Northamptonshire review finds 'significant failings' after child had arms 'taped'

Northamptonshire review finds 'significant failings' after child had arms 'taped' A severely neglected 17-month-old child was taken into care only after a contractor reported seeing them in a cot "with their arms taped up", a report has found.

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) found "significant failings in care by professionals". BBC Northampton

See also:

• Child Au - Child Safeguarding Practice Review Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership
• Parents who tied up baby with electrical tape left her in agony for three days with a broken arm before going to Northampton General Hospital Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• ‘We are sorry’: Northamptonshire safeguarding officials admit they failed severely neglected baby Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Northamptonshire Children’s Trust chairman warns more independent reviews ‘in the pipeline’ after disturbing baby neglect case Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Northamptonshire baby had 'arms taped up' in the cot as report finds care failings Northants Live

International Health Care Outcomes Index 2022

International Health Care Outcomes Index 2022 A major new comparison of global health systems places the UK second to bottom across a series of major health care outcomes, including life expectancy and survival rates from cancer, strokes and heart attacks.

This comparative study ranks the performance of the UK health care system with that of 18 comparable countries since 2000 or the earliest year for which data is available. It covers the level of health spending, overall life expectancy, the health care outcomes of the major diseases and the outcomes for treatable mortality and childbirth. Civitas

See also:

• NHS near the bottom of world healthcare league table as UK risks becoming the sick man of the world The Daily Mail

National diabetic foot care report

National diabetic foot care report The national diabetes foot care report presents data for England on lower-limb amputations and hospital admissions for diabetes-related foot disease. Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

See also: 

• Fear over high rates of diabetes foot amputations BBC News
• Diabetes patients more likely to have feet amputated if they live in poor areas The Independent

The public’s experience of monitoring their blood pressure at home

The public’s experience of monitoring their blood pressure at home People with high blood pressure are increasingly being asked to monitor their condition at home. The NHS programme ‘Blood Pressure @Home’ (BP@Home) enables people with high blood pressure to measure and share their blood pressure readings with their GP from home. This report evaluates that programme to see how it is working for patients and how GPs use their readings, and suggests steps the NHS can take to improve support and outcomes for people who monitor their blood pressure from home. Healthwatch England

Summary of the results of PSNC’s 2022 Pharmacy Pressures Survey

Summary of the results of PSNC’s 2022 Pharmacy Pressures Survey England’s community pharmacies have played a vital role in the government’s Covid-19 pandemic response, including staying open throughout to provide critical face-to-face healthcare services and advice to patients and the public. This has brought with it significant additional pressure, which is being worsened by rising operating costs, and by a workforce crisis enveloping the sector. This briefing summarises the results of PSNC’s Pharmacy Pressures Survey, which heard directly from a wide range of pharmacy teams and businesses about the impact that the ongoing pressures are having on them and on patient care. Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee

Enablers for success: virtual wards including hospital at home

Enablers for success: virtual wards including hospital at home NHS England and NHS Improvement are asking all integrated care systems (ICSs) to extend or introduce the virtual ward model. This guidance supports ICSs with their strategic and financial decisions on virtual ward planning and implementation. Designed for ICS leadership teams, but will also be helpful for provider organisations as they plan together to implement this model. NHS England

Asthma: Women at higher risk of attacks than men, charity says

Asthma: Women at higher risk of attacks than men, charity says Women with asthma who are going through puberty, pregnancy or are menstruating, are at higher risk of severe asthma attacks, a charity report says.

The study - conducted by Asthma and Lung UK - highlights that female hormones can trigger asthma flare-ups.

It calls for more research to examine the sex-related differences in the common lung condition. BBC News

UK health agency to cut 800 jobs and halt routine Covid testing

UK health agency to cut 800 jobs and halt routine Covid testing The flagship public health body set up by Boris Johnson to combat the pandemic is in turmoil, with plans looming to cut jobs by up to 40% and suspend routine Covid testing in hospitals and care homes to save money.

Whitehall sources have told the Guardian that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), led by Dr Jenny Harries, is in a state of disarray, with morale at rock bottom and concerns it is not funded to cope with any resurgence in the pandemic. Public health experts warned that the “alarming” cuts could cost lives. The Guardian

See also:

• UK pandemic response agency launched by Matt Hancock to cut 800 jobs and halt routine Covid testing The Daily Mail

Daily UK Covid admissions drop 18% in a week and deaths fall 6% as pandemic pressure eases

Daily UK Covid admissions drop 18% in a week and deaths fall 6% as pandemic pressure eases Just 16,500 people tested positive for Covid in the past 24 hours while daily deaths and hospital admissions continued to fall.

Latest Government dashboard data — which is becoming increasingly unreliable now that free testing has been scrapped — shows there were 16,579 new cases on Tuesday. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Covid booster vaccines may not be needed every year, scientists say The Daily Mail
• 'Shielding' the vulnerable from Covid would have been worse than lockdown, study claims The Daily Mail
• UK records 16,579 more Covid-19 cases as infections plunge - but daily deaths rise to 451 Evening Standard
• Lack of Covid testing leaves researchers blind to evolution patterns, WHO warns The Guardian
• Women await ruling after challenging Government pandemic care home policy The Independent

Male contraceptive pill could enter human trials in just two months

Male contraceptive pill could enter human trials in just two months A male contraceptive pill could be tested in humans in just two months, scientists say — after it showed promise in trials on mice.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, who invented the drug, say it could enter clinical trials as early as this July. The Daily Mail