'More needs to be done' to help hundreds on waiting list for NHS gender identity clinic in Northamptonshire

'More needs to be done' to help hundreds on waiting list for NHS gender identity clinic in Northamptonshire An LGBT charity believes 'more has to be done' to help the hundreds of transgender and non-binary adults waiting for an NHS gender identity clinic in Northamptonshire.

A total of 759 people are on the waiting list for the service based at Danetre Hospital in Daventry, which supports over-18s with gender dysphoria and offers a range of treatments. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Flu vaccination: increasing uptake

Flu vaccination: increasing uptake This quality standard covers increasing the uptake of flu vaccination among people who are eligible. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement. It does not cover uptake of flu vaccination in people aged 65 and over. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

The GP practice where patients can share appointments

The GP practice where patients can share appointments Faced with a wait for a GP appointment, would you choose a group session with the doctor instead? It is an idea some surgeries are investigating.

Demand for appointments increasingly outweighs availability. In recent years, the number of GP appointments has risen by 13%, but GP numbers are up by less than 5%, putting huge pressure on surgeries.

In addition, many of us are living longer and with multiple long-term conditions, which can make consultations extremely complex.

The traditional one-to-one 10-minute appointment is arguably no longer fit for purpose. BBC News

Millions left unspent on NHS as councils fail to cash in on money from housing developers

Millions left unspent on NHS as councils fail to cash in on money from housing developers The NHS is missing out on tens of millions of pounds from housing developers because councils are failing to ask for the funds, it has emerged.

And even when councils do collect the funds, the NHS often fails to spend it – £34m is currently unused.

Property developers are required to stump up this cash to obtain planning permission. The funds are intended to be spent on developing and creating buildings to alleviate pressure on the health service after an influx of residents. The Independent

See also:

• Planning for patients: The role of Section 106 planning contributions Reform

Safety fears as hospitals redeploy nurses to care for patients in corridors

Safety fears as hospitals redeploy nurses to care for patients in corridors Overcrowding forces ward staff to spend part of shift looking after patients without a bed.

Hospitals are having to redeploy nurses from wards to look after queues of patients in corridors, in a growing trend that has raised concerns about patient safety.

Many hospitals have become so overcrowded that they are being forced to tell nurses to spend part of their shift working as “corridor nurses” to look after patients who are waiting for a bed. The Guardian

See also:

• 'I'm being asked to take bloods while patients are on the floor' The Guardian
• A day in the life of A&E staff: How the NHS has changed ITV News

NHS lung cancer screening 'could save 5,000 lives a year'

NHS lung cancer screening 'could save 5,000 lives a year' Experts call for introduction of CT scans for people at risk due to smoking or family history

The NHS could save 5,000 lives a year by introducing screening for lung cancer, say experts.

Prof Charles Swanton, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK and one of the country’s leading cancer scientists, said: “The data are extraordinary. If we had a drug half as good as that, we would have adopted it by now.” The Guardian

Stiff upper lip means war babies will not seek help for depression

Stiff upper lip means war babies will not seek  help for depression Older generations are being encouraged to ditch their “stiff upper lip” after research found six in ten pensioners have experienced depression or anxiety.

The NHS is launching a national campaign urging the elderly to seek help for mental health problems, after research found widespread reluctance to do so. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Your mind matters Age UK

Polluted air is set to cause 160,000 deaths over the next decade, experts predict

Polluted air is set to cause 160,000 deaths over the next decade, experts predict Air pollution will cause 160,000 fatal strokes and heart attacks in the next decade unless the Government acts to clean up Britain’s dirty air, experts have warned.

The British Heart Foundation says that roughly 40 people a day will die from heart and circulation problems caused by toxic air over the next ten years. Currently, the annual total is 11,000 and that figure is projected to rise during the decade.

The charity warns today that air pollution presents a ‘major public health emergency’ that must be urgently addressed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Heart attack and stroke deaths related to air pollution could exceed 160,000 by 2030 British Heart Foundation
• Air pollution could cost more than 160,000 lives this decade, charity warns The Daily Telegraph
• Over 160,000 people could die from diseases linked to air pollution by 2030 in UK The Independent

How IVF success rates are almost four TIMES lower in some parts of UK

How IVF success rates are almost four TIMES lower in some parts of UK IVF success rates are three-and-a-half times lower in some parts of the UK because of a cruel 'postcode lottery', experts have warned.

Women having the procedure at St Jude's Fertility Clinic in Wolverhampton have just a 12 per cent chance of having a baby.

By contrast, the success rate of an IVF cycle at University Hospital Coventry – just a 50-minute drive away – is 43 per cent. The Daily Mail