Suspected heart attack victim slams ambulance service after being left waiting for hours in Northamptonshire

Suspected heart attack victim slams ambulance service after being left waiting for hours in Northamptonshire A Northamptonshire man has complained about being stranded with a suspected heart attack after an ambulance failed to turn up.

Rob Johnson, who has a cardiac condition, woke in the night with serious chest pains on Sunday, December 1.

He and his partner Trudy Thornton - both are experienced first aiders - realised the emergency and called 999. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Quality improvement in general practice: what do GPs and practice managers think?

Quality improvement in general practice: what do GPs and practice managers think? There is growing recognition of the importance of quality improvement in general practice. But what is the extent of knowledge and usage of quality improvement tools and approaches across the UK, and how can we embed a culture of improvement? The Health Foundation

Why can't this doctor work in the UK?

Why can't this doctor work in the UK? The NHS in North-East England is making an effort to exploit the skills of doctors who arrived in the UK as refugees. But well-trained doctors from one country, who would love to practise here, are still having to spend their days working in factories or delivering pizzas, reports the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby. BBC News

Pregnant women died after fears Tory crackdown on ‘health tourism’ would bankrupt them, report delayed until after election reveals

Pregnant women died after fears Tory crackdown on ‘health tourism’ would bankrupt them, report delayed until after election reveals Tory measures to stop “health tourism” on the NHS have been linked to the deaths of three pregnant women in a major report that was delayed until after the election.

The women all died after delays in seeking help because they mistakenly believed that they would have to pay for care under the government’s strict charging regime. They sought help in hospitals too late and died as a result of complications.

It is the first time researchers have identified the impact of the government’s controversial charging regime among maternity deaths, and they warned other mothers could be at risk. The Independent

See also:

• Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2015–17 MBRRACE-UK

Call to vaccinate children against flu amid 'super spreaders' warning

Call to vaccinate children against flu amid 'super spreaders' warning Public Health England data shows 24% rise in doctor’s appointments for flu

Senior doctors have urged parents to vaccinate their children, who are “super-spreaders” of flu, as vital NHS services are being flooded with patients this winter.

Medical professionals have said jabs are the best defence against the highly infectious disease which has hit the UK earlier than usual this year. The Guardian

See also:

• Flu surge drives up pressure on general practice GPonline

A&E waiting times worst ever, with quadrupling in 12 hour delays

A&E waiting times worst ever, with quadrupling in 12 hour delays Accident & Emergency waiting times are the worst ever, with a quadrupling in the numbers waiting at least 12 hours on a trolley, in just one year, official figures show.

The statistics show that for the first time, not one trust hit the target to see 95 per cent of patients in four hours.

In total, 81.4 per cent of A&E patients were seen within four hours in November, a fall from 87.6 per cent the previous year. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• The King's Fund responds to the latest NHS England hospital performance figures The King's Fund
• Today's figures show safety net of NHS at risk of breaking down: Health Foundation response to NHS England monthly performance statistics The Health Foundation
• Combined Performance Summary: October-November 2019 The Nuffield Trust
• New Government faces a grim NHS winter - Nuffield Trust comment on NHS performance figures The Nuffield Trust
• Hospital waiting times worsen again BBC News
• NHS winter crisis: Worst EVER delays in A&E delays The Daily Mail
• NHS England 'on its knees' as performance figures hit new lows The Guardian
• All major trusts miss four-hour target as performance plunges across NHS Health Service Journal
• Waiting times for A&E and hospital operations worst on record, NHS figures show The Independent
• 'Record number' of non-urgent operations cancelled at last minute in English hospitals, figures show iNews
• NHS 'on its knees' as cancer and A&E treatments see record delays  Sky News

Eating two apples daily for eight weeks can lower 'bad' cholesterol, study finds

Eating two apples daily for eight weeks can lower 'bad' cholesterol, study finds An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but two might be better, a study suggests.

Eating two apples a day may reduce people's risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, experts found.

When 40 people with slightly high cholesterol ate two large apples a day for eight weeks, it lowered their levels of 'bad' cholesterol by almost four per cent. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Two apples a day lower serum cholesterol and improve cardiometabolic biomarkers in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial (open access) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition