Tuesday, January 18, 2005

More trusts seek flagship status (UK)   BBC story - "Another 32 NHS trusts in England have been given the go ahead to apply for foundation status. For the first time they include eight mental health trusts. So far 25 trusts have assumed foundation status, which gives them more freedom over their finances and the way they develop services."  
  

Mental hospital ward in stabbing case compared to Beirut   Story in The Guardian - "The NHS apologised yesterday for bungling the care of a mental patient who stabbed a man to death shortly after discharging himself from a violent hospital ward, described by staff as "like Beirut". An independent inquiry found that mistakes in the treatment of Dale Pick, 35, who has paranoid schizophrenia, were linked to overcrowding and understaffing at the Beaumont ward of Bradgate mental health unit in Leicester, where he was a voluntary patient. "