The Priory have been fined £300,000 because they have breached the safety laws regarding the death of a 14 year old girl. The girl was called Amy El-Keria and she was treated in the psychiatric hospital in Sussex. She was deemed as being very high risk and she also had a strong history of suicide attempts too. She died in the care of the trust just 12 weeks after being admitted. She had been left unsupervised and she was also left with the means of attempting suicide. An inquest has been done and they found that the death could in fact have been prevented if she had been given a higher level of appropriate care. The private mental healthcare group was charged, and a criminal investigation was launched.

Matt Hancock has vowed to try and banish the use of NDAS in the NHS. This could be a major movement to say the least. Hancock has since released a statement saying that he wants the NHS to feel as though they can really put their head ahead of the parapet and he also believes that the government stands with whistle blowers too.

There has been a huge investigation done into the NHS to try and find out if they are recognising any seriously ill or even deteriorating infants. This has been put into place because a three-month old infant died soon after being sent home from a hospital. The HSIB have come out to say that they are the ones who have launched the investigation, and this is because they were notified about the death. They stated that the baby was admitted to hospital but was discharged soon after. The infant was brought back into hospital 4 hours later and then died from meningococcus. The HSIB have stated that they are working hard to try and understand the circumstances regarding this, and they are also trying to find out why the ill infant was not recognised at all.

A 150-year old private trust has come forward to announce that they are going to be closing. 280 staff are going to be let go and jobs are also going to be shut down as well. They have stated that it is nearly impossible for them to balance the costs and that they are very sad about everything that has happened. They have also stated that their resources are running out, and that they are not able to continue this for much longer. They have been providing patients with a high level of healthcare since the year 1872 and also have 30 hospital beds. They have 50 bed-nursing sections and they even operate a day care service. They help over 250 people every single day and the work that they do really does not go unnoticed. They have stated that they are sad to see this happen, but they just cannot continue anymore. Those who operate in homecare or even in private nursing will know more than anyone how devastating this can be, but things like this can and do happen.

The DOH have announced that they have some radical plans lined up. They are going to shake up day surgery across the north of Ireland. Thousands of operations will be transferred to sites known as day case hubs and these are going to offer a huge range of specialities. These hubs have actually been in operation since last October and they are carrying out all of the planned surgeries for those who suffer from varicose veins or even cataracts.

A lack of progress means that the NHS waiting list is now getting longer than ever. Some people are even saying that there are going to be more negligence claims as well, and this could mean big problems for the rest of the industry. More than 4.2 million patients are now waiting for surgery and this has increased by over 55% in the last five years. More and more people are also waiting longer than 18 weeks to get the surgery that they need. Those who are associated with homecare or even in private nursing will know how frustrating this can be.

The family of a hardworking nurse have called for an inquiry into the care she was given. It took over 6 attempts for her cancer to be diagnosed. Julie O’Connor passed away on the 4th of February at the Southmead Hospital. Days before her death, she posted a very emotional video, saying that it is disgusting the way that she has been made to suffer. Those who work in homecare or in private nursing will understand how much pressure healthcare professionals are under at the moment, but there really is no excuse for this.

The CQC has taken what appears to be urgent action, in an attempt to protect all of the children who are being cared for at the East Kent Hospital. It has been said that the unsafe staffing levels play a part in this and that this is not acceptable at all. Inspectors have found that the two hospitals that are being run by the trust were not actually able to provide around the clock care to the emergency departments. Those who work in homecare or even in private nursing will understand more than anyone what a dire situation this can be. The inspectors were concerned regarding the judgemental and abrupt attitudes that were being shown by the administrative and even the senior staff. Both of the hospitals were facing issues with staff capacity and even volatile behaviour as well.

As a nurse, you are expected to be able to deal with and handle a huge amount of trauma. You are expected to live with this on a day to day basis and you are also expected to just get on with your job as well. For a lot of people, this is not possible at all and they leave for other jobs that are not as demanding. For some people, they choose to stay on but that being said, they are just too stressed and as a result, they become disengaged. This can lead to a lot of unhappiness in the workplace and it can also make it much more difficult for them to feel happy with the decisions that they are making. This is something that you need to take into account when you work in private nursing or even in homecare.

The NHS Highland have just appointed a brand-new chief executive. They are currently fighting hard to try and turn the tide against a £20m budget deficit. They are also having to face claims that revolve around bullying and even harassment as well. If you work in homecare or in private nursing, then you may have experienced some of this yourself. Iain Stewart is the deputy chief when it comes to commissioning and he is going to take over the position. A pivotal part of his role is going to try and turn the whole trust around. He is going to have to deal with some of the allegations that have come from staff members and there is also an independent review underway as well.