'Amazing' Northampton General Hospital teams get routine breast screenings back on target after Covid backlog

'Amazing' Northampton General Hospital teams get routine breast screenings back on target after Covid backlog Breast screening teams at Northampton General Hospital have been given a pat on the back for wiping out appointment backlogs created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton hospital patient breaks nurse’s skull and jaw in ‘unprovoked’ attack

Northampton hospital patient breaks nurse’s skull and jaw in ‘unprovoked’ attack A Northampton man has been detained under the Mental Health Act after punching a nurse unconscious, leaving him with a fractured skull and jaw. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northamptonshire leading the discussion on acquired brain injuries

Northamptonshire leading the discussion on acquired brain injuries A landmark conference raising awareness of acquired brain injuries was held in Kettering with medical experts, people living with a brain injury, support organisations and sports professionals. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Myths and misinformation: mapping the barriers to smoking cessation and the uptake of nicotine alternatives

Myths and misinformation: mapping the barriers to smoking cessation and the uptake of nicotine alternatives This report uncovers a huge level of misunderstanding around the harms posed by tobacco, with 93 per cent of Brits overestimating the health risk of nicotine, one of the main chemicals in tobacco. The over 60s and those from the lowest socioeconomic groups (C2DE) are the most likely to be misinformed, illustrating the scale of the task at hand for the government. Demos

Drug misuse prevention review

Drug misuse prevention review The ACMD was commissioned in December 2021 to provide advice on preventing drug use among vulnerable groups of people, and how those groups can be prevented both from first using and from developing dependence on drugs. This report explores the factors that contribute to vulnerability, then examines general principles and specific approaches to prevention that are supported by the available evidence. It also considers the need for the delivery of interventions to be embedded properly in the wider system and context if their potential is to be achieved. Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Recruiting young people from care into NHS careers

Recruiting young people from care into NHS careers The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) looked after children pre-employment programme supports young people with a background in care and unaccompanied asylum seeker children, providing opportunities in NHS roles such as health care support, administration and ancillary. It was developed in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Next Step and The Prince’s Trust. NHS Employers

Government urged to pay low paid NHS staff more or risk deepening NHS vacancy crisis

Government urged to pay low paid NHS staff more or risk deepening NHS vacancy crisis NHS leaders are urging the Government to give health service staff on the lowest full time pay a higher pay rise than last year to help them mitigate against the worst effects of rising living costs and to avert a deepening of the NHS workforce crisis. NHS Confederation

Monkeypox: UK cases rise to 71, with vaccines for high-risk contacts

Monkeypox: UK cases rise to 71, with vaccines for high-risk contacts The monkeypox virus has been found in 14 more people in England, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 71, health officials say.

They are tracing high-risk close contacts of the cases to advise them to isolate at home for 21 days.

A smallpox vaccine is being offered to prevent them developing symptoms.

Anyone with unusual rashes or lesions on any part of the body should contact NHS 111 or their local sexual health service. BBC News

See also:

• Got a new rash? Monkeypox or something else? BBC News
• Monkeypox: Cases detected in three more countries for first time BBC News
• Monkeypox outbreak may have been sparked by sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain, WHO expert warns The Daily Mail
• Monkeypox virus may have evolved to be more transmissible The Daily Telegraph
• Monkeypox outbreak was waiting to happen, say scientists The Guardian
• Monkeypox cases are rare in children and parents should not worry, experts say The Independent
• Monkeypox: Scientists find potential antiviral treatment The Independent
• UK monkeypox cases: Where have infections been reported? The Independent
• Explainer: Why monkeypox cases are spreading in Europe, US Reuters

NHS intensive care staff suffered same levels of PTSD during Covid as Afghanistan combat veterans

NHS intensive care staff suffered same levels of PTSD during Covid as Afghanistan combat veterans NHS intensive care staff suffered the same levels of PTSD during the pandemic as British military veterans deployed in Afghanistan in a combat role, a study has found.

Researchers now say those affected should receive fast-track access to mental health treatment. iNews

See also:

• The mental health of staff working on intensive care units over the COVID-19 winter surge of 2020 in England: a cross sectional survey (open access) British Journal of Anaesthesia
• No 10 braced for Sue Gray's report into lockdown parties BBC News
• Partygate: Insiders tell of packed No 10 lockdown parties BBC News
• CDC issues warning that people treated with Paxlovid for Covid may have symptoms rebound The Daily Mail
• Are UK coronavirus cases actually going down or are they just harder to count? The Guardian
• While Boris Johnson partied, I helped a child put on PPE to see his dying dad The Guardian
• No 10 officials say party attended by Johnson so cramped people sat on each other’s laps The Guardian
• Sue Gray report to contain photos of Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Simon Case, source says ITV News
• What were the Covid rules when Boris Johnson was drinking at Downing Street party during lockdown? ITV News
• The damning testimony NHS staff have submitted to the Covid inquiry ITV News

New sight loss drug made available to thousands on the NHS

New sight loss drug made available to thousands on the NHS A new sight loss drug is to be made available to thousands of people on the NHS a week after it was approved by the medicines regulator.

Faricimab (Vabysmo) is an eye injection made by Roche which works to improve vision – or cut vision loss – in people with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) or diabetic macular oedema (DMO). The Independent

See also: 

• Thousands of people in England could benefit after NICE recommends treatment option for two forms of sight loss NICE

Women in England with breast cancer may qualify for drug that buys ‘precious’ time

Women in England with breast cancer may qualify for drug that buys ‘precious’ time Women with advanced breast cancer in England will be able to benefit from a new type of immunotherapy on the NHS after a U-turn by the medicines watchdog.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has overturned its draft rejection of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and said women in England can take the drug in combination with chemotherapy. The Guardian

See also:

• New hope for women with advanced breast cancer as immunotherapy drug approved for NHS The Independent