Plans underway to create one group to commission all of Northamptonshire's healthcare services

Plans underway to create one group to commission all of Northamptonshire's healthcare services A plan is in motion to rebuild the two groups that commission Northamptonshire's health services into a new, single organisation in its place.

A new, single countywide clinical commissioning group (CCG) could be set up for Northamptonshire in five years time.

The move would require 'de-establishing' Nene CCG and Corby CCG and creating a new group for the whole county funded by a single pot. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Operations cancelled at Northampton hospital as A&E patients soar

Operations cancelled at Northampton hospital as A&E patients soar Non-urgent operations have been cancelled this week by NGH as A&E is experiencing a high number of patients.

Northampton General Hospital is apologising to patients whose non-urgent operations have been cancelled due to a high number of people seeking urgent care. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Measles warning after confirmed case at KGH

Measles warning after confirmed case at KGH Visitors to Kettering General Hospital have been warned about exposure to a case of measles.

A patient with the highly contagious disease attended the hospital's Centenary Wing between 1pm and 5.30pm on September 23, it has been confirmed.

The disease is airborne and spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of infected people. Northamptonshire Telegraph

25 million to be offered free NHS flu jab this winter

25 million to be offered free NHS flu jab this winter A trio of England’s top medics have today (Friday 4 October) urged those at risk of suffering from or spreading flu to ensure they get their free NHS vaccination this winter.

The health service in England has prepared for its largest ever flu protection drive to help keep people well and ease pressure on urgent care services over the colder months. Public Health England

See also:

• Biggest NHS flu campaign under way BBC News
• Officials announce 25MILLION people will be offered free flu jab this winter The Daily Mail
• One million delayed flu jabs prompts emergency government purchase The Daily Telegraph

Hard to reach? Healthwatch focuses on the issue to travel to NHS services

Hard to reach? Healthwatch focuses on the issue to travel to NHS services Together with two leading charities, we are raising awareness of the issues people facing travelling to and from NHS services. We will be working with NHS England to support their new national review of the links between the NHS and local transport. Healthwatch

State of the sector report for 2018 - 2019

State of the sector report for 2018 - 2019 Our State of the sector report for 2018 -2019 reveals that fertility treatment is becoming safer with the quality of care improving across UK clinics.

The report shows that around 80% of clinics were issued with a full licence, confirming that most clinics are meeting expected standards and are performing well. The number of non-compliances per inspection have decreased each year since 2015/16 and over half of clinics had fewer areas of concern compared to their previous inspection. Multiple births, the single biggest health risk from IVF, also reached an all-time low of 10%, while patient complaints about clinics decreased. Clinic and quality management, which includes the safe use of equipment, as well as the processing and use of eggs, sperm and embryos has seen improvements according to the report. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

See also:

• Deadly IVF side effect is on the rise, report finds The Daily Mail
• Woman given wrong sperm as fertility blunders rise by a fifth The Daily Telegraph

Life after loss: an economic evaluation of specialist counselling after baby loss

Life after loss: an economic evaluation of specialist counselling after baby loss This report is an economic evaluation of the baby loss charity Petals, which provides counselling to women who have experienced the death of a baby and their partners. The evaluation calculates that national provision of counselling to 4,822 mothers would cost £3.17m per annum, which would create a national safety-net of support to help parents at this immensely difficult time. No such service currently operates across England and Wales. The report highlights that specialist baby loss counselling is inexpensive, effective and reduces government expenditure. Centre for Mental Health

HIV diagnosis for 15 men waiting for drug on NHS

HIV diagnosis for 15 men waiting for drug on NHS At least 15 people in England have tested HIV positive while waiting to get a place on a trial for a pill which prevents the disease.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) is a daily tablet which can stop a person from getting HIV.

England is the only place in the UK where places on a trial to access the drug through the NHS are restricted.

The Department of Health said plans are under way for "routine commissioning" when the trial ends next year. BBC News

Breast cancer: Call for genetic screening for all

Breast cancer: Call for genetic screening for all Offering every woman diagnosed with breast cancer genetic screening would save hundreds of lives each year, a study suggests.

Currently, only those with risk factors such as a close family history of breast cancer are offered the check.

Researchers say screening everyone would enable women to make informed treatment choices and allow family members to take preventative action.

It would also be cost-effective for the NHS, they say. BBC News

See also:

• A Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Multigene Testing for All Patients With Breast Cancer (open access) JAMA Oncology
• Screening women for breast-cancer genes is cost effective and could save thousands of lives a year The Daily Mail

Drug firms colluded to raise price of essential NHS medicine by 1,800 per cent, watchdog finds

Drug firms colluded to raise price of essential NHS medicine by 1,800 per cent, watchdog finds Collusion by three pharmaceutical firms has resulted in eye-watering price rises for a life-saving drug purchased by the National Health Service, according to provisional findings by the competition watchdog.

In 2016, pharmaceutical giant Aspen made a deal with two other firms to keep them out of the UK market for fludrocortisone, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Thursday. Thousands of patients rely on the medicine to treat what is known as Addison’s disease – an insufficient production of certain hormones. The Independent

See also:

• 3 drug firms accused of illegal market sharing Competition and Markets Authority

Health body faces legal action amid concerns over autism ‘cure’

Health body faces legal action amid concerns over autism ‘cure’ Charity to challenge decision of PSA to give accreditation to Society of Homeopaths

The high court is to be asked to decide whether the statutory regulation of homeopaths is safe, amid concerns that some of those on an accredited register are offering an anti-vaccine “cure” for children with autism.

The Good Thinking Society, a charity that promotes rational thinking and scepticism in science, argues that anti-vaxxers are effectively being given a government “kite mark” because they are registered by the Society of Homeopaths. It has been given permission for a judicial review of the Professional Standards Authority’s (PSA) decision to re-accredit the Society of Homeopaths as an official regulatory body. It will argue the PSA is failing to protect children. The Guardian

Parents of brain damaged girl win legal fight to take her to Italy for treatment after British doctors refused

Parents of brain damaged girl win legal fight to take her to Italy for treatment after British doctors refused The parents of a brain-damaged young girl have won a legal fight to take her to Italy for treatment after British doctors argued that her life support should be turned off.

Five-year-old Tafida Raqeeb has been at the Royal London Hospital since suffering a traumatic brain injury in February, but could be moved to the Gaslini children's hospital in Genoa within 10 days after a High Court judge ruled in her family’s favour. The Daily Telegraph

Allergy sufferers told to carry TWO adrenaline pens amid fears some Emerade versions aren't working

Allergy sufferers told to carry TWO adrenaline pens amid fears some Emerade versions aren't working Around 374,000 Emerade pens are currently in the hands of patients in the UK. The fault is thought to affect around one in every 500 devices. MHRA said it was essential users carried two 'at all times'. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Class 4 Medicines Defect Information: Emerade 150, 300 and 500 microgram solution for injection in pre-filled syringe (MDR 57-08/19) Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority

STIs are now more common among men aged between 45 and 64 than teenage boys

STIs are now more common among men aged between 45 and 64 than teenage boys Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise among over-65s, according to official figures.

Public Health England data shows there were 2,108 cases among older men and 472 among women of the same age in 2018 - a 23 per cent jump since 2014.

Statistics also show STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis are now more common among middle-aged men than teenage boys. The Daily Mail