Month: October 2016

STPs

40 treatments that should no longer be in use

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date October 31, 2016

By The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (2016)

Doctors are giving too many patients tests and drugs they do not need, senior medics have warned, as they published a list of 40 treatments which should no longer be in routine use. The unprecedented intervention by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMRC) follows research which found doctors commonly ordering X-ray, scans and drugs, in cases they believed to be pointless. More than six in 10 medics said their decisions had been driven by a fear of litigation, with just as many saying they ordered interventions because they felt under pressure from patients. The Academy – which represents all 21 medical royal colleges in the UK – has today drawn up a list of 40 treatments and procedures which it says are of little or no benefit to patients.

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STPs

South West London Five Year Forward Plan – STP plan

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date October 27, 2016

A south London local authority has become the third council to release its full sustainability and transformation plan, and has criticised NHS England’s directive that the plans should not immediately be published.

Sutton Council has today published the full 21 October submission for the south west London STP, claiming that by delaying publication of STPs the NHS has provoked concerns about their content and the process around development.

The document outlines plans to cut the number of acute hospitals on the patch from five to four.

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STPs

Engaging local people: a guide for local areas developing Sustainability and Transformational Plans

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date October 27, 2016

By NHS England (2016)

This document, set out in the form of questions and answers, is for teams developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) in each of the 44 footprint areas, and the statutory organisations which form part of them. Local statutory bodies are responsible for engaging and consulting on their proposals, and the relevant legal duties around engagement and consultation are set out in section 4 and Annex A.
It is intended to clarify the expectations on stakeholder involvement, in particular patient and public participation. It will be of particular interest to communication and engagement leads for STPs and footprint leaders. While the emphasis of this document is on patient and public participation, it is important that as part of their planning processes, those working to deliver STPs consider how they will engage with the governance structures of each of the constituent organisations across their footprint area.

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Health Improvement Healthy Settings Licensing Nutrition Obesity Oral Health Physical Activity Planning

Green space and health

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date October 26, 2016

By Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) (2016)

A range of bodies, including government agencies, have promoted the possible physical and mental health benefits of access to green space. This briefing summarises the evidence for physical and mental health benefits from contact with nature, such as reducing rates of non-communicable diseases, and the challenges for urban green spaces.

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Care of the Elderly Mental Health Older people Public Mental Health

Hidden in plain sight: the unmet mental health needs of older people

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date October 26, 2016

By Age UK (2016)

According to this report, the current availability of mental health services does not meet the increasingly high demand from an ageing population. It also found that over a third of mental health trusts in England have no policies for providing integrated care for people over 65 with both mental and physical health needs.

Click here to view this report