Tuesday 2 January 2018

NHS sees 1,985 people in Northamptonshire register to give blood for the first time

NHS sees 1,985 people in Northamptonshire register to give blood for the first time NHS Blood and Transplant is encouraging people in Northamptonshire to make a New Year’s resolution that can change someone else’s life.

Across England 900,000 people gave blood in 2017 and this New Year people in Northamptonshire are being asked to be part of an amazing group of people who save lives.

NHS Blood and Transplant needs around 200,000 new donors every year to maintain the supply for life-saving blood donations. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton's main hospital found to have the second-highest parking charges in the country

Northampton's main hospital found to have the second-highest parking charges in the country Health chiefs say the £3.20-an-hour parking charge at Northampton General Hospital is essential to free up money for care after it was revealed to have the second-highest tariff in the country.

A series of Freedom of Information requests by the Mail Online has found that Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford is the only hospital in the country to charge more to park than NGH at £3.40 an hour. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton hospital welcomes 14 Christmas Day babies to the world

Northampton hospital welcomes 14 Christmas Day babies to the world Northampton celebrated some very special Christmas Day deliveries this year.

This year, 14 babies were eager to join in the festivities and be their parents' Christmas Day miracles.

The midwives of Northampton General Hospital's Barratt Birth Centre worked all-day long to help welcome the new arrivals into the world. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The compact between the public and the NHS

The compact between the public and the NHS As a society, we are proud of the NHS, and around three-quarters of the population feel we must do everything to maintain it. There is also widespread support for the founding principles of the NHS – namely, that it should be free at the point of use, funded primarily through taxation and provide a comprehensive service available to everyone. Even after a decade of austerity, public satisfaction with the NHS remains high, although there are increasing concerns about the future. The King's Fund

PHE launches Change4Life campaign around children’s snacking

PHE launches Change4Life campaign around children’s snacking Public Health England (PHE) is helping parents take control of their children’s snacking by launching the first Change4Life campaign promoting healthier snacks.

This is because half of children’s sugar intake, currently around 7 sugar cubes a day, comes from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, leading to obesity and dental decay.

Each year children are consuming almost 400 biscuits; more than 120 cakes, buns and pastries; around 100 portions of sweets; nearly 70 of both chocolate bars and ice creams; washed down with over 150 juice drink pouches and cans of fizzy drink.

On average, children are consuming at least 3 unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks a day, with around a third consuming 4 or more. The overall result is that children consume 3 times more sugar than is recommended.

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Health headlines in 2018

Health headlines in 2018 Malaria, famine and antibiotic resistance. The BBC's global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar takes us through what health stories to expect in 2018. BBC News

Drunk tanks may become norm, NHS boss warns 'selfish' revellers

Drunk tanks may become norm, NHS boss warns 'selfish' revellers Drunk tanks may have to become the norm in towns and cities to keep "selfish" revellers out of A&E, the head of the NHS in England says.

Simon Stevens said he would be closely monitoring how the mobile units cope on New Year's Eve before deciding whether they should become a regular feature.

Drunk tanks provide a safe place for those who have over-indulged to be checked over and sleep it off. BBC News

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Patients missing their appointments cost the NHS £1bn last year

Patients missing their appointments cost the NHS £1bn last year The money wasted could have funded 1m more cataract operations or 250,000 hip replacements, says chief nursing officer

As the NHS struggles with budget cuts, soaring demand and staff shortages, almost £1bn is being wasted annually by patients missing appointments, figures reveal.

In response, England’s chief nurse has urged patients to cancel their NHS appointments in good time if they are not able to attend, in order to free up resources for those who need them. Continue reading... The Guardian

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'Desperate times' for overcrowded hospitals, senior doctor warns

'Desperate times' for overcrowded hospitals, senior doctor warns Pressures on NHS have ‘escalated rapidly’ over festive period, with severe bed shortages, says society chief Nick Scriven

Pressures on the NHS have “escalated rapidly” over the festive period, with hospitals experiencing significant bed shortages, a leading doctor has warned.

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM), said many hospitals reported more than 99% capacity in the week before Christmas. Continue reading... The Guardian

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NHS shake-up is not a Trojan horse for privatisation, says top doctor

NHS shake-up is not a Trojan horse for privatisation, says top doctor Prof Sir Bruce Keogh says introduction of accountable care organisations is about improving quality of care

The NHS’s top doctor has denied that radical plans to reshape the way patients are cared for are a “Trojan horse” for wholesale privatisation of the health service.

Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s national medical director, says setting up new bodies called accountable care organisations (ACOs) in eight areas of England is simply about improving the quality of care the NHS offers. Continue reading... The Guardian

Lack of specialist surgeons ‘putting patients at risk’

Lack of specialist surgeons ‘putting patients at risk’ The NHS is suffering a severe shortage of interventional radiologists, say senior doctors

Patients are dying because of an acute shortage of specialist doctors to perform life-saving surgery on women after childbirth, victims of car crashes and other emergency cases.

An NHS-wide lack of interventional radiologists means that some patients are having to undergo major, life-changing operations – ending up disabled after a stroke or losing a limb as a result of diabetes – simply because they cannot get the minimally invasive help they need, senior doctors have revealed. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS 111 helpline comes under strain

NHS 111 helpline comes under strain Almost 400,000 patients called the NHS 111 helpline in the past week – but 35,000 hung up because their call was not answered quickly enough, figures reveal. The Daily Mail

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Group of 200 NHS 'super GPs' make over £200,000 a year

Group of 200 NHS 'super GPs' make over £200,000 a year The average GP earns an average salary of £90,000, but doctors can earn more by linking up surgeries, making record earnings by managing tens of thousands of patients. The Daily Mail