RSPH responds to NAO investigation outlining decline in pre-school vaccinations
25.10.19
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published an investigative report on
the decline of pre-school vaccinations. The report comes after public concern
was raised regarding NHS England not delivering the 95% performance standard,
set by the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC), for the uptake of
nearly all pre-school vaccinations in England since 2012. The report identifies
that in order to reverse the decline in uptake of pre-school vaccinations,
there needs to be better access to appointments, improved data recording and
more positive public campaigns. According to NHS England and Public Health
England, potential factors responsible for the decline include inconsistent
communication with parents regarding children’s vaccination appointments, lack
of timely access to healthcare professionals, inadequate engagement with
minority groups including traveller communities, migrants and some religious
groups and incomplete data on vaccination uptake. NAO has cited the Royal
Society for Public Health’s (RSPH) Moving the Needle report in their
investigation, placing some responsibility on the timing and availability of
appointments for the decline in child vaccinations. It also found that 41% of
parents are exposed to negative messages about vaccines on social media. Today
the RSPH is calling for government to release its new Vaccine Strategy and do
more to reassure parents of the importance, safety and effectiveness of
vaccines. Including using the use of positive campaigns. Click here to have access to the full report and more details.
New national academy for social prescribing launched
25.10.19
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has revealed his ambition
to make social prescribing schemes as accessible as medical care on the NHS. Health,
wellbeing and social welfare will all be addressed through social prescribing
by connecting the public to their community services. Activities including art
and singing classes in the community could be available to improve aspects of
health amongst patients. The National Academy for Social Prescribing will work
to standardise the quality and range of social prescribing available, increase
awareness using evidence-based results and develop and share best practice. Other
aims including the uniting of all partners from health, housing and local
government with arts, culture and sports organisations to enhance the range of
options available and the developing, training and accreditation across all
sectors. The government will invest £5m in funding into the academy, which will
be led by Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, outgoing Chair of the Royal College
of General Practitioners. In additional to the benefits made available to
patients in need, the social prescribing could reduce the burden on the NHS. This is all part of the NHS long term plan which is available to view here.
NHS England secures new deal for all three
UK-licensed cystic fibrosis medicines
24.10.19
NHS England has today announced it has secured a definitive agreement to make three of the UK-licensed cystic fibrosis medicines available on the NHS. The new deal with Vertex Pharmaceuticals will see patients will now have full access to Orkambi, Symkevi and Kalydeco, and around 5,000 people may now take up these treatments. With no cap on patient numbers, every patient in England who might benefit can now get these treatments, and within 30 days clinicians will be able to begin prescribing these drugs. NHS England has been able to finalise this negotiation because the company agreed to confidential commercial terms that ‘constitute good value for British taxpayers’, and has agreed to submit its drugs for full NICE appraisal. The agreement provides access to all three drugs for current licensed indications, as well as future license extensions too. Announcing the agreement, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said: “The UK has the second highest prevalence of cystic fibrosis of any country in the world, so today is an important and long hoped for moment for children and adults living with cystic fibrosis. The agreement has also been backed by NICE, and a key part of the deal is that Vertex will submit its full portfolio including in due course its new triple therapy to NICE for comprehensive appraisal. “This deal – on the back of several others this summer – shows why we get some of the best value drugs in the world, and is another reason to be so proud of our NHS.” Click here to read more on this article.
Liverpool’s
first council care home in 25 years to open this week
23.10.19
The first of two, Liverpool City Council commissioned care homes to be
built in over 25 years, is opening later this week. The city council committed
to the £8m Brushwood on South Parade in Speke to meet the
demands for dementia care services in the area. The establishment is the first
local authority-built care home to open in the city since the early 1990’s, and
next month will see the opening of another; Millvina House in
Everton. Brushwood is home to 60 beds, 48 of which are for long term care, and
the other 12 are for assessment. Care at these centres will be provided by Shaw healthcare, a company
majority-owned by employees, who have signed up to the Liverpool Social Value
Charter and pay their workforce above the national living wage. All staff who will work at these facilities have undergone specialist
training in safeguarding and dementia awareness. 80% of the staff have been
recruited from the local areas of Speke, Garston and Hunts Cross, with almost a
quarter of them being unemployed before joining the care home. Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: “The decision to invest in these
two new purpose-built care homes that will offer residential and nursing
dementia beds and carer respite is part of our invest to save strategy and will
help ease pressure on other, more costly parts of the health service such as
hospital beds, and save the public purse money.” Click here to read more on this article. Click here to read more on this article.
Cancer patients’ health could be at risk due to NHS staff pressures, report warns
CQC report finds care quality ‘improving’ but work still to be done
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published their annual State of Care report recently highlighting the overall quality of health and social care in England. Certain concerns were raised, particularly with regards to ease of access to care and wait times for an appointment, often chasing different care services just to access ‘basic support’. Another area that was deemed unacceptable was the care given to individuals with a learning disability or autism, saying that too many people are in hospital because of a lack of local, intensive community services. July 2019 saw the highest proportion of emergency patients spending more than four hours in A&E than any previous July for at least the last five years. Although these statistics are worrying, the positive thing is that the care is continuing to improve, slight as it may be, under these enormous pressures on staff and facilities. The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: “We share CQC’s concerns about the fragility of social care and the wider impact this has on the NHS, and the need for more prevention services and greater support for people at an earlier stage.” Click here to read more detail on this report.
Specialist clinic treating children for gaming addictions
08.10.19
The NHS have now launched the country’s first specialist clinic to help children and young adults who are addicted to computer games. This service is part of the National Centre for Behavioural Addictions which will also provide support for internet addiction and is located alongside the National Problem Gambling Clinic. The World Health Organization has recently classified gaming disorder as a mental health condition for the first time. The new Centre for Internet and Gaming Disorders launches at the same time as the children and young person’s gambling addiction service goes live. These services now available are part of an extension of treatments which have been promised in the NHS long term plan. Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists at the services will work with patients aged between 13-25 whose lives are being wrecked by severe or complex behavioural issues associated with gaming, gambling and social media. Click here for more information on the plans NHS have in place for the ever changing society.