KGH re-opens new-look fracture clinic

KGH re-opens new-look fracture clinic Kettering General Hospital has today opened a significantly refurbished and improved fracture clinic service in a new location within the hospital.

The Frank Radcliffe Clinic has re-opened to all of its patients (after using temporary accommodation in two different places) today (Monday, February 25), following a £2.4m hospital refurbishment and relocation programme to improve patient care. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton General Hospital plunged into darkness during major power cut

Northampton General Hospital plunged into darkness during major power cut Patients had to be taken to Milton Keynes and Kettering hospitals after a generator failure at Northampton General Hospital on Friday night (February 22).

NGH said the power went off at around 11.30pm in parts of the site, while other areas were unaffected.

A spokeswoman for Northampton General Hospital (NGH) said this morning: "We had a generator fail in the early hours of the morning of Saturday, February 23 and whilst we were sorting out the issue we went on temporary divert to Milton Keynes and Kettering.

"The issue was resolved within a couple of hours and we came off divert about 5.30am on February 23. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Brexit: the implications for health and social care

Brexit: the implications for health and social care Brexit has major implications for health and social care in England. Here we look at some of the latest developments that could impact the health and care system in England. The King's Fund

How will Brexit affect health services in the UK? An updated evaluation

How will Brexit affect health services in the UK? An updated evaluation All forms of Brexit are bad for health, but some are worse than others. This paper builds on our 2017 analysis using the WHO health system building blocks framework to assess the likely effects of Brexit on the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The Lancet

See also:

• Any form of Brexit will hurt the NHS, but a No Deal will be worst, warns leading medical journal The Daily Mail
• No-Deal Brexit is worst option for NHS OnMedica

Early Years Revolution needed to improve support and services

Early Years Revolution needed to improve support and services The Government must kick-start an Early Years Revolution to improve support and services for children, parents and families, says the Health and Social Care Committee, in its report on the first 1000 days of life.

See also:

• First 1000 days of life Health and Social Care Committee
• Investment in preventative services is needed to ensure healthy development in childhood and beyond The Health Foundation
• Nuffield Trust response to First 1000 Days of Life Report Nuffield Trust
• Children 'failed in first 1,000 days', says MPs BBC News

Raising the bar on strength and balance: the importance of community-based provision

Raising the bar on strength and balance: the importance of community-based provision Despite common misconceptions, falls are not an inevitable part of ageing and can be prevented. Although there are some NHS rehabilitation services that provide strength and balance programmes, these are often of limited length, making it essential that there are effective community-based strength and balance programmes in their local areas to move on to. This report, co-authored with the University of Manchester’s Healthy Ageing Research Group, shows a need for sustained, targeted funding for community-based programmes, with affordable, accessible and proven options available for everyone. Centre for Ageing Better

The community paradigm: why public services need radical change and how it can be achieved

The community paradigm: why public services need radical change and how it can be achieved This report sets out the case for a deep shift in public services based on a completely new relationship between citizen and state. This relationship rejects the hierarchical and transactional mindsets of traditional service models which all too often bypass people’s assets and capabilities. Instead, it fosters collaboration between the public servant and the citizen, sharing power and resources more directly with people, to embed prevention and ensure future sustainability.New Local Government Network

Organ donor law named after Max and Keira set to pass in England

Organ donor law named after Max and Keira set to pass in England Plans to change the rules on organ donation consent in England are set to clear their final hurdle in Parliament.

The legislation will be known as Max and Keira's Law after a boy who received a heart transplant and the girl who donated it.

Under the new system, which comes into effect next year, consent will be presumed unless people have opted out.

Currently, there is a voluntary opt-in scheme. Presumed consent has been operating in Wales since December 2015.

Organ donation consent rates in Wales are now the highest in the UK at 75%. BBC News

NHS child gender reassignment 'too quick'

NHS child gender reassignment 'too quick' England's only NHS youth gender clinic is too quick to give children and young people gender reassignment treatment, a former governor has said.

Psychoanalyst Dr Marcus Evans, who resigned last week, told the BBC's Today programme he had been concerned about clinicians searching for "quick solutions."

"This is the opposite of what needs to be done," he said.

A director of the Tavistock Centre rejected his claims. BBC News

Huge increase in ‘Victorian diseases’ including rickets, scurvy and scarlet fever, NHS data reveals

Huge increase in ‘Victorian diseases’ including rickets, scurvy and scarlet fever, NHS data reveals Rickets, scarlet fever and other diseases more commonly seen in the Victorian era are sending increasing numbers to hospital, NHS data for England has revealed.

In 2017-18 there were 284,901 admissions for scurvy, vitamin D deficiency, gout and other maladies familiar to the pages of a Dickens novel – up 24 per cent on the year before.

Many of the conditions on the rise go hand in hand with economic inequalities and child food poverty has been linked to the UK’s rising rates of malnutrition and obesity. The Independent

Record numbers living with diabetes in UK with 4.7 million at risk of amputations and blindness, charity warns

Record numbers living with diabetes in UK with 4.7 million at risk of amputations and blindness, charity warns A record 4.7 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, and nearly a million are undiagnosed and unknowingly at risk of foot amputations and losing their vision, charities have warned.

The number of people diagnosed with some form of the condition rose by 6.8 per cent across the UK last year, to more than 3.8 million adults in total, the latest figures from Diabetes UK reveal. Another 900,000 are unaware they have the condition. The Independent

See also:

• Number of people with diabetes reaches 4.7 million Diabetes UK

More than 1m asthma sufferers in England skip doses due to cost

More than 1m asthma sufferers in England skip doses due to cost Patients are at risk of asthma attacks as they cannot afford prescriptions, study says

Asthma sufferers are rationing how much of their medication they take because they cannot afford to pay NHS prescription charges, a report has said.

An estimated 1.3 million people with asthma in England do not take their medication regularly because of the cost involved, according to a survey by the charity Asthma UK. The Guardian

See also:

• 'Unfair' prescription charges putting more than a million people at risk of a life-threatening asthma attack Asthma UK
• Paying to breathe: Why unfair asthma prescription charges must be stopped Asthma UK

GP ‘bribes’ to diagnose dementia undermine patients’ trust in doctors

GP ‘bribes’ to diagnose dementia undermine patients’ trust in doctors Paying GPs to identify dementia undermines patients’ trust in doctors, a study suggests.

In recent years, health officials have introduced a series of schemes which typically pay family doctors £55 a head for every patient classed as having the condition.

The initiatives came despite concern from some GPs that they would be seen as “bribes” which could sway doctors towards misdiagnosis. The Daily Telegraph

Free condoms will be offered to PENSIONERS in Derbyshire to combat STIs

Free condoms will be offered to PENSIONERS in Derbyshire to combat STIs Free condoms will be offered to sexually-active pensioners to combat rising rates of STIs among the over 60s.

In the first NHS campaign of its kind - named Jiggle, Wiggle - local services in Derbyshire will hand out the contraception at GP surgeries, as well as community venues and food banks.

Rising divorce rates and a boom in online dating are thought to be fueling the spread of sexually transmitted infections. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Over 60s to be handed free condoms in attempt to battle rising STI rate The Daily Telegraph