NHS crisis: How many doctors, nurses and midwives are there at Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital?

NHS crisis: How many doctors, nurses and midwives are there at Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital? The NHS is in crisis, with a shortage of doctors, nurses and midwives crippling the health service across England.

We have taken a look at NHS figures for Northamptonshire’s two acute NHS hospitals to see how the workforce has changed in recent years, as the crisis across the country deepened. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Chart of the week: staff vacancies and shortfalls in the NHS

Chart of the week: staff vacancies and shortfalls in the NHS After last week’s cross-party parliamentary report on the NHS and social care workforce painted a bleak picture on staffing vacancies, Billy Palmer describes how the word “vacancy” does not always reveal the full extent of the problem. He shows how more detailed data on nurses and midwives allows us to look at all the reasons for staffing gaps – not just a failure to recruit. Nuffield Trust

The health and care system is in crisis: what should (and shouldn't) be done?

The health and care system is in crisis: what should (and shouldn't) be done? Covid-19 represented a historic challenge to our health and care services as it did to the country as a whole. As it has receded (but alas not disappeared), it is increasingly clear that the threat of Covid has been replaced by a more intractable crisis affecting almost all aspects of the NHS, social care along with all those working in, or depending upon, health and care. Any hopes of a quick recovery post-Covid are well and truly sunk. The King's Fund

Action to Decarbonize the U.S. Health Care System: Lessons from the U.K.’s National Health Service

Action to Decarbonize the U.S. Health Care System: Lessons from the U.K.’s National Health Service The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) is the world’s first health care system to commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Here we examine the history and status of the NHS efforts and identify lessons for the U.S. health care system. The Commonwealth Fund

Engaging and supporting marginalised communities, supporting earlier diagnosis of cancer, and improving CVD diagnosis and prevention: learning from the community response to Covid-19

Engaging and supporting marginalised communities, supporting earlier diagnosis of cancer, and improving CVD diagnosis and prevention: learning from the community response to Covid-19 This report focusses on real-world examples of how the NHS is collaborating with communities to meet their statutory obligations and addressing health inequalities. Health Creation Alliance

National commissioning guidance for post Covid services

National commissioning guidance for post Covid services This guidance document informs the commissioning of post Covid services in England. It aims to assist local health care systems to plan and deliver services that meet the varied and often complex needs of people living with long Covid. NHS England

Dentistry in England

Dentistry in England An overview of NHS dentistry in England, including a discussion of current challenges facing providers and the Government response. House of Commons Library

Junior doctors' pay offer concerns hospital leaders

Junior doctors' pay offer concerns hospital leaders Hospital leaders are concerned by the government's decision not to offer junior doctors in England the same pay rise as other NHS staff.

Junior doctors are entitled to a 2% annual pay rise as part of a four-year deal but other staff are getting 4.5%.

NHS Providers, representing trusts in England, says this undermines morale in an already overstretched workforce.

The Department of Health and Social Care says junior doctors' pay will be looked at next year. BBC News

Pig organs partially revived hour after death

Pig organs partially revived hour after death Pig organs have been partially revived an hour after the animals were killed, in a breakthrough with the potential to transform medicine, say US researchers.

The technique could increase the number of organs available for transplant and buy doctors more time to save a life if applied to people. BBC News

See also:

• Cellular recovery after prolonged warm ischaemia of the whole body (open access) Nature

Patrick Vallance: One of government's chief Covid advisers is stepping down

Patrick Vallance: One of government's chief Covid advisers is stepping down The government's chief scientific adviser, who helped steer the UK through the pandemic, is stepping down.

Sir Patrick Vallance's five-year term ends in April. His successor has not yet been announced.

In June, he was honoured at Buckingham Palace for his work updating the public on the Covid-19 virus, regularly appearing alongside the prime minister at televised briefings. BBC News

COVID and social media pressures driving surge in mental health problems, say doctors

COVID and social media pressures driving surge in mental health problems, say doctors A combination of the pandemic and social media pressures is driving a surge in mental health problems, including eating disorders, among young people.

One NHS trust in west London said referrals to its children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) had increased by 140%. Sky News

NHS fails to hit key backlog target: Ministers admit two-year waits WEREN'T scrapped by July

NHS fails to hit key backlog target: Ministers admit two-year waits WEREN'T scrapped by July The NHS hasn't completely eliminated its waiting list of patients who have been stuck in the system for over two years, despite the Government's bold promise.

Under the Covid recovery plan, ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid stated 'no-one' in England would be waiting more than 24 months for treatment such as hip and knee ops by July.

But Health Minister Maria Caulfield has since admitted that 'a small number of patients' were still waiting beyond two years by the end of last month. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Update imminent on NHS commitment to tackle waiting lists NHS Confederation
• 'Stalinist' targets are stifling the NHS, warns Jeremy Hunt The Daily Telegraph
• Ministers admit they will break NHS pledge on hospital waiting times The Guardian

Giving HPV jab to women with pre-cancerous cells on their cervix may ward off cancer, study suggests

Giving HPV jab to women with pre-cancerous cells on their cervix may ward off cancer, study suggests Giving women with pre-cancerous cells on their cervix the HPV vaccine could cut their risk of developing cervical cancer, scientists say.

Imperial College London experts reviewed studies involving thousands of women vaccinated against HPV who had to have pre-cancerous cells removed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Role of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on HPV infection and recurrence of HPV related disease after local surgical treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis (open access) The BMJ
• HPV jab ‘may ward off cervical cancer in women with pre-cancerous cells’ The Independent

Study: Therapy sessions may be key to drug-free treatment for chronic back pain

Study: Therapy sessions may be key to drug-free treatment for chronic back pain A new drug-free treatment that 'retrains' the brain can offer better long-term relief from back pain than opioids, a study has suggested.

Patients saw significant improvements after the 12-week course, which consisted of one hour with a physiotherapist each week.

Dr Neil O’Connell, who worked on the trial at Brunel University, London, said: 'These results show real promise.' The Daily Mail

See also:

• Effect of Graded Sensorimotor Retraining on Pain Intensity in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial (abstract) Journal of the American Medical Association