Monday, 23 May 2022

Staff injured and Corby Lakeside doctor's surgery evacuated after attacker targets receptionists

Staff injured and Corby Lakeside doctor's surgery evacuated after attacker targets receptionists A patient at Corby’s largest doctor’s surgery attacked staff members and smashed up equipment during a shocking incident on Thursday, (May 20th).

Staff at Lakeside Healthcare have been left ‘upset and shocked’ after two of them were hurt by the man and a third, in her first week at the Cottingham Road surgery, was left shaken. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Ex-Northampton police officer waited two years for dementia diagnosis – now he’s urging others to seek help sooner

Ex-Northampton police officer waited two years for dementia diagnosis – now he’s urging others to seek help sooner A former Northampton police officer diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after nearly two years of uncertainty and being told his symptoms were depression and anxiety says his diagnosis is a ‘breath of fresh air’. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

How can social prescribing better support migrant women's health and wellbeing?

How can social prescribing better support migrant women's health and wellbeing? The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated ethnic health inequalities in the UK, with data showing that different minority ethnic groups were two to four times more likely to die from Covid-19 than their white counterparts. What is less well understood is the impact of the pandemic on already existing health inequalities for minority ethnic migrant women in particular. The reasons for migrant women’s health inequalities and experiences of health care are complex and are often not captured in the data. The King's Fund

Inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care

Inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care Systemic racism in maternity care is an urgent human rights issue. For too long, evidence and narratives about why racial inequities in maternal outcomes persist have focussed on Black and Brown bodies being the problem – ‘defective’, ‘other’, a risk to be managed.

Birthrights’ year-long inquiry into racial injustice has heard testimony from women, birthing people, healthcare professionals and lawyers outlining how systemic racism within maternity care – from individual interactions and workforce culture through to curriculums and policies – can have a deep and devastating impact on basic rights in childbirth. 

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Understanding the distinct challenges for nurses in care homes: learning from Covid-19 to support resilience and mental wellbeing

Understanding the distinct challenges for nurses in care homes: learning from Covid-19 to support resilience and mental wellbeing This THRIVE research aims to understand Nursing and Midwifery Council registered nurses’ experiences of working in care homes for older people during the Covid-19 pandemic, how this impacted on resilience, mental health and wellbeing, and to collaboratively develop theory-informed approaches for ongoing and future support. The report makes six recommendations to support care home nurses to recover from the pandemic and plan for future major events. University of East Anglia

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman scrutiny 2020–21

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman scrutiny 2020–21 This report looks at the performance of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) from 2020 to 2021. It notes the “substantial backlog” of cases which has developed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It welcomes progress in several areas, including the PHSO’s commitment to engaging more with its staff and ensuring diversity in the workforce, contributing to discussions in the international Ombudsman community, and developing a complaints standard for the NHS and Government bodies. House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

    UK Covid Alert Level

    UK Covid Alert Level Based on advice from UKHSA, we the UK Chief Medical Officers and NHS England Medical Director have recommended to ministers that COVID Alert Level should move from level 4 to level 3. Department of Health and Social Care

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    Covid infections down again to 1 in 50 says ONS

    Covid infections down again to 1 in 50 says ONS Covid infections have fallen again to one in 50 people in the UK, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

    That means around 1.27 million people had coronavirus in the week to 13 May - down 14% from the week before.

    Infections have been coming down steeply since the end of March, after the Omicron variant pushed up cases. BBC News

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    Monkeypox contacts advised to isolate for 21 days

    Monkeypox contacts advised to isolate for 21 days Anyone at the highest risk of having caught monkeypox should isolate for 21 days, official guidance says.

    The advice, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), applies to anyone who has had direct or household contact with a confirmed case.

    Contacts are advised to provide their details for contact tracing, forgo travel, and avoid contact with immunosuppressed people, pregnant women, and children under 12. BBC News

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    Child hepatitis cases up to almost 200, say public health officials

    Child hepatitis cases up to almost 200, say public health officials Almost 200 cases of sudden onset hepatitis in children have now been identified in the UK, up by 34 since the beginning of the month.

    As of 16 May, 197 cases have been identified, with 11 needing a liver transplant, according to an update by the UK Health Security Agency on Friday. The Independent

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    Health worker arrested on suspicion of poisoning infant who died at hospital

    Health worker arrested on suspicion of poisoning infant who died at hospital A health worker has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning an infant who died at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

    The 27-year-old suspect has been suspended by the trust.

    West Midlands Police said it arrested the woman in connection with the death of an infant. The Independent

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    Hospitals set up food banks and hardship loans for staff struggling with cost of living crisis

    Hospitals set up food banks and hardship loans for staff struggling with cost of living crisis Hospitals across the country have set up food banks and are offering emergency “hardship” loans as health leaders warn staff are “struggling to feed their families”.

    Six NHS trusts have set up food banks or launched food voucher schemes for workers as part of efforts to help staff cope with the rising cost of living, while others have confirmed they are considering the move. The Independent

    Legal smoking age in England could be raised to 21 – report

    Legal smoking age in England could be raised to 21 – report The legal smoking age in England could reportedly be raised from 18 to 21 after a “radical” review into plans to make the country smoke-free by 2030.

    An independent review commissioned by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, and led by Javed Khan, the former chief executive of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, is also expected to support new taxes on tobacco company profits, according to the Telegraph. The Guardian

    Record 420,000 children a month in England treated for mental health problems

    Record 420,000 children a month in England treated for mental health problems More than 400,000 children and young people a month are being treated for mental health problems – the highest number on record – prompting warnings of an unprecedented crisis in the wellbeing of under-18s.

    Experts say Covid has seriously exacerbated problems such as anxiety, depression and self-harm among school-age children and that the “relentless and unsustainable” ongoing rise in their need for help could overwhelm already stretched NHS services. The Guardian

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    Revealed: one in five patients leave some A&E departments in England without treatment

    Revealed: one in five patients leave some A&E departments in England without treatment Long waiting times and difficulty in accessing other NHS facilities drive a trebling in those leaving without completing care

    More than one in five patients at some hospitals are leaving accident and emergency departments before completing treatment, and in some cases before being seen for assessment at all, with the rate across England trebling since before the pandemic. The Guardian

    NHS patients to receive £120 private health app to get them fit for surgery

    NHS patients to receive £120 private health app to get them fit for surgery A health app is promising to shorten hospital stays and speed up recovery from major surgery by helping patients get fitter before they go under the knife.

    Private healthcare firm Sapien Health will soon begin working with dozens of NHS Trusts to provide personalised diet plans and exercise programmes on patients’ smartphones in the run-up to operations and during the recovery phase afterwards. The Daily Mail