Friday 8 November 2019

Northamptonshire: Crisis council replacement plan decision postponed

Northamptonshire: Crisis council replacement plan decision postponed Legislation to scrap a cash-crisis council and seven others in the same county has been shelved.

It would allow the creation of two unitary authorities in Northamptonshire to replace its troubled county council and the district and borough councils.

The government had already approved the plan, and Parliament was expected to pass it before the election. BBC Northampton

Nurse at Northampton General Hospital steals morphine and overdoses before fleeing to Croatia

Nurse at Northampton General Hospital steals morphine and overdoses before fleeing to Croatia A nurse who stole and took morphine from a ward he was working on at Northampton General Hospital before going into cardiac arrest has been suspended.

On July 12, 2018 nurse Matija Konjevic was found unconscious in his room at his nursing accommodation, tribunal papers have revealed, after he stole controlled drug medication for his personal use.

Resuscitation staff were then called to administer treatment to Konjevic after he went into cardiac arrest. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Primary care networks: A pre-mortem to identify potential risks

Primary care networks: A pre-mortem to identify potential risks Primary care networks were introduced in early 2019 with the intention that they would stabilise general practice and act as the bedrock of integrated care systems. However, there is a lack of clarity over how broad national ambitions can be realised locally. What pitfalls face primary care networks as they become established, and how might they be avoided? Nuffield Trust

Bringing evidence and facts to the election debate

Bringing evidence and facts to the election debate With general election campaigning now underway, Mark Dayan describes how the Nuffield Trust will bring evidence, facts and our extensive knowledge of health policy and research to the fore in coming weeks.

Genomic medicine: a tool for population health?

Genomic medicine: a tool for population health? Genomic medicine has been hailed as the magic bullet for prevention, diagnosis and personalised treatment. But what can we really expect from this field? The King's Fund

Pre-election period: dos and don'ts for the NHS

Pre-election period: dos and don'ts for the NHS ‘Purdah’ is the period shortly before an election or referendum when specific restrictions on the activity of public bodies, civil servants and local government officials are put in place. NHS Employers

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General election 2019: Tory plan to attract more NHS staff from abroad

General election 2019: Tory plan to attract more NHS staff from abroad The Conservatives say they will make it easier for doctors and nurses from around the world to work in the UK after Brexit, if they win the election.

The party would introduce an "NHS visa" as part of a promised "points-based immigration system".

But Labour said the policy was "full of holes," with nothing to say about low-paid nurses and other hospital staff.

And the Royal College of Nursing said "more ambitious" plans were needed to address NHS staffing shortages. BBC News

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Algorithms helping patients on ventilators at London hospitals

Algorithms helping patients on ventilators at London hospitals Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton Hospital have found a way to make ventilators more precise for individual intensive care patients.

The trial involves a monitor next to a patient's bed that will collect data showing their breathing patterns and lung capacity.

Doctors and nurses will use the data to better understand how to treat a patient and individually tailor their ventilator oxygen levels and pressure.


If successful, it could prove to be the future of critical care medicine, according to the research team. BBC News

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NHS urged to draw up guidelines for managers following the death of nurse who set himself on fire after losing his job

NHS urged to draw up guidelines for managers following the death of nurse who set himself on fire after losing his job NHS bodies have been asked to urgently draw up guidance for managers following the death of a nurse who set himself alight after losing his job over a disciplinary matter.

Amin Abdullah, 41, died close to Kensington Palace in London on February 9 2016, weeks after an unfair dismissal process at Charing Cross Hospital.

The Malaysian-born nurse, who became depressed when he was ordered to leave his job, was due to appeal against the decision just two days later.

An independent inquiry identified serious procedural errors throughout the disciplinary process, and found that Mr Abdullah was treated "unfairly" and "very poorly", which severely affected his mental health. ITV News

Record numbers signing up to study medicine at university, figures show

Record numbers signing up to study medicine at university, figures show Record numbers of would-be doctors are signing up to study medicine.

New Ucas figures show a six per cent increase on the number of people applying to take a degree in the subject, compared to last year.

The deadline for applications to begin medicine, as well as dentistry and veterinary science courses next autumn, was on October 15. The Independent

Winter after winter, the NHS has been warned it cannot go on the same as before

Winter after winter, the NHS has been warned it cannot go on the same as before It has become a tragic annual tradition for the NHS to head into winter with dire warnings of how awful its performance is going to be. This year the British Medical Association has been clear that if its forecasts become a reality the health service will experience its worst ever winter with more than 1 million patients waiting more than four hours to be seen and nearly 300,000 waiting on trolleys after four hours.

Many voters would be forgiven for dismissing this bleak assessment on the grounds there seems to be an NHS crisis every winter but somehow the system always pulls through. The Independent

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Firehosing: the systemic strategy that anti-vaxxers are using to spread misinformation

Firehosing: the systemic strategy that anti-vaxxers are using to spread misinformation Anti-vaxxers keep telling the same obvious lies without shame, despite being debunked and factchecked

Yet again a popular show is giving an anti-vaxxer a high-profile platform to spread lies and cause harm to an audience of millions. This time it’s Bill Maher who last week hosted Jay Gordon, a controversial doctor who peddles misinformation about vaccines and is best known for providing hundreds of personal belief exemptions for families to forgo school vaccine requirements. The Guardian

GPs told to prioritise toddlers amid flu vaccine shortages 

GPs told to prioritise toddlers amid flu vaccine shortages Schools are to cancel flu vaccinations for thousands of young children amid a national shortage of supplies.

GPs have been ordered to prioritise toddlers and the sickest children, amid warnings that quarter of deliveries - for around one million children - will now arrive late.

For the first time, all children aged between two and 11 were due to be eligible for a free nasal spray inoculation, with most receiving them at school. The Daily Telegraph

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Boozy Britons are drinking 108 bottles of wine a year - far more than the rest of the western world

Boozy Britons are drinking 108 bottles of wine a year - far more than the rest of the western world The average Briton is now drinking 108 bottles of wine a year - far more than in the rest of the Western world, a major report shows.

The study of 36 nations shows that the UK’s alcohol consumption is now among the highest in developed countries.

It comes as separate figures show the number of pensioners starting treatment for alcohol problems has doubled in the past decade, The Daily Telegraph

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Diabetes treatment now costs the NHS £1.1bn, the highest bill ever

Diabetes treatment now costs the NHS £1.1bn, the highest bill ever Prescription medicines for diabetes now cost NHS England more than ever, figures have today revealed.

The £1.075billion forked out last year on drugs for the condition is almost double the £650million bill from a decade ago.

Diabetes is the most expensive condition the NHS has to treat, partly because at least 4.7million people in the UK – approximately one in every 14 – have it.

The costs are spread across insulin, diagnostic devices and blood sugar monitors, antidiabetic drugs and medications to treat people with hypoglycaemia. The Daily Mail

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Doctors say better support is needed for self-harm patients

Doctors say better support is needed for self-harm patients Self-harm patients need to receive better care after they are hospitalised to reduce their risk of suicide, doctors have warned.

Oxford University researchers tracked almost 50,000 self-harm patients in England for up to 15 years.

They found suicide rates were 55 times higher among such patients in the year after being hospitalised, compared to the general population. The Daily Mail

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