Healthcare Roundup

Seven days in the NHS and health IT

Ministers reject suggestion of ‘two tier’ NHS in Scotland, but take control of NHS Forth Valley

The Scottish Government has poured cold water on the idea that “NHS chiefs” in Scotland are considering introducing a two-tier service in which the wealthy pay for treatment. The BBC said the idea was raised at a meeting of Scottish health board chief executives this autumn, but health minister Humza Yousaf described the idea that it could be taken forward as “complete baloney” (The National). The chief executives appear to have been holding a regular meeting at which there was a discussion of how to cope with escalating demand in the face of a deteriorating financial position.

The Scottish Government was forced to take control of one of the country’s health boards this week, amid concerns about its leadership, A&E services, and GP out of hours services. NHS Forth Valley has been put on stage four of the national performance framework for governance, leadership and culture, which means the government has direct oversight of its activities (Daily Record). Yousaf is also meeting unions to try and avoid strike action over pay (STVNews). The Scottish Government has made a better pay offer to nurses than the UK government, which is looking at industrial action by nurses before Christmas (Nursing Times).

NHS news: about A&E targets, the winter discharge fund and NHS 111 Online campaign, and support for women working through the menopause

Ministers have ditched NHS England plans to change A&E performance targets and want trusts to focus on the existing four-hour timescale to discharge, treat or admit. The Health Service Journal reported the decision was taken ahead of last week’s autumn statement, as part of the government’s commitment to be “transparent” about reporting on NHS performance. The government has also revealed details of how this year’s £500 million discharge fund will be distributed. £300 million will go to integrated care boards to expand bed capacity and £200 million to local authorities to invest in social care. Detailed allocations will follow.

NHS England has launched its annual NHS 111 Online campaign to encourage people to get help for health problems from the 111.nhs.uk website. The campaign is part of the wider ‘help us to help you’ campaign that runs on traditional and social media and is intended to reduce pressure on physical services over the winter. NHS England has also issued guidance to healthcare employers on flexible working for women going through the menopause. Chief executive Amanda Pritchard warned that unless employers take simple steps to help women stay in work, they could be lost to a health service that already has 130,000 vacancies (The Guardian).

NHS Wales App launched in beta

The NHS Wales App has been launched in a private, beta phase so 1,000 people at ten GP practices can test its functionality and features. The Health Tech Newspaper reports that the NHS Wales App will give people access to advice, appointment booking and test results, and enable them to order prescriptions. Account authentication and verification will be handled by NHS Login. A website version of the app will also be available, with access via a password. Digital Health and Care Wales wants to expand use of the app over time, and to enable people to contribute their own information.

Health IT news: about a virtual waiting room, adding AI to a stroke pathway, and body worn cameras

Digitalhealth.net has reported that a virtual waiting room proved its worth during the recent Adastra outage. Birmingham and District was able to use the Ummanu virtual waiting room to avoid delays, maintain patient safety, and reduce administration by putting information from NHS 111 in front of clinical teams. The website has also reported that Ipswich Hospital has improved its stroke pathway by adding AI from Brainomix to a remote support platform provided by Visionable. The AI helps consultants to interpret brain scans. Ministers are considering the use of body cameras in mental health units to support staff and prevent abuse, the Independent has reported. Naturally, there are concerns about privacy and consent.

Crisis, what crisis? When things go wrong, good communications can get you back on track

Highland Marketing Blog

When things go wrong, keeping quiet isn’t an option. What you say, and how you say it, are the key to safeguarding your reputation. In this blog, Highland Marketing’s co-founder, Mark Venables, looks at communicating in a crisis.