FW: Weekly News Round Up 27.08.10

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Top health stories

27.08.10

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Over 100,000 written

complaints about the NHS were made last year – a record high.

A new phone number – 111

– has been launched for non-emergency urgent care problems, to relieve the

burden on 999 calls and to simplify urgent care services.

White paper update: legal

action is started against the government, and the British Medical

Association is warned over its guidance.

A leading medical journal

has said the Alzheimer’s drugs target the disease when it’s too late –

after symptoms have developed.

News in brief: Hospital

Guide consultation launched.

This week...

1. NHS complaints rise to record

levels

2. 111:

New urgent care phone number launched

3. White paper update – union

takes up legal action

4. We need to treat Alzheimer’s

earlier, leading journal says

News In Brief

1. NHS complaints rise to record

levels

Figures released by the

NHS Information Centre showed that written complaints about the NHS

increased to their highest level since records began 12 years ago. In

total, 101,077 complaints were made between in 2009-10 – an

increase of 13.4% on the figures for 2008-9.

The jump in complaints

represents the largest annual increase since information on complaints

started being recorded annually, in 1997-8. The largest

group percentage of written complaints by subject were made

about all aspects of clinical treatment (42.2%) followed by

attitudes of staff (12.2%).

In response to the news,

the NHS Confederation, representing NHS employers, said that they still

only represent a small fraction of NHS treatments and the NHS Information

Centre pointed out that there has also been a large increase in NHS

patients during this period.

However, although

hospital admissions have increased by 28%, this is over a 10 year period

(between 1998-99 to 2008-9) and cannot solely account for the 13.4%

increase in complaints over the last year.

, the

Chief Executive of the Patients Association, commented on how the

complaints reflect concerns expressed to the Patients Association Helpline.

“On our helpline we hear absolutely appalling stories of neglect,

misdiagnosis and a distinct lack of care and compassion. We know many

people receive good care, but that doesn't excuse the poor care received by

others.â€

also noted that

the increase in complaints does not necessarily mean a fall in standards,

however even this high number of complaints may be an underestimation of

the actual numbers of dissatisfied patients, carers and families. “Keep in

mind many people want to complain but don't and these figures will

certainly massively underestimate the number of people that actually want

to complain. The rise might actually reflect greater awareness of the

complaints process.â€

went on to note

that the steady rise in complaints since records began suggests that

the Patients Association’s long-held calls for a reform of the complaints

system may be necessary, as complaints often may not result in improvements

in care.

To see our Head of

Engagement, Kieran Mullan, interviewed by the BBC follow this

link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11083236

And to read more see http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/aug/25/nhs-record-complaints.

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2. 111: New urgent care phone number launched

The government launched

two pilot studies of a new number – 111 – which aims to make

non-emergency care simpler to access.

The Health Secretary,

Lansley MP, said that access to and understanding of out-of-hours

and other urgent care services needed to be improved and it is hoped

that the new number will simplify the various numbers currently available,

such as those for NHS Direct and GP out-of-hours care. 111 callers will be

directed to the most appropriate organisation to deal with their problem.

The number has been

launched in two areas of the North East of England – County Durham and

Darlington. There are scheduled to be three further pilots in Nottingham,

Lincolnshire and Luton later this year.

In response to the

launch, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, ,

said, “We welcome initiatives that increase patients’ access to information

and advice and also increase NHS efficiency.â€

But she also noted the

potential for confusion and the danger of uncertainty in deciding whether

to call 999 or 111: “We are concerned that this new phone number means the

public have to make life or death decisions about whether their situation

is a medical emergency. We welcome the pilots and would like them to raise

public awareness and educate the public on when to call 111 or 999.â€

The Department of Health

press release can be accessed at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_118861.

For more information see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11036575.

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to the top

3. White paper update –

union takes legal action

As consultation on

the recent white paper on health – Equity and Excellence: Liberating the

NHS continues, the reforms continue to cause controversy in the public

sector.

UNISON, a leading public

services union, has followed through with its threat of legal action over

the proposed reforms. The union has applied for permission to challenge the

government’s decisions to reform the NHS under the legal process of

judicial review.

Under the process, if

permission is granted, the union will challenge the lawfulness of the

government’s decisions in the High Court. The union has labelled the

consultation process as ‘a sham,’ stating that the health secretary has

every intention of going through with proposed reforms even if consultation

reveals a lack of support.

Furthermore, the British

Medical Association (BMA) has been given a warning by the NHS Confederation

regarding its stance on the move of commissioning from Primary

Care Trusts to GPs.

The BMA issued guidance

for GPs to use NHS providers as providers of choice, so that the NHS was to

be preferred over the 3rd sector or private providers where possible.

However, the NHS Confederation said that this would be ‘unwise’ and potentially

even illegal under competition rules. This response to the BMA guidance

highlights the a number of issues to be settled over the coming

months.

There are still four

consultations open on the white paper, covering the proposed outcomes

framework, GP commissioning, democratic reforms and regulating healthcare

providers.

For more information see http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/24/unison-court-nhs-shake-up.

Next week we will

also be sending a survey by email to ask your views on the white paper – so

keep your eyes peeled!

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to the top

4. We need to treat Alzheimer’s

earlier, leading journal says

A leading medical

journal, The Lancet, has published an editorial that states that current

medication for Alzheimer’s disease may only be addressing the disease at a

stage when it is too late to have a widespread effect.

Alzheimer’s disease is

the leading form of dementia in the UK, with an estimated 500,000

sufferers. This figure is likely to rise as the population ages, leading to

widespread calls for more effective treatment.

The journal stated that

drug companies and doctors may need to work to identify the disease at an

earlier stage in order to prevent the most debilitating symptoms, which can

include severe memory loss.

However, according to the

journal, current medicines are tested on animal models with symptomatic

forms of the dementia. Instead, it may be more effective to work out levels

of relevant proteins that identify people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s

– called biomarkers. This could identify the disease before it develops,

increasing the chance of easing symptoms or even preventing the dementia

from developing. However, the difficulty in producing animal models of this

pre-disease state means such testing will take time to perfect.

For more information see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7965818/Alzheimers-disease-being-tackled-too-late-Lancet.html.

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to the top

News In Brief

The health information

company, Dr Intelligence, has announced that it is currently

consulting on the 2010 edition of its annual Hospital Guide, which provides

information on NHS and private hospitals. The Guide provides information on

waiting times, infection rates and consultant teams and is available

online.

The Guide will become

another important tool for patients to access information about their local

hospital, particularly when the government plans, as part of its health

reforms, to increase patient choice over healthcare providers. The

consultation is being run by the Health Service Journal, the health

industry journal.

The consultation is

accessible here: http://www.hsj.co.uk/topics/Dr--Hospital-Guide-Consultation

And the current guide is

online at http://www.drfosterhealth.co.uk/hospital-guide/.

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