New chief executive for Lakeside Healthcare

New chief executive for Lakeside Healthcare A group which runs GP surgeries across the region including Corby’s super-practice has appointed a new chief executive.

Lakeside Healthcare has announced Jessica Bawden will take up the post in September, overseeing a partnership of eight GP practices across Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northamptonshire identified as ‘dental desert’ as fewer than 40 percent of adults seen by dentist in last two years

Northamptonshire identified as ‘dental desert’ as fewer than 40 percent of adults seen by dentist in last two years A new report has identified Northamptonshire as a “dental desert” as figures revealed fewer than 40 percent of adults have been seen by a dentist in the last two years. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Adding value: a strategic vision for volunteering in NHS trusts

Adding value: a strategic vision for volunteering in NHS trusts This report explores the current picture of volunteering in NHS trusts, its purpose, how it has developed and opportunities for adopting a strategic approach in the future. The King's Fund

More than 65,000 people are left waiting to find out if it’s cancer each month

More than 65,000 people are left waiting to find out if it’s cancer each month New calculations from Cancer Research UK estimate that, on average, over 65,000 people in England are left waiting longer than 28 days to find out whether they have cancer each month.

These estimates are based on the latest data from the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS). The FDS is a performance standard introduced by Government in 2021. It’s used to better capture how long people on certain cancer-related referrals wait for a diagnosis.

See also:

• Agony for patients as more than 65,000 a month are left waiting on cancer verdict, data shows The Daily Mail

Making wound care work: rebuilding services for the 3.8 million people living with a wound in the UK

Making wound care work: rebuilding services for the 3.8 million people living with a wound in the UK This report, published jointly with the company Mölnlycke, found that around 28 per cent of patients are managing their own wounds due to the pandemic. The report (based on a survey and interview with patients, and a survey of wound care nurses) also found that the majority (88 per cent) of nurses fear that Covid-19 has had a negative impact on wound care services and eight out of ten are worried about the delays it has caused to appointments, and the knock-on effect of delays to patient outcomes. Patients Association

The potential legacy of the pandemic on mortality

The potential legacy of the pandemic on mortality The impact of Covid-19 on mortality can be broadly split into three categories: direct impacts; indirect impacts; and wider social and economic impacts. Indirect impacts represent excess deaths due to stresses on the health system or changes in the health-seeking behaviour of individuals. These are the focus of this bulletin. At this stage of the pandemic, the mortality impacts are shifting from direct to indirect. Analysing emerging data can help to identify the magnitude of these impacts and the extent to which they are asymmetric across the population. If care pathways do not rapidly return to pre-pandemic levels, then the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the standard of healthcare, morbidity and mortality across the UK for years to come. Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group

Covid: Fourth-dose jab trial shows good boost

Covid: Fourth-dose jab trial shows good boost Fourth-dose Covid booster vaccines increase protection against Covid-19, particularly in people aged over 70, according to a UK trial.

But scientists say any short-term protection against infection is likely to fall away quickly.

The UK rolled out fourth doses to over-75s and the most vulnerable in April. BBC News

See also:

• Safety, immunogenicity, and reactogenicity of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccines given as fourth-dose boosters following two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or BNT162b2 and a third dose of BNT162b2 (COV-BOOST): a multicentre, blinded, phase 2, randomised trial (open access) The Lancet Infectious Diseases
• Health chiefs will only update Britain-wide figures twice a week after pressure to scrap updates The Daily Mail
• White House projects 100 MILLION COVID-19 infections during fall and winter 2022 The Daily Mail
• Michelle Mone faces police interview over links to £200m covid PPE deal Daily Record
• Keir Starmer pledges to resign as Labour leader if fined for Covid breach The Guardian
• Fourth Covid jab can give higher immunity than initial booster, study finds The Guardian
• Alarm after EHRC says long Covid should not be treated as disability The Guardian
• People Who've Never Had Covid May Hold The Genetic Key To A Cure Huffington Post UK
• Covid cases are down but how will we live with the virus long term? The Independent
• Long Covid affecting day-to-day activities of 1.2m people, official figures show People Management
• 'Paused' GP vaccination sites must 'reactivate' within 5-10 days if needed Pulse

New prostate cancer treatment using ultrasound rolling out across UK

New prostate cancer treatment using ultrasound rolling out across UK A revolutionary new prostate treatment is being rolled out across the UK, with nine hospitals set to offer a non-invasive option to stop thousands of men being left with gruelling side effects from surgery. The Independent

Hundreds of mentally ill prisoners denied urgent treatment in England

Hundreds of mentally ill prisoners denied urgent treatment in England Hundreds of severely mentally ill prisoners in urgent need of hospital treatment are being left in prison cells due to bed shortages in secure NHS psychiatric units, an investigation has discovered.

Freedom of information (FoI) responses from 22 NHS trusts reveal for the first time that just over half of the 5,403 prisoners in England assessed by prison-based psychiatrists to require hospitalisation were not transferred between 2016 and 2021 – an 81% increase on the number of prisoners denied a transfer in the previous five years. The Guardian

See also:

• Locking Up the Sick (podcast) BBC Radio 4
• Mental illness: 'Saddest case' of woman sent to prison not hospital BBC News

Shortages of blood pressure pills and painkillers loom for NHS as drug producers face supply chain crisis

Shortages of blood pressure pills and painkillers loom for NHS as drug producers face supply chain crisis The NHS is facing shortages of drugs relied on by hundreds of thousands of patients, from anti-depressants to blood pressure tablets, amid a supply chain crisis, a leading industry body has warned. iNews

See also:

• NHS faces shortage of painkillers, steroids and anti-depressants as drug supply problems worsen The Daily Mail

What's behind the sudden shortage of hay fever pills?

What's behind the sudden shortage of hay fever pills? Hay fever season is well under way and millions are expecting to avoid streaming noses and itchy eyes with their usual antihistamine pills.

Except some are unobtainable. Search for Piriton Allergy Tablets for adults on the Boots website and you’ll see the message: ‘We’re sorry, this product has sold out and we won’t be receiving any further stock.’

It’s a similar message on the Lloyds Pharmacy and Co-op Pharmacy websites. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Hay-fever pill shortage hits High Street chemists BBC News

New vaccine is now being trialled in Britons with prostate, lung and ovarian cancers

New vaccine is now being trialled in Britons with prostate, lung and ovarian cancers A vaccine that could ‘dramatically’ improve the treatment of multiple types of cancer is being given to patients for the first time.

The potentially game-changing jab is being trialled in Britons with prostate, lung and ovarian cancers. 

Together these claim 51,000 lives a year in the UK — almost a third of all cancer deaths. The Daily Mail