First glimpse of three major developments going up this year at Northampton General Hospital

First glimpse of three major developments going up this year at Northampton General Hospital Here is a first glimpse at what is going on behind the building site boards at Northampton General Hospital.

Three major developments aimed at improving patient care and visitor experience are all due to open during 2021 — including a new £15.9million critical and intensive care unit and a £2.9m children's emergency department. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

New minor injuries and illness area opens at KGH

New minor injuries and illness area opens at KGH A new area has opened at KGH for patients who have attended A&E and been found to need minor treatment.

The new minor injuries and minor illness (MIAMI) area has opened in a former outpatients' clinic area adjacent to A&E, after work on a seven-week £125,000 refurb was completed.  Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Reforming the Mental Health Act

Reforming the Mental Health Act Over the past year we have all experienced restrictions to our liberty and freedom as a result of the government’s response to Covid-19. However, as the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act highlights, the restrictions that people with mental illness face as a consequence of being detained under the MHA are often excessive and contribute to people experiencing fear and discrimination. The King's Fund

A connected recovery: findings of the APPG on Loneliness Inquiry

A connected recovery: findings of the APPG on Loneliness Inquiry This inquiry report makes the case for a ‘connected recovery’ from the Covid-19 pandemic. It explored problems and identified solutions within four crucial policy areas, including: translating national policy into local action through local authorities; community infrastructure (including housing, transport and public spaces); how to adequately fund the voluntary and community sector upon which social prescribing depends; and designing and implementing ways to test the implications of government policies on loneliness. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Loneliness

See also:

• Loneliness: 'Alone is ok, but being lonely - it hurts' BBC News

Rest, recover, restore: getting UK health services back on track

Rest, recover, restore: getting UK health services back on track This report states that the Covid-19 pandemic has left the health service running on empty, with staff burnt out, disillusioned, and even considering leaving the NHS as a result of the intense pressures and stress of the past year. It sets out a series of recommendations to UK governments to ensure that services resume safely for both staff and patients. British Medical Association

Putting people first: supporting NHS staff in the aftermath of Covid-19

Putting people first: supporting NHS staff in the aftermath of Covid-19 Caring for patients and service users during the Covid-19 pandemic has taken an enormous toll on NHS and social care staff. This report, part of the NHS Reset campaign, considers the five key factors needed for the NHS to provide the most effective environment to retain – and sustain – staff over the weeks and months ahead. NHS Confederation

NHS update to learning disability mortality review

NHS update to learning disability mortality review Autistic people will now be specifically included in an improved and expanded LeDeR programme to drive improvements in care, the NHS announced today.

The move is part of changes to the learning from life and death reviews programme (LeDeR) which aims to make improvements to the lives of people with a learning disability.

The NHS has worked with stakeholders including bereaved families, people with a learning disability and autistic people over the past 12 months to develop the new policy which will focus not only on completing reviews but on ensuring that local health and social care systems implement actions at a local level to improve and save lives. NHS England 

New UK Health Security Agency to lead response to future health threats

New UK Health Security Agency to lead response to future health threats A new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to plan for, prevent and respond to external health threats such as infectious diseases will be led by Dr Jenny Harries, the government has announced. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Policy paper: Securing our health: the UK Health Security Agency Department of Health and Social Care
• Speech: Plan, prevent and respond: reforming health security Department of Health and Social Care
• Covid: Health security body gives UK 'protective shield' BBC News
• Matt Hancock unveils new pandemic-fighting body the UK Health Security Agency The Daily Mail
• UK to set up health agency to combat future pandemics The Guardian

Covid vaccine: Side effects and why it can’t give you the virus

Covid vaccine: Side effects and why it can’t give you the virus Coronavirus vaccines help protect people from getting seriously ill if they come into contact with the disease. But how do they work? And will a vaccine make you feel unwell?

The BBC's CrowdScience presenter Marnie Chesterton explains why a Covid vaccine can't give you the virus, and why it's normal to experience some mild side effects, such as a headache or a raised temperature. BBC News

See also: 

• Middle-aged women 'worst affected by long Covid', studies find BBC News
• Covid: Intensive-care patients moved hundreds of miles BBC News
• Coronavirus: EU plans tougher controls on vaccine exports BBC News
• Four of five 'long Covid' patients still suffer debilitating symptoms five months later The Daily Mail
• What you can and can't do from March 29 as lockdown rules start easing The Daily Telegraph
• It's not 'greed' behind the Covid vaccine success. It's state finance and the NHS The Guardian
• More than 80% of people who were reluctant to accept vaccine in December change their mind The Independent
• India finds ‘double mutant’ Covid variant with ‘increased infectivity’ The Independent

Andrea Leadsom review proposes 'Start for Life' package for new UK parents

Andrea Leadsom review proposes 'Start for Life' package for new UK parents All prospective parents should be able to access a “Start for Life” package of services that brings together the support available in their local area, to prevent families falling through the cracks, the government adviser Andrea Leadsom is urging.

Leadsom, who was leader of the House of Commons in Theresa May’s government, is chairing a review of the experience of families during the crucial first 1,001 days of their babies’ lives. The Guardian

See also:

• Government publishes review to improve babies' and children's healthy development Department of Health and Social Care

NHS Scotland staff to be offered at least 4% pay rise

NHS Scotland staff to be offered at least 4% pay rise More than 154,000 NHS Scotland staff are to be offered a pay rise of at least 4% by the Scottish government. 

The move will benefit employees with contracts under the Agenda for Change system, which would also give staff at the lowest pay point a 5.4% increase. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS staff in Scotland to be offered 4% pay rise BBC News

Number of NHS patients in pain 'worse than death' has DOUBLED in a year, study claims

Number of NHS patients in pain 'worse than death' has DOUBLED in a year, study claims Twice as many NHS patients waiting for surgery are gritting their teeth through pain 'worse than death' now than before Covid, scientists say.

Edinburgh University experts found a third of patients waiting for hip replacements in September were living in agony. For comparison, the figure was fewer than a fifth before the pandemic. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The number of patients “worse than death” while waiting for a hip or knee arthroplasty has nearly doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK nationwide survey (open access) The Bone and Joint Journal