Category Archives: DOH

Medical staff to be made personally liable for their care they provide to their patients

February 6, 2013   Carers, DOH, health
Medical staff must face criminal charges for failures, says care scandal report

They could also be prosecuted if they break a new statutory duty of ‘candour’ requiring openness with patients, families and healthcare regulator

Wednesday 06 February 2013

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Doctors, nurses and hospital managers should face criminal prosecution if they fail to provide basic standards of safe care to their patients, a landmark report recommends today.

The Francis Report into the lessons to be learnt from the scandal of Stafford Hospital calls for all medical staff to be made personally liable for their care they provide to their patients, and for a “zero tolerance” approach to poor standards.

They could also be prosecuted if they break a new statutory duty of “candour” which would require health professional to be honest with patients, families and healthcare regulators.

The inquiry chaired by Robert Francis QC was set up to assess the wider lessons to be learnt by the NHS from the Staffordshire scandal where up to 1,200 patients died unnecessarily because of widespread failings in both Mid Staffordshire Trust and the wider NHS.

He made a total of 290 sweeping recommendations for healthcare regulators, providers and the Government in his 1,782 page report. Among its main recommendations are:

* A new register for health care support workers – the lowest rung of caring staff in the NHS – which would be able to “strike off” poorly performing staff. There would also be a code of conduct and new minimum training standards for such staff.

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Department of Health needs your views to improve social care

February 5, 2013   Carers, disability, DOH, Older care

Department seeks views on NICE standards to improve quality of social care

1 February, 2013

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb, today launched a 12 week consultation to establish a full set of NICE quality standards and guidance for social care.

The Department is seeking ideas from care users, their families and carers, service commissioners, care providers and front line staff to help decide on future topics for NICE guidance and standards.

The aim is to establish a full set of NICE quality standards and guidance in order to improve the quality of social care.

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Health and social care will need half of Government spending unless changes made: King's Fund

January 31, 2013   Carers, disability, DOH, health

Health and social care could consume half of government spending in 50 years’ time if current trends continue, a think tank has predicted.

 

Currently nine per cent of the UK’s income is spent on health and social care, and this is predicted to more than double to 20 per cent by 2061

By , Medical Editor

7:30AM GMT 31 Jan 2013

By 2060, half of all Government spending could go on health and social care unless major changes are made, the King’s Fund has reported.

The new report states that population changes, increases in wealth and medical advances will increase pressure to spend more on health and social care in the future.

Currently nine per cent of the UK’s income is spent on health and social care, and this is predicted to more than double to 20 per cent by 2061. Taking into account economic growth, current levels of taxation and Government expenditure this would mean one in every £2 spent by the Government went on care.

Prof John Appleby, author of the paper, said that increases on this scale were not inevitable.

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