nhs

Leave a comment Posted on February 19, 2015February 18, 2015 Mental health, Patient Talk

Please Hear What I’m Not Saying – A wonderful poem performed in Paul Wiggins which helps spread mental health awareness in the NHS

A couple of days ago Paul Wiggins got in touch asking if we would share this video which is used as part of county-wide the UK’s NHS training for staff working in mental health.

Paul shares “This Derbyshire video has inspired people associated with Inside Out Of Mind, namely the

Paul Wiggins

producers of the show, Derby Theatre officers (calling it ‘wonderful’), Justine Schneider of Nottingham University, ‘(inspiring’), the managers of the play and Shoina Powell and her team at Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham.

The poem has touched many people’s lives and speaks with great compassion and insight into the human condition. It’s a reminder to us all particularly those who have a role in listening to others including pastoral visitors. Indeed the poem speaks powerfully of significant realities and truths, to which so many of us remain insensitively dismissive and embodies aspects of compassion focused
therapy.

Seemingly the poem will continue to resonate with charities and organisations, particularly with cases of dementia likely to double by 2040.”

Leave a comment Posted on February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 Healthcare Reform, Patient Talk, Public Health, Social media, Technology

Accident and Emergency crisis – is there an answer? Read our guest post from Zameel Panthakkalakath

Zameel Panthakkalakath

As regular readers know one of the big interested of this blog is the use of social media and communications technology to improve patient care and outcome. So we are delighted to present a guest post by Zameel Panthakkalakath which looks at the uses of smartphones as a way of dealing with the current A&E crisis. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

With hospitals reportedly at breaking point due to record numbers of emergency admissions, arguments rage about the root cause of the problems. And as the election approaches, chances of anything more than soundbyte analysis are becoming increasingly slim: apparently, with a sufficient dose of money and staff, all will be well.

What’s not well publicised is that in fact, spending on healthcare is continually increasing, and we’re not seeing the problems being solved. Public expenditure on the NHS doubled between 1997 and 2012, in real terms, yet we’re seeing increasingly poor value for money. The current A&E crisis is just one symptom of this. More cash will act as a sticking plaster providing temporary relief, but it won’t heal the underlying ailment – which is that healthcare delivery systems haven’t kept pace with advances in treatment capabilities and changes in demand. This makes for huge amounts of inefficiency and waste within the system, no matter how hard staff are working and how many hours they put in.

The good news is that the problems are fixable. By redesigning services and processes from scratch to reflect current day needs and incorporate new technologies, we can make resources go much, much further.

The A&E situation gives us some clues about where to start. In 2012-2013, 34.4% of patients visiting A& E received guidance/advice only. Before accusing people of going to A&E unnecessarily, it’s important to remember few people set off to spend hours in a hospital waiting room unless they are genuinely worried. What’s needed is a system that gives people practical alternatives. How many of these 6.3 million people could, for example, have been dealt with more quickly and cheaply had they been able to talk to a doctor over the phone or online?

Whilst some symptoms clearly need hands-on investigation, others do not. Computers and smartphones are bringing us a range of new ways to communicate that don’t require doctor and patient to be face-to-face in the same room. Ofcom figures, for example, show us that at the end of March 2013, 51% of UK adults owned a smartphone and that this rose rapidly over the year to reach a figure of 61% by the end of March 2014. Smartphones offer both internet access and the option to take and send high quality photos and video that doctors could be using for diagnosis. A short phone or online consultation could very easily give people the information and reassurance they need at far less cost to the NHS than a visit to A&E would involve.

It’s time to look at radical infrastructure reforms that use resources more effectively and look forward to further advances rather than continuing to patch up old systems. Reorganize the way we deal with non-emergency cases and we’ll achieve two very important goals. One, faster help for those non-emergency patients, and two, safer, high quality care from less pressurized emergency services for those who are in urgent need of hospital care.

Zameel Panthakkalakath is a healthcare entrepreneur and consultant committed to improving the patient experience through innovative healthcare delivery.

Having gained practical experience as a medical doctor earlier in his career, his focus is now on finding ways for healthcare services to improve efficiency and cut waste. He believes smartphone medical photography has a key role to play in this, as one of the many elements in emerging mobile health technologies.

He’s keen to share knowledge and help both patients and doctors make the most of the potential of smartphone photography for improved healthcare.

Connect with Zameel and iPhone Medical Photography:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+

1 Comment Posted on November 16, 2014November 13, 2014 NHS, Patient Talk

Sunday LOL – 10% off for NHS Discount Card Holders in a local bar

Discount for NHS Card Holders

While walking the dog I saw this brilliant NHS Card discount in one of my local pubs.

Still not sure if it is a joke or not!

Leave a comment Posted on October 30, 2014 Infectious Diseases, Medical Education, Patient Talk, Research

Healthcare Associated Infections – Britons will go a long way to avoid them – A guest post from MindMetre Research

C.difficile

As regular readers of the blog will know we has been covering the topics of superbugs and the related issue of MRSA here at PatientTalk.Org.

So we are delighted to share this guest post from MindMetre Research which tells us more about a recent study the contacted in the UK looking at attitudes toward hospital provision and infection.

They share “How far would you go to avoid being treated in a hospital with a poor record for antibiotic-resistant Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAIs), or ‘superbugs’? The answer – “up to a hundred miles” – according to almost half of British citizens.

Latest research on the subject from MindMetre seeks to calibrate the likelihood of British citizens to insist on treatment at an alternative hospital if their local provider had a below average record of HCAI reduction, along with the distance they would be prepared to go to get treatment in a safer environment.

The findings from the MindMetre study were definitive and clear:
· 76% of citizens say that if they learned that their hospital was a low performer on HCAI reduction, they would insist their GP referred them to a hospital with a better record;
· 83% would be happy to travel 20 miles to be treated in a hospital with a better HCAI reduction record than their local hospital;
· 62% would be happy to travel 50 miles for treatment;
· And 48% would be happy to travel 100 miles in the same situation.

Paul Lindsell, Managing Director at MindMetre Research, comments, “In the new structure of the NHS, with acute clinical services commissioned by GP-managed Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), patient mobility has become a clear and present reality. Patients, in partnership with their GP, can choose to be treated at an Acute Trust of their choice, with the associated funds following the patient. CCGs are clearly charged with the mandate to improve patient outcomes, and so offering this level of patient choice is systemically built in to the new NHS structure.”

“Acute Trusts have done a great job addressing very specific HCAIs, notably MRSA and C.difficile, but there is a rising tide of other infections, and the problem needs to be addressed holistically.”

“This research note clearly demonstrates that Acute Trusts need to take their initiatives to reduce HCAIs even more seriously if they are to avoid patients opting to be treated at a hospital with a better record, with funds following the patient.” ”

Research Methodology
Fieldwork was conducted by MindMetre Research between May and July 2014, in person and via online questionnaires, amongst a nationally representative sample of 2,003 British citizens (age, gender, region, social class). Margin of error: – +/- 1.78%

About MindMetre
MindMetre, part of the Lindsell Marketing Group, is a leading consumer and business analyst. The organisation has been investigating trends in a number of fields and sectors since the late-1990s, including health & medicine, finance, central & local government and internet technology. Research programmes are regularly conducted across the globe, embracing geographies from the Americas to the Far East. In the healthcare sector, MindMetre is particularly known for its series on healthcare financing, beginning in the early 2000s. All MindMetre research activity strictly protects the privacy and confidentiality of respondents.

1 Comment Posted on July 7, 2014November 18, 2018 Patient Talk

Should healthcare be free at the point of deliver? Have your say.

Healthcare professionals should they be free?

The last few decades have seen regular calls for “healthcare reform” from all sides of the political spectrum. Indeed Obamacare has been on the US statutes for some time. How is that working out for you by the way?

In the UK this morning healthcare reform (and funding) was back on the political agenda. The BBC’s web site today reports “Leading figures from the health world are calling for a national debate on how the NHS in England is funded. In a letter to The Times, they say challenges from an ageing population mean the system is “creaking at the seams” and cannot continue as it is. Signatories include the heads of the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Nursing. The BBC’s health editor says the group feels future options may include higher taxes or charges for some treatment.”

Which means, I suppose , that there is some attempt to solve the whole funding crisis of the UK’s healthcare system. Which, of course, is what Obamacare hopes to achieve.

In the UK as many of our readers know the National Health Service offers its services (which are more or less universal) at no cost when actually receiving treatment. Often referred to as “free at the point of delivery”. I should mention here that the services are not free but are paid for by the UK taxpayer.

But , for some, this model is past its sell by date.

They argue that changes in medical technology and increased life expectancy mean we are going to have to rethink how we find healthcare.

But that does not automatically mean that free at the point of access is a bad idea. I’m really interested in what my readers think. We have set up a poll below to find out what you are consumers of medicine and healthcare think. So it would be really great if you could take part.

I would also be really useful if you could share your thoughts in more detail in the comments section below.

Many thanks in advance.