Monday 26 February 2018

BEAST FROM THE EAST: Snow warning for Northamptonshire upgraded to Amber ‘be prepared’ as Highways England advise motorists to stay home

BEAST FROM THE EAST: Snow warning for Northamptonshire upgraded to Amber ‘be prepared’ as Highways England advise motorists to stay home The Met Office has increased the weather warning for snow in Northamptonshire from yellow to amber as the country prepares for three days of snow.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow in Northamptonshire from 2pm today (Monday) but has now issued an upgraded amber warning, meaning ‘be prepared’ for Tuesday morning. Northamptonshire Chronicle and Echo

Fifteen serious incidents recorded at Northampton General Hospital in two years

Fifteen serious incidents recorded at Northampton General Hospital in two years Fifteen serious incidents were recorded at Northampton General Hospital over a period of two years, the lowest among hospitals of its kind in the East Midlands.

Between April 1, 2015 and 31 March, 2017 28 serious incidents were reported, 15 of which were upheld.

Serious incidents include avoidable or unexpected injury, serious harm or death; abuse; Never Events; events that prevent the hospital from providing acceptable healthcare; and anything leading to widespread public concern about the level of healthcare provided. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Arden and GEM CSU: Families fight for £1m in care costs

Arden and GEM CSU: Families fight for £1m in care costs More than 90 families have launched a challenge against a care assessor to claim back about £1m in care costs, a solicitor has said.

Arden and GEM Commissioning Support Group faces allegations it did not properly assess patients for NHS care and wrongly rejected funding claims.

It works for about 30 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

Solicitor Martin Ryan said it was "not fit for purpose" but the group insisted it provided a "professional service". BBC Northamptonshire

Grieving dad urges people to talk about mental health

Grieving dad urges people to talk about mental health The father of a woman who took her life has urged people to "reach out and talk to somebody" about their problems.

Kayley MacLeod, 21, died in 2016 and had been struggling with mental health issues since she was about 15.

Her father Andrew said he hopes her death will help others in her situation to "find a voice". BBC Northamptonshire

RCGP calls for an end to referral management centres that 'prioritise cost-savings over patient care'

RCGP calls for an end to referral management centres that 'prioritise cost-savings over patient care' Referral management centres, which are primarily designed to reduce GP total referral numbers to hospital should not be introduced – and where they already exist, it must be demonstrated that they are safe for patients and cost-effective to the whole NHS, recommends the Royal College of GPs in a new report published today.

The report, Quality patient referrals: Right service, right time cites a 'dearth of evidence' that referral management centres – used by around a quarter of Clinical Commissioning Groups in England – are cost-effective, stating that they are ultimately more expensive to run than other systems designed to improve and maintain the quality of GP referrals. Royal College of General Practitioners

Call to end 'taboo' of talking about death

Call to end 'taboo' of talking about death A charity is calling for a "national conversation" about dying, saying the topic has become "taboo" and a source of anxiety for many. The Sue Ryder charity says people should talk to their loved ones about their final wishes as well as making sure they look after themselves. BBC News

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MPs debate changes to organ donations law

MPs debate changes to organ donations law Plans to change the rules on organ donation consent in England, which it is claimed could save up to 500 lives a year, have been backed by MPs.

A bill requiring people to "opt out" if they do not want their organs used passed its first parliamentary hurdle.

Labour's Julie Elliott, whose daughter is receiving dialysis for a serious kidney disease, said it would give hope to thousands of transplant patients.

The MP said her experience had made her realise how "special" donors were.

Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson's private members' bill, which would bring England into line with Wales which already has an opt-out system for consent, passed its second reading on Friday. BBC News

NHS crisis: Patients face delays for vital treatment amid 'staggering increase' in cancelled operations

NHS crisis: Patients face delays for vital treatment amid 'staggering increase' in cancelled operations Campaigners warn that patients could be put at risk by delays, while Labour accused the Government of presiding over an 'unparalleled winter of discontent'

Patients are facing delays to life-saving treatment amid warnings over a “staggering increase” in cancellations of urgent surgery.

Nearly 1,000 urgent operations have been cut so far this winter for patients with life-threatening illnesses due to pressures on hospital resources, such as beds or staff, according to new analysis of NHS figures.

The total represents a 40 per cent increase in cancellations since 2013-14, when 707 operations were cut, and a surge of 31 per cent since 2010-11 when there were 755 cancellations. The Independent

Millennials will be most overweight generation since records began, cancer experts warn

Millennials will be most overweight generation since records began, cancer experts warn Middle-aged millennials are set to be the most overweight generation since records began, with experts warning they are unwittingly and significantly increasing their risk of cancer.

Analysis by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) shows that on current trends 70 per cent of millennials, those born between the early 1980s to mid-1990s, will be overweight or obese by the age 35 to 45.

However, despite being linked to 800,000 cancer cases a year, the vast majority of people are unaware of the additional risk obesity brings. The Independent

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Five ways to avoid becoming a victim of prescription drugs errors

Five ways to avoid becoming a victim of prescription drugs errors A study has revealed that mistakes in the writing or dispensing of medicine can cost up to 22,000 people their lives every year. Here’s how to avoid being one of them

Up to 22,000 people could be dying in England every year as a result of mistakes in the writing or dispensing of prescriptions, according to new research. In a speech last week, the health and social services secretary, Jeremy Hunt, demanded fresh measures to tackle the problem, which was identified in a government study carried out at York, Manchester and Sheffield universities. Continue reading... The Guardian

Can the Bawa-Garba case result in a stronger NHS safety culture?

Can the Bawa-Garba case result in a stronger NHS safety culture? There is a frantic scramble to find a coherent response that maintains the confidence of the medical profession and the public

The manslaughter conviction and subsequent erasure from the medical register of paediatrician Hadiza Bawa-Garba has opened up a schism over healthcare safety that will harm patients if it is not resolved quickly.

On one side is the jury, which gave a 10:2 majority verdict for gross negligence manslaughter over the death of six-year-old Jack Adcock in 2011; the General Medical Council (GMC), which wanted Bawa-Garba struck off; and the high court, which backed the GMC. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS could have spent up to £500million unnecessarily by telling doctors to prescribe more expensive drug

NHS could have spent up to £500million unnecessarily by telling doctors to prescribe more expensive drug The NHS could recover up to £500 million from one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies following a lengthy legal battle over the patent for one of its drugs.

The health service took the “unprecedented” step of issuing guidance to all GPs and pharmacists stating that when prescribing the drug pregabalin for neuropathic pain they should stipulate that it must be the brand Lyrica, produced by Pfizer. The Daily Telegraph

Nurses should call doctors by their first names to prevent patient deaths, says Jeremy Hunt

Nurses should call doctors by their first names to prevent patient deaths, says Jeremy Hunt Nurses must be allowed to address senior doctors by their first names in order to prevent fatal medical errors, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The Health Secretary said medicine’s strict hierarchy was stopping junior staff speaking up when they notice disasters unfolding and that doing away with formality in operating theatres and other settings was crucial to saving more lives.

He told an international conference on patient safety that health was one of the last professions yet to fully adopt the use of first names. The Daily Telegraph

Almost all FGM cases in Britain are legal piercings

Almost all FGM cases in Britain are legal piercings Almost all known cases of female genital mutilation carried out in the UK are legal piercings, official figures show.

The Department of Health controversially decided all intimate piercings should be included in new statistics collected by the NHS to record cases of FGM.

But out of 5,391 newly recorded cases of FGM found by GPs and NHS trusts in the year to March 2017, only 57 were performed in the UK of which 50, or 87 per cent, were in the category for piercings, and all the women whose ages were known were over 18.

The figures suggest almost all girls who undergo the shocking FGM procedure, which has been illegal for more than 30 years, are taken abroad. The Daily Mail

Major hospital trust bans women from having caesareans

Major hospital trust bans women from having caesareans A major hospital trust has banned women from having caesareans unless there is a medical reason.

Oxford University Hospitals will not offer them to those who are frightened or have had previous traumatic births.

Some women have had to travel miles to other hospitals to give birth while their families stay in local hotels.

The trust’s policy breaches guidelines from health watchdog Nice, which say women should be allowed a caesarean without a medical reason once the risks and benefits have been explained. The Daily Mail