Hackers attempt to access Northampton General Hospital computers 240 times a day

Hackers attempt to access Northampton General Hospital computers 240 times a day Northampton General Hospital has warned its staff about opening suspicious emails after it revealed its software is fighting off hundreds of cyber attacks every day.

The hospital, along with the wider NHS, says it is continuing to see an increase in daily activity attempting to cause disruption and gain access to IT systems. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The state of care in independent doctor and clinic services providing primary medical care: findings from CQC’s programme of comprehensive inspections in England

The state of care in independent doctor and clinic services providing primary medical care: findings from CQC’s programme of comprehensive inspections in England This report gives an overview of care from inspection findings for doctors and clinics that provide primary medical services in the independent or private sector – that is those not provided by NHS organisations. It found that many services were responding to the needs of their patients, delivering caring services tailored to people’s requirements and needs. However, a number were not meeting the necessary regulations and not delivering safe and effective care. Care Quality Commission

Prevention before cure: prioritising population health

Prevention before cure: prioritising population health This policy paper contains a suggested framework for a cross-government approach to prioritising population health. The framework outlines four areas to consider: addressing the social determinants that influence health; increased and sustained funding for public health; prioritising prevention through the health service; and effective regulation to tackle key drivers of ill-health. British Medical Association

Implementing handovers and huddles: a framework for practice in maternity units

Implementing handovers and huddles: a framework for practice in maternity units This framework aims to provide a structure for maternity units to create and develop their own approach to effectively communicating clinical data and transferring key safety information. It describes the difference between handovers and huddles, the benefits of effective clinical handovers and the role of huddles in promoting safety. It is intended as a good practice guide for healthcare professionals involved in the care of pregnant women and their infants, regardless of the nature of the unit they work in or whether it is in the community or a hospital. NHS Improvement 

Wide array of NHS figures named as the new NHS Assembly announced

Wide array of NHS figures named as the new NHS Assembly announced A diverse group of leading NHS figures, disability advocates and charity bosses have been named in the new NHS Assembly including trust chief executives, ex-government advisors, patient representatives and a Guardian columnist.

The NHS has announced that the NHS Assembly, a team of health and social care experts, is to be established by April 2019 and will be tasked with supporting the delivery of the NHS Long-Term Plan. National Health Executive

Jump in antidepressant prescriptions in England

Jump in antidepressant prescriptions in England A total of 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in England in 2018.

NHS Digital figures show that the number of drugs issued - for conditions like depression and anxiety - went up from 67.5 million in 2017.

The total is almost double the number dispensed in 2008.

The figure includes all items issued by the NHS in England, except those given out in hospitals or on private prescriptions. BBC News

See also:

• Prescription Cost Analysis - England, 2018 NHS Digital
• Rising prescription numbers not 'automatically a bad thing', says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners 
• A nation of pill poppers: NHS dishes out more prescriptions than EVER before The Daily Mail
• Doubling in number of antidepressants doled out in a decade, NHS figures show The Daily Telegraph
• Antidepressant prescriptions in England double in a decade The Guardian
• Antidepressant prescriptions nearly double in a decade The Independent

Brexit: NHS no-deal fears prompt call for drugs export ban

Brexit: NHS no-deal fears prompt call for drugs export ban Pharmaceutical industry leaders want a temporary ban on drugs exports to prevent the NHS being hit by shortages in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The call came from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

It told the BBC a drop in the value of the pound would create an incentive for wholesalers to sell medicines overseas instead of to the NHS.

The Department of Health says it is working closely with the industry to ensure continuity of supply. BBC News

Newborn hip checks 'have failed to prevent late diagnosis'

Newborn hip checks 'have failed to prevent late diagnosis' The current system of checking newborns for hip problems is failing, resulting in too many late diagnoses and corrective surgery, a study suggests.

All newborns in England have their hips examined but only those at risk or with problems receive a scan.

Surgeons from Southampton Children's Hospital said the rate of late diagnoses had not improved since screening started, over 30 years ago. BBC News

Easter eggs sold in January are fuelling obesity epidemic, doctors say

Easter eggs sold in January are fuelling obesity epidemic, doctors say Doctors and the public are calling for an end to creeping holiday seasons that mean supermarkets start selling Easter eggs in January, fuelling the UK’s obesity epidemic.

Polling by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) shows 77 per cent of people think supermarkets are pushing chocolatey Easter treats too early. The Independent

See also:

• Retailers urged to crack down on early Easter egg sales to tackle obesity Royal Society for Public Health

Dossier reveals 'petty tortures' of NHS trainee doctors denied leave

Dossier reveals 'petty tortures' of NHS trainee doctors denied leave Accounts include medic who was forced to work despite his wife having had a miscarriage.

Trainee doctors have been denied leave despite experiencing stillbirth or having a child or partner in intensive care, a dossier of young medics’ “brutal” treatment by the NHS reveals.

Hospitals have refused to let trainees take time off for their weddings and told them to use holiday entitlement rather than compassionate leave to attend funerals of relatives. The Guardian

GPs worst for NHS gender pay gap, with men paid 33 per cent more

GPs worst for NHS gender pay gap, with men paid 33 per cent more Male GPs are paid on average 33 per cent more than their female counterparts, a Government-ordered review has found.

The new figures reveal family doctors have the biggest gap among NHS clinicians, despite more than half the profession being women.

The difference in average earnings is nearly double the 17 per cent gender pay gap currently existing across the NHS doctor workforce as a whole. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• New data on gender pay gap in medicine Department of Health and Social Care
• Male NHS doctors earn 17% more than their female peers The Guardian
• NHS gender pay gap: Male doctors earn 17% more than female peers, review reveals The Independent

Care homes applying for hundreds more court orders to prevent elderly from going outside, figures reveal

Care homes applying for hundreds more court orders to prevent elderly from going outside, figures reveal Care homes and hospitals are applying for hundreds more elderly people to be locked inside, new data shows.

The figures, published today by the Ministry of Justice, reveal that there were 4,557 applications made by care homes and hospitals relating to Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders in 2018. This marked a 14 per cent increase on the previous year where there were 3,995 applications as charities warn that the increasing trend in applications are “deeply worrying”. The Daily Telegraph