Covid pandemic not over warns Northamptonshire health experts

Covid pandemic not over warns Northamptonshire health experts Health experts have warned the Covid-19 pandemic "isn't over", as a county saw cases rise by 20% in a week and an increase in people going to hospital.

In the week to 22 June, Northamptonshire has 886 cases, up from 736 in the previous week.

The county's two councils said two new subvariants of Omicron appeared to be more infectious than other variants. BBC Northampton

Kettering General Hospital medics honoured at professional excellence awards

Kettering General Hospital medics honoured at professional excellence awards The professional excellence of medical students, junior doctors and consultants at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) has been celebrated with an annual award. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Shared decision making from the perspective of clinicians and healthcare professionals

Shared decision making from the perspective of clinicians and healthcare professionals This report finds healthcare professionals are positive about shared decision making — a way of working with patients to decide treatment options. But the report also finds professionals’ ability to practice shared decision making regularly is limited by the current crisis in the NHS. The report makes a number of recommendations and the Patients Association will now look to partner with NHS England, the Personalised Care Institute and other organisations to support professionals' call for more support to practice shared decision making. Patients Association

Building a supportive and empowering first 1,000 days of life

Building a supportive and empowering first 1,000 days of life An innovative community and inpatient mental health partnership in Birmingham works with partners to support long-term emotional and physical wellbeing and resilience among children in the first 1,000 days of life. NHS Confederation

Better mental health support for people in crisis

Better mental health support for people in crisis Patients to benefit from new mental health ambulances and improvements to crisis care backed by £150 million as draft Mental Health Bill moves to next stage. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Policy paper: Draft Mental Health Bill 2022 Department of Health and Social Care
• Reforms to the Mental Health Act welcome, but need scrutiny Mind
• Draft Mental Health Bill important step towards badly needed reform NHS Confederation
• Mental health announcements welcome, but more is needed NHS Providers
• Mental Health Act one step closer to reform Rethink Mental Illness
• Guide to the draft Mental Health Bill Community Care
• Sajid Javid announces 'once in a lifetime reform' to protect autistic people The Daily Mail

Sewage in water - a growing public health problem

Sewage in water - a growing public health problem A joint opinion piece from Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, Jonson Cox, Ofwat chair and Emma Howard Boyd, Environment Agency chair. Department of Health and Social Care

Covid-booster response hope for most vulnerable

Covid-booster response hope for most vulnerable More than a million vulnerable people could improve their protection against Covid by taking a short break from medication after a booster jab, a trial suggests.

It found stopping the common immune-suppressing drug methotrexate for two weeks doubled spike antibody levels for up to 12 weeks.

Some people experienced disease flare-ups but no impact on quality of life. BBC News

See also:

• Effect of a 2-week interruption in methotrexate treatment versus continued treatment on COVID-19 booster vaccine immunity in adults with inflammatory conditions (VROOM study): a randomised, open label, superiority trial (open access) The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
• No10 confirms it's watching emergence of two Omicron sub-variants responsible for UK Covid comeback The Daily Mail
• Possible link between blood clots and Covid symptoms investigated The Guardian

Warnings of mental health crisis among ‘Covid generation’ of students

Warnings of mental health crisis among ‘Covid generation’ of students The pandemic has had a lasting legacy on the mental health of the “Covid generation” of students, exacerbating rates of anxiety, depression and self-harm and resulting in a “significant rise” in young people struggling at university, experts have said. The Guardian

UK doctors demand pay rise of up to 30% over five years

UK doctors demand pay rise of up to 30% over five years Doctors have thrown down the gauntlet to the government by calling for a pay rise of up to 30% over the next five years, in a move that increases the chances of strike action.

Delegates at the British Medical Association’s (BMA) annual conference voted to press ministers to agree to the increase to make up for real-terms cuts to their salaries over the last 14 years. The Guardian

See also:

• Doctors warn of industrial action amid pay squeeze BBC News
• Doctors want a 30 PER CENT pay rise amid threat of NHS strikes The Daily Mail
• BMA to demand significant pay rises to combat 15 years of real-term cuts GPonline
• Doctors mull strike action over ‘30% real-terms pay cut since 2008’ The Independent
• NHS strike is likely to be the only way staff can restore 'millions' in lost pay, doctors warn iNews

London NHS hospital trusts in row over £190m rebuilding scheme

London NHS hospital trusts in row over £190m rebuilding scheme An extraordinary row has broken out between two NHS hospital trusts, with one accusing the other of endangering the safety of seriously ill patients through a £190m development scheme.

University College London hospital (UCLH) claims Great Ormond Street (GOSH) children’s hospital’s rebuilding of its ageing site will lead to patients being denied time-critical care because they will become stuck in ambulances trapped in construction site traffic. The Guardian

NHS medical students are now training on HOLOGRAMS to practice treating anaphylaxis and pneumonia

NHS medical students are now training on HOLOGRAMS to practice treating anaphylaxis and pneumonia Patient holograms are to be used to train British medical students in a world-first.

Medics at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge will wear virtual reality headsets and treat life-like 3D patients as part of their training.

The pioneering technology will be used to teach a range of modules, starting with respiratory and emergency medicine. The Daily Mail