Tag Archives: NHS

Coroner’s call for back-up telephone plans for medical centres

December 13, 2012   Carers, Norfolk

A coroner is to write to NHS Norfolk and Waveney to emphasise the importance of surgeries having back-up plans should their telephone systems fail.

By RICHARD WOOD Thursday, December 13, 2012
9:34 AM

Suffolk coroner Peter Dean is writing to the primary care trust after Beccles Medical Centre was left without its incoming phone line for more than 24 hours in July last year, and on the same day a 77-year-old patient from Worlingham died.

Dr Dean said that the medical centre were not at fault for the woman’s death, which was of natural causes, but said it was important that plans were in place when there were any problems at surgeries.

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NHS to pay for singing lessons and hotel stays

November 30, 2012   Carers, disability, health, Older care

Tens of thousands of people will be able to get money from their doctors which can be used for activities including singing lessons and hotel stays.

Personal health budgets enable people to choose what help they need and who to buy it from.

By Stephen Adams, Medical Correspondent

7:00AM GMT 30 Nov 2012

Norman Lamb, the care minister, said the option of having a ‘personal health budget’ would be made available to some 56,000 people in England with significant health needs. It would “put them back in control of their care,” he said.

The idea is to give people the power to choose exactly what care they need for their condition or disability – and buy it from whoever they like – rather than having it decided and provided by the NHS.

Charities for the elderly and disabled have broadly welcomed the initiative, which has been trialled for three years, but there are worries about some people misusing the money.

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Ambulance response times for Norfolk stroke patients “completely unacceptable” – health minister

November 26, 2012   Carers, health, hospital, Norfolk, stroke

 

Fears lives were being put at risk

Alex Hurrell, Reporter Monday, November 26, 2012
7:00 AM

Health minister Norman Lamb said he feared lives were being put at risk after receiving figures showing the time it took the East of England Ambulance Service to take Norfolk stroke victims to hospital.

For most of this year, fewer than a quarter of Norfolk stroke patients arrived at hospital within the guideline 60 minutes and the situation was even worse in north Norfolk where he is the MP.

Earlier this year, the EDP launched its Ambulance Watch campaign in response to growing public concern about the performance of the ambulance service.

The figures for stroke patients were provided to Mr Lamb following a Freedom of Information Act request by a third party. In the best month in north Norfolk, May, the ambulance trust managed to transport 7pc of patients within the critical period. Last month the figure was just 2pc.

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