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Welcome to the Patients Association Weekly News
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Patients Association calls for funding gaps to be filled in spending round
We have made our formal submission to HM Treasury for  the Government’s current one-year spending round. Funding decisions for 2020-21 will be announced in September, with a three-year spending review due to follow next year. In our submission, we call on the Chancellor to provide the funding to make good on early pledges made by the Prime Minister, on both social care and the NHS. 

Fixing the social care crisis, as the Prime Minister has promised to do, will require both a new funding system for the long term and an immediate funding boost to reverse the cuts to social care funding from the late 2000s onwards. Even though the spending round is not a full review, we see no reason why the Chancellor should not provide the necessary funding to honour the Prime Minister’s commitment immediately.

Our submission also recommends that the Chancellor should address the remaining NHS funding gap, following the announcement of new funding last year which was, although substantial, ultimately a short measure. Its third key recommendation is to ensure that the spending round’s funding decisions are aligned across all areas of government policy, so that problems in policy areas such as housing and the environment do not undercut the Government’s agenda on health. This follows up the recommendation in Rachel Power’s letter to the Chancellor immediately after his appointment.


Treasury photo adapted from an image by ktanaka on Wikimedia Commons, reproduced under Creative Commons licence.
Read our submission
Details of hospital food review announced
The Government has announced details of its ‘root and branch’ review of hospital food. It will cover the food available to patients, staff and visitors, and will establish new national quality standards for food in hospitals.

The review will be chaired by Philip Shelley, former head of the Hospital Caterers Association and catering lead for Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, and will tie in with a wider cross-government ‘farm to fork’ review into Britain’s food system, led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association said: “We are pleased to see a full review of hospital food being undertaken and hope it leads to more nutritious and nourishing meals to help patients with their recovery. We know from our own work in this area how important it is to patients that they have access to good, high quality food. 

“For the sake of their recovery and for their enjoyment, people should be able to look forward to their meals, particularly when dealing with the pressures and worries that a stay in hospital can bring, even with the best of care.” 
 
In our report on meal preferences in hospitals in 2017, we heard generally positive feedback on the quality of food in hospital and service by hospital staff. Patients told us that their top priorities for food are: 1) it should taste good; 2) there should be enough choice; and 3) it should be at the right temperature.

The Patients Association will be contributing to the review – if you would like to share a recent experience of hospital food, good or bad, please email policy@patient-association.com.
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Response to NHS England’s consultation on ‘Digital First’ Primary Care
New digital services are rapidly emerging in healthcare, and the NHS recently consulted on ways to incorporate some of these approaches into its GP services.

In our response, we supported the proposal that any new ‘digital first’ provider should also provide arrangements for patients to access services physically in their local area. 

However, the consultation also proposed requiring that any new providers should only be allowed to open in ‘under-doctored’ areas. While the shortage of GPs in some areas is an extremely serious issue, we feel this risks introducing perverse incentives and market distortions that won’t solve the shortage of doctors, but will hinder the development of new services.  
Read our response
Excessive prescribing of medicines to older people
A new report by Age UK has raised concerns about the number of older people who are being prescribed large numbers of drugs, some of them potentially unnecessary. 

The research found that nearly two million people over 65 are on seven or more medicines, while nearly four million are taking at least five drugs. It goes on to explore the possible effects of such high levels of ‘polypharmacy’, and concludes that they could include severe and even life-threatening side effects for some patients. 

John Kell, Head of Policy at the Patients Association, said: “This report shows how important it is for doctors to deal with the patient in front of them as a person, not just an individual symptom to solve. Prescribing decisions should be made in discussion with the patient, identifying what they want to achieve for their health and taking full account of their circumstances, including other medicines they are being prescribed. For patients where many medicines are prescribed, each of those decisions might have had some justification in isolation, but considered together as a care regime they can fail badly to meet that person’s needs.” 
Read more
Opportunities to have your say
It’s not too late to get involved in our upcoming work – if you live in or near Leeds, London, Oxford or Manchester, you’ll find there are various opportunities below for you to join us and share your experiences on a range of health matters.

Our membership survey is also still open, and you can take part and share your views if you’ve not already done so.

Your insight, experiences and views on the health and care system strengthen our work to improve patient care, so we hope to see you at one of the events below. All our latest events and focus groups can be found on the website here.
 
Leeds, 6 September: being switched to new medicines
Have you been switched from a ‘biological’ medication to a new ‘biosimilar’ drug? The Patients Association is hosting a workshop in Leeds on Friday 6 September to learn more about how people who are taking these new medicines can be better supported and to understand how their experiences could be improved. This is an exciting opportunity to shape new guidance directly with healthcare professionals, and this work will help patients to be better equipped to make decisions and will allow them greater control over their own health and wellbeing.

Biologic medications are usually liquids given via a drip or injection pen. They are often used to treat long-term conditions including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, but patients with diabetes and people with some forms of cancer may also be taking biologics. If you’ve recently been switched onto a new biosimilar medicine and live in or near Leeds, we’d love for you to join our workshop on 6 September. The session will run from 10am to 2pm, and your feedback will help to shape our work. Places are limited so please contact anna.shears@patients-association.com to reserve your place. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided, and we’re also offering high street vouchers to participants for giving their time.
 
London, Thursday 5 September: private healthcare patients 
Have you opted for private treatment over NHS care in the past? Has your treatment been as an inpatient in a private hospital - funded by yourself, medical insurance, or an employment benefits package? We’re looking for people to join a focus group with in London on Thursday 5 September from 5.30 to 8.30pm to help develop a new resource for patients receiving private treatment.

If you have recently had private inpatient care or know someone who has, please get in touch by emailing Celia Turnbull at celia.turnbull@patients-association.com. Whether your experience was very good or one that could have been improved, we would like to hear from you. Light refreshments will be available on the day and reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. We’re also offering a high street voucher to participants for giving their time. For more information, email Celia or call 020 8423 9111.
 
Oxford, Friday 6 September: patients with knee problems sought to help create new guidance 
We’ve partnered with Oxford University to produce new patient information about the recommended treatment options for meniscal problems of the knee, and we’d like to hear from you if you currently have knee problems and are considering surgery, are waiting for a procedure or have recently had an operation. We’re looking for people to pilot a new approach to creating guidance that will inform and empower patients.

As well as working with Oxford University, the project is also supported by the NHS Getting It Right First Time programme and the British Association for Surgery of the Knee. Participants will need to be able to attend a meeting in Oxford on Friday 6 September from 10.30am to 3pm. Travel expenses will be reimbursed. If you are interested in taking part please contact Heather Eardley on heather.eardley@patients-association.com.
Share your health and social care experiences with us
Have you found recent consultations with your doctor helpful? 

Whether your experience has been positive or one that could have been better, we’d like to hear more and see what we can do to help. Our partnership with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) means when you call our helpline or email us, it makes a real difference. To get in touch with our helpline team and share your thoughts of using GP services, call 020 8423 8999, email helpline@patients-association.com or visit our website.
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What our team is reading this week
Brexit: Health leaders issue new no-deal warning
NHS says sepsis monitoring system has saved hundreds of lives
‘Reprehensible’ action by regulator sparks call for inquiry (£)
Boris Johnson orders urgent action to boost vaccination rates after measles rise
'Malaria will not be eradicated in near future', warns WHO

About Us

Our vision is that health and social care will be delivered in a way that meets every person’s health and social care needs.

Our mission is to give effect to the patient voice, to improve patient experience and support people to engage fully in their own care. Find out more about our values on our website

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The Patients Association is a registered charity in England and Wales (1006733).  A company limited by guarantee.  Registered company in England and Wales (02620761)
Registered address:  P Block, Northwick Park Hospital, The North West Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3YJ