‘We want people to live well, not just live longer’: Northamptonshire director of public health’s mission

‘We want people to live well, not just live longer’: Northamptonshire director of public health’s mission “The county health profile isn’t where I would want it to be” says Northamptonshire’s director of public health Lucy Wightman.

“There are lots of areas where we perform significantly worse than the England average.

“We have road safety issues; we have got above average self harm hospital admissions; alcohol related hospital admissions; excess weight in adults and children can be a challenge, smoking status at the time of delivery, GCSE attainment and violent crime at county level are all a challenge. Those are areas where we are trying to prioritise our spend going forward.” Northampton Chronicle and Echo

More than one in five A&E patients face long delays at Northampton General Hospital

More than one in five A&E patients face long delays at Northampton General Hospital More than one in five A&E patients at Northampton General Hospital trust waited four hours or longer to be admitted, transferred or discharged in December, figures show.

While this was an improvement on December 2017, health bosses warned the worst of this winter could still be to come.

There were 8,918 emergency attendances at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust in December.

Of those, 1,871 patients waited more than four hours to be admitted, transferred or discharged. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The age of integration is officially here but how is it going to happen?

The age of integration is officially here but how is it going to happen? With the long-term plan stating that integrated care systems will cover the whole country within two years, Natasha Curry asks some essential questions on what it might mean in practice. Nuffield Trust

New report shows more young people surviving cancer

New report shows more young people surviving cancer A new report - 13-24 year olds with cancer in England: Incidence, mortality and survival - examines the latest trends in the incidence, mortality and five-year survival rates for cancer amongst young people. This is the first time a detailed analysis has been conducted of cancer rates of the 13 to 24-year age group and shows an encouraging increase in survival rates.

The figures, based on an analysis of young people diagnosed in England between 2001 and 2015, were extracted from Public Health England’s National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS). Teenage Cancer Trust

See also:

• Teenage cancer survival 'on the up' in England, report finds BBC News

Safe, sustainable and productive staffing: an improvement resource for the deployment of nursing associates in secondary care

Safe, sustainable and productive staffing: an improvement resource for the deployment of nursing associates in secondary care This resource describes the principles for safe staffing including organisational, managerial and clinical setting factors alongside governance, leadership and reporting to ensure that nursing associates are safely and effectively deployed into the workforce. NHS Improvement 

The diet to save lives, the planet and feed us all?

The diet to save lives, the planet and feed us all? A diet has been developed that promises to save lives, feed 10 billion people and all without causing catastrophic damage to the planet.

Scientists have been trying to figure out how we are going to feed billions more people in the decades to come.

Their answer - "the planetary health diet" - does not completely banish meat and dairy.

But it requires an enormous shift in what we pile on to our plates and turning to foods that we barely eat. BBC News

See also:

• The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health EAT
• Eating just a quarter of a bacon rasher a day could save the planet and reduce premature deaths The Daily Mail
• Planetary health diet: Developed countries must cut red meat eating by 80% to protect Earth The Independent

Health sector leaders fear no-deal Brexit 'disaster'

Health sector leaders fear no-deal Brexit 'disaster' A no-deal Brexit would be a “real disaster” for the healthcare sector, MPs have heard.

Health group leaders voiced fears to the health and social care select committee yesterday that there would be a drop in funding for the NHS if the EU left the European Union without a deal.

They gave evidence on the day MPs debated and eventually rejected Theresa May’s Brexit deal by 230 votes, which was a historic defeat for a sitting government.

This still leaves the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union without a deal, the withdrawal date being less than three months away on the 29 March. Public Finance

NHS patient body parts stored unrefrigerated for six months at NHS waste firm, inspection reports reveal

NHS patient body parts stored unrefrigerated for six months at NHS waste firm, inspection reports reveal Human remains from NHS patients were stored in unrefrigerated containers for more than six months by a scandal-hit waste firm, according to inspection reports detailing a “powerful odour of decaying flesh”.

Healthcare Environmental Services made headlines last year after it allowed a stockpile of hundreds of tonnes of clinical waste, including amputated body parts and organs, to build up.

The company had previously denied that any of the waste it had accumulated had been stored inappropriately and blamed a lack of incinerator capacity. The Independent

I introduced fun to the lives of A&E staff. The laughter was infectious

I introduced fun to the lives of A&E staff. The laughter was infectious Emergency departments are challenging places – but if we are to provide good patient care, we must look after ourselves

The emergency department can be a solemn and challenging place: many of the patients we see are scared, vulnerable, upset or frustrated. Demand for the care and treatment we provide has also been rising. I have heard about the impact on colleagues and felt it myself – either in a moment’s frustration or despair during a busy shift, or by reading the research about high burnout rates in emergency medicine.

In 2016, the NHS had a very challenging winter. More people were coming to A&E, and they were sicker and needed more complex care. Working through this led me to ask two simple questions: are our jobs making us sick? And what can I do about it? The Guardian

Patient groups assessing NHS drugs receive undeclared industry funds

Patient groups assessing NHS drugs receive undeclared industry funds Study calls for rules to be tightened over disclosure of money received from drug makers

Most patient groups involved in the appraisal of drugs or medical devices for use in the NHS have received money from the manufacturers that they have not declared, research has found.

Patient groups are asked to give their views when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) is deciding whether to approve a drug for use in the NHS in England. However, the researchers said Nice did not have stringent enough rules on the disclosure of any and all funds that patient organisations receive from companies. The Guardian

See also:

• Financial interests of patient organisations contributing to technology assessment at England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: policy review The BMJ
• Study reveals financial interests of patient organizations assessing NHS treatments Medical Xpress

More than 120,000 babies and young children in England don't have a GP

More than 120,000 babies and young children in England don't have a GP More than 120,000 babies and toddlers in England may not be registered with a doctor, NHS figures have revealed.

A gap in statistics suggests there are four per cent more under-fives than are registered at GP practices.

Experts say the difference is 'deeply concerning' and thousands of children could be missing out on 'life-saving' health checks and vaccinations.

And the doctors organisations' have warned parents to make sure their young children are signed up to see a doctor regularly. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Patients Registered at a GP Practice - January 2019 NHS Digital