NHS urges Northamptonshire people to support breastfeeding mums

NHS urges Northamptonshire people to support breastfeeding mums Two organisations are joining forces to encourage members of the public and businesses to help make Northamptonshire a positive place to breastfeed.

As part of Northamptonshire Breastfeeding Celebration Month, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and First for Wellbeing is sharing practical tips on how the county can all play their part in supporting breastfeeding. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

'Oppressive culture' and repeat failures in patient safety earn St Andrew's men's healthcare 'inadequate' rating, says CQC

'Oppressive culture' and repeat failures in patient safety earn St Andrew's men's healthcare 'inadequate' rating, says CQC Inspectors have branded a Northampton mental health hospital's adult male care as unsafe and poorly led. St Andrew's Hospital's men's service was rated "inadequate" in a report published by the CQC, who found failings in cleanliness, patient safety, and pointed to an "oppressive culture" that dissuaded staff from speaking up over concerns.

The service had also failed to address issues around ligature anchors in wards, bedrooms and toilets - points where patients intent on self-harm might tie something to strangle themselves.

It came as part of a wider inspection of the hospital, in Billing Road, carried out in May and June, which rated the hospital's women's and neuropsychiatry service as "good". Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• St Andrew's Healthcare - Mens Service Care Quality Commission

Integrating care: contracting for accountable models

Integrating care: contracting for accountable models This document gives an overview of the package clarifying how the accountable models may be contracted for. NHS England

Four in 10 maternity wards in England closed in 2016

Four in 10 maternity wards in England closed in 2016 More than 40% of maternity wards in England closed their doors to expectant mothers at least once in 2016, data obtained by the Labour Party suggests.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request, 42 out of 96 trusts said they had shut maternity wards temporarily on a total of 382 occasions.

The most common reasons given were too few staff and not enough beds.

The government said closures are "well rehearsed" and it was "misleading" to say they were down to staff shortages.

The Royal College of Midwives said that sometimes it was right to close a unit and divert new admissions - when the safety of mothers and babies already being treated in the hospital might be compromised, for example.

But doing so on a regular basis could reflect underlying problems with the number of expert staff. BBC News

See also:

• Almost half of maternity wards turning away mums in labour The Daily Mail
• Why are babies dying needlessly in NHS hospitals? The Daily Mail
• More women in labour are being turned away from hospitals, new figures suggest The Daily Telegraph
• NHS maternity wards in England forced to close 382 times last year The Guardian

Exclusive: GP industrial action ballot on a knife-edge, poll suggests

Exclusive: GP industrial action ballot on a knife-edge, poll suggests A BMA ballot on potential industrial action by GPs could be on a knife-edge, according to an exclusive GPonline poll.

See also:

• GPs may suspend all registrations as 'industrial action' The Daily Mail

Hepatitis B vaccine to be restricted in UK owing to global shortage

Hepatitis B vaccine to be restricted in UK owing to global shortage Public Health England applies emergency measures to protect those at highest risk after manufacturing problems hit supply

Public Health England has announced emergency measures because of a global shortage of the hepatitis B vaccine.

The “prioritisation guidance” has been put in place to protect those at highest immediate risk from the shortage, which has been caused by problems in the manufacturing process. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Current global shortage of hepatitis B vaccine Public Health England

What is going on if people who need wheelchairs can’t get them?

What is going on if people who need wheelchairs can’t get them? It is gobsmacking that you might wait up to five years for a suitable wheelchair that means you can get about, look after yourself and work

I suppose that by now we should be used to things that are gobsmackingly unfair and nonsensical, but I have just come across something that still gave me a shock: the waiting list for a suitable wheelchair can be up to five years. That’s an electric one that fits the person’s particular needs, and means they can get out of bed, move about, look after themselves and work.

It doesn’t seem much to ask, but apparently you can ask until you’re blue in the face and still not get a wheelchair from the NHS, especially if you live in Surrey (wheelchair contract with Virgin Care). Because why spend money on costly wheelchairs, when one does not have to? Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS claws back £23million in unpaid bills and fines

NHS claws back £23million in unpaid bills and fines A million patients have been fined for wrongly claiming free NHS prescriptions after the Government finally got tough on fraud.

Hundreds of thousands more have also been penalised for claiming free dental treatment they were not entitled to in a major crackdown.

Health service bosses clawed back a staggering £23 million in the past year alone in fines and unpaid bills as a result of the drive. This was nearly ten times what they recouped in 2014-15. The Daily Mail