Wednesday 26 June 2019

Cancer patients asked to help shape future of care in Northampton

Cancer patients asked to help shape future of care in Northampton Northampton patients undergoing cancer treatment could help shape the future of care in the town.

Northampton General Hospital is asking for people who are undergoing or recently completed cancer treatments to help them develop a new service for patients. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Investigation into NHS Property Services Limited

Investigation into NHS Property Services Limited Today’s report by the National Audit Office has found that NHS Property Services Limited (the Service) lacks the powers it needs to make its tenants sign lease agreements and pay their rent, which has contributed to increasing levels of outstanding debt.

The Service was established in December 2011 to manage, maintain and improve NHS properties in England and facilities previously owned by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts. It operates 2,900 properties with an estimated value of £3.8 billion, and has approximately 6,950 tenants.

The Service has no effective way of getting tenants to sign formal rental agreements. Since 2013-14 the percentage of tenants without leases has increased from nearly two-thirds to 70%. The Service has improved the quality of data it holds and introduced a new billing system in 2017, but many bills are still disputed, particularly by tenants without rental agreements.

Hidden no more: dementia and disability

Hidden no more: dementia and disability According to domestic law and international convention, dementia is a disability. Thousands of people who responded to an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry agreed that they see dementia as a disability. But they told the APPG that society is lagging behind and failing to uphold the legal rights of people with dementia. The evidence reveals that, across the country, people with dementia are not having their disability rights upheld. This report seeks to highlight the human impact that this has on people living with dementia. It focuses on themes of equality, non-discrimination, participation and inclusion. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia

    Essex Strep A outbreak: Twelve people dead

    Essex Strep A outbreak: Twelve people dead Twelve people have died in a "very serious" outbreak of a rare contagious bacterial strain, it has emerged.

    Thirty-two people across Essex have been infected with the invasive Group A streptococcal (iGAS) infection.

    Public Health England (PHE) warned there was a "high risk" of further fatalities from the "ongoing outbreak".

    It began in Braintree but cases have been found around Chelmsford and Maldon, a Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) report said. BBC News

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    Struggling mums to get mental health help via text

    Struggling mums to get mental health help via text Women who are struggling with mental health issues during pregnancy or after giving birth will now be able to get help by sending a text message.

    Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust claims its Mum's Mind message service is the first of its kind for the NHS.

    Mothers can text the service if they are struggling with problems like anxiety, panic attacks and depression. BBC News

    Boris Johnson filmed telling Tory members NHS 'needs reform'

    Boris Johnson filmed telling Tory members NHS 'needs reform' Boris Johnson has been filmed at a private garden party telling Conservative members that the NHS absolutely needs to be reformed, as he fired them up for a general election by asking them to be ready to “wallop Jeremy Corbyn”.

    The frontrunner to be Conservative leader and prime minister was videoed giving a rabble-rousing stump speech to members in Sutton Coldfield on Saturday, the day after the Guardian revealed that police had been called to his girlfriend’s flat following a late-night altercation.

    Asked by one party member what he would do with the NHS, Johnson told the crowd the health service was a “crowning glory” but was “not getting the kind of support and indeed the kind of changes and management that it needs”, suggesting he as prime minister would aim to undertake an overhaul of the health service. The Guardian

    Scrap upfront NHS charges for migrants, says BMA

    Scrap upfront NHS charges for migrants, says BMA Policy has resulted in deaths and been heavily criticised by MPs and health charities

    Britain’s doctors have urged ministers to scrap controversial rules that force migrants to pay upfront before they can receive NHS care for serious illnesses such as cancer.

    The British Medical Association has become the first body representing medical staff to call for the complete abolition of the charges, which have been heavily criticised by MPs and health charities. The Guardian

    Simple prostate cancer test could diagnose five years early and prevent thousands of invasive operations 

    Simple prostate cancer test could diagnose five years early and prevent thousands of invasive operations A simple urine test could detect aggressive prostate cancer five years before treatment is needed and save thousands of men from invasive surgery.

    Researchers said the simple test could make a “huge difference” to men with suspected disease, giving many the all-clear, without having to undergo biopsies.

    The £100 test - which could be offered within three years - is much more sensitive than current methods, picking up how aggressive the disease is and at what point men will need treatment. The Daily Telegraph 

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    Prince Charles criticised after becoming patron of homeopathy group

    Prince Charles criticised after becoming patron of homeopathy group The Prince of Wales has come under fire after he became the patron of a homeopathy group, the Faculty of Homeopathy, which supports registered medical professionals with alternative treatment.

    Following the announcement on Tuesday, Prince Charles came under criticism from scientists for associating himself with a group that is dedicated to a practice whose worth has come under question and which is banned by the NHS. The Daily Telegraph

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    Whooping cough warning as cases are 27% higher than last year

    Whooping cough warning as cases are 27% higher than last year Whooping cough appears to be making a resurgence across England and Wales as official data reveals the infection is on the rise.

    Government statistics show 1,596 cases of pertussis – its medical name – have been reported so far this year.

    In comparison, just 1,233 cases had been reported at the same time point last year, according to Public Health England. The Daily Mail