose. But this is a feeble excuse for intending to approve obviously wasteful spending while public services clearly need more support.
More public money is required from somewhere and, until they can suggest another source, blocking vastly increased payments to a wasteful and audit-failing body like the EU is an obvious candidate for consideration.
So will MPs take the responsible course and vote against the EU budget deal? Or expose their supposed commitment to improving public services as nothing more than talk?
Election spotlight falls on weekly bin battle
Dropping weekly bin collections has flared into a major issue for hundreds of thousands of voters at next week's local elections, the Daily Telegraph writes.
Concern about proposals to bring in fortnightly collections stretches from Guildford in the South to Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border with Scotland.
Cuts in collections in a substantial amount of local authorities has provoked an angry response from council tax payers
Campaigning on the threat, which comes after revelations last week that weekly rounds have been ended for households in four out of 10 councils in England, stretches across party boundaries with Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates pledging to reinstate the weekly collection.
Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of Local the Government Association, said the elections had seen rising concern among council taxpayers. "It is more of an issue than it was," he added.
Doretta Cox, who runs the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collections, said: "It is becoming a very hot topic. In the last month it has just gone crazy. It should be a local election campaigning issue but unfortunately, because they are coming under Government pressure, it is not as important as it should be."
The Telegraph yesterday found that in 19 out of 45 councils the issue had become a major concern. The Liberal Democrats are fighting the proposals in Luton and Liverpool, where the party has branded proposals by Labour for fortnightly collections as a "Rats' Charter".
Concern about proposals to bring in fortnightly collections stretches from Guildford in the South to Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border with Scotland.
Cuts in collections in a substantial amount of local authorities has provoked an angry response from council tax payers
Campaigning on the threat, which comes after revelations last week that weekly rounds have been ended for households in four out of 10 councils in England, stretches across party boundaries with Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates pledging to reinstate the weekly collection.
Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of Local the Government Association, said the elections had seen rising concern among council taxpayers. "It is more of an issue than it was," he added.
Doretta Cox, who runs the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collections, said: "It is becoming a very hot topic. In the last month it has just gone crazy. It should be a local election campaigning issue but unfortunately, because they are coming under Government pressure, it is not as important as it should be."
The Telegraph yesterday found that in 19 out of 45 councils the issue had become a major concern. The Liberal Democrats are fighting the proposals in Luton and Liverpool, where the party has branded proposals by Labour for fortnightly collections as a "Rats' Charter".
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Tuesday 24 April 2007
NHS 'summer of discontent' looms over pay
London's Evening Standard reports today that a 'summer of discontent' over NHS pay is looming, after the largest health service union voted to hold a ballot on industrial action.
The Royal College of Nursing and GMB voted to hold a ballot last week, and yesterday the Royal College of Radiographers also agreed to take action.
Unison's decision, and intention to co-ordinate with these other unions, raises the prospect of the largest NHS protest for more than 20 years.
The unions are angry about the government's latest pay offer for nurses and support staff. Ministers have rejected an independent pay review body's recommendation of a 2.5% rise to be paid in full from this month.
Instead the government have staged the award over the year, leading to a rise equivalent to only 1.9% over the year.
Delegates at Unison's annual health conference in Brighton yesterday voted unanimously to ballot its 450,000 members, who include nurses, ambulance workers, porters and cleaners,
The union leadership demanded an emergency meeting with chancellor Gordon Brown and said the ballot would be go ahead if the government did not increase the pay offer so that it is above the rate of inflation.
Nurse Sandra Dee said: "We need to pay for our housing and feed and clothe our children, and we will not accept our pay being eroded. Let's stand up and fight."
Janet Maiden, a nurse from University College Hospital in London, said: "There are over one million health workers and we could all take action together and show Tony Blair's replacement that we will not tolerate putting up with this any longer.
"Let us give this government a summer of discontent and have a serious fight over pay this year."
The Society of Radiographers, also meeting in Brighton, voted to reject the pay offer and would 'consider further action' if the government did not back down.
Warren Town, the society's director of industrial relatons, said: "A stand must be taken against the government's move to underpay the people that they claim are absolutely key to delivering the NHS targets that they have set.
"Morale in the NHS was bad before but this penny-pinching has sent it to rock bottom."
The Royal College of Nursing and GMB voted to hold a ballot last week, and yesterday the Royal College of Radiographers also agreed to take action.
Unison's decision, and intention to co-ordinate with these other unions, raises the prospect of the largest NHS protest for more than 20 years.
The unions are angry about the government's latest pay offer for nurses and support staff. Ministers have rejected an independent pay review body's recommendation of a 2.5% rise to be paid in full from this month.
Instead the government have staged the award over the year, leading to a rise equivalent to only 1.9% over the year.
Delegates at Unison's annual health conference in Brighton yesterday voted unanimously to ballot its 450,000 members, who include nurses, ambulance workers, porters and cleaners,
The union leadership demanded an emergency meeting with chancellor Gordon Brown and said the ballot would be go ahead if the government did not increase the pay offer so that it is above the rate of inflation.
Nurse Sandra Dee said: "We need to pay for our housing and feed and clothe our children, and we will not accept our pay being eroded. Let's stand up and fight."
Janet Maiden, a nurse from University College Hospital in London, said: "There are over one million health workers and we could all take action together and show Tony Blair's replacement that we will not tolerate putting up with this any longer.
"Let us give this government a summer of discontent and have a serious fight over pay this year."
The Society of Radiographers, also meeting in Brighton, voted to reject the pay offer and would 'consider further action' if the government did not back down.
Warren Town, the society's director of industrial relatons, said: "A stand must be taken against the government's move to underpay the people that they claim are absolutely key to delivering the NHS targets that they have set.
"Morale in the NHS was bad before but this penny-pinching has sent it to rock bottom."
Monday 23 April 2007
More patients 'top up' NHS care
More patients will have to pay 'top-up' fees for private care because of budget cuts in the NHS and long waiting times, a group of doctors say in a report.
According to the BBC, Doctors for Reform says the idea that health care is free across the UK is now a "political mirage".
The report was written by three doctors, including Karol Sikora, professor of cancer medicine at Imperial College School of Medicine.
Mr Sikora said: "Having to 'top-up' NHS care is a reality for many patients.
"But the political debate continues to perpetuate the mirage of a service completely free at the point of delivery".
Doctors for Reform says it is an independent, non-party group supported by almost 900 doctors.
Its report says patients are developing sophisticated approaches to 'topping up' NHS care with private treatments, including in key areas like cancer and heart disease.
It blames patchy provision of NHS services across the UK, long waiting times and varied quality.
According to the BBC, Doctors for Reform says the idea that health care is free across the UK is now a "political mirage".
The report was written by three doctors, including Karol Sikora, professor of cancer medicine at Imperial College School of Medicine.
Mr Sikora said: "Having to 'top-up' NHS care is a reality for many patients.
"But the political debate continues to perpetuate the mirage of a service completely free at the point of delivery".
Doctors for Reform says it is an independent, non-party group supported by almost 900 doctors.
Its report says patients are developing sophisticated approaches to 'topping up' NHS care with private treatments, including in key areas like cancer and heart disease.
It blames patchy provision of NHS services across the UK, long waiting times and varied quality.
Wednesday 18 April 2007
Wales: Health bodies face growing debt
The Welsh NHS is continuing to get into debt, with managers forecasting a £33m overspend for the last 12 months, according to research by BBC Wales.
The debt was calculated from a survey of all Welsh NHS Trusts, local health boards and Health Commission Wales.
Overspending has risen by nearly 10% on last year, but the bulk of the deficit is down to a few key institutions.
The final figures will be presented to the Welsh Assembly Government in the coming months.
The predicted overspend of £33.45m for the last 12 months is still only a small proportion of the overall health and social services budget of £5,114.4m.
However, there are also historical debts across the Welsh NHS of around £84m, according to Welsh Assembly Government figures.
Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust is forecasting one of the greatest overspends, with an anticipated debt of £6.5m.
The Welsh Ambulance Service, which has suffered a turbulent 12 months with changes at the top in management and claims of crisis, is also forecasting a £6.4m debt.
Three local health boards also fared badly, with Carmarthenshire forecasting a deficit of £4.2m, Swansea an overspend of £4.468m, and Powys predicting a deficit of £3.2m.
The overall deficit figure would have passed £40m without one-off payments made to two NHS bodies.
Health Commission Wales - which has been heavily criticised for making cuts to its services - is forecasting a break even, but only due to an additional £5m payment received from the Welsh Assembly Government.
Similarly, North East Wales NHS Trust forecasts a break even position, thanks to an additional £3.2m non-recurring payment from local health boards.
The four main political parties have reacted to the news of the anticipated overspend, with Labour saying the culture of debt must be changed and the NHS had to live within its means.
But the Conservatives said Labour had been in charge for 10 years, and the situation was getting worse. "Today's debts are tomorrow's cuts," they said.
Plaid Cymru said they wanted to establish how much of the problem was down to underfunding, and how much was down to mismanagement.
They said it had to be sorted out before nursing jobs were lost.
The debt was calculated from a survey of all Welsh NHS Trusts, local health boards and Health Commission Wales.
Overspending has risen by nearly 10% on last year, but the bulk of the deficit is down to a few key institutions.
The final figures will be presented to the Welsh Assembly Government in the coming months.
The predicted overspend of £33.45m for the last 12 months is still only a small proportion of the overall health and social services budget of £5,114.4m.
However, there are also historical debts across the Welsh NHS of around £84m, according to Welsh Assembly Government figures.
Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust is forecasting one of the greatest overspends, with an anticipated debt of £6.5m.
The Welsh Ambulance Service, which has suffered a turbulent 12 months with changes at the top in management and claims of crisis, is also forecasting a £6.4m debt.
Three local health boards also fared badly, with Carmarthenshire forecasting a deficit of £4.2m, Swansea an overspend of £4.468m, and Powys predicting a deficit of £3.2m.
The overall deficit figure would have passed £40m without one-off payments made to two NHS bodies.
Health Commission Wales - which has been heavily criticised for making cuts to its services - is forecasting a break even, but only due to an additional £5m payment received from the Welsh Assembly Government.
Similarly, North East Wales NHS Trust forecasts a break even position, thanks to an additional £3.2m non-recurring payment from local health boards.
The four main political parties have reacted to the news of the anticipated overspend, with Labour saying the culture of debt must be changed and the NHS had to live within its means.
But the Conservatives said Labour had been in charge for 10 years, and the situation was getting worse. "Today's debts are tomorrow's cuts," they said.
Plaid Cymru said they wanted to establish how much of the problem was down to underfunding, and how much was down to mismanagement.
They said it had to be sorted out before nursing jobs were lost.
Tuesday 17 April 2007
MRSA risk 'rising in crowded hospitals'
Thousands of patients risk catching MRSA and other deadly superbugs because NHS hospitals are overcrowded, according to a survey reported in the Daily Telegraph today.
Figures produced by the Royal College of Nursing suggest that in the vast majority of wards the proportion of beds occupied at any one time is substantially higher than Government estimates.
Infection control experts have warned that occupancy rates should be kept below 85% to prevent the spread of MRSA and other infections such as Clostridium difficile.
But the survey suggests the average occupancy rate earlier this year was 97%, and that more than half of wards were running at 100% to meet increased patient demand and hit waiting time targets.
Speaking at the college's annual congress in Harrogate yesterday, Howard Catton, the head of policy, said: "Our report shows we have a system running very hot, with very high bed occupancy and the average length of stay down from 12 days to only nine. The number of nurses on these wards is 14% lower than it should be."
The survey of 173 general medical and general surgical wards in 84 hospitals across the UK found that 54% were running at maximum capacity in February.
Recent figures show that in 2005, a total of 3,807 people died after contracting C difficile, an increase of 69% in 12 months, and a further 1,629 died after contracting MRSA - a rise of 39% in a single year.
Prof Barry Cookson, an MRSA and infection expert at the Health Protection Agency, warned in 2004 that occupancy rates must be lowered.
He said: "We have got to get down to 85%. Patients should realise that there is a certain safety level above which we start having problems."
A health department report leaked last year showed that in hospitals with occupancy rates above 85%, MRSA infection rates were 16% above average. Those with 90% occupancy rates had MRSA 42% above average.
The health department disputed the figures, saying that the most recent occupancy figure, for 2005/06, was 84.6%, the lowest figure since 2000/01.
Figures produced by the Royal College of Nursing suggest that in the vast majority of wards the proportion of beds occupied at any one time is substantially higher than Government estimates.
Infection control experts have warned that occupancy rates should be kept below 85% to prevent the spread of MRSA and other infections such as Clostridium difficile.
But the survey suggests the average occupancy rate earlier this year was 97%, and that more than half of wards were running at 100% to meet increased patient demand and hit waiting time targets.
Speaking at the college's annual congress in Harrogate yesterday, Howard Catton, the head of policy, said: "Our report shows we have a system running very hot, with very high bed occupancy and the average length of stay down from 12 days to only nine. The number of nurses on these wards is 14% lower than it should be."
The survey of 173 general medical and general surgical wards in 84 hospitals across the UK found that 54% were running at maximum capacity in February.
Recent figures show that in 2005, a total of 3,807 people died after contracting C difficile, an increase of 69% in 12 months, and a further 1,629 died after contracting MRSA - a rise of 39% in a single year.
Prof Barry Cookson, an MRSA and infection expert at the Health Protection Agency, warned in 2004 that occupancy rates must be lowered.
He said: "We have got to get down to 85%. Patients should realise that there is a certain safety level above which we start having problems."
A health department report leaked last year showed that in hospitals with occupancy rates above 85%, MRSA infection rates were 16% above average. Those with 90% occupancy rates had MRSA 42% above average.
The health department disputed the figures, saying that the most recent occupancy figure, for 2005/06, was 84.6%, the lowest figure since 2000/01.
Nurse redundancy figures revealed
Twenty-three hospital nurses were made redundant in the North West in the last six months, reports the BBC.
As well as the nurses, 113 managers, 29 clerical workers, seven therapists and two healthcare scientists also lost their jobs, NHS North West said.
On Monday, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claimed about 22,000 UK posts had been lost because of NHS cuts.
Speaking at the RCN's annual conference, Dr Peter Carter, general secretary, said the NHS was having the "life squeezed out of it" by deficit-imposed cuts.
The figures released by NHS North West concern the actual number of people made redundant since October 2006, rather than NHS posts.
The health authority said some redundancies in Greater Manchester were as a result of the move towards more community-based services.
Others were through some hospitals making efficiency savings as part of a drive to become financially stable, it said.
By the end of February 2007, a total of 174 staff out of 203,456 in the NHS in the North West had lost their jobs.
NHS North West covers 66 hospital and primary care trusts in the region.
As well as the nurses, 113 managers, 29 clerical workers, seven therapists and two healthcare scientists also lost their jobs, NHS North West said.
On Monday, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claimed about 22,000 UK posts had been lost because of NHS cuts.
Speaking at the RCN's annual conference, Dr Peter Carter, general secretary, said the NHS was having the "life squeezed out of it" by deficit-imposed cuts.
The figures released by NHS North West concern the actual number of people made redundant since October 2006, rather than NHS posts.
The health authority said some redundancies in Greater Manchester were as a result of the move towards more community-based services.
Others were through some hospitals making efficiency savings as part of a drive to become financially stable, it said.
By the end of February 2007, a total of 174 staff out of 203,456 in the NHS in the North West had lost their jobs.
NHS North West covers 66 hospital and primary care trusts in the region.
Labels:
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Monday 16 April 2007
Redditch: Church petitions against Alex cuts
Parishioners at a Redditch church have added their voices to the campaign against planned cuts at the Alexandra Hospital - reports the Redditch Advertiser.
St John's CE Church in Greenlands sent a 46 signature petition to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the county's hospitals.
The petition stated the undersigned were opposed to the proposed closure of maternity services, 24-hour inpatient paediatric services and emergency gynaelogical services and were against the withdrawal of the majority of the chaplaincy from trust hospitals.
It said proposals would be detrimental to the welfare of woman and children, as well as the family life of those needing to use the services.
"The impact of these proposals will be most keenly felt by the socially deprived," it added.
Gary Noyes, lay pastor at the church, who has been in the post for three months, said: "As a newcomer I think the Alex is a fantastic hospital.
"From a purely professional point of view, ministering to the Woodrow and Greenlands, I would hate to see any cutbacks."
The St John's petition was part of a town wide petition sent to all churches in Redditch.
It was received and noted by the trust at a board meeting earlier this month.
In December, Friends organisations at hospitals in Redditch, Worcester and Kidderminster stepped in to fund chaplaincy posts at Worcester and Redditch after the trust proposed cutting the service to just one chaplain to serve the entire county.
Three months' public consultation on proposed cuts at the Alex is expected to start in June.
St John's CE Church in Greenlands sent a 46 signature petition to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the county's hospitals.
The petition stated the undersigned were opposed to the proposed closure of maternity services, 24-hour inpatient paediatric services and emergency gynaelogical services and were against the withdrawal of the majority of the chaplaincy from trust hospitals.
It said proposals would be detrimental to the welfare of woman and children, as well as the family life of those needing to use the services.
"The impact of these proposals will be most keenly felt by the socially deprived," it added.
Gary Noyes, lay pastor at the church, who has been in the post for three months, said: "As a newcomer I think the Alex is a fantastic hospital.
"From a purely professional point of view, ministering to the Woodrow and Greenlands, I would hate to see any cutbacks."
The St John's petition was part of a town wide petition sent to all churches in Redditch.
It was received and noted by the trust at a board meeting earlier this month.
In December, Friends organisations at hospitals in Redditch, Worcester and Kidderminster stepped in to fund chaplaincy posts at Worcester and Redditch after the trust proposed cutting the service to just one chaplain to serve the entire county.
Three months' public consultation on proposed cuts at the Alex is expected to start in June.
Stoke: 'Morale low' at job cuts hospital
Morale is low among staff at a debt-hit Staffordshire hospital which has cut 800 jobs, says the Royal College of Nursing.
The BBC reports RCN representative Elaine Twigg saying that NHS cuts in the West Midlands region had been among the biggest in England.
She said: "It makes it very difficult when I speak to others and they say they're having a hard time as well.
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust made the cuts in an effort to reduce a £17m deficit.
Ms Twigg, who is attending the RCN conference in Harrogate, added: "I know morale is very low throughout the country, and certainly in our hospital it is very low, so we will wait and see whether this manages to improve things."
The hospital has also closed 145 beds as part of its cost-cutting measures and has said more post closures are possible.
The BBC reports RCN representative Elaine Twigg saying that NHS cuts in the West Midlands region had been among the biggest in England.
She said: "It makes it very difficult when I speak to others and they say they're having a hard time as well.
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust made the cuts in an effort to reduce a £17m deficit.
Ms Twigg, who is attending the RCN conference in Harrogate, added: "I know morale is very low throughout the country, and certainly in our hospital it is very low, so we will wait and see whether this manages to improve things."
The hospital has also closed 145 beds as part of its cost-cutting measures and has said more post closures are possible.
Labels:
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Cuts 'squeezing life out of NHS'
The NHS is having the "life squeezed out of it" by cuts imposed because of deficits, says the UK's nurse leader - according to the BBC.
Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, congratulated ministers for tripling the health budget since 1997.
But he warned the progress made was at risk of being reversed as wards are closed, jobs lost and services slashed.
Nurses called for the law to be changed to introduce guaranteed nurse/patient ratios as a way of preventing cuts.
Speaking at the RCN's annual conference in Harrogate, Lothian nurse Geoff Earl said evidence had shown death rates increased by a third if the number of patients per nurse increased from four to eight.
"The lower the ratio the lower the rates of urinary tract infection and pneumonia," he said.
"It also improves recruitment and retention, reduces the use of agency staff and leads to less staff sickness. So it also makes financial sense - in the long term."
David Dawes, part of the RCN's body for nurses in senior management, said he supported the move as it would make many of the recent cuts - the RCN estimates over 22,000 post have been lost in the last 18 months - illegal.
And Lisa Leicester, a community mental health nurse from Gloucestershire, added: "Lets ensure appropriate staffing levels but also appropriately qualified nurses."
The debate came after the RCN's new leader set out the "tough" times the NHS was facing.
The former NHS trust chief executive, who took up the post in January, said: "Training budgets are being raided and public health programmes are being targeted.
"We've got workloads going through the roof as jobs are lost and vacancies frozen."
NHS trusts are making cuts in a bid to balance their books after racking up over £500m of deficits last year.
Alluding to recent press reports, Dr Carter said it had got so bad that nurses were being asked to work for nothing and cutting down on the use of lightbulbs.
He also strongly criticised this year's 2.5% pay rise for nurses, describing the award as "shameful".
Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, congratulated ministers for tripling the health budget since 1997.
But he warned the progress made was at risk of being reversed as wards are closed, jobs lost and services slashed.
Nurses called for the law to be changed to introduce guaranteed nurse/patient ratios as a way of preventing cuts.
Speaking at the RCN's annual conference in Harrogate, Lothian nurse Geoff Earl said evidence had shown death rates increased by a third if the number of patients per nurse increased from four to eight.
"The lower the ratio the lower the rates of urinary tract infection and pneumonia," he said.
"It also improves recruitment and retention, reduces the use of agency staff and leads to less staff sickness. So it also makes financial sense - in the long term."
David Dawes, part of the RCN's body for nurses in senior management, said he supported the move as it would make many of the recent cuts - the RCN estimates over 22,000 post have been lost in the last 18 months - illegal.
And Lisa Leicester, a community mental health nurse from Gloucestershire, added: "Lets ensure appropriate staffing levels but also appropriately qualified nurses."
The debate came after the RCN's new leader set out the "tough" times the NHS was facing.
The former NHS trust chief executive, who took up the post in January, said: "Training budgets are being raided and public health programmes are being targeted.
"We've got workloads going through the roof as jobs are lost and vacancies frozen."
NHS trusts are making cuts in a bid to balance their books after racking up over £500m of deficits last year.
Alluding to recent press reports, Dr Carter said it had got so bad that nurses were being asked to work for nothing and cutting down on the use of lightbulbs.
He also strongly criticised this year's 2.5% pay rise for nurses, describing the award as "shameful".
NHS care 'left to student nurses'
The BBC reports today on a study showing that lives are being put at risk because student nurses are being left on their own with patients.
A poll by the Royal College of Nursing of 1,500 student nurses found nearly half had been left unattended with patients without warning.
Guidelines say student nurses should always be monitored except those in their final year and even that has to be prearranged.
The survey showed 44% of student nurses had been left unattended without warning and without a doctor or qualified nurse present.
Eight in 10 of those said it had happened on at least three occasions.
Of the 553 first-year students questioned, 42% said they had been left on their own.
And 15% said they had witnessed adverse events while left unattended.
Gill Robertson, the RCN's student nurses adviser, said there were reports of students just eight weeks into their training being left alone.
She said this could happen on surgical wards and other areas of a hospital where patients were extremely ill.
She added nurses were being stretched because of the cuts being made - the RCN estimates over 22,000 health staff posts have been lost in the last 18 months.
And another survey of nurses working in 173 hospital wards revealed a third of nurses thought patient care was being compromised on each shift because of reduced staffing.
RCN general secretary Peter Carter agreed the financial problems in the NHS were to blame for the problem
"Those registered nurses left have to do ever more with even fewer resources."
Mr Carter also said he was concerned by the reports of student nurses not being able to get jobs once they had qualified.
"I am hearing worrying stories from nurses who qualified last September who are still unable to get jobs because trusts are freezing entry levels posts to save money."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "This is extremely worrying - patients' lives could be at risk.
"The damaging deficits in the health service not only result in job losses but have a serious impact on the remaining workforce."
A poll by the Royal College of Nursing of 1,500 student nurses found nearly half had been left unattended with patients without warning.
Guidelines say student nurses should always be monitored except those in their final year and even that has to be prearranged.
The survey showed 44% of student nurses had been left unattended without warning and without a doctor or qualified nurse present.
Eight in 10 of those said it had happened on at least three occasions.
Of the 553 first-year students questioned, 42% said they had been left on their own.
And 15% said they had witnessed adverse events while left unattended.
Gill Robertson, the RCN's student nurses adviser, said there were reports of students just eight weeks into their training being left alone.
She said this could happen on surgical wards and other areas of a hospital where patients were extremely ill.
She added nurses were being stretched because of the cuts being made - the RCN estimates over 22,000 health staff posts have been lost in the last 18 months.
And another survey of nurses working in 173 hospital wards revealed a third of nurses thought patient care was being compromised on each shift because of reduced staffing.
RCN general secretary Peter Carter agreed the financial problems in the NHS were to blame for the problem
"Those registered nurses left have to do ever more with even fewer resources."
Mr Carter also said he was concerned by the reports of student nurses not being able to get jobs once they had qualified.
"I am hearing worrying stories from nurses who qualified last September who are still unable to get jobs because trusts are freezing entry levels posts to save money."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "This is extremely worrying - patients' lives could be at risk.
"The damaging deficits in the health service not only result in job losses but have a serious impact on the remaining workforce."
Sunday 15 April 2007
Stoke: Hospital care falling apart claim unions
Union officials are compiling an explosive report they say will expose a "gross deterioration" in patient care at the region's biggest hospital, according to The Sentinel.
Pat Powell, Unison branch secretary at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, is working with other unions there to prepare a dossier of evidence about falling standards of patient care following financial cuts.
The allegations include:
... cuts in hospital cleaning leaving patients vulnerable to infections such as MRSA;
... bed shortages that have forced staff to put adults on a children's ward, and 10 beds into a bay designed for six;
... a lack of staff meaning some patients are unable to leave the ward for scans and treatment;
... cuts to physiotherapy services including the end of the paediatric outpatient service and cystic fibrosis service.
A hospital spokesman said the claims were an inaccurate reflection of the situation.
He added: "Some of the allegations are untrue.Others are based on unsubstantiated anecdote, are exaggerated, do not relate to cost cutting, or reflect best practice."
The allegations come as the Royal College of Nursing today revealed more than 22,300 NHS posts have been lost across the country in the last 18 months, of these 500 are from the University Hospital.
Mrs Powell told Sentinel Sunday the problems have been experienced by union members.
She said: "We know these things are happening and at the moment we are gathering in documentary evidence.
"We are collating the evidence through freedom of information requests to the trust on things we know are happening.
"We will then put it all together into a report."
She said all the health unions involved in NHS Together alliance were involved, including bodies representing doctors, nurses and ancillary staff.
Mark Young, North Staffordshire's regional officer for Amicus, which represents 300 workers at the hospital including laboratory staff, said he was also involved in the report.
He hopes it will show the Government that health service cuts are having a devastating impact on care in North Staffordshire.
He said: "The reality on patient care in Stoke-on-Trent is that patients' health is suffering because of these cuts.
"Patients might not notice their care is suffering, but there are a lot of underlying problems.
If the place isn't so clean because of staffing levels, if the beds aren't properly maintained in wards, if laboratory staff aren't able to turn round samples as quickly, then patient care is suffering.
"We want to show the Department of Health what these problems are. The difficulty we have is that people who work in the NHS have an ethos of public service so we often find that although staff are under greater stress because a colleague has been made redundant or not been replaced, they pick up the extra bit of work. "
Mrs Powell spoke out in a speech at the West Midlands NHS rally in Birmingham last month. In it, she blamed the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust's decision to cut 1,000 jobs.
Pat Powell, Unison branch secretary at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, is working with other unions there to prepare a dossier of evidence about falling standards of patient care following financial cuts.
The allegations include:
... cuts in hospital cleaning leaving patients vulnerable to infections such as MRSA;
... bed shortages that have forced staff to put adults on a children's ward, and 10 beds into a bay designed for six;
... a lack of staff meaning some patients are unable to leave the ward for scans and treatment;
... cuts to physiotherapy services including the end of the paediatric outpatient service and cystic fibrosis service.
A hospital spokesman said the claims were an inaccurate reflection of the situation.
He added: "Some of the allegations are untrue.Others are based on unsubstantiated anecdote, are exaggerated, do not relate to cost cutting, or reflect best practice."
The allegations come as the Royal College of Nursing today revealed more than 22,300 NHS posts have been lost across the country in the last 18 months, of these 500 are from the University Hospital.
Mrs Powell told Sentinel Sunday the problems have been experienced by union members.
She said: "We know these things are happening and at the moment we are gathering in documentary evidence.
"We are collating the evidence through freedom of information requests to the trust on things we know are happening.
"We will then put it all together into a report."
She said all the health unions involved in NHS Together alliance were involved, including bodies representing doctors, nurses and ancillary staff.
Mark Young, North Staffordshire's regional officer for Amicus, which represents 300 workers at the hospital including laboratory staff, said he was also involved in the report.
He hopes it will show the Government that health service cuts are having a devastating impact on care in North Staffordshire.
He said: "The reality on patient care in Stoke-on-Trent is that patients' health is suffering because of these cuts.
"Patients might not notice their care is suffering, but there are a lot of underlying problems.
If the place isn't so clean because of staffing levels, if the beds aren't properly maintained in wards, if laboratory staff aren't able to turn round samples as quickly, then patient care is suffering.
"We want to show the Department of Health what these problems are. The difficulty we have is that people who work in the NHS have an ethos of public service so we often find that although staff are under greater stress because a colleague has been made redundant or not been replaced, they pick up the extra bit of work. "
Mrs Powell spoke out in a speech at the West Midlands NHS rally in Birmingham last month. In it, she blamed the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust's decision to cut 1,000 jobs.
Labels:
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Nurse union condemns NHS job cuts
Nurses' leaders say patients are being harmed by job cuts in the profession caused by continuing NHS deficits, the BBC reports.
The Royal College of Nursing, whose conference opened on Sunday, claims that 22,300 NHS posts have been lost in England in the past 18 months.
Specialist nurses are said to have been particularly hard hit.
In its report Our NHS - Today and Tomorrow, the union said the health service was facing a debt crisis that was "real and entrenched".
The RCN study, compiled from reports by members and NHS board papers, said trusts had been forced to shed 22,300 posts through a combination of redundancies, recruitment freezes and post closures.
The financial crisis was also hitting patient care, the study claimed.
However the Department of Health claimed that the actual number of compulsory redundancies was 1,446 - of which only 303 were clinical positions, such as doctors or nurses.
RCN general secretary Dr Peter Carter said he stood by the RCN's figures.
"The deficits issue is not history - it is real, entrenched and continues to hit patient care, services and jobs.
"Yes, the NHS achieved overall financial balance last year - but at what cost?"
He added: "This is hitting services, hurting patients, undermining staff morale and threatening the hard-won progress made over recent years."
The RCN claims specialist nurses, which have been trained to provide expert care in areas such as diabetes and heart disease and have a range of enhanced powers like prescribing, had been particularly effected.
A poll of 807 specialist nurses for the report found one in five were facing a risk of redundancy, while half were aware of cuts in their specialist area.
June James, who has been working as a specialist diabetes nurse for the last 12 years, said: "Posts are being downgraded and services cut. I think it shows a lack of respect for the job we do."
Michael Summers, from the Patients Association, told BBC Five Live that callers to his organisation's helpline said there were "not enough nurses to go round" and patients were "in fear of infections".
"What is clear is that those who leave are not being replaced," he said.
The RCN, which represents 400,000 nurses, published its report to kick start its annual conference in Harrogate.
The Royal College of Nursing, whose conference opened on Sunday, claims that 22,300 NHS posts have been lost in England in the past 18 months.
Specialist nurses are said to have been particularly hard hit.
In its report Our NHS - Today and Tomorrow, the union said the health service was facing a debt crisis that was "real and entrenched".
The RCN study, compiled from reports by members and NHS board papers, said trusts had been forced to shed 22,300 posts through a combination of redundancies, recruitment freezes and post closures.
The financial crisis was also hitting patient care, the study claimed.
However the Department of Health claimed that the actual number of compulsory redundancies was 1,446 - of which only 303 were clinical positions, such as doctors or nurses.
RCN general secretary Dr Peter Carter said he stood by the RCN's figures.
"The deficits issue is not history - it is real, entrenched and continues to hit patient care, services and jobs.
"Yes, the NHS achieved overall financial balance last year - but at what cost?"
He added: "This is hitting services, hurting patients, undermining staff morale and threatening the hard-won progress made over recent years."
The RCN claims specialist nurses, which have been trained to provide expert care in areas such as diabetes and heart disease and have a range of enhanced powers like prescribing, had been particularly effected.
A poll of 807 specialist nurses for the report found one in five were facing a risk of redundancy, while half were aware of cuts in their specialist area.
June James, who has been working as a specialist diabetes nurse for the last 12 years, said: "Posts are being downgraded and services cut. I think it shows a lack of respect for the job we do."
Michael Summers, from the Patients Association, told BBC Five Live that callers to his organisation's helpline said there were "not enough nurses to go round" and patients were "in fear of infections".
"What is clear is that those who leave are not being replaced," he said.
The RCN, which represents 400,000 nurses, published its report to kick start its annual conference in Harrogate.
Health 'should be top priority' says survey
Health should be the top priority for government, a survey has suggested - according to the BBC.
A poll of nearly 2,400 people carried out by YouGov for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that health was ranked above law and order, defence, education and the environment.
A third of those questioned said they wanted to see funding maintained at current levels, while 59% said they wanted it to be increased.
Many said they feared services would be cut if this did not happen.
In total, 37% said health should be the most important spending priority, 23% law and order, 20% education, 10% environment and 2% defence.
When asked in more detail about their healthcare priorities, almost half of those surveyed ranked hospitals above other areas, such as reducing waiting times, more health services in the community, care for the elderly and public health.
So when voters see that their MP, rather than investing limited public funds in their top spending priorities, has in fact approved a 60% increase in funds - billions more pounds a year - for the audit-failing EU, that's unlikely to go down very well at all.
MPs planning to vote in favour of the EU budget deal - particularly those in marginal seats - would surely do well to bear this in mind.
A poll of nearly 2,400 people carried out by YouGov for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that health was ranked above law and order, defence, education and the environment.
A third of those questioned said they wanted to see funding maintained at current levels, while 59% said they wanted it to be increased.
Many said they feared services would be cut if this did not happen.
In total, 37% said health should be the most important spending priority, 23% law and order, 20% education, 10% environment and 2% defence.
When asked in more detail about their healthcare priorities, almost half of those surveyed ranked hospitals above other areas, such as reducing waiting times, more health services in the community, care for the elderly and public health.
So when voters see that their MP, rather than investing limited public funds in their top spending priorities, has in fact approved a 60% increase in funds - billions more pounds a year - for the audit-failing EU, that's unlikely to go down very well at all.
MPs planning to vote in favour of the EU budget deal - particularly those in marginal seats - would surely do well to bear this in mind.
Friday 13 April 2007
Ealing: 23,000 children living in poverty
A staggering 23,000 children in Ealing are living below the poverty line, reports the Ealing Gazette.
They live in poor-quality and overcrowded housing, or temporary accommodation and will probably grow up to be poor adults with emotional issues, according to new figures that show poverty rates across 624 wards in London.
Carey Oppenheim, chair of the London Child Poverty Commission, said the problem would not be solved without major policy changes and improvements to benefits and tax credits.
She said: "Radical improvements in employment for parents of low incomes, rises in national benefits such as child benefit and child tax credit as well as specific measures which improve the incentives for Londoners to take and hold on to jobs are all needed."
Can Ealing MPs Stephen Pound, Andrew Slaughter and Piara Khabra all really intend to vote to approve paying billions of pounds a year to an audit-failing and obviously wasteful body like the EU, with such serious problems in their own backyard?
Are they saying that their constituents living in poverty can do without a share of the £2.5bn a year of public money that the government would save if they voted against the EU budget deal?
If so, they should have a serious look at their priorities. Or at least the thousands of families affected by this problem will likely be looking for change come the next election.
They live in poor-quality and overcrowded housing, or temporary accommodation and will probably grow up to be poor adults with emotional issues, according to new figures that show poverty rates across 624 wards in London.
Carey Oppenheim, chair of the London Child Poverty Commission, said the problem would not be solved without major policy changes and improvements to benefits and tax credits.
She said: "Radical improvements in employment for parents of low incomes, rises in national benefits such as child benefit and child tax credit as well as specific measures which improve the incentives for Londoners to take and hold on to jobs are all needed."
Can Ealing MPs Stephen Pound, Andrew Slaughter and Piara Khabra all really intend to vote to approve paying billions of pounds a year to an audit-failing and obviously wasteful body like the EU, with such serious problems in their own backyard?
Are they saying that their constituents living in poverty can do without a share of the £2.5bn a year of public money that the government would save if they voted against the EU budget deal?
If so, they should have a serious look at their priorities. Or at least the thousands of families affected by this problem will likely be looking for change come the next election.
Friday 6 April 2007
Superbug kills almost as many as die on roads
The Daily Telegraph reports today that deaths from the hospital superbug, Clostridium difficile, are fast approaching the number of road fatalities, an expert has said.
Dr John Starr, reader in geriatric medicine at the University of Edinburgh, says that cases of C difficile rose by 5.5% over a year while MRSA cases fell by 4.3%.
"With more than 2,200 deaths attributed to C difficile in death certificates in England and Wales, the mortality rate is fast approaching that for road traffic accidents and is now around half that for suicide," he says in the British Medical Journal.
Road deaths in 2004 were 2,915.
Dr Starr says that more than 50,000 patients over the age of 65 suffered C difficile infection in hospitals in England last year compared with around 7,000 who caught MRSA.
"Control of C difficile is difficult because, unlike MRSA, alcohol hand scrubs are ineffective and its spores are resistant to routine hospital cleaning."
He says that patients on waiting lists should be screened before they are admitted to see if they are carrying the bacterium.
Dr John Starr, reader in geriatric medicine at the University of Edinburgh, says that cases of C difficile rose by 5.5% over a year while MRSA cases fell by 4.3%.
"With more than 2,200 deaths attributed to C difficile in death certificates in England and Wales, the mortality rate is fast approaching that for road traffic accidents and is now around half that for suicide," he says in the British Medical Journal.
Road deaths in 2004 were 2,915.
Dr Starr says that more than 50,000 patients over the age of 65 suffered C difficile infection in hospitals in England last year compared with around 7,000 who caught MRSA.
"Control of C difficile is difficult because, unlike MRSA, alcohol hand scrubs are ineffective and its spores are resistant to routine hospital cleaning."
He says that patients on waiting lists should be screened before they are admitted to see if they are carrying the bacterium.
Wednesday 4 April 2007
Oxfordshire: Trip to France 'spared me NHS wait'
A man crippled with arthritic pain went to France for a hip replacement after being told he would have to wait six months on the NHS - reports the Oxford Times.
Tony Singleton, 47, of Bagley Close in Kennington, decided to pay £6,800 to be treated at a private clinic in Abbeville, northern France, after learning he could have the operation there within a fortnight.
Mr Singleton, who had already been on the waiting list at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre for five months, was told at the beginning of March he would have to wait even longer.
He said: "I feel the NHS has failed me. I've worked since I was 15 years old and paid all my National Insurance contributions and when I need something, they let me down.
"There was no way I could wait. I had got to the point where I was so crippled by pain that my quality of life was nothing.
The clinic in France Mr Singleton attended is run by English firm People Logistics, who provided door-to-door collection as part of their service.
Managing director Keith Smith said: "Unfortunately there are more and more people who need joint replacement surgery.
"The NHS is failing people and we're disappointed for those that have to use our service."
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has said that the current national waiting time for an orthopaedic inpatient appointment requires patients be seen within 26 weeks, or six months.
A spokesman for the trust said: "In 2005-6, no patients exceeded this target, with the exception of a handful of planned occasions."
However, as Mr Singleton was added to the waiting list in November last year, he would not have been included in these figures.
How can MPs consider rewarding the audit-failing EU with a 60% increase in payments, while people like Mr Singleton aren't getting the vital services they need and have paid for - instead having to raid their savings and pay over again.
Those MPs planning such an unjustified waste of billions of pounds of public money every year instead of investing it in the NHS - or many other useful public purposes - should think again. Or will surely face angry local voters at the next election.
Tony Singleton, 47, of Bagley Close in Kennington, decided to pay £6,800 to be treated at a private clinic in Abbeville, northern France, after learning he could have the operation there within a fortnight.
Mr Singleton, who had already been on the waiting list at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre for five months, was told at the beginning of March he would have to wait even longer.
He said: "I feel the NHS has failed me. I've worked since I was 15 years old and paid all my National Insurance contributions and when I need something, they let me down.
"There was no way I could wait. I had got to the point where I was so crippled by pain that my quality of life was nothing.
The clinic in France Mr Singleton attended is run by English firm People Logistics, who provided door-to-door collection as part of their service.
Managing director Keith Smith said: "Unfortunately there are more and more people who need joint replacement surgery.
"The NHS is failing people and we're disappointed for those that have to use our service."
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has said that the current national waiting time for an orthopaedic inpatient appointment requires patients be seen within 26 weeks, or six months.
A spokesman for the trust said: "In 2005-6, no patients exceeded this target, with the exception of a handful of planned occasions."
However, as Mr Singleton was added to the waiting list in November last year, he would not have been included in these figures.
How can MPs consider rewarding the audit-failing EU with a 60% increase in payments, while people like Mr Singleton aren't getting the vital services they need and have paid for - instead having to raid their savings and pay over again.
Those MPs planning such an unjustified waste of billions of pounds of public money every year instead of investing it in the NHS - or many other useful public purposes - should think again. Or will surely face angry local voters at the next election.
Sunday 1 April 2007
Stoke: Diabetics condemn hospital unit closure
Diabetics are fighting a decision to ditch plans for a new hospital specialist unit catering for their illness - reports The Sentinel.
The unit at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire was due to be included in the area's new hospital, to be built in the next five years.
But the scheme has had to be scaled down for financial reasons and the re-drawn plans no longer show a self-contained diabetic care centre.
Leaders of the thousands of local diabetics voiced fears that they will be "left in limbo" because their existing specialist centre is due to close, forcing them to rely on GPs instead.
News of the closure of the so-called Nines Block comes amid a sharp rise in diabetes cases nationally, linked to rising obesity levels.
Sandra Parsons, of the North Staffordshire branch of the charity Diabetes UK, said: "We have been told that the cut-down funding wouldn't cover the cost of a diabetic care centre in the new plans.
"But no-one has told us, or told the specialist nurses we rely on, what will happen after the Nines Block comes down, reportedly in July.
"In GP surgeries, the service is very patchy - some have diabetic clinics but others don't. There have even been cases of our members having to transfer doctors until they can find a practice with specialist clinic.
"Yet provision is now being squeezed at the hospital end, too.
The branch, which has hospital diabetes specialist Dr John Scarpello as its president, has already raised more than 1,000 signatures for a petition of protest and is now trying to enlist MPs into the fight.
Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness. It can also lead to angina, heart failure, strokes, renal failure and amputation.
Figures for 2005/06 showed there are almost 16,000 registered diabetics in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle, with 60,000 in total in Staffordshire and Shropshire.
The unit at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire was due to be included in the area's new hospital, to be built in the next five years.
But the scheme has had to be scaled down for financial reasons and the re-drawn plans no longer show a self-contained diabetic care centre.
Leaders of the thousands of local diabetics voiced fears that they will be "left in limbo" because their existing specialist centre is due to close, forcing them to rely on GPs instead.
News of the closure of the so-called Nines Block comes amid a sharp rise in diabetes cases nationally, linked to rising obesity levels.
Sandra Parsons, of the North Staffordshire branch of the charity Diabetes UK, said: "We have been told that the cut-down funding wouldn't cover the cost of a diabetic care centre in the new plans.
"But no-one has told us, or told the specialist nurses we rely on, what will happen after the Nines Block comes down, reportedly in July.
"In GP surgeries, the service is very patchy - some have diabetic clinics but others don't. There have even been cases of our members having to transfer doctors until they can find a practice with specialist clinic.
"Yet provision is now being squeezed at the hospital end, too.
The branch, which has hospital diabetes specialist Dr John Scarpello as its president, has already raised more than 1,000 signatures for a petition of protest and is now trying to enlist MPs into the fight.
Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness. It can also lead to angina, heart failure, strokes, renal failure and amputation.
Figures for 2005/06 showed there are almost 16,000 registered diabetics in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle, with 60,000 in total in Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Labels:
diabetes,
NHS cuts,
staffordshire,
stoke-on-trent
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