Northampton midwives get Royal seal of approval after winning excellence awards

Northampton midwives get Royal seal of approval after winning excellence awards NGH pair Fatima and Anne’s big night out with Princess Royal and Duchess of Cambridge.

Continuity of Care Team lead Fatima Ghaouch and Anne Richley, a former community midwifery matron now a bank midwife since retiring, met the Princess Royal and Duchess of Cambridge at the official opening of a new joint HQ of the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Decisions on exclusions

Decisions on exclusions These resources from NHS Resolution’s Practitioner Performance Advice service aim to help health care leaders make the right decisions on exclusions, to ensure patients and staff are protected from harm, and that doctors and dentists are treated fairly, in line with a just and learning culture. The materials include an exclusions flowchart to ensure compliance with good practice, a recording template for the formal exclusion of a practitioner to capture and record decision making, and an exclusion case studies learning pack containing a series of illustrative case studies.

A record year for people receiving lifesaving NHS cancer checks

A record year for people receiving lifesaving NHS cancer checks Almost three million people were referred for cancer checks over the last 12 months – the highest year on record – up by over a tenth on the 2.4 million people referred before the pandemic. NHS England

See also:

• Babies to get new test for eye cancer in the womb to save their sight NHS England

Increase in hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children under investigation

Increase in hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children under investigation The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), working with Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales and the Public Health Agency, are continuing to investigate the cases of sudden onset hepatitis in children aged 10 and under that have been identified since January 2022. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Hepatitis in young children: more cases confirmed BBC News
• Child hepatitis cases falsely linked to Covid vaccine BBC News
• Health chiefs won't know what's behind mysterious spate of hepatitis for months, experts warn The Daily Mail
• UK hepatitis outbreak: How worried should we be about mystery virus giving kids liver condition? The Daily Mail
• Three children die from hepatitis in Indonesia bringing global death toll to four amid outbreak The Daily Mail
• Hepatitis: Dozens more cases confirmed in young UK children The Independent
• First child hepatitis death suspected in US as mystery epidemic spreads in 12 countries The Independent
• ‘Acute’ hepatitis confirmed in 10-month-old baby in Singapore amid worldwide outbreak of disease The Independent
• Child hepatitis cases rise in UK amid worldwide outbreak Reuters

Research: Consensus statements and medium-term projections on COVID-19

Research: Consensus statements and medium-term projections on COVID-19 Consensus statements and medium-term projections from the UK Health Security Agency's Epidemiology Modelling Review Group (EMRG).

Covid levels falling in all age groups in most of UK, says ONS

Covid levels falling in all age groups in most of UK, says ONS There has been a record drop in the number of Covid infections in the UK, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

Around 2.87 million people would have tested positive in the week to 23 April - 900,000 fewer than the week before.

Covid levels are declining in England, Scotland and Wales but are unchanged in Northern Ireland. BBC News

See also:

• Moderna will be ready to roll out Omicron-specific booster this fall, chief medical officer says The Daily Mail
• Covid wave crashes: Official daily cases plunge to lowest level since last June The Daily Mail
• Australian researchers uncover clue to rare and severe response to Covid in children The Guardian
• Michelle Mone’s home raided as PPE firm linked to Tory peer investigated The Guardian
• Labour says government refusal to publish PPE firm’s contracts ‘reeks of cover-up’ The Guardian
• Can the NHS live with Covid? The Independent
• Bill Gates warns risk of new Covid variants could mean ‘we haven’t seen worst’ of pandemic The Independent
• Asymptomatic Covid was discussed by Sage advisers despite Boris Johnson denying Government knew about it iNews
• Storing COVID-related PPE costing taxpayer estimated £3.3m a week, government says Sky News

'The Down Syndrome Act means so much to me'

'The Down Syndrome Act means so much to me' Lucienne, Charlotte and Sarah, from Sutton in south London, have all been part of the National Down Syndrome Policy Group which has been working to bring about change for people with the condition.

After lobbying the government, listening to issues from people with Down's syndrome and gaining the support of MPs, the Down Syndrome Act has been given Royal Assent.

The Act will give people with Down's syndrome better rights with housing, education, social care and healthcare. BBC News

More than 72,000 assaults on NHS staff took place over four years - but very few were reported to police

More than 72,000 assaults on NHS staff took place over four years - but very few were reported to police More than 72,000 assaults were carried out on hospital staff in the past four years but only a small percentage were reported to police, Sky News can reveal.

The number of attacks is probably much higher - perhaps double - as only half the NHS hospital trusts in England and Wales responded to Sky's questionnaire.

Mental health support struggling to cope with needs of pregnant mothers and new parents

Mental health support struggling to cope with needs of pregnant mothers and new parents Pregnant mothers and new parents are struggling to access mental health support when they need it most, according to new research.

The survey by the perinatal mental health charity PANDAS Foundation found that more than one in four felt their concerns were not taken seriously by the NHS, with two in five saying they had to wait too long to receive help. Sky News

30,000 cancer patients waiting for treatment in England

30,000 cancer patients waiting for treatment in England Tens of thousands of patients are still waiting to start cancer treatment in England due to disruption during the pandemic, according to NHS figures, as medical charities called on the government to tackle chronic staff shortages in the health service.

Following a dramatic slump in cancer referrals in 2020, the number of people being investigated for the disease bounced back in the past year, data from NHS England and NHS Improvement show, rising from 2.4 million to a record 2.66 million. The Guardian

Overseas nurses barred from profession due to ‘discriminatory’ language exam

Overseas nurses barred from profession due to ‘discriminatory’ language exam Thousands of qualified nurses recruited by the NHS from overseas are stuck working in unskilled jobs because of unnecessarily difficult language tests, according to researchers.

Nurses ​with British citizenship who have lived in the UK for ​years are among those in “regulatory limbo” because they ​cannot pass the language exams needed to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council​. The Guardian

UTI at-home testing kits could save 10 million GP appointments each year

UTI at-home testing kits could save 10 million GP appointments each year At-home test kits which diagnose urinary tract infections "within minutes" are being trialled on the NHS and could save 10 million GP appointments every year.

The kits allow patients to self-test using a dipstick, scan the result onto their smartphone, and be diagnosed via an app. The Daily Telegraph

4 million people in England left without an NHS dentist after 2,000 quit in just a year

4 million people in England left without an NHS dentist after 2,000 quit in just a year Millions of people have been left without access to dental care after 2,000 dentists quit the NHS in England last year, a report has warned. 

The number of NHS dentists fell from 23,733 at the end of 2020 to 21,544 at the end of January this year, according to the Association of Dental Groups (ADG). The Daily Mail

See also: 

• ‘Dental deserts’ form in England as dentists quit NHS, experts warn The Guardian
• ‘My teeth still hurt’: patients unable to get on to NHS dentists’ lists The Guardian