Mental Health
News on mental health services
Exclusive: Care Quality Commission to get external assessor
An “external body” is set to be appointed to assess the effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission, HSJ has learnt.
Government benefits clampdown 'increasing disability abuse'
Charities have warned that disabled people are increasingly being subjected to abuse as a result of the government’s focus on alleged fraud and over-claiming to justify benfits cuts.
Private providers attack Monitor failure regime
Private mental health firms are lobbying for deep changes to Monitor’s proposed failure regime, claiming rules putting “patients ahead of creditors” will prevent them from borrowing.
Nearly half of GPs dealing with 'burnout'
Close to 50 per cent of doctors suffer from emotional exhaustion related to burnout, according to researchers.
RCN chief: NHS facing 'toughest year'
The Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive and general secretary has warned the NHS faces its “toughest year”, with specialist nurses losing their jobs and vulnerable patients “in the firing line”.
Give doctors stronger assisted dying powers, report says
Doctors could be given powers allowing them to help terminally ill patients to die, a report said today.
Cost of rising emergency dementia admissions revealed
There has been a 12 per cent growth over five years in the number of people with dementia admitted to hospital as an emergency, according to a report exclusively shared with HSJ.
Exclusive: Lansley to step up push on variation as second NHS atlas published
Huge regional disparities in the quality of healthcare are due to be revealed by the second NHS Atlas of Variation, and a series of additional government analyses.
Commissioners require 'significant help' with mental health tariff
Commissioners will struggle to implement an operating framework requirement to pay for mental health services under tariff without “significant help”, according to the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network.
NHS given another year to reduce use of 'killer' drugs
The NHS has been given an extra 16 months to hit a target to prescribe fewer antipsychotic drugs which are said by health minister Paul Burstow to “kill” dementia patients.
Down's syndrome patient died after being wrongly detained in hospital
A patient with Down’s Syndrome had his basic human rights ignored after he was detained in hospital and then kept locked up before he died, an investigation has found.
Mental health tariffs 'not fit for purpose' - NHS Confederation
Mental health trusts and commissioners have not made enough progress in devising a tariff for their services despite enthusiasm from staff, the NHS Confederation has found.
Clusters ordered to begin stocktake of 75,000 service contracts
Primary care trust clusters will have to complete a detailed stocktake of their 75,000 service contracts by the end of March 2012, in preparation for transferring them to successor commissioning bodies the following year.
FTN fails to appoint new chief executive
Sue Slipman has agreed to stay on as Foundation Trust Network chief executive until the organisation finds a new full-time replacement.
Community care failing the vunerable, report claims
Community care has failed the most vulnerable members of society and ‘urgently’ needs reforming, a think tank has concluded.
Targeting 'risky' male drinkers could save NHS £120m - report
A quarter of men are “risky drinkers” who have an increased chance of developing cancer, liver disease and mental health problems, a study has suggested.
Lansley hails Academic Health model as 'wealth-creator' for UK
The health secretary has given his backing to an expanded “Academic Health Science System” in London, saying the model would “create wealth” for the country.
Children's talking therapies to be part of £30m investment
Talking therapies for children and teenagers with mental health problems will be provided as part of a £32m investment in psychological therapies, it has been announced.
Personal budget holders need more information, says DH report
Patients given control of their own health budgets need more information about the size of their funds and how they can be spent, a Department of Health report has found.
Mental health patient recalls rise as community teams struggle
A dramatic rise in the number of people with serious mental illness being recalled to hospital has led to concern that community mental health teams are overstretched.
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Commissioners may struggle with 'tight' PbR timescales for mental health
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London mental health trusts 'unfairly targeted' for savings
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MS patient care not improving, report claims
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Lansley told to produce evidence that personal budgets work
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Cost of treating brain disorders doubles
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CQC sets out tougher inspections approach
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Low access to flagship mental health scheme revealed
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Depression recovery varying wildly across the country
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Vulnerable adult protection to be improved - Burstow
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Social enterprise loses out in £450m community services contract
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Mental health savings scheme putting patients in 'inappropriate services'
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Mental health care of patient who killed four family members criticised
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PCTs urged to fill alcohol treatment gap in prisons
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Chronic illness link with suicide revealed
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Mental health personalisation campaign 'losing momentum'
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Social enterprises condemn 'slap in the face' over PCT properties
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Mental Health Network calls to postpone personal budgets
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NHS trusts to take over community service assets
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Health charities to lose £100m in funding after council cuts
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Mental health incentives could be removed
News by sector
How implementing digital dictation encouraged one trust to review its service provision
One trusts move to digital dictation from an outdated process not only improved efficiencies in that area, but also allowed them to review other services in order to drive new process efficiencies throughout the hospital. Gunther Empl explains.
Developing a health and local government service integration model
Could one trust’s health and local government service integration be a model for the rest of the country to follow? Dr Chris Clayton reports on the successful pilot at Blackburn with Darwen PCT.
Can CCGs learn to integrate mental health services from a Californian healthcare model?
Emerging clinical commissioning groups could learn a lot from the way mental health services are being incorporated into an overall model of healthcare by independent practice associations in California, say Beacon Health Strategies colleagues Dr Emma Stanton and Brian Wheelan.
Why physical health checks for mental health patients are vital to their wellbeing
Improving the provision of physical health checks for people with severe mental illness provides an opportunity to make a major difference to the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable group, write Drs Kallol Sain and Sweta Patil.
How specialist housing can improve the lives of older patients while cutting care costs
Specialist housing is an investment that could save the NHS millions a year and make lives happier, says Jeremy Porteus
How integrated care can improve outcomes for mental health patients
A mental health crisis scheme in Tower Hamlets is an example of how a positive partnership between a former PCT, a health trust and a housing provider can result in improved health outcomes for people with mental health needs. Chris Hampson explains.
How a rapid cycle innovation model helps develop better digital healthcare solutions
A new web application aimed at helping people with depression was born out of a unique “incubation” process of innovation that allowed ongoing testing, feedback and new directions to lead to the right solution. Adil Abrar explains how this innovation model can work in the NHS.
