Hard work of Northamptonshire's healthcare apprentices pays off at awards night

Hard work of Northamptonshire's healthcare apprentices pays off at awards night Young apprentices working in healthcare in Northamptonshire had their day last week at an awards ceremony this month.

The 26 winners of the Northamptonshire Trust and NHS Partners Apprenticeship Awards 2019 were announced at an awards ceremony on March 1. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NGH nurse Rebecca wins award after caring for colleague who collapsed on dut

NGH nurse Rebecca wins award after caring for colleague who collapsed on duty A staff nurse on the Collingtree Ward at Northampton General Hospital has won an award for going above and beyond for her patients.

Rebecca qualified as a nurse in 2011 and has worked most of her career so far on a Gastroenterology ward where she treats people with digestive system disorders. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS moved Royal Navy veteran, 94, 13 times between five hospitals in the final weeks of his life

NHS moved Royal Navy veteran, 94, 13 times between five hospitals in the final weeks of his life A 94-year-old Second World War veteran was made to move between hospitals 13 times in the final 10 weeks of his life, his family have revealed as they criticised his care.

Reg Thompson was first admitted to the Leicester Royal Infirmary after he fell at home on December 21 last year. He died at Kettering General Hospital on March 2.

During the 10 weeks between those dates, he spent time at five different hospitals on 11 different wards - some for just a matter of hours. The Daily Telegraph

PHE publish investigative report on increasing crack use

PHE publish investigative report on increasing crack use Public Health England and the Home Office have published a summary of findings from the Increase in crack cocaine use inquiry, an investigative report on crack cocaine use in 6 areas of England.

This publication follows evidence reported in the 2018 Serious Violence Strategy, that drugs have been an important driver of the increase in serious violence in England and Wales since 2014.

See also:

• Research and analysis: Crack cocaine increase: inquiry findings Public Health England 
• Crack use up in England after 'aggressive marketing' BBC News
• Buy one, get one free offers and free samples fuelling boom in crack cocaine consumption, report warns The Independent

Contracting arrangements for integrated care providers: response to consultation

Contracting arrangements for integrated care providers: response to consultation NHS England has published its response following a consultation held about a new contract which can help local health and care communities provide better care for patients. Around 3,800 written responses and feedback from stakeholder events across the country were received about plans for an Integrated Care Provider (ICP) Contract, which will be an option to help local systems integrate care. The feedback will be used to further develop the ICP Contract, which will be available in its updated form as an option for use in local health and care systems from spring 2019.

World Happiness Report 2019

World Happiness Report 2019 The World Happiness Report is a survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. This year’s report focuses on happiness and the community - how happiness has evolved over the past dozen years, with a focus on the technologies, social norms, conflicts and government policies that have driven those changes. Finland was ranked highest for the second year in a row, while South Sudan ranked lowest. The UK was placed fifteenth. United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network

NICEimpact mental health

NICEimpact mental health One in 4 adults experiences a mental health condition in any given year, and mental health conditions are the largest single cause of disability in the UK. This report considers how NICE’s evidence-based guidance can contribute to improvements in the care of people with mental health conditions.

Male pill - why are we still waiting?

Male pill - why are we still waiting? A birth control pill for men has passed initial human safety tests, experts at a leading medical conference have heard.

The once-daily pill contains hormones designed to stop sperm production.

It would be a welcome addition to condoms or vasectomy - the only options currently available to men.

But doctors at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting were told it could still take a decade to bring it to market. BBC News

Coroners could investigate stillbirths, say ministers

Coroners could investigate stillbirths, say ministers Coroners in England and Wales may be given new powers to investigate stillbirths, so that each baby death is independently assessed.

The government is consulting on the move to help bereaved parents gain answers on what went wrong and why and to help prevent more baby deaths.

Nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK. That's one in every 225 births, although rates have been going down.

In many cases, doctors are unable to tell parents why their baby died. BBC News

GPs fuelling Britain's poor cancer survival rates by failing to refer patients to specialists, Imperial study finds

GPs fuelling Britain's poor cancer survival rates by failing to refer patients to specialists, Imperial study finds GPs are fuelling Britain's poor cancer survival rates, with significantly better results seen in countries which allow patients to access hospitals directly, a study suggests.

Researchers said the NHS system of “gatekeeping” - meaning that patients have to see a family doctor before being allowed to undergo tests or get a specialist assessment - was also linked with lower satisfaction among patients. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• GPs will always put the needs of the patient first, says RCGP in response to research study on the 'gatekeeping' role of general practice in the NHS Royal College of General Practitioners

Spending too much time sitting down kills 50,000 Brits each year

Spending too much time sitting down kills 50,000 Brits each year Inactivity is killing nearly 70,000 people in the UK every year, a study has found.

Experts warn Britain runs on a 'sitting-based economy' in which the vast majority of working adults spend their days bound to a desk.

Some 30 per cent of us spend at least six hours a day seated during the week.

But tellingly, at the weekend this figure goes up to 37 per cent, suggesting we are even lazier in our leisure time. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Direct healthcare costs of sedentary behaviour in the UK (open access) Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
• Sitting down for too long may be causing 70,000 UK deaths a year The Guardian
• Too much sitting time linked to thousands of deaths OnMedica

Social media companies must stamp out 'damaging' anti-vaxxer myths, Health Secretary warns

Social media companies must stamp out 'damaging' anti-vaxxer myths, Health Secretary warns Social media giants must do more to crack down on 'damaging' anti-vaccination myths, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

He said social networking sites, of which the biggest include Facebook and Twitter, must police the spread of anti-vaxxers' propaganda.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the cabinet minister even suggested spreading lies about vaccines online could become illegal. The Daily Mail

Man is circumcised by MISTAKE after NHS surgeons mixed up his paperwork

Man is circumcised by MISTAKE after NHS surgeons mixed up his paperwork An NHS report reveals the man - who has not been named - was scheduled to have a cystoscopy procedure at University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust last September. The Daily Mail