A statistical breakdown of complaints about primary care trusts and relevant care trusts 2010-11


Book Description

In this supplement to the main report 'Listening and learning: the Ombudsman's review of complaint handling by the NHS in England in 2010-11' (HC 1522, session 2010-12, ISBN 9780102975086) the Ombudsman publishes more detailed data on complaints about primary care trusts and relevant care trusts. For each trust the data shows how many complaints: were received; resolved through intervention; accepted for investigation; and reported on (with the percentage upheld, partly upheld and not upheld). The data is presented in four categories, according to whether the complaint was about: the trust itself (PCT or care trust); a GP or GP practice; a dentist of dental practice; or opticians, pharmacies or healthcare funded by the trust but provided by a private company.




Listening and learning


Book Description

The Health Ombudsman resolved a total of 15,186 complaints about the NHS in England in 2010-11. This report shows how, at a local level, the NHS is still not dealing adequately with the most straightforward matters. As the case studies illustrate, minor disputes over unanswered telephones or mix-ups over appointments can end up with the Ombudsman because of knee-jerk responses by NHS staff and poor complaint handling. While these matters may seem insignificant alongside complex clinical judgments and treatment, they contribute to a patient's overall experience of NHS care. The escalation of such small, everyday incidents represents a hidden cost, adding to the burden on clinical practitioners and taking up time for health service managers, while causing added difficulty for people struggling with illness or caring responsibilities. Two particular themes stand out this year. Poor communication - one of the most common reasons for complaints in the last year - can have a serious, direct impact on patients' care and can unnecessarily exclude their families from a full awareness of the patient's condition or prognosis. Secondly, in a small but increasing number of cases, a failure to resolve disagreements between patients and their GP has led to their removal from the GP's patient list - often without the required warning or the opportunity for both sides to talk about what happened. As GPs prepare to take on greater responsibility for commissioning patient services, this report provides an early warning that some are failing to handle even the most basic complaints appropriately.




Health and Inequality


Book Description

How can research on the social determinants of health be translated into real life public health practice? Challenging the research-practice gap, this text shows readers from a range of professions how their practice can help to minimise health inequalities. The social model of health embraces individual lifestyles, social and community networks, socio-economic, political and cultural influences and the plethora of factors that can impact on public health, for instance, education, work, welfare benefits, environment, housing, health and social care. All of these can have a significant effect on people’s experiences of health and well-being, and are often unrecognised sources of health inequalities. This innovative textbook outlines and discusses key public health principles and the social model of health. Drawing on a range of case studies and the international literature, it looks at how public health research has been applied to policy and practice. The book discusses the transferability that these findings have had and their capacity to influence and provide evidence for practice. Health and Inequality covers a broad range of social determinants of health, encountered throughout the life-course, including: Pre-birth and early years Breastfeeding and teenage mothers Health inequalities for mothers and babies in prison Children in full time education Sexuality, relationships and sexual health of young people Early adulthood Welfare rights and health benefits Women, employment and well-being Adults in later life Practical and clearly structured, this text will be useful to a range of health and social care professionals involved in public health work, particularly those undertaking courses on public health, health promotion or the social determinants of health.




Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health


Book Description

"Public health is concerned with the process of mobilizing local, state/provincial, national, and international resources to assure the conditions in which all people can be healthy (Detels and Breslow 2002). To successfully implement this process and to make health for all achievable, public health must perform the functions listed in Box 1.1.1"--




The Health Service Journal


Book Description




Caring for Vulnerable Babies


Book Description

Neonatal services provide care to babies born prematurely or with an illness or condition which requires specialist care. Over the last 20 years, neonatal services have undergone substantial organisational and technological changes whilst remaining a challenging and innovative area of medicine. Following a 2003 review of neonatal services, the 180 neonatal units based in the English National Health Service and Foundation Trusts were organised into 23 geographical, managed clinical networks. Demand for neonatal care has risen year on year. In 200-07, around 60,000 babies (roughly one in ten births) were admitted to neonatal units, at a cost to the NHS of some £420 million. The networks have developed at different rates and two areas have yet to establish a formal managed network. Networks have helped improve communication and co-ordination between units and have made progress in reducing the number of times babies have to be transferred long distance to obtain the necessary level of care, but there has been less progress on a key review recommendation for networks to re-designate units to ensure that the supply of intensive, intermediate and special care matches demand. The NHS still has limited data on patient outcomes, other than mortality rates which show unexplained variations between networks. Constraints in capacity mean that the Department of Health is still struggling to meet the demand for neonatal services, and problems over recruiting, retaining and training the staff required to deliver the service remains a major challenge. Financial management at the unit level needs to be improved. Neonatal units have a poor understanding of the costs of running their unit and there are differences in how units' determine their charge for a cot day with wide variations in charges between similar types of unit.




A Practical Approach to Civil Procedure


Book Description

Trusted by generations of students and litigators, A Practical Approach to Civil Procedure is the perfect guide to the complex procedural requirements employed in the civil courts. Written by an expert in the field and co-editor of Blackstone's Civil Practice, the book provides a wide-ranging and detailed overview of the key statutory provisions, rules, practice directions, and case law which govern the various stages of a civil litigation claim, making it essential reading for students and newly-qualified litigators. Taking a thoroughly practical focus throughout, the book charts the progress of a typical civil litigation claim, from funding litigation and issuing and serving proceedings, through to trial, enforcement, and appeal. Full coverage of alternative dispute resolution is also included. Relevant sample documentation is featured throughout and introduces the reader to the forms and documents which will be encountered in practice, while key point summaries featured at the end of chapters highlight the essential points covered. Updated annually, this twentieth edition has been fully revised to incorporate coverage of ongoing changes in civil procedure, including developments to the rules and their impact on areas such as costs and funding.




Healthcare Law and Ethics and the Challenges of Public Policy Making


Book Description

Drawing on Sir Ian Kennedy's extensive experience in healthcare law, ethics and public policy-making, this book explores vital issues in the law surrounding healthcare and regulation. The book contains a range of published and unpublished essays and speeches with the addition of notes and commentaries by the author that bring the pieces up to the present day. Those who want to understand developments, from transplants to confidentiality, from COVID-19 to public inquiries to regulation will find a rich seam of rigorous, informed analysis. The author's unique range of experience allows him to share insights on a variety of issues; from the conduct of the disgraced breast surgeon, Ian Paterson, to research at Porton Down, to the economics of innovation in drug development at NICE. His abiding interest in the welfare of children informs his trenchant forensic examination of how children fare in the NHS. Those involved in or with an interest in law, moral philosophy, and public policy will find much food for thought.




Substance Use in Social Work Education and Training


Book Description

Substance use has become an increasingly common concern for all aspects of social work practice, and especially when working with mental health and vulnerable families. This requires all social workers to have sufficient education and training in alcohol and other drugs across a range of settings. This volume presents evidence from a number of major studies which examine the current state of social work education in relation to substance use. These contextual considerations are complemented by specific applied analyses which explore classroom, methodological, practice and theoretical considerations within both the UK and America. Substance Use in Social Work Education and Training provides a strong evidence base for the effectiveness of appropriately-targeted education and support given to social workers. It further substantiates calls for a greater inclusion of more on substance use in social work education and curricula. This book is based on a special issue of the journal Social Work Education.




Placement Learning in Community Nursing


Book Description

Worried about your placement? Will you fit in? Will you have the right skills? What do you need to learn for practice assessments? This book will help you with all these concerns. It will tell you what to expect from the placement, what you can learn, how to link theory and practice, and how to make the most of your learning opportunities. - A logical, step-by-step approach to preparing for a medical placement - Helps make the most of learning opportunities - Narratives from other students describe what the placement will really be like - Honest discussion of the challenges of a placement in the community to help avoid problems - Advice on possible approaches to situations that may arise on a community placement Series features: - A unique guide to getting the most from clinical placements - What to expect before a placement - What you can expect to learn on placement - How to consolidate your experience and learning - Clear links and examples with NMC proficiencies - Guidance on what to use as evidence for portfolios - Short case studies to link theory with practice - Key points reminder boxes




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