Public perceptions of health and social care: what the new government should know – The Health Foundation.
This report highlights findings from a survey of 2,068 people aged 16 years and older in the UK. It finds that the public is pessimistic about the state of the NHS. The majority (55 per cent) think the general standard of care has got worse in the past 12 months. This is echoed by concerns about social care with the majority of respondents (56 per cent) saying that standards have got worse over the past 12 months. It also finds that the public are concerned about the impacts of rising costs of living on the nation’s health. 57 per cent think rising living costs are a high or very high threat to the health of UK citizens and 72 per cent believe overall health and wellbeing has declined in the past 12 months.

Effectiveness of Early Warning Scores for Early Severity Assessment in Outpatient Emergency Care: A Systematic Review. Front Public Health. 2022 Jul 14;10:894906.
Patient assessment and possible deterioration prediction are a healthcare priority. Increasing demand for outpatient emergency care services requires the implementation of simple, quick, and effective systems of patient evaluation and stratification. The purpose of this review is to identify the most effective Early Warning Score (EWS) for the early detection of the risk of complications when screening emergency outpatients for a potentially serious condition.

Associations of Burnout with the Career Engagement of Physicians and the Quality of Patient Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. BMJ 2022;378:e070442.
This meta-analysis provides compelling evidence that physician burnout is associated with poor function and sustainability of healthcare organisations primarily by contributing to the career disengagement and turnover of physicians and secondarily by reducing the quality of patient care. Healthcare organisations should invest more time and effort in implementing evidence-based strategies to mitigate physician burnout across specialties, and particularly in emergency medicine and for physicians in training or residency.

The latest from NHS Employers

• NHS Staff Council communication – additional public holiday arrangements New joint statement from the NHS Staff Council outlining the arrangements for leave and pay for the additional public holiday on 19 September 2022.
• Adjustments to right to work checks are ending The Home Office is ending the temporary measures brought in to allow employers to conduct right to work checks remotely.
• Improving the retention of registered nurses and midwives This toolkit enables organisations to undertake a self-assessment against the seven elements of the NHS People Promise.
• The rising cost of living This pack provides a summary of the areas employers may wish to explore to support staff with the rising cost of living.
• Guardians of safe working hours conference Book your free place on our guardians of safe working hours virtual conference.
• The 2022 Annual London SPF Conference Join us as we reflect on the past few years, look at what’s happening in the NHS as well as exploring exciting interventions for the future.
• Supporting staff with the rising cost of living Read our collection of good practice examples from NHS organisations that have implemented practical support for staff.
• Time to hire delays Take a look at our range of resources, designed to help employers navigate the employment checks process safely and effectively.
• Her Majesty The Queen A statement from the chair and chief executive of the NHS Confederation on the death of
• Suicide prevention and postvention Information on the impact of suicide and how employers can best support their staff through preventative and postventative measures.
• Supporting young people through the full recruitment process Read how NHS organisations in Norfolk have teamed up to offer packages of employment support for young candidates.
• Safer care for all report published A new report looks at the current state of professional health and care regulation in the UK and proposes solutions to some of the challenges.

HSJ Roundup –  Full text available << click here to e-mail your request to the Hanley Library >>

• New lead for DHSC’s MedTech directorate The procurement lead from a major London acute will lead the Department of Health and Social Care’s new medical technology directorate, HSJ has learned.
• Covid admissions rise sharply in the South West The number of covid positive patients admitted to hospitals in the South and East of England has stopped falling and, in some areas, is rising steeply.
• Trust earned £39m from Middle Eastern country in one year A leading hospital trust earned nearly one-tenth of its income during a single year doing private work for a small Middle Eastern state, it has been revealed.
• Exclusive: Rollout of omicron vaccine threatened by ‘flimsy needles’ NHS staff have warned that needles supplied with a covid vaccine which targets the omicron strain are “not fit for purpose” and could place vaccinators and members of the public at risk.
• Pension contributions overhaul from October will avoid pay cut The NHS pension scheme is to be amended, so staff do not face a take-home pay cut by being pushed up a contribution tier because of annual pay awards.
• Updated: Staff warned of ‘harrowing’ care standards review Trust staff have been warned that an independent investigation into maternity services will be ‘a harrowing read’ with a ‘profound and significant impact’.
• ‘Outstanding’ trust to share CEO and chair An “outstanding” mental health trust will share a joint chief executive and chair with an acute trust covering the same patch, it has been announced.
• Trusts face quadrupling in gas prices A leading energy broker for the NHS has told trusts to expect gas bills to rise by more than three times from April, according to information seen by HSJ.
• Mapped: RTT waiting times An interactive map of local NHS waits around England in July 2022, showing the pressures, with links to all the details by organisation and specialty.
• Trust ‘hiding serious harm and death’ report Essential insight into NHS matters in the North West of England. Contact me in confidence here.
• Pension contributions overhauled amid cut to band 8 take-home pay The NHS pension scheme is to be amended, so staff do not face a take-home pay cut by being pushed up a contribution tier because of annual pay awards.
• Trusts set to merge after ICS review An integrated care system is planning a new trust for all its community and mental health services, which are currently offered by several providers.
• Prepare to charge overseas VIPs visiting for Queen’s funeral, trusts told NHS organisations should prepare to identify and potentially charge ”foreign dignitaries and VIPs” if they need healthcare during the period of the Queen’s funeral, they have been advised.
• Hospital picks new private partner after firm’s sudden liquidation An integrated trust has appointed a new provider of its diagnostic centre following the collapse of Rutherford Health in June.
• Trusts turn to ‘aggressive accounting’ and large covid cash reserves to balance books NHS trusts will draw on billions of pounds of cash reserves built up during the pandemic to help fund their costs this year, while using aggressive accounting treatments to stop the spending hitting the bottom line.
• Two more ministers join DHSC A former senior policy adviser and a paediatrician have been appointed as junior ministers at the Department for Health and Social Care.
• New government health adviser teams revealed Former hospital chief Samantha Jones is leaving government after her role was abolished in Liz Truss’ Downing Street shake-up, but former NHS England director Emily Lawson remains.
• Shake-up of health advisers under new PM Former hospital chief Samantha Jones is leaving government after her role was abolished in Liz Truss’ Downing Street shake-up, but former NHS England director Emily Lawson remains.
• NHSE director: ‘Overwhelmingly negative narrative must stop’ NHS England’s chief strategy officer has called for a “reset” of the current “overwhelmingly negative narrative” about the health service.
• NHS cuts 18-month waits but concerns over key target remain NHS trusts again recorded a month-on-month reduction in the number of patients waiting over 78 weeks for treatment, although the flagship target to eliminate this cohort by March remains a tall order, with winter pressures set to crank up.

Recent statistics

• Diagnostic imaging dataset for May 2022 A central collection of detailed information about diagnostic imaging tests carried out on NHS patients in England.
• Recorded Dementia Diagnoses, August 2022 Recorded and estimated dementia diagnosis rates.
• Hospital Accident & Emergency Activity, 2021-22 This will be a joint publication with NHS England. The joint production will draw on NHS England’s monthly A&E data as well as NHS Digital’s ECDS data and in so doing will aim to create a more coherent picture of th…
• COVID-19 Hospitalisations Dashboard Friday 9 September 2022 The COVID-19 Hospitalisations dashboard compares hospitalisation figures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes figures on hospital admissions, inpatients and discharges.