Medical unit will relieve pressure on hospital's A&E

Medical unit will relieve pressure on hospital's A&E A medical unit to help relieve pressure on accident and emergency services in Northamptonshire is preparing to open.

The £12m A&E assessment unit at Northampton General Hospital is almost finished.

It is designed to help assess patients without needing to admit them as in-patients, which should cut waiting times and reduce pressure on staff. ITV News

Hospital porter used England flag to treat unconscious man in Northampton town centre - Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Hospital porter used England flag to treat unconscious man in Northampton town centre A Northampton General Hospital worker was forced to use whatever came to hand when a football fan suffered a head injury in front of him.

Porter Nathan Loughran was walking through Northampton town centre with friends after watching a televised England match when they found himself in the middle of a large fight near George Row.

In the midst of the chaos a man not part of their group fell to the ground, smacking his head hard on the kerb and prompting Nathan to spring into action using first aid skills he had learned at NGH. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Harnessing the winds of change – early learning on integrated care systems

Harnessing the winds of change – early learning on integrated care systems Working with a group of leaders from one of the ‘first wave’ integrated care systems (ICSs) the other day, I was reminded yet again of how important ‘local weather’ conditions can be – in this case influencing the nature of collaborative working between staff from four NHS organisations. To date, the work of the integrated care system has been held by a small group of leaders and a few senior staff from participating organisations. The senior leadership group was discussing how to increase local capacity for system working. There was recognition, as in other ICS areas, that other groups of staff such as clinicians and middle managers must become more involved to achieve the desired changes in patient care and population health. The King's Fund

The spread challenge: how to support the successful uptake of innovations and improvements in health care

The spread challenge: how to support the successful uptake of innovations and improvements in health care This report outlines the challenges facing the NHS in improving the uptake of new ideas and practices, and the need for new approaches when developing national and local programmes to support the spread of innovation. It highlights key recommendations for practitioners involved in spreading health care improvement. The Health Foundation 

The size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, 2018

The size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, 2018 This report provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, based on data from the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC). Skills for Care

All the lonely people: loneliness in later life

All the lonely people: loneliness in later life This report presents new evidence about what Age UK knows about loneliness amongst people aged 50 and over, what increases the chances of people experiencing loneliness and how best to help those older people who are persistently lonely. The focus throughout is on the need for approaches to reducing loneliness to be tailored to the circumstances of the individual.

World alzheimer report 2018: the state of the art of dementia research: new frontiers

World alzheimer report 2018: the state of the art of dementia research: new frontiers This report looks at a broad cross section of research areas including basic science; diagnosis; drug discovery; risk reduction and epidemiology. With the continued absence of a disease modifying treatment, the report also features progress, innovation and developments in care research. It highlights an urgent need for increased and sustainable funding for dementia research. Alzheimer's Disease International

CIPD and Mind launch guidance for managers to support mental health at work

CIPD and Mind launch guidance for managers to support mental health at work The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and Mind, the mental health charity, have today jointly published a revised mental health guide for managers to improve support for those experiencing stress and mental health issues at work.

The updated guidance follows recent CIPD research which found that less than one in three organisations (32%) train line managers to support staff with poor mental health. Mental ill health is now the primary cause of long-term sickness absence for over one in five (22%) UK organisations. A recent Mind survey of over 44,000 employees also found that only two in five (42%) felt their manager would be able to spot the signs they were struggling with poor mental health. CIPD

Hernia mesh complications 'affect more than 100,000'

Hernia mesh complications 'affect more than 100,000' Up to 170,000 people who have had hernia mesh implants in England in the past six years could face complications, the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme has found.

In that time, there have been about 570,000 such operations and the complication rate is said to be 12-30%.

Some patients have been left unable to walk or work, others left suicidal.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continues to back the use of hernia mesh. BBC News

EpiPen shortage 'worrying' for people with allergies

EpiPen shortage 'worrying' for people with allergies A shortage of EpiPens is causing worry for people with allergies in the UK.

The makers of the adrenaline injection pen, which is used to treat severe and life threatening allergic reactions, say the supply problems are due to manufacturing issues.

The Department of Health said they were working with the manufacturers to "resolve the supply situation as quickly as possible".

They said limited supplies were being closely managed. BBC News

NHS England Is Not Prioritising Care For The Dying - This Is Bad News For Us All

NHS England Is Not Prioritising Care For The Dying - This Is Bad News For Us All NHS England seems to be signalling they don’t particularly care where people die or how people die. It’s as if once illness becomes no longer treatable you are no longer a priority.

NHS England is currently consulting on its long-term plan for the NHS. Covering the next ten years, the plan will set out how the NHS will deal with the challenges of providing care to an ageing population under extreme financial pressure. At the time of writing, NHS England will not be prioritising the care that people need when they are dying in its plan for the next decade. Huffington Post UK

Monkey pox: Contagious disease confirmed as having spread in UK for first time as third case discovered in Blackpool

Monkey pox: Contagious disease confirmed as having spread in UK for first time as third case discovered in Blackpool Another person has been quarantined with monkeypox in the UK after the potentially fatal virus spread following the first ever cases earlier in September, public health officials have confirmed.

A healthcare worker from the Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been put in isolation at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle after treating one of the earlier victims before their infection had been diagnosed. The Independent

See also:

• Monkeypox case in England Public Health England
• Monkeypox: Heathcare worker is third UK case of disease BBC News
• Third monkeypox case hits the UK The Daily Mail

Contaminated blood scandal: many medical records disappeared, inquiry hears

Contaminated blood scandal: many medical records disappeared, inquiry hears Victims’ QC says many patients believe their experiences amount to evidence of cover-up

Evidence of medical cover-ups in the NHS’s contaminated blood scandal must be investigated and those responsible encouraged to apologise, the infected blood inquiry has been told.

The inquiry, which opened on Monday, will investigate how thousands of people with the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia were given blood by people who were infected with the HIV virus and hepatitis C. At least 4,689 British haemophiliacs are thought to have been treated with contaminated blood in the 1970s and 80s. So far, half have died.

The inquiry will try to figure out the exact number of people who have been infected, examine the impact the infection had on people’s lives, investigate whether there was any attempts to conceal details of what happened, and identify any individual responsibilities as well as systemic failures. Theresa May announced the inquiry last year, following years of intense pressure from MPs and campaign groups. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Contaminated blood scandal: Inquiry 'must uncover truth' BBC News
• Contaminated blood scandal 'worst tragedy to hit NHS' ITV News
• 'Treated like pariahs': contaminated blood victims tell their stories The Guardian

British teenage girls are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe – and have overtaken boys

British teenage girls are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe – and have overtaken boys British girls are among the worst in Europe for binge drinking, despite drinking less than previous generations, new research shows.

The study for the World Health Organisation shows that teenage girls in England, Scotland and Wales take three of the top six places in a drinking league table comparing 36 European nations.

And teenage girls in the UK are now more likely than boys of the same age to have got drunk at least twice, the figures show. The Daily Mail

Number of children going to hospital with rotten teeth rises to 26,000, NHS figures show

Number of children going to hospital with rotten teeth rises to 26,000, NHS figures show Growing numbers of children with tooth decay are being admitted to hospital, damning figures show.

More than 26,000 children aged five to nine were taken to hospital in the past year because of rotten teeth, NHS figures have revealed.

The number has risen for the second year in a row and is more than double the amount of children who needed treatment for tonsillitis. The Daily Mail