Public
UK - (28th February 2008) Office of National statistics have jut announced an increase on Infections of C-Difficile by 72% in hospitals in England and Wales this year – this is 6250 deaths a year(figures 2006 - and which might be due to better reporting on death certificates).
UK - (15th October 2007) 90 patients die in Maidenhead due to outbreak of C-Difficile bug.
CHINA - (23rd August 2007) Year 2007 is witnessing a critical moment of China’s health care reform. The official announcement of “reaching health for all” has ended the long debate on China’s medical reform. However, the Chinese government is fully aware of the great challenges to explore and build a sustainable path for China’s health care reform, the priority of which is given to the construction of four basic systems: 1) national primary care system covering urban and rural residents; 2) multi-level medical insurance system; 3) national essential drug system; and 4) efficient public hospital management system.
UK - (23rd July 2007) Hospital releases a press release that it has spent £27m on feasibility studies over the last seven years in preparation for the hospitals PFI investment for the hospital. The management stated that they were pulling out of the future deal as costs had escalated from £750m to over £1 billion and the risks were too high. A question that we would ask is why haven't they considered lower costs overseas, maybe buying hospitals in low cost countries.
UK - (7th July 2007) NHS again comes under fire for less than adequate background checks as some Doctors are sited as being involved with alleged terrorist acts. Employing over 1.3 million staff and Medical and Nursing staff accounting for some 60% of this figure, with shortages and a significant increase in imported labour from overseas - this is a head ache that is not likely to go away easily.
UK - (5th May 2007) Incidents of Clostridium Difficile the hospital super bug has seen an increase by upto 20% in the last year. This bug is prevalent in hospitals and sick patients most at risk are those who have had a course of antibiotics.
UK - (3rd May 2007) Shortages of Midwives estimated at 3000 in England. Shortages of Midwives in the NHS was flagged when shocking footage was shown of a television undercover reporter who spent time working in the NHS at two alleged hospital maternity units.
Estimates are £200 million spent on litigation each year on maternity services alone.
UK - ( 22nd April 2007) Shortages of NHS Staff Predicted. Leaked government documents from the Department of Health show there will be a shortage of GP's and nurses in four years' time. The document is part of a draft version of the NHS pay and workforce strategy for 2008-2011 in England. The leaks were reported in the Health Service Journal and come at a time when extensive job cuts are being reported as the NHS tries to save money.
UK - (21st April 2007) A devastating report into waste in the NHS from right wing think tank Reform suggests that financial management has left the Health Service in chaos - yet spending is still on the rise (waste is estimated at £25 billion a year or $50 billion). The report warned that the Health Service will cost every household in Britain an average of £4,500 per year by 2010 or $8,500.
Uk - (20th April 2007) This week the newspapers in the UK are sighting that in the last year 50,000 patients went abroad for their treatments the articles indicate that some of the reasons for this is the increase in diagnosed cases of MSRA right across the health sector. MSRA or Methicillin - Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is an organisms passed on to someone who is already ill, then a more serious infection may occur in that individual with wounds experiencing problems of healing. Stringent attempts at halting the escalation by improved infection control are
underway, however other reasons outlined is that an over prescription of antibiotics over the years and new strain resistant bacteria are not helping the infection fight.
UK - (24th March 2007) Clare Chapman Ex Group Personnel Manager for Tesco (one of the biggest retailers in the Uk) takes on the NHS as Director General of Workforce "Being responsive to what matters to staff and customers is central to organisations’ success, according to Clare Chapman, the new director-general of workforce for the NHS". (Large influxes of external managers joined the NHS in the 1990's and were allowed to fail and many left the service - will Clare Chapman be successful this time where others failed or just another statistic? Will she be in post long enough to make a difference to an organisation that has been putting itself together for 60 years and which is immune to change - (significant change having happened on average every time their has been a government change and sometimes more often than that?)
Clare's job title is an interesting one that we have not seen before after completing a short term (say 3 years with the NHS) is she being lined up to lead the work for an Academic or Qualification body after her stint and what bodies did she work closely with at Tesco?
UK - (23rd March 2007) Numbers of Nurses leaving the NHS has doubled in the last ten years and over half of these are moving to Australia (over 3000 annually). Reasons sighted are NHS climate and culture - standards of work life balance, great barrier reef vs Norfolk, cost cutting while wasting resources, disillusionment and need for change, not a valued profession, careers stifled and no progression. When asked Australian Managers said their loss our gain!!
NHS response to this "We have always seen migration of professional staff to Australia and New Zealand"..
UK - (22nd March 2007) Secretary of State for Health indicates another £10 billion to be spent on the NHS - this estimate takes current projections to £94 billion ($184.25 billion) up from 1997 budget of £57 billion ($111.75 billion). Will it be spent efficiently?
UK - (15th March 2007) Parliament debates the significant spending in the NHS.. Questions are asked - where has all of the money gone (doubling of spending since 1997 with healthcare organisations over spent)??
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