News

News

1. Hospital rated “inadequate” following allegations of abuse by staff

   Patients in an independent mental health hospital were not being protected from abuse, the Care Quality Commission has found.

2. CQC: Fears covid restrictions caused opiate addiction deaths

   Problems with dispensing drugs during the covid-19 crisis may be contributing to an “apparent increase” in deaths of patients receiving treatment for opiate addiction, the Care Quality Commission has said.

3. No rest in sight for NHS staff means taking action to support their mental health

   Letting staff know that ‘it’s OK not to be OK’ and that the NHS ‘has their back’ is the best way of ensuring that they will be able to care for our nation during this crisis and beyond, writes Professor Neil Greenberg

4. Lockdown stops one in four adults getting mental healthcare

   One in four adults have not received the mental healthcare they need during the pandemic, while those with serious illness are reporting ‘much lower’ well-being levels compared to others, Public Health England has said.

5. Everyone should feel uncomfortable about the number of BAME staff dying from covid

   Urgent social change is needed for lasting impact to allow NHS to be a great leveller it was created to be, writes Dr Lorraine Gordon

6. NHS landlord frees up space for 1000 beds to help covid-19 response

   Previously unused space with room for 1,000 beds has been re-opened to help give trusts extra capacity during the covid-19 pandemic.

7. ‘No arbitrary thresholds’ if ICUs get overwhelmed

   Intensive care clinicians would be asked to prioritise patients for ICU care on an individual basis and not face “arbitrary clinical thresholds” in the “very unlikely” event that units are severely overwhelmed at a regional or national level, according to new guidance.

8. Cowper’s Cut: Optimism for cynics

   Andy Cowper on the government’s response towards healthcare in care homes at the time of the pandemic

9. Learning disability and autism deaths within expected range, says NHSE

   The covid-19 death rates among people with learning disabilities and autism are broadly in line with the rest of the population, NHS England has said.

10. Trust pledges to act amid investigations into harassment and threats

    An ambulance trust is to overhaul how it supports workers with mental health problems after an investigation into the death of three of its staff in the space of two weeks, and is also dealing with allegations over sexual harassment and threats to kill.

11. Helping NHS staff survive the covid storm

    A new paper discusses how organisations should enhance the mental health resilience of the NHS workforce to help them cope with the coronavirus pandemic, writes Andrew Coley

12. Mental Health Matters: Keeping count

    HSJ’s fortnightly briefing covering safety, quality, performance and finances in the mental health sector. Contact me in confidence.

13. NHS England seeks advice amid ‘shielded’ patient concerns

    NHS England has set up an advisory group to look at how physical and mental health services can be delivered to patients that are most vulnerable to covid-19 and have been asked to shield themselves from the pandemic.

14. Chair appointed to lead second London trust

    Two mental health trusts in London are set to share a chair.

15. Covid sparks boom in digital hospital outpatient appointments

    Tens of thousands of outpatient video consultations have been carried out by NHS trusts following the national rollout of a digital platform to support the coronavirus response.

16. NHS England agrees to publish data on learning disability and autism deaths

    NHS England and Improvement have agreed to publish data they receive on the coronavirus deaths of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health illness.

17. Deaths of detained mental health patients double due to covid-19

    Deaths of patients detained under the Mental Health Act are running at twice the rate of 2019, with half of the fatalities down to covid-19, new data has revealed.

18. CQC ‘breaking law’ by suspending inspections

    The Care Quality Commission is breaking human rights and equalities laws by deciding not to carry out routine inspections of care homes and hospitals, older people’s and disabled groups have argued.

19. Mental Health Matters: Trusts see surge in acutely ill patients

    HSJ’s fortnightly briefing covering safety, quality, performance and finances in the mental health sector. Contact me in confidence.

20. CQC to call providers to decide whether inspections needed

    The Care Quality Commission will call healthcare providers to decide whether they need to be inspected during the covid-19 epidemic.