Wednesday 12 May 2021

East Midlands Ambulance Service extends non-emergency transport contract in Northamptonshire until 2025

East Midlands Ambulance Service extends non-emergency transport contract in Northamptonshire until 2025 A contract for non-emergency patient transport services (PTS) has been extended in Northamptonshire until 2025.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has been providing patient transport to residents registered to a GP who need help getting to and from appointments since late 2019 after Thames Ambulance Group walked out of its contract early. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

The Health and Care Bill: what can the government learn from 2011?

The Health and Care Bill: what can the government learn from 2011? It barely seems it, but a decade ago the health and care system (or the bit of it that gets really excited by parliamentary processes) was in the middle of ‘the pause’ in April and May 2011. Fast forward to present day, and another Health and Social Care Bill has been confirmed in this week’s Queen’s Speech and is expected to be introduced early in the new Parliamentary session. Has the government learnt the lessons of the last big legislative upheaval in the NHS? The King's Fund

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Mental health: should we be worried?

Mental health: should we be worried? This report provides an overview of the public’s mental health and how it is affecting people’s lives.

It includes analysis by NatCen from the Understanding Society longitudinal study showing the impacts of the Covid–19 pandemic on the public’s financial and mental health.

The future role of remote consultations & patient ‘triage’

The future role of remote consultations & patient ‘triage’ A key challenge for UK governments and health systems will be to build upon the potential benefits that have emerged from technology advances and new ways of working during the Covid-19 pandemic, while ensuring that relational care and health inequalities do not suffer in the longer-term. This will only be possible with further evaluation, action and government investment. This report sets out the challenges which need to be addressed to ensure GPs and practice teams can continue to provide high-quality patient care as we look towards a ‘new normal’. Royal College of General Practitioners

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    Guidance: Sexual health: variation in outcomes and inequalities

    Guidance: Sexual health: variation in outcomes and inequalities A toolkit to guide sexual health commissioners, public health teams and sexual health service providers to explore inequalities at a local level in England. Public Health England

    New 'We Offer Testing to our Staff' scheme launched

    New 'We Offer Testing to our Staff' scheme launched A new scheme for businesses offering workplace testing for staff through NHS Test and Trace has been launched across the UK. It will show customers, employees and the wider public the businesses that are going the extra mile to keep their staff and the public safe. Department of Health and Social Care

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    Covid: Will UK vaccine success keep virus at bay?

    Covid: Will UK vaccine success keep virus at bay? Next week will see the most significant lifting of restrictions yet in England, with indoor mixing to be allowed. The rest of the UK is making similar steps.

    It means the onus is increasingly shifting on to the vaccines, rather than social distancing and restrictions, to keep the virus at bay. How well do they work? And is there now enough immunity in the population to protect us all? BBC News

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    Shropshire baby deaths: Review appeals for staff to come forward

    Shropshire baby deaths: Review appeals for staff to come forward A review into maternity services where hundreds of mothers and babies may have been harmed is seeking staff testimony.

    The review of services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTh), led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, published an interim report last year. BBC News

    What is conversion therapy and will it be banned?

    What is conversion therapy and will it be banned? So-called conversion therapy will be banned in England and Wales after a public consultation, it's been announced in the Queen's Speech.

    The government said these "abhorrent practices" can cause mental and physical harm. BBC News

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    NHS in England and Wales treated fewest ever violence-related injuries in 2020

    NHS in England and Wales treated fewest ever violence-related injuries in 2020 Lockdown led to the smallest number of people on record being treated by the NHS for injuries caused by violence away from the home, a study shows.

    The closure of pubs, clubs and other venues that sell alcohol as part of the bans on social mixing was a key reason for the sharp decline in serious violence, the researchers say. The Guardian

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    Sleeping pills do not work in long term, scientists find

    Sleeping pills do not work in long term, scientists find Sleeping pills prescribed to millions of people every year do not work in the long term, a study has found.

    Scientists found no difference in sleep quality or duration between those who took the medication for one to two years. The Daily Telegraph

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    Postnatal depression was TWICE as common among mothers caring for new babies during lockdown

    Postnatal depression was TWICE as common among mothers caring for new babies during lockdown University College London researchers surveyed 162 London-based women with babies less than six months old between May and June. They found 47 per cent suffered from post-natal depression. The Daily Mail

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