Northampton hospital chief praises staff as A&E continues to treat 400 patients each day

Northampton hospital chief praises staff as A&E continues to treat 400 patients each day Northampton's hospital chief executive Sonia Swart has commended her staff for their 'unwavering dedication' as hundreds of patients continue to need treatment at A&E.

It comes as relentless winter pressures have seen up to 400 patients - experiencing mostly respiratory problems, chest pains, and flu - needing treatment at Northampton's A&E department. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Hindsight 2020: Lessons on setting targets in health and social care

Hindsight 2020: Lessons on setting targets in health and social care After the 2015 general election, the NHS and social care were set a number of targets on where they needed to be by 2020. Now that year has started, this briefing looks at how they have fared over that time, looking at a sample of key targets. Which have been met, which are being missed, and which by now no longer exist? The briefing then looks at the lessons that need to be learned. Nuffield Trust

Collaborative commissioning for sexual health, reproductive health and HIV: a review of 4 areas

Collaborative commissioning for sexual health, reproductive health and HIV: a review of 4 areas In 2016, Public Health England (PHE) and partner agencies undertook a survey of sexual health, reproductive health and HIV commissioning and published an accompanying action plan. One of the key actions was to support two pilot areas in developing collaborative approaches. PHE has undertaken an evaluation of these two areas and two other areas that had adopted a collaborative approach to commissioning. This review provides a summary of the evaluation and the existing frameworks that can support collaborative working. The slide set details the methodology and findings from this qualitative evaluation. Public Health England

Investigation into lack of timely monitoring of patients with glaucoma

Investigation into lack of timely monitoring of patients with glaucoma Lack of timely follow-up for glaucoma patients is a recognised national issue across the NHS. Research suggests that around 22 patients a month suffer severe or permanent sight loss as a result of the delays.

Our latest report comes after we looked at the case of a 34-year old woman who lost sight as a result of delayed follow-up appointments. She saw seven different ophthalmologists, and the time between her initial referral to hospital eye services and laser eye surgery was 11 months. By this time her sight had deteriorated so badly, she was registered as severely sight impaired.

We’ve made seven safety recommendations as a result of this investigation. Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

See also:

• Patients are going blind because of long NHS delays, investigators warn The Daily Telegraph
• Glaucoma patients going blind due to treatment delays, watchdog finds The Guardian

£1.8bn PCN programme on brink as senior GPs threaten to withdraw

£1.8bn PCN programme on brink as senior GPs threaten to withdraw 'Totally unrealistic' draft service specifications have left high-profile GPs warning they could quit the network contract DES, signalling trouble for the future of primary care networks (PCNs). GPonline

A&E patients face long waits as winter bites

A&E patients face long waits as winter bites Huge pressures at hospitals across the NHS over the last month have led to long delays for patients seeking emergency care, figures suggest.

The NHS England December data showed record delays in A&E with one in five patients waiting more than four hours.

A key problem seems to have been a shortage of beds on wards.

The figures show nearly 100,000 of the sickest patients faced hours stuck on trolleys and waiting in corridors while beds were found for them. BBC News

GP shortages cause 'unacceptable' patient waits

GP shortages cause 'unacceptable' patient waits Family doctors are under intense pressure and general practice is running on empty, warns the Royal College of GPs (RCGP).

It says severe staff shortages are causing "unacceptable" delays for patients in England.

In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, its chairman says ministers must take urgent action to deal with the lack of GPs.

The government said it had recruited a "record number" of GP trainees. BBC News

Healthy habits 'deliver extra disease-free decade'

Healthy habits 'deliver extra disease-free decade' Women can gain 10 and men seven years of life free of cancer, heart problems and type-2 diabetes from a healthy lifestyle, a study in the BMJ suggests.

They must exercise regularly, drink in moderation only, have a healthy weight and good diet and not smoke. BBC News

See also:

• Healthy lifestyle and life expectancy free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort study (open access) BMJ
• Middle age healthy habits may stave off old age disease OnMedica

NHS use of puberty blockers legal challenge begins

NHS use of puberty blockers legal challenge begins Legal action is being launched against the NHS over the prescribing of drugs to delay puberty.

Papers have been lodged at the High Court by a mother and a nurse against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which runs the UK's only gender-identity development service (Gids).

Lawyers will argue it is illegal to prescribe the drugs, as children cannot give informed consent to the treatment.

The Tavistock said it had a "cautious and considered" approach to treatment. BBC News

I've seen fellow patients die of eating disorders. This needs tackling - fast

I've seen fellow patients die of eating disorders. This needs tackling - fast A holistic approach helped me recover after 20 years in and out of hospital. As demand rises, more investment is needed

We live in a society where low weight is accepted, not talked about, not treated. As I know well from personal experience, people only get treatment for eating disorders when they are nearly dead. The Guardian

Warnings over “postcode lottery” in ovarian cancer diagnosis and survival

Warnings over “postcode lottery” in ovarian cancer diagnosis and survival Survival rates for women with ovarian cancer are twice as high in some parts of the country than others, amid warnings of an NHS “postcode lottery” in diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

A new report warns that in some parts of the country just one in ten cases are diagnosed at their earliest stage, which health services in other areas achieve almost half of the time. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• First look at ovarian cancer audit feasibility pilot data Ovarian Cancer Action
• Ovarian cancer 'postcode lottery' The Daily Mail
• Ovarian Cancer Patients Face A 'Postcode Lottery' That Needs To Be Fixed Huffington Post UK
• New data highlights postcode lottery in ovarian cancer diagnosis The Independent
• Half of women with ovarian cancer diagnosed at late stage – analysis ITV News

Smokers in England are less hooked than a decade ago - but are also less inclined to give up

Smokers in England are less hooked than a decade ago - but are also less inclined to give up Smokers in England are less hooked than they were a decade ago – but are also less inclined to give up, a study has revealed.

An analysis of 41,610 smokers found they were smoking around three cigarettes less every day in 2017, compared to 2008.

However, their motivation to quit or at cut down has declined drastically, researchers at University College London discovered. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Changes in smoker characteristics in England between 2008 and 2017 (open access) Addiction