Volunteers put in extra hours at Northampton General Hospital to help staff cope with winter pressures

Volunteers put in extra hours at Northampton General Hospital to help staff cope with winter pressures Northampton's hospital volunteers have gone above and beyond to help healthcare staff for this year's busy winter season.

Hospital volunteers have stepped up and offered even more of their time to support staff in the face of growing pressure on the NHS in the winter months. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Is it possible to use the digitisation of the NHS to reach the furthest first?

Is it possible to use the digitisation of the NHS to reach the furthest first? The health and care system has historically been reliant on paper for sharing information about patients. Digitisation is inevitably changing that, but what impact does that have on those who are marginalised? The King's Fund

The environment needs to be higher up the NHS agenda

The environment needs to be higher up the NHS agenda “Sustainability” is at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan. Yet although the health service is responsible for 6.3% of England’s total carbon emissions, environmental sustainability is scarcely mentioned. Nuffield Trust

Tens of thousands of Brits with asthma could be missing life-saving follow-up care - New figures

Tens of thousands of Brits with asthma could be missing life-saving follow-up care - New figures Tens of thousands of Brits who had emergency treatment for an asthma attack failed to receive the follow-up care that could save their life, according to new estimates by Asthma UK.

The charity’s report The reality of asthma care in the UK: Annual Asthma Survey 2018 included a survey of more than 10,000 people with asthma, and found that a quarter (25%) needed emergency care following a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.

But of these, nearly two thirds (64%) said they did not receive a follow-up appointment with their GP or practice nurse within two working days. This is recommended by experts and guidelines including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and in the National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD).

A&E waits at worst level for 15 years

A&E waits at worst level for 15 years A&E waits in England have reached their worst level since the four-hour target was introduced in 2004.

The deterioration in performance came after hospitals appeared to be coping well in the early part of winter.

During January, just 84.4% of patients were treated or admitted in four hours - well below the 95% threshold. BBC News

'Know your cholesterol like you know your Pin code'

'Know your cholesterol like you know your Pin code' People are being encouraged to know their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers as well as they know their bank Pin code - because it could save their life.

These numbers flag up early signs of cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Forty health organisations have teamed up to urge more people to go for a routine NHS health check.

Doctors should also identify and treat at-risk patients better, they say. BBC News

Send patients email not letters, GPs told

Send patients email not letters, GPs told GPs in England must start routinely using email instead of sending letters to communicate with patients, the health secretary says.

Matt Hancock wants email to become the default option by 2021.

He said there was no reason why doctors could not email a test result or prescription - although people who did not use email would still be able to request letters were sent.

It comes after he ordered fax machines to be phased out by next year. BBC News

Virtual GP service allowed to expand out of London despite criticism from doctors

Virtual GP service allowed to expand out of London despite criticism from doctors A virtual GP service has been given the green light to expand to a second major city after health leaders dropped their objections.

NHS England confirmed it had found a solution to previous concerns around access to immunisation and screening programmes for GP at Hand patients and lifted its objections to it expansion.

The decision paves the wave for the service, created by healthcare technology firm Babylon Health, to launch in Birmingham.

But senior medics branded the decision "disappointing and premature" and said it was "inappropriate" to allow GP at Hand's expansion before an independent evaluation of it is published. The Independent

Government accepts 'debilitating' effects of medical implants

Government accepts 'debilitating' effects of medical implants Recognition that commercial interests had trumped patient safety follows Guardian exposé

Patients have suffered “debilitating consequences” from medical implants that doctors had assured them would be safe, the government has said in a significant acknowledgement of failings in medical device regulation.

The health and social care minister, Jackie Doyle-Price, said commercial interests had been prioritised over patient safety, and there had been other problems, including a lack of transparency and doctors’ failure to warn patients of the risks. The Guardian

Blundering hospital medics who failed to spot cancer cost the NHS £46.9million in compensation

Blundering hospital medics who failed to spot cancer cost the NHS £46.9million in compensation Hundreds of patients won compensation settlements from the NHS in the last four years after blundering hospital medics failed to spot their cancer symptoms.

The shocking figures mean that, in an average week, NHS hospitals are making three potentially-fatal diagnosis errors.

The 545 cancer mistakes cost the NHS a total of £46.9million in compensation over the last four years, with an average payout of almost £90,000 per person. The Daily Mail

NHS made to pay £250,000 in fines for making junior doctors work beyond their contracted hours

NHS made to pay £250,000 in fines for making junior doctors work beyond their contracted hours The NHS has had to pay £250,000 in fines for making junior doctors work overtime, an investigation has revealed.

Junior doctors have worked beyond their contracted terms and conditions more than 63,000 times, an average of 2.1 times per doctor, since 2015.

The figures come from the first analysis since the introduction of a controversial contract in 2016, which led to the first strike action by junior doctors in 40 years.

The true figure is likely to be higher, as some junior doctors revealed they were discouraged from reporting by senior staff over fears they would look inefficient. The Daily Mail

Prominent paediatrician slams the rate of suicide among doctors

Prominent paediatrician slams the rate of suicide among doctors A prominent paediatrician has slammed the appalling rate of suicide among doctors.

Dr Zeshan Qureshi, 33, claims doctors are twice as likely to take their own lives as a non-medic - a fact few take seriously.

Working as a paediatrician, Dr Qureshi has tragically gone to the funerals of many sick youngsters, but has also mourned the loss of colleagues who passed away from suicide. The Daily Mail