Martin Vernon

Consultant Geriatrician. Chair NW Clinical Senate. Opinions my own

[Alasdair MacLullich @A_MacLullich]

⭐ META-ANALYSIS: Hospital delirium --> devastating long-term outcomes

253 studies, 137,000+ pts:
• 5.4x dementia risk
• 2.8x institutionalisation
• 2.5x mortality
• 1.7x readmission

⚠️ Delirium = a serious acute problem AND a risk warning.

➡️ All pts deserve robust delirium assessment

[Sky News @SkyNews]

BREAKING: Sky News understands the government will not be giving the landmark assisted dying bill legislation more time in the House of Lords, which means it almost certainly will fall.

@SamCoatesSky explains ⬇️

https://t.co/MusRLQpt5f

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

@CNKAlliance @GeriSoc Glad to see this cut through. While digitally enabled care can be useful in some settings- assessment for assisted dying or end of life care in general is not one of them.

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

@ddhitchens In short this is bad law and needs significant revision before it can go forwards. The NHS is not equipped or funded to deliver an assisted dying service even if this was the right thing to deliver- which as it stands it is not

[British Geriatrics Society @GeriSoc]

Have you visited our Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) Hub?

A clear, concise, evidence-based set of resources, freely available to all who need them on our website. https://t.co/UWyhFNkJV2

[Alasdair MacLullich @A_MacLullich]

🧠🦴 1 in 5 #hipfracture patients have #delirium on arrival.

x2 likely to die within a year & 73% less likely to get home.

Scottish data - N=18,000 pts. Shows: 4AT works at national scale - NB 91% completion. Takes 2 minutes.

Why isn't this standard everywhere?

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

@lorraineburges2 Absolute pleasure 😊

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

This is considerably worse than the pandemic and on the front line services are getting decimated. Not good for patients and not good for staff 👇 https://t.co/g8FnxBn6c8

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

In 2019 @NHSEngland committed to invest in better care for older people with frailty by supporting primary care & community services

But it’s been eviscerated by successive ‘leadership’.

This links directly to the current urgent care crisis👇

https://t.co/LII7ZyVmsz

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

There is plenty of evidence that comprehensive assessment of older people followed by accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment improves outcomes. Lowering antibiotic thresholds to treat things they may not have carries its own risks. Geriatricians know this 🙄🤷‍♂️

[Doctors.net.uk @Doctors_net_uk]

Professor Sir Chris Whitty urged clinicians to adopt a lower threshold for antibiotic prescribing in this population compared with younger adults #NHS #doctors #antibiotics https://t.co/Ny4sxRw6T7

[Doctors.net.uk @Doctors_net_uk]

Professor Sir Chris Whitty urged clinicians to adopt a lower threshold for antibiotic prescribing in this population compared with younger adults #NHS #doctors #antibiotics https://t.co/Ny4sxRw6T7

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

A hospital that chooses to close its same day emergency care beds & fill them instead with unselected patients is a hospital that doesn’t understand emergency care and is in denial that the same problem won’t be there tomorrow.. leading to more extremis- just sayin.. 😉🤷‍♂️

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

While parliament debates legalisation of assisted dying we continue to face ever decreasing care alternatives at end of life

Despite legal requirement ICBs are failing to commission equitable palliative & end-of-life care to meet their population needs👇

https://t.co/O8WRZ9iXxJ

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

@wesstreeting @RoyalFreeNHS I’ve worked for the NHS for 37+ yrs. However the concept no longer works-our population has aged & NHS DNA can’t adapt to ever increasing need- ‘social need’ was mistakenly locked out in1948-but is the principle ‘health’ challenge we now face-we need new policy (not a plan 😏)

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

Excellent call to arms by ⁦@mancunianmedic⁩ - there is specialism in generalism 😏 https://t.co/bCgs8o4shX

[British Geriatrics Society @GeriSoc]

"Pragmatic prescribing to reduce harm for older people with moderate to severe frailty" aims to support prescribing decisions for older people with moderate to severe frailty. View our guidance document here: https://t.co/cPpX3UGfPq

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

@MichaelRosenYes Controversial, openly ageist and downright dangerous. This matters in civilised society because when we start to devalue people according particular characteristics beyond their control, we are already on a very slippery slope towards devaluing everyone.

[British Geriatrics Society @GeriSoc]

Have you read our "Pragmatic prescribing to reduce harm for older people with moderate to severe frailty" document? It aims to support prescribing decisions for older people with moderate to severe frailty.
https://t.co/cPpX3UGfPq

[Martin Vernon @runnermandoc]

@elonmusk How absolutely dumb 🙄 Pretty much sums up what is wrong with humanity- pointless obsession with immortality..🤷‍♂️