KGH joins pledge to cut down on plastic waste

KGH joins pledge to cut down on plastic waste KGH has joined a national campaign to cut down on single use plastics across the NHS.

On Friday, January 31, KGH signed up to NHS England's Single Use Plastic Reduction Campaign which aims to reduce waste from things like single-use cups, cutlery and food pots across the health service.

Last year, the NHS bought at least 163 million plastic cups, 16 million pieces of plastic cutlery, 15 million straws and two million plastic stirrers. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Ian Paterson: Surgeon wounded hundreds amid 'culture of denial'

Ian Paterson: Surgeon wounded hundreds amid 'culture of denial' A culture of "avoidance and denial" allowed a breast surgeon to perform botched and unnecessary operations on hundreds of women, a report has found.

An independent inquiry into Ian Paterson's malpractice has recommended the recall of his 11,000 patients for their surgery to be assessed.

Paterson is serving a 20-year jail term for 17 counts of wounding with intent. BBC News

See also:

• Rogue surgeon report does not pretend there are easy answers The Guardian
• Ian Paterson inquiry: culture of denial allowed rogue breast surgery The Guardian
• Independent report: Paterson Inquiry report GOV.UK

Parts of NHS 'seriously financially unstable', auditors find

Parts of NHS 'seriously financially unstable', auditors find Parts of the NHS are “seriously financially unstable” and trusts are building up levels of debt they are unlikely to ever repay, according to Whitehall’s spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office found that NHS provider trusts reported a combined deficit of £827m and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) a £150m deficit in the financial year ending 31 March 2019. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS financial management and sustainability National Audit Office

Access matters: achieving universal access to optimal lung cancer care in the UK

Access matters: achieving universal access to optimal lung cancer care in the UK UK Lung Cancer Coalition -
It is known that there is too much unwarranted variation in lung cancer care which is leading to sub-optimal outcomes for patients. This document is intended to provide some simple, practical ideas which clinicians, commissioners and policymakers could implement to help ensure that consistent and equitable treatment and care options are being offered to patients who present with similar profiles, regardless of where they live. King's Fund

See also:

• Targeted lung cancer treatment gets initial ‘no’ for NHS in England Cancer Research UK

Patients admitted to NHS hospitals for alcohol fuelled-illnesses rises by a fifth in a decade

Patients admitted to NHS hospitals for alcohol fuelled-illnesses rises by a fifth in a decade The number of patients admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illnesses has spiked by a fifth in a decade, shocking figures show.

There were at least 357,660 people hospitalised for drink-fuelled conditions in England in 2019, a 19 per cent rise from the 300,930 recorded in 2009.

They include patients with liver damage, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes all caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Mail Online

Smothering PCNs with early targets could stop them improving care

Smothering PCNs with early targets could stop them improving care Primary care networks (PCNs) will fail to improve patients' lives if they are ‘smothered’ with objectives in their infancy, NHS leaders have warned. GP Online

Coronavirus outbreak not yet pandemic, World Health Organization says

Coronavirus outbreak not yet pandemic, World Health Organization says The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is a "window of opportunity" to stop the deadly new coronavirus becoming a broader global crisis.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the steps China took to fight the virus at its epicentre were a good way of stopping its spread.

The praise comes as Chinese officials have been widely criticised for their initial handling of the outbreak.

On Tuesday alone, nearly 4,000 new cases were confirmed in the country. BBC News

The patients inspired to take up parkrun by their GPs

The patients inspired to take up parkrun by their GPs In the past 18 months, some 1,500 GP surgeries have signed up to encourage patients to take part in their local parkrun. Those who never thought they could run 5km (3 miles) and now consider the event a lifeline describe how the experience has improved their health and outlook. BBC News

Support your EU staff with our new resources

Support your EU staff with our new resources We have launched a number of new resources to help NHS organisations support eligible staff with the EU Settlement Scheme.
This includes an advice sheet detailing good practice that NHS trusts have implemented to support their staff, an eligibility flow chart to help colleagues understand if they need to apply as well as a recording of our January 2020 webinar, which discussed the political context and other ideas for supporting EU citizens in the NHS workforce. NHS Employers