Number of patients able to see their GP continues to drop
A study published in the British Medical Journal of General Practice, has found that only fifty-five per cent of patients were able to see their GP “always or almost all of the time”. This figure has dropped by ten per cent, when the same question was asked in 2012. The study’s authors stated that the decline in “relationship continuity of care” was “marked and widespread”.
Read more on i News.
Plans for mental health could leave thousands of children without the support they need
In a ‘damning’ joint report, the Education and Health and Social Care select committees have warned that the government’s flagship proposals to improve young people’s mental health are short-sighted and could exclude those who most need help. Part of the plans include “trailblazer areas”, which the MPs claim could lead to increased inequality of care provisions across the country.
Read more on the Independent.
Home Office access to NHS records is to be limited
Following an amendment made by Conservative MP, Dr Sarah Wollaston, to the Data Protection Bill, immigration officials’ access to NHS records is to be tightened. It is believed that the government will now state that records will only be accessed when “serious criminality” is believed to be involved.
Read more on BBC News.
‘Get your house in order or risk losing business’ Hunt warns private hospitals
The Secretary of State has written to 206 private providers across the country urging them to improve their safety and quality standards if they want to partner with the NHS. The ultimatum follows inspections by the Care Quality Commission which found that a third of independent providers required improvement. In the same report, the CQC cited patent safety as its biggest concern.
Read more on The Times. (£)
Abortion referendum is dividing rural Ireland
The Guardian’s Harriet Sherwood reports from rural Roscommon in Ireland on how the community is being affected by the campaign around the upcoming Referendum on the legalisation of abortion. The area finds itself in the spotlight as the only constituency to vote against same-sex marriage, and it looks as if the area may again buck the popular trend by voting against legalisation.
Read more on the Guardian.
Quote of the week –
Natasha Curry from the Nuffield Trust looks at how England can learn from Japan’s social care reform, and the importance of transparency and fairness:
“Japan’s system may not be perfect and its experience has certainly not been without challenges – including facing serious shortfalls in the care workforce. But like other countries that have made this journey, Japan gives hope that radical change is possible. Ensuring public understanding and support for change, coupled with the careful design of a system underpinned by the principles of transparency and fairness, appear to be the necessary ingredients for effective transformation.”
Read more on the Guardian.