Wednesday 31 October 2018

Hundreds of mums miss out on skin-to-skin contact with newborns at Northampton General Hospital

Hundreds of mums miss out on skin-to-skin contact with newborns at Northampton General Hospital Nearly a quarter of mums giving birth at Northampton General Hospital miss out on important skin-to-skin bonding with their newborn babies, according to NHS statistics.

Immediate skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby has “lasting benefits” for both, according to experts, including protecting babies from infection and encouraging them to breastfeed.

But 340 mothers who had their babies at the trust last year missed out on this important bonding time. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Stronger protection from violence for NHS staff

Stronger protection from violence for NHS staff Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock is announcing the first ever NHS violence reduction strategy.

The new, zero-tolerance approach aims to protect the NHS workforce against deliberate violence and aggression from patients, their families and the public, and to ensure offenders are punished quickly and effectively. Department of Health and Social Care

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Spotlight on specialised services

Spotlight on specialised services These infographics show how specialised services have improved outcomes for patients over the past 70 years of the NHS. NHS England

Surgical care practitioners: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Surgical care practitioners: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust was one of the first trusts to recruit surgical care practitioners (SCPs) within England. This case study explores how the trust has successfully integrated SCPs within its orthopaedics department and developed the role, providing SCPs with support and training to extend their scope of practice. NHS Employers

Chancellor’s budget boost to NHS frontline conceals £1bn cut

Chancellor’s budget boost to NHS frontline conceals £1bn cut Funding for training doctors and nurses, buying equipment and new hospitals due to fall

Public health services and the education and training of nurses and doctors will be cut by £1bn next year as part of the government’s plan to boost the NHS’s budget by £20bn by 2023, it has emerged.

A leading expert in NHS finances warned ministers that their strategy of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” is a false economy that risks worsening already serious understaffing in England’s health service. The Guardian

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Pharmaceutical company charged after death and illnesses of babies at hospitals across UK

Pharmaceutical company charged after death and illnesses of babies at hospitals across UK A pharmaceutical company has been charged with a number of offences following an investigation into the deaths and illnesses of a number of babies at British hospitals, Scotland Yard has said.

ITH Pharma, which is based in North West London, has been charged with seven counts of supplying a medicinal product which was not of the nature or quality specified.

The firm has also been charged with breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act in relation to allegedly contaminated products.

The charges follow a four year investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command. The Daily Telegraph

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Lethal drugs can be bought online in just five minutes, health watchdog warns

Lethal drugs can be bought online in just five minutes, health watchdog warns It takes just five minutes for anyone with a credit card to buy lethal drugs online, health watchdogs have warned, as they call for the public to take more care before buying prescription drugs from websites.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it was “hugely concerned” that people were able to access deadly drugs by going to sites which they assumed were British and regulated, but were actually operated overseas.

Peter Wyman, chairman of the CQC, urged the public to be “very cautious” over websites that aren’t regulated by UK watchdogs. The Daily Telegraph

High BMIs linked to a greater risk of death from every major cause

High BMIs linked to a greater risk of death from every major cause People who are over or underweight may be at greater risk of death than previously expected, scientists say.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine researchers analysed data from around 3.6 million people to make the conclusion.

They found having a high BMI - over 25 - is linked to a higher risk of death from every major cause, except transport accidents.

While being underweight was also found to increase the risk of death for conditions such as cancer and heart disease, according to the study. The Daily Mail

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One in ten will opt OUT of Government's radical plan to make everyone an organ donor by 2020

One in ten will opt OUT of Government's radical plan to make everyone an organ donor by 2020 One in ten patients will opt out of Government's plan to make everyone an organ donor by 2020, research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Stirling quizzed hundreds of participants over their intentions on Theresa May's radical plan.

They found 9.4 per cent plan to opt-out - meaning their organs can't be donated after their death, or are unsure of what they will do.

Mrs May announced the plans - which presumes organ donation consent unless a person chooses to opt-out - this summer. The Daily Mail

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