@HealthwatchNEL 
@HealthwatchNEL
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Mental health policy in England
16/01/2020
Around one in four people in the UK suffer from a mental health problem each year. The NHS has set out that it wants to achieve parity of esteem...
Consultation on the NHS standard contract 2020/21
16/01/2020
NHS England is consulting on the NHS standard contract for 2020/21. Comments on the draft contract can be made by Friday 31 January 2020 either by...
New campaign urges public to speak up about the NHS
14/01/2020
Healthwatch England has launched the #SpeakUp2020 campaign, encouraging everybody to speak up about what would make health and social care services ...
Flu vaccination: The main things to know about the 2019 programme
04/10/2019
The main things to know about the 2019 programme > https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2019/10/04/flu-vaccination-the-main-things-to-know-about-the-2019-programme/
Mind urges NHS leaders to prioritise mental health in local plans
03/10/2019
Mental health charity Mind has written to leaders of NHS sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) to ensure mental health is front and centre of planning for the next decade. Mind urged STP leaders to include the priorities in the national plan, including support for pregnant women and...
Taking the worry out of CQC inspection
03/10/2019
This year CQC has simplified the inspection regime so that the 96% of GP practices that are already rated good or outstanding get an annual phone call with site visits at up to five-year intervals. Even so, says former practice business manager Tracy Green, when the time comes for inspection or the...
Prescription exemption checking materials coming soon
03/10/2019
NHS England and Improvement will be re-running its campaign to ensure that only people entitled to free prescriptions receive them. The “check before you tick” campaign focuses particularly on those receiving benefits who may mistakenly believe they are automatically exempt from charges. Campaign...
Recommendations for an NHS bill
03/10/2019
The NHS long-term plan suggested changes to the law to help implement the plan. In spring 2019, NHS staff, partner organisations and interested members of the public were invited to give their views on the proposals. This document sets out the NHS response to the views it received during engagement...
Five more clinical audits published – recommendations for commissioners
24/09/2019
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) has published five reports on mental healthcare, diabetes, maternity and perinatal weight management, ophthalmology and congenital heart disease. The reports can all be found on HQIP’s website.
People’s experience of cancer care remains positive
24/09/2019
The results of the 2018 national cancer patient experience survey revealed overall experience is very positive, with patients rating it at an average of 8.8 out of 10. This continues an improving trend from 8.74 in 2016 and 8.70 the previous year. Since 2015, 29 survey questions showed improvements...
Review of adult social care complaints 2018/19
23/09/2019
The local government and social care ombudsman has found problems in nearly two out of every three adult social care complaints it has investigated in the past year. It revealed it is investigating a greater proportion of complaints than previous years – and finding fault on average in 66% of cases...
Loneliness and mental health concerns afflict students
20/09/2019
A report by student accommodation provider Unite Students and the Higher Education Policy Institute finds that loneliness and mental health are growing issues for students making the transition to university. More than one in five (22%) admit to often being lonely. More....
Smoking rates falling faster than ever
20/09/2019
The latest data from a national smoking study shows that adult smoking rates fell 2.2% from January to July 2019 - equivalent to 200 fewer smokers every hour. Latest figures from University College London suggest that smoking rates in England are dropping at the fastest rate in over a decade. Not...
Social media sites act on NHS call for ban on ads for miracle cures
20/09/2019
Facebook and Instagram have announced that they will remove posts promoting miracle cures and get-slim-quick products, which are known to have limited benefits with possible damaging side-effects. The move follows a series of requests from health service chiefs including NHS chief executive Simon...
New parents need space to talk about their mental health
11/09/2019
A report by Healthwatch says new parents need more support to deal with mental health problems during and after pregancy. More....
Link between deprivation and dependency on prescription drugs
11/09/2019
Public Health England has published an evidence review of dependence and withdrawal problems associated with five commonly prescribed classes of medicines in England. The review finds evidence that addiction increases with deprivation of makes recommendations for better monitoring, treatment and...
NHS warning to parents as ‘asthma season’ hits
03/09/2019
The NHS is calling on parents to keep asthma medicine close at hand this week, with children up to three times more likely to need medical help as the school year starts. One in ten young people has asthma, with spikes in demand for help from GPs and hospitals in the weeks after school holidays,...
NHS cuts medicines costs by three quarters of a billion pounds
03/09/2019
The NHS has saved more than £700 million from the annual medicines bill. The NHS-wide campaign supported patients and doctors to maximise the use of ‘generic’ and best value ‘biologic’ treatments to treat conditions including arthritis and cancer. Figures show that the uptake of best value...
Medicines project delivers £11 million savings
02/09/2019
A collaboration between hospitals and pharmacies in Cheshire and Merseyside has saved the NHS £11 million and improved patient care. Pharmacies in the area are being notified by their local hospital when a patient is discharged who might need help understanding changes to their medicines. The...
More harm than good: why more isn't always better with older people's medicines
02/09/2019
A report from Age UK calls for a more considered approach to prescribing medicines for our older population. The report also provides evidence showing that prescribing more drugs isn’t always the best option.
NICE to address issues in treating difficult to control epilepsies
02/09/2019
NICE has announced its intention to work with GW Pharma to address the issues highlighted by its independent appraisal committee in its evaluation of cannabidiol for treating two types of severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. More....
Life-changing drug to stop deadly bleeding available on the NHS
22/08/2019
NHS England is to fund a life-changing treatment for thousands of people with severe haemophilia, which will dramatically cut their risk of life-threatening bleeds and reduce treatment time. People with haemophilia A are at risk of spontaneous or uncontrolled bleeding because they do not have...
£3m to support children and young people's mental health
22/08/2019
£3.3 million is being spent to expand 23 local projects to help prevent mental illness in children and young people. Thousands of young people across England will benefit from new mental health support including counselling, mentoring and arts programmes in their communities. M ore....
Smoking, drinking and drugs make young people ‘unhappy’
22/08/2019
New figures from NHS Digital showed 51% of young people aged 11 to 15 who had recently drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes and taken drugs experienced low levels of happiness. This is compared to 36% who had recently done just one of these things, and 22% who hadn’t recently smoked, drank or taken...
A&E overused but GP access difficult – coincidence?
16/08/2019
The first ever large-scale research into attitudes towards emergency care from the most recent British Social Attitudes Survey shows that many people think A&E is overused, while many also report difficulties getting GP appointments. The survey also reveals significant differences in...
Digital diabetes prevention
13/08/2019
Online support for people at risk of type 2 diabetes can help stop people from going on to develop the condition. In pilot schemes, offering convenient, 24/7 access to online advice significantly boosted the numbers joining the diabetes prevention programme. Almost seven in 10 people, 68%, referred...
Barriers to accessing cannabis-based products for medicinal use on NHS prescription
12/08/2019
NHS England and NHS Improvement have published the findings and recommendations of a review of the barriers to prescribing of cannabis-based products for medicinal use. Read more here .
Unsung hero awards
12/08/2019
The Unsung Hero Awards, which launched on 1 August, recognise and honour non-clinical staff, teams and volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty for the NHS. The awards shine a light on the hard work and commitment of people who are vital to our health service but are sometimes overlooked...
