Four midwives from Northampton General Hospital trust win national awards for outstanding contributions

Four midwives from Northampton General Hospital trust win national awards for outstanding contributions Four midwives from Northampton General Hospital trust have scooped prestigious national awards for their outstanding contributions. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• KGH staff receive top awards for 'outstanding, compassionate, and sensitive care' to patients Northamptonshire Telegraph

Votes open for Northamptonshire healthcare Quality Awards where patients can vote on who wins

Votes open for Northamptonshire healthcare Quality Awards where patients can vote on who wins Voting is now open for the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) annual awards ceremony, with two categories decided by patients' votes. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

How can the green agenda help the health agenda?

How can the green agenda help the health agenda? Climate change is a global health emergency. What can we learn from how ‘green’ has gone up the agenda? And how might we apply useful lessons to getting further improvements in another complex and difficult challenge – improving the health of the UK population and reducing inequalities? The Health Foundation

Chart of the week: Which areas of England have the highest number of patients per GP?

Chart of the week: Which areas of England have the highest number of patients per GP?  With large differences in the number of GPs between different parts of England, this week Lucina Rolewicz takes a closer look at which areas of the country have the highest and lowest number of patients per GP. Nuffield Trust

The state of the world's children 2021

The state of the world's children 2021 This report finds that children and young people could feel the impact of Covid-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come. The report examines child, adolescent and caregiver mental health. It focuses on risks and protective factors at critical moments in the life course and delves into the social determinants that shape mental health and well-being. United Nations Children’s Fund

Staff psychological support response to Covid-19

Staff psychological support response to Covid-19 At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHTR) recognised that more staff would need to access psychology services. Almost 1000 staff have been able to access psychological support since adopting new pathways as part of their overall health and wellbeing offer. NHS Employers 

NHS set to deliver COVID-19 jabs in hundreds more schools as students return to class this week

NHS set to deliver COVID-19 jabs in hundreds more schools as students return to class this week Hundreds more schools will be offering the COVID-19 vaccine to 12-15-year olds this week when young people return to the classroom, as part of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme. NHS teams will visit over 800 schools in the next week to offer children aged 12 to 15 a chance to get vaccinated. NHS England 

Covid booster jabs available at walk-in sites in England

Covid booster jabs available at walk-in sites in England Booster jabs to protect against Covid are now available at walk-in sites in England as the NHS hopes to bolster uptake ahead of a "challenging" winter.

About 30 million people who had their second vaccination more than six months ago will be able to get a booster without needing to make an appointment.

The NHS online walk-in finder will let people check their nearest centre. BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19 vaccine: Jabs offered to 12-15-year-olds at 800 schools BBC News
• Some Covid booster doses brought forward BBC News
• Thousands of children will be told to mask up when they return to school The Daily Mail
• More than ONE MILLION people in England were infected with Covid in week before half-term The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus cases fall for the EIGHTH day in a row: Infections drop to 38,009 but deaths rise to 74 The Daily Mail
• Don't assume Delta is most contagious Covid variant, SAGE warns The Daily Mail
• All NHS Covid testing sites will start closing early from Monday The Daily Telegraph
• UK Covid infections are at record levels, but cases may have peaked The Guardian
• Covid R rate in England could be as high as 1.3, latest figures show The Independent
• The NHS faces another Covid crisis this winter but no one is listening The Independent

Menopause: HRT prescription costs to fall, says government

Menopause: HRT prescription costs to fall, says government A cut to the cost of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) prescriptions has been welcomed by campaigners.

HRT is used to treat the symptoms of menopause, such as such as anxiety, hot flushes and insomnia.

Labour MP Carolyn Harris was pushing for a law to make the menopause treatment free in England. BBC News

See also: 

• More support for women experiencing the menopause Department of Health and Social Care
• Davina McCall hails 'brilliant day for women' as HRT prescription cost cut BBC News
• Menopause treatment: HRT medication will be ‘cheaper and easier’ for women under new Government plans iNews

We aren’t yet into winter but pressure on the NHS is already unsustainable

We aren’t yet into winter but pressure on the NHS is already unsustainable Ambulances are queuing outside for hours and patient safety has been threatened, says this hospital consultant.

I am often surprised when I speak to non-medical friends. They are generally less interested in what is going on, but when they do ask they are surprised to hear that we are still under so much pressure.

There is a general perception that this is all under control now. The Guardian

See also:

• Medics savage 'insane' plans for A&E 'arrival lounges' to ease ambulance crisis The Daily Mail
• Use NHS 111 online service to protect busy A&Es, says health chief The Guardian
• Hospital emergency department under 'extreme pressure' urges those without life-threatening conditions to stay away Sky News

NHS facing ‘mass exodus’ of GPs in England, experts warn

NHS facing ‘mass exodus’ of GPs in England, experts warn The NHS faces a “mass exodus” of GPs, experts have warned as figures reveal nearly one in four are nearing retirement amid a growing row over staff shortages and access to family doctors.

Official data show that 23% of family doctors in England – or more than 6,000 – are 55 or over and expected to quit within the next few years. The average age at which doctors retire is now 59, and only one in 10 is under 35. The number of doctors retiring early has more than trebled since 2008. The Guardian

See also:

• General practice can’t afford to lose GPs to early retirement because of undoable workload pressure, warns College Royal College of General Practitioners
• The patients who face ONE HOUR on phone to reach their GP The Daily Mail

Life-extending drug for sufferers of asbestos lung disease will finally be available on the NHS

Life-extending drug for sufferers of asbestos lung disease will finally be available on the NHS For the first time, patients with ravaged lungs caused by breathing in asbestos will be entitled to a life-extending medicine previously denied them by the NHS.

A successful campaign against the 'inhuman restrictions' placed on the drugs – antifibrotics – mean those with pulmonary fibrosis caused by asbestos inhalation will be among more than 15,000 Britons with the disease who will now have the chance to extend their life by two years or more. The Daily Mail

Exposed: The plague of fake medical trials putting lives in danger

Exposed: The plague of fake medical trials putting lives in danger According to bombshell allegations from a group of highly respected experts, the medical world is rife with research fraud.

Their investigations suggest up to one in five of the estimated two million medical studies published each year could contain invented or plagiarised results, details of patients who never existed and trials that didn't actually take place. The Daily Mail