Regulation, reform and services under pressure

Regulation, reform and services under pressure This report outlines key findings from a survey of trust leaders on their experiences on regulation in the last twelve months. It finds that trusts expressed strong support for the policy direction being taken by regulators. An overwhelming majority supported the Care Quality Commission’s planned shift towards a more risk-based approach, data monitoring, and its intention to update ratings more frequently. Also, a majority of trusts were supportive of the collaboration and system focus seen in NHS England and NHS Improvement’s new system oversight framework and its oversight metrics. However, trusts did not report experiencing the benefits of this shift in strategic direction in practice. Trust leaders reported an increase in the regulatory burden and the number of ad-hoc requests from regulators over the past year. NHS Providers

The impact of body image on mental and physical health

The impact of body image on mental and physical health The Government must speed up the introduction of a promised licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures to prevent vulnerable people being exploited says a new report. The Impact of body image on mental and physical health report identifies a rise in body image dissatisfaction as the driver behind a new market that to date has remained largely unregulated. The dangers posed by non-surgical cosmetic procedures in vulnerable groups were evident throughout the inquiry, say MPs. Health and Social Care Select Committee 

See also:

• Make body-image warnings on retouched photos the law, MPs say BBC News

NHS launches awareness campaign for England’s most deadly cancer

NHS launches awareness campaign for England’s most deadly cancer The NHS is encouraging people with symptoms such as a long-standing persistent cough, to visit their GP for potentially lifesaving checks in its latest campaign to catch lung cancer earlier when it is easier to treat.

The launch of the latest Help Us Help You campaign, on World Lung Cancer Day, comes after figures suggest that people at risk of lung cancer may not be coming forward for care despite lung cancer being the biggest cause of cancer deaths in England. NHS England

NHS boosts children’s mental health workforce by 40%

NHS boosts children’s mental health workforce by 40% Thousands more NHS staff are now working in children’s mental health services, as demand for support continues to rise.

Around 4,500 more people have joined the NHS children’s mental health services in England – 40% more than before the pandemic. NHS England

Archie Battersbee: Judges reject allowing more time for UN to consider case

Archie Battersbee: Judges reject allowing more time for UN to consider case A last-minute Court of Appeal hearing has ruled the withdrawal of life support for Archie Battersbee should not be postponed beyond Tuesday.

The government asked judges to urgently consider a request from a UN committee to keep treating the 12-year-old.

The Court of Appeal refused to postpone the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment beyond 12:00 on Tuesday. BBC News

Conjoined twins separated with the help of virtual reality

Conjoined twins separated with the help of virtual reality Brazilian twins who were joined at the head have been successfully separated with the help of virtual reality.

Three-year-olds Bernardo and Arthur Lima underwent surgeries in Rio de Janeiro, with direction from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The teams spent months trialling techniques using virtual reality projections of the twins, based on CT and MRI scans. BBC News

More than 1m people in England waiting for non-hospital care, leak reveals

More than 1m people in England waiting for non-hospital care, leak reveals Some of those waiting for community health services are facing delays as long as 120 weeks

More than 1 million people are waiting months, and sometimes years, for out-of-hospital care for back pain, foot problems and hearing loss, a leaked NHS England document reveals.

While most of those waiting are adults, almost 300,0000 of them are children and young people who are seeking help with problems such as delayed development and long-term conditions. The Guardian

See also:

• NHSE leak reveals 1m patients on hidden waiting list (log in required) Health Service Journal
• NHS urged to routinely publish non-hospital waiting lists The Independent

How 12-hour A&E waits may be up to SIX TIMES more common than NHS makes out

How 12-hour A&E waits may be up to SIX TIMES more common than NHS makes out The number of patients waiting at least 12 hours in A&E units is six times than official statistics show, it emerged today.

Currently, health bosses only divulge data on 'trolley waits' — the time between medics deciding a patient needs to be admitted and when they actually are given a bed.

This drastically underplays the scale of the NHS casualty crisis, given that patients may have arrived hours before their condition was deemed serious enough for further treatment. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Trusts reveal thousands of new 12-hour waits (log in required) Health Service Journal
• Revealed: ‘Apocalyptic’ A&E waits that could be driving 1,000 patient deaths a month The Independent

RCM union ballots maternity nurses over potential walkout after 'insulting' £1,400 pay rise

RCM union ballots maternity nurses over potential walkout after 'insulting' £1,400 pay rise The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is consulting its members in England and Wales over possible strike action after reacting angrily to a proposed £1,400 pay rise.

The College says it wants to know whether its members are prepared to vote for industrial action if balloted.

The RCM's member consultation opens as new NHS Digital workforce statistics show midwife numbers are down by over 600 in the year to April 2022. The Daily Mail

See also:

• RCM launches consultation with members to gauge appetite for industrial action over pay Royal College of Midwives