NHS trust plans to cut consultant posts to make savings
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PROVIDER: S-EPMC1246109 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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| S-EPMC1647329 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRecruiting, retaining and meeting increasing demand for experienced, qualified nurses is an issue of concern for all health care systems. The UK has been creating clinical career structures for nurses that include innovative posts known as nurse consultants. While the numbers overall appear to have grown over the last eleven years, there is evidence that in some specialities and regions the numbers are decreasing. This paper considers the factors that sustain or curtail workforce innovations through the case example of a cohort of nurse consultants established in one community health service in England.MethodsA mixed method case study evaluation was undertaken over three years, using interviews, observations, documentary analysis and questionnaires. The final element of data collection was obtained three years later. Data was anonymised, analysed using a framework method and then integrated using a narrative synthesis.ResultsTen nurse consultant posts were created over a period of two years (2002-2004). Within two years only five posts remained and within five years (2009) only two part time posts, with the original appointees, remained. When the nurse consultants left their posts, these were not replaced. In exploring the interaction between the innovation (the nurse consultant posts), the adoptees (the senior staff in the organisation) and the context (the immediate service colleagues, the service organisation and commissioners as well as the broader NHS policy context) three key factors were identified as influential in the demise of the posts. These were: a) the extent to which there was support for individual nurses rather than the post, b) the extent to which there was an unambiguous and uncontested clinical service requirement for a nurse consultant and c) the extent to which finances for the post were judged as being used to best effect in a service setting.ConclusionsThis case study example demonstrates how tantalisingly close the nurse consultant initiative came to achieving a clinical career pathway for nurses in community services but more work was required to normalise clinician and managers' beliefs in the relevance and need for the role. Those looking to embed these types of nursing workforce innovations should pay due regard to these issues.
| S-EPMC3170598 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Medicine is becoming increasingly protocol driven. This provides a standardised format for doctors to deliver best practice, especially in the acute setting. 40 junior doctors were asked to locate three Trust guidelines: venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis; antibiotic prescribing; and management of upper gastrointestinal bleed (UGIB). For each doctor the time taken and number of mouse clicks to access each guideline was recorded. Following successful redesign of the Trust intranet we completed a re-audit. Initial results showed 48% of doctors were unable to locate the UGIB or the VTE guidelines within 5 min. For those who were able to locate the guidelines it took an average of 111 sec and 17 mouse clicks. 100% of doctors were able to locate the antibiotic guidelines in 12 sec and with two clicks. These are accessible via a single port of access. Following our redesign of the Trust intranet 100% of doctors located all three guidelines in an average time of 7.2 sec and in 2.1 clicks. Improvement in access to VTE prophylaxis and UGIB was statistically significant (p=0.001). Redesigning our Trust intranet homepage has significantly improved the accessibility of acute surgical and medical guidelines.
| S-EPMC4645694 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In April 2020, close to the start of the first U.K. COVID-19 lockdown, the U.K. government announced the development of a COVID-19 contact tracing app, which was later trialled on the U.K. island, the Isle of Wight, in May/June 2020. United Kingdom surveys found general support for the development of such an app, which seemed strongly influenced by public trust. Institutions developing the app were called upon to fulfil the commitment to public trust by acting with trustworthiness. Such calls presuppose that public trust associated with the app can emerge if the conditions for trustworthiness are met and that public trust is simplistic, i.e., linearly the sum of each member of the publics' individual - U.K. government trust relationship. Drawing on a synthesis of the trust literature and fifteen interviews with members of the public trialling the app on the Isle of Wight, this paper aims to explore what trust mechanisms and relationships are at play when thinking about public trust in the context of the U.K. COVID-19 app. We argue that public trust is a complex social phenomenon and not linearly correlated with institutional trustworthiness. As such, attention needs to widen from calls for trustworthy infrastructures as a way to build public trust, to a deeper understanding of those doing the trusting; in particular, what or whom do people place their trust in (or not) when considering whether using the app and why. An understanding of this will help when trying to secure public trust during the implementation of necessary public health measures.
| S-EPMC8490841 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceHealth savings accounts (HSAs) can be used by enrollees in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to save for health care expenses before taxes. Expansion of and encouraging contributions to HSAs have been centerpieces of recent federal legislation. Little is known about how US residents who may be eligible for HSAs are using them to save for health care.ObjectiveTo determine which patients who may be eligible for an HSA do not have one and what decisions patients with HSAs make about contributing to them.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional national survey assessed an online survey panel representative of the US adult population. Adults aged 18 to 64 years and enrolled in an HDHP for at least 12 months were eligible to participate. Data were collected from August 26 to September 19, 2016, and analyzed from November 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020.Main outcomes and measuresPrevalence of not having an HSA or not making HSA contributions in the last 12 months and reasons for not making the HSA contributions.ResultsBased on data from 1637 individuals (American Association of Public Opinion Research response rate 4, 54.8%), half (50.6% [95% CI, 47.7%-53.6%]) of US adults in HDHPs were female, and most were aged 36 to 51 (35.7% [95% CI, 32.8%-38.6%]) or 52 to 64 (36.8% [95% CI, 34.1%-39.5%]) years. Approximately 1 in 3 (32.5% [95% CI, 29.8%-35.3%]) did not have an HSA. Those who obtained their health insurance through an exchange were more likely to lack an HSA (70.3% [95% CI, 61.9%-78.6%]) than those who worked for an employer that offered only 1 health insurance plan (36.5% [95% CI, 30.9%-42.1%]; P < .001). More than half of individuals with an HSA (55.0% [95% CI, 51.1%-58.8%]) had not contributed money into it in the last 12 months. Among HDHP enrollees with an HSA, those with at least a master's degree (46.1% [95% CI, 38.3%-53.9%]; P = .02) or a high level of health insurance literacy (47.3% [95% CI, 40.7%-54.0%]; P = .03) were less likely to have made no HAS contributions. Common reasons for not contributing to an HSA included not considering it (36.8% [95% CI, 30.8%-42.8%]) and being unable to afford saving for health care (31.9% [95% CI, 26.2%-37.6%]).Conclusions and relevanceThese findings suggest that many US adults enrolled in an HDHP lack an HSA, and few with an HSA saved for health care in the last year. Targeted interventions should be explored by employers, health plans, and health systems to encourage HSA uptake and contributions among individuals who could benefit from their use.
| S-EPMC7368175 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Medicines reconciliation is integral to patient safety, symptom control and reducing patient anxiety. During a 3-month period on the respiratory ward at St. Peter's Hospital, 54% of drug charts were not reconciled with pre-admission medicines at the point of discharge for admissions up to 17 days. Only 18% were reconciled within 24 hours of admission. 50% of drug charts were missing 0-2 pre-admission medicines and 50% were missing 3-5 pre-admission medicines. The most common medicines that were not reconciled included topical applications which included eye, ear, nasal and skin applications (14%); vitamins i.e. vitamin B12 and thiamine, analgesia, PRN inhalers (11% individually); antidepressants and lipid regulators (6% individually); amongst a range of other medications including antiplatelets, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors and diuretics. Two interventions were carried out to improve the rate of medicines reconciliation onto hospital drug charts with pre-admission medicines. These were: 1) a green sticker placed in the medical notes by the pharmacist when drug charts were incomplete, which required a date and signature from the doctor when the drug chart had been reconciled 2) the placing of the loose medicines reconciliation record (a list of pre-admission medicines retrieved from a reliable source usually by the pharmacist) to the front of the drug chart. These measures were designed to alert the doctors that the drug chart was incomplete. After 2 PDSA cycles, the results showed positive outcomes. In 75% of the cases where the interventions were used, medicines reconciliation was complete at the point of discharge with 34% of drug charts reconciled within 24 hours of admission. Of the 25% of drug charts that were not reconciled despite the use of the interventions, 100% of them were missing 0-2 medicines however 0% were missing 3-5 medicines. This highlights that the interventions were effective in improving the rates of medicines reconciliation.
| S-EPMC5492467 | biostudies-other
Project description:South Africa's rates of statin use are among the world's lowest, despite statins' demonstrated effectiveness for people with a high blood cholesterol level or history of cardiovascular disease. Almost 5 percent of the country's total mortality has been attributed to high cholesterol levels, fueled in part by low levels of statin adherence. Drawing upon experience elsewhere, we used a microsimulation model of cardiovascular disease to investigate the health and economic impacts of increasing prescription length from the standard thirty days to either sixty or ninety days, for South African adults on a stable statin regimen. Increasing prescription length to sixty or ninety days could save 1,694 or 2,553 lives per million adults, respectively. In addition, annual per patient costs related to cardiovascular disease would decrease by $152.41 and $210.29, respectively. Savings would largely accrue to patients in the form of time savings and reduced transportation costs, as a result of less frequent trips to the pharmacy. Increasing statin prescription length would both save resources and improve health outcomes in South Africa.
| S-EPMC4816639 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AIMS:To assess the extent of the problem of nut allergy in schoolchildren within the Severn NHS Trust. To determine how well informed schools are about the condition, their policies and attitudes, and the action that would be taken in the event of an acute reaction. METHODS:A questionnaire addressed to the head teacher was sent to 100 randomly selected mainstream schools in the Severn NHS Trust. RESULTS:Response rate was 83%. There were a total of 21 868 pupils in the schools. Forty five (54%) schools had at least one child currently known to be allergic. The total in all the schools was 87 (0.4%). Only 31 (36%) children had medication available in school. Of these, 18 (58%) had EpiPen alone. Twenty schools (44%) with an allergic child either had no staff trained to administer medication or did not respond to the question. Two (4%) schools with an allergic child had a support assistant for the pupils. Only 19 (43%) schools with a nut allergic child gave information to all teachers about nut allergy and only 21 (47%) gave information to dinner supervisors and other assistants. In only 23 (51%) schools with an allergic child were the cook and catering staff aware of all the children with a nut allergy. Ten (22%) schools with an allergic child served only "nut free dinners". Fourteen (31%) schools with a nut allergic child could not name a single sign of a mild acute allergic reaction (compared to 34 (89%) schools without an allergic child). Fifteen (33%) schools with an allergic child could not state a single sign of a severe acute allergic reaction (compared with 33 (87%) schools without a nut allergic child). CONCLUSION:Schools are not sufficiently well informed about nut allergy and management of acute allergic reactions. Policies and attitudes vary. We have revised the information given to schools regarding nut allergy and prepared a new information pack.
| S-EPMC1719143 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo identify associations between success following application for consultant physician posts and demographic factors.DesignLogistic regression analysis of nationwide survey data.SettingUnited Kingdom (UK) physicians with a recent certificate of completion of training (CCT).ParticipantsAll UK trainee physicians who received a CCT between 2010 and 2019 were surveyed. Respondents were excluded if they had not applied for a consultant post or if application data were incomplete.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure was success over the entire consultant application process, i.e. shortlisted and offered the post following the first application. Secondary outcomes were: shortlisted following first application and offered a consultant post at first interview.ResultsFrom 7037 CCT holders surveyed, 50.7% responded. While 1198 (59.7%) respondents were white, 760 (37.9%) were from minority ethnic groups and 50 (3.5%) were of unknown ethnicity. Primary medical qualification (PMQ) country was the UK in 75.3% (n = 1512). On multivariable logistic regression analysis the independent negative associations with success were: minority ethnicity (odds ratio [OR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43-0.71); p < 0.001) vs. white; PMQ from Europe (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28-0.79; p = 0.004) or Asia (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.49-0.96; p = 0.027) vs. UK PMQ; year of CCT 2012 (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.24-0.68; p = 0.001), 2013 (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.23-0.65; p < 0.001), and 2014 (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.15-0.43; p < 0.001) vs. 2019. Specialties associated with lower success rates included Cardiology, Endocrinology, Genitourinary medicine, Palliative care, Renal and Respiratory, compared to Acute medicine.ConclusionsMinority ethnic group candidates for consultant physician posts had lower success rates compared to white candidates after correction for important variables including specialty, time from and country of PMQ. This finding requires further evaluation to identify the causes for this variation.
| S-EPMC9340099 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a theoretically increased risk of contracting severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) given their occupational exposure. We tested 2,167 HCWs in a London Acute Integrated Care Organisation for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in May and June 2020 to evaluate seroprevalence. We found a seropositivity rate of 31.6% among HCWs.
| S-EPMC7438618 | biostudies-literature