KGH supports appeal by parents of baby who died from rare flu complication

KGH supports appeal by parents of baby who died from rare flu complication
A couple who lost their one of their baby twins after he contracted flu are campaigning for more people to get vaccinated.
Nikki Shaw, 32 and Dan Rowe, 36, from Market Harborough are being supported in their campaign by Kettering General Hospital after their son Ned died earlier this year. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Delays in finding new ward is impacting care for men at Northampton mental health hospital

Delays in finding new ward is impacting care for men at Northampton mental health hospital
A mental health ward for men is struggling to properly care for its patients because of delays in moving to a new home, inspectors have found.

The adult males of Foster Ward, at Northampton's St Andrew's Hospital, are set to move out of its Grade-II listed building into new accommodation in December this year.

But while leaders and managers focus on the move ahead, the healthcare watchdog has accused the ward of allowing the quality of care to slide. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Brackley hospital launches x-ray appeal - Banbury Guardian

Brackley hospital launches x-ray appeal - Banbury Guardian The prospect of the new Brackley Community Hospital is taking shape as building work continues apace.
Contractors are on schedule to have the building finished by May next year, if not before.
And the emerging hospital brings with it an appeal for funds to provide a £165,000, state-of-the-art x-ray machine.
“These are exciting times,” said Caryl Billingham who is chairman of the new trust that will oversee the work of the hospital.
“We anticipate fitting out the building will take four to six weeks so the new facility should be up and running by July or August 2020.” Banbury Guardian

The NHS’s recommendations to government and parliament for an NHS bill

The NHS’s recommendations to government and parliament for an NHS bill The NHS long term plan included suggested changes to the law to help implement the plan. In spring 2019, NHS staff, partner organisations and interested members of the public were invited to give their views on the proposals. This document sets out the NHS response to the views it received during engagement and sets out its recommendations to government and parliament for an NHS bill. This bill could help deliver improved patient care by removing barriers and promoting collaboration between NHS organisations and their partners. King's Fund

Health matters: rough sleeping

Health matters: rough sleeping This edition of Health Matters focuses on the scale of rough sleeping in England, the causes and consequences of rough sleeping (including the links with poor physical and mental health, prevention and effective interventions) and relevant calls to action.

Ill-health can be both a cause and consequence of homelessness, although it is not always identified as the trigger of homelessness. For example, ill-health may contribute to job loss or relationship breakdown, which in turn can result in homelessness. GOV.UK

Speak Up Month gets underway

Speak Up Month gets underway A national campaign aimed at raising awareness of speaking up begins tomorrow and continues throughout October.

Speak Up Month, led by the National Guardian's Office (NGO), aims to increase NHS organisations' commitment to fostering a strong speaking up culture and make Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardians more visible. NHS Employers

NHS trusts risk failing to reach axe the fax target, Freedom of Information requests reveal - Healthcare IT News

NHS trusts risk failing to reach axe the fax target, Freedom of Information requests reveal - Healthcare IT News NHS trusts risk falling short of meeting the deadline set by health and social care secretary Matt Hancock to “axe the fax” by April 2020, according to the new findings from Freedom of Information requests published today. Healthcare IT News

NHS body criticised over Experian patient checks scheme

NHS body criticised over Experian patient checks scheme A NHS body urged hospitals to work with the credit reference agency Experian to check whether patients could receive free treatment, in an effort to tackle health tourism.

Documents seen by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) and PA Media show NHS Improvement admitting it had not carried out its own assessment of whether the move would break data protection rules. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS urged dozens of hospitals to run patients' details through the credit-checking agency Experian Mail Online
• Revealed: Mass use of credit check firm to find NHS patients to charge - Health Service Journal HSJ

Nurses have no time to drink or take loo breaks

Nurses have no time to drink or take loo breaks "Inhumane" shifts and a lack of staffing are preventing nurses from "sipping water" or using the toilet, a new survey shows.
Eight out of ten nurses have gone an entire shift without a single drink of water, with more than half saying it happens at least once a week, the survey for Nursing Standard revealed.

Nurses responding to a survey cited a lack of staffing as preventing them from taking proper breaks, having a drink or even using the toilet, as they struggle to meet their patients’ needs.

The findings prompted a warning from the Royal College of Nursing that it is "inhumane" to leave staff without access to drinking water and in "danger of dehydration at work." OnMedica

See also:

• Eight out of ten nurses have gone an entire shift without a single drink of WATER Mail Online
• Nurses too busy to stop for a drink of water due to chronic NHS staff shortages - Mirror Online Mirror

No plan to require vaccinations at state schools, says No 10

No plan to require vaccinations at state schools, says No 10 Downing Street has pushed back against Matt Hancock’s suggestion that the government could make vaccinations mandatory for state school pupils, saying it was not currently a plan.

In an apparent rebuke of the health secretary, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the priority was encouraging the uptake of childhood vaccinations, levels of which are falling. The Guardian

'Revolutionary' drug for prostate cancer

'Revolutionary' drug for prostate cancer Olaparib could become a revolutionary treatment for prostate cancer - the first genetically targeted drug for fighting the disease, say experts.
The precision medicine is already used by the NHS for ovarian cancer and has been called a game-changer by cancer doctors.
A cancer conference heard how, in trials, it slowed tumour growth in men with advanced prostate cancer.
This could improve survival for some men, researchers hope.
Experts say it could be made available to patients in the next couple of years. BBC News

See also:

• Thousands of British men with advanced prostate cancer are set to get the first 'precision' drug Mail Online

Is red meat back on the menu?

Is red meat back on the menu? A controversial study says cutting down on sausages, mince, steak and all other forms of red or processed meat is a waste of time for most people.

The report - which disagrees with most major organisations on the planet - says the evidence is weak and any risk to people's health is small.

Some experts have praised the "rigorous" assessment.

But others say "the public could be put at risk" by such "dangerously misguided" research. BBC News

See also:

• You DON'T need to cut out red meat, scientists claim in huge controversial study Mail Online