KGH on black alert as pressure forces them to open more beds

KGH on black alert as pressure forces them to open more beds Kettering General Hospital was forced to find more beds yesterday after a significant rise in A&E patients left them on black alert.

The trust declared an internal incident and was at escalation level Opel 4 – the highest level of operational pressure – where the strain leaves organisations unable to deliver comprehensive care. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Knife-crime campaigners gift more bleed cabinets to Northampton, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough

Knife-crime campaigners gift more bleed cabinets to Northampton, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough More bleed control cabinets containing lifesaving equipment are coming to Northampton, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough thanks to a group set up to tackle knife crime in Northamptonshire.

The 17 new cabinets contain medical items to stop catastrophic bleeding and keep someone alive until emergency services arrive. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS leaders facing real-terms cut in funding and ‘impossible choices’ over which areas of patient care to cut back

NHS leaders facing real-terms cut in funding and ‘impossible choices’ over which areas of patient care to cut back The health service is facing a real-terms cut in funding of between £4 billion and £9.4 billion this year, new NHS Confederation analysis has found.

NHS leaders face impossible choices over whether to cut patient care or reduce investment in much needed diagnostic capacity and new technology after a series of unexpected cost pressures, including a new pay award for staff, left the NHS facing its first real terms cut in funding.

See also:

• NHS services may have to be cut to fund pay award BBC News
• Average GP practice faces £40,000 loss after unfunded pay award GPonline
• NHSE: ICSs must cut agency spend by 10pc or more (log in required) Health Service Journal
• Bosses face 'impossible choices' over cost pressures, says NHS Confederation The Independent
• Cancer backlog ‘vulnerable’ to pay deal cuts at ‘worst possible time’ The Independent

Ill-equipped prisons and lack of health care access leave pregnant prisoners and their children at significant risk

Ill-equipped prisons and lack of health care access leave pregnant prisoners and their children at significant risk A lack of appropriate maternity facilities and staffing is putting women in prison at significant risk of pre-term labour, missed midwifery appointments, and without appropriate support for mothers and young children dealing with the severe impact of separation. Nuffield Trust

See also:

• Inequality on the inside: Using hospital data to understand the key health care issues for women in prison Nuffield Trust

Coping with Covid in Prison: the impact of prisoner lockdown

Coping with Covid in Prison: the impact of prisoner lockdown 1 in 3 prisoners show symptoms of “severe anxiety disorder” indicating high levels of post-traumatic stress

‘Coping with Covid in Prisons’ research has found Covid-response measures led to periods of prolonged solitary confinement across the prison population, resulting in dramatically increased levels of anxiety and depression.

The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, was a partnership between the ex-offender led charity User Voice and social scientists at the Queen’s University Belfast. User Voice

See also:

• UK prisoners ‘traumatised’ by Covid solitary confinement, study says The Guardian

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates UKHSA procures more than 100,000 additional vaccine doses and updates close contact guidance as monkeypox cases rise to 2,137

UKHSA has published the latest epidemiological overview for the ongoing monkeypox outbreak.

It shows that as of 18 July 2022, there were 2,137 confirmed cases in the UK. Of these, 2,050 are in England. UK Health Security Agency

See also: 

• Guidance: Monkeypox: people who are isolating at home UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: Principles for monkeypox control in the UK: 4 nations consensus statement UK Health Security Agency

Better Care Fund policy framework: 2022 to 2023

Better Care Fund policy framework: 2022 to 2023 This document sets out the agreed way in which the Better Care Fund (BCF) will be implemented in the financial year 2022 to 2023. 

BCF plans are jointly developed by health and social care partners in every area in England and support integrated, person-centred care in communities.

The policy framework is intended for use by those responsible for delivering the Better Care Fund at a local level (such as integrated care boards, local authorities, health and wellbeing boards) and NHS England. Department of Health and Social Care

Parents urged to help their kids get active over the summer holidays with the 10 Minute Shake Up

Parents urged to help their kids get active over the summer holidays with the 10 Minute Shake Up Parents of primary school children across England are being encouraged to get their kids active over the summer holidays, as the government relaunches its 10 Minute Shake Up campaign. Department of Health and Social Care

Transformational therapy cures haemophilia B

Transformational therapy cures haemophilia B A "transformational" therapy has effectively cured people with the bleeding disorder haemophilia B, say British doctors.

The treatment corrects a genetic defect that leaves people's blood struggling to clot and stop bleeding.

Elliott Mason, who was part of the trial which tested the therapy, says his life now feels "completely normal". BBC News

See also:

• Phase 1–2 Trial of AAVS3 Gene Therapy in Patients with Hemophilia B (abstract) The New England Journal of Medicine
• Haemophiliacs’ faulty gene could be cured with single injection The Daily Telegraph
• Gene therapy trial markedly cuts bleeding risk in haemophilia B patients The Guardian

UK government refuses public review before launch of NHS data platform

UK government refuses public review before launch of NHS data platform The UK government is refusing to run a public consultation on the expanded use of centralized data analytics on personal health information – under a £360 million ($432 million) contract that spy-tech business Palantir is tipped to win.

Minister of State for Care and Mental Health Gillian Keegan told Parliament that NHS England, a non-departmental body which runs the NHS, is not proposing to conduct an open debate on the nature or remit of the forthcoming Federated Data Platform. The Register

25% of BAME non-executive directors in NHS ‘have seen discrimination’ at work

25% of BAME non-executive directors in NHS ‘have seen discrimination’ at work A quarter of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) non-executive directors of NHS trusts have seen or experienced discrimination in the course of their work, a report reveals.

While almost four out of five (79%) of these BAME non-executives said they challenged such behaviour when they encountered it, only half (50%) said that led to a change of policy or behaviour. The Guardian

Yes, women’s healthcare is poor – but gender bias is not to blame for that

Yes, women’s healthcare is poor – but gender bias is not to blame for that | Zoe Williams Female GPs have outnumbered male ones for a decade – but after years of cuts, they are all under extreme pressure

The health secretary, Steve Barclay, this morning unveiled his plan to tackle gender health inequality. A “landmark moment”, he called it, “in improving the health and wellbeing of women across the country”.

The proposition was unarguable. That the healthcare system was historically designed for men, by men, is evidenced everywhere, from the comparatively lower life expectancy among women in poor areas to the fact that women, while they live longer, spend a quarter of their lives in poor health, compared with a fifth for men. The report was the result of a 100,000-strong consultation, in which 84% of respondents said they had felt “ignored or not listened to” when seeking help from the NHS. The Guardian

HRT will be sold over the counter so menopausal women can beat hot flushes without a prescription

HRT will be sold over the counter so menopausal women can beat hot flushes without a prescription Hormone replacement therapy will soon be available over the counter in the UK for the first time.

Today's move, which kicks in from September, only applies to one brand of vaginal tablets. 

Women needing other menopause-busting treatments, such as patches, gels and implants, still need a prescription. The Daily Mail

Top doctor 'really concerned' general practice will go the same way as dentistry

Top doctor 'really concerned' general practice will go the same way as dentistry General practice could go the same way as dentistry — with millions having to pay for appointments, the country's top doctor warned today.

Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, admitted he is 'really concerned' about the sector, which is plagued by a staffing crisis. The Daily Mail