Northamptonshire hospitals plan to give thousands of staff £250 cost-of-living payment

Northamptonshire hospitals plan to give thousands of staff £250 cost-of-living payment Thousands of workers at Northamptonshire’s two general hospitals are in line for a £250 payment to help them with the cost-of-living crisis.

The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire group – which runs KGH and NGH – is planning a £1m scheme to help those on the lowest wages with rising food and energy costs. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Facing up to long Covid

Facing up to long Covid Long Covid is politically problematic, medically uncertain, and personally scary. It is too easy to look away.  

In media narratives this summer the Covid-19 pandemic was eclipsed by the cost of living and climate crises. But in practice these crises co-exist and interact. Long Covid makes heatwaves and price hikes a whole lot harder to bear. The King's Fund

What people have told us about Urgent and Emergency Care services

What people have told us about Urgent and Emergency Care services The pressure on urgent and emergency care services has been a big story recently, with significant press coverage of ambulance delays and long waits in accident and emergency departments (A&E). 

This is backed up by the official performance statistics, which paint a grim picture as we head into winter. 

To understand how the pressures have affected patients, we looked back at the experiences of urgent and emergency care services people shared with us between December 2020 and August 2022 in a new report. Healthwatch

See also:

• NMC statement in response to Healthwatch England report on emergency care Nursing and Midwifery Council

New legal guidance for NHS staff working remotely overseas

New legal guidance for NHS staff working remotely overseas NHS Employers has commissioned legal firm Capsticks LLP (and partners) to produce a guidance document on employing staff working remotely from outside of the UK. This is in response to questions raised from NHS workforce leaders about the legalities and practicalities of overseas remote working arrangements.

Autistic people’s healthcare information strategy for England

Autistic people’s healthcare information strategy for England This document sets out an initial strategy for the development of information about the health of, and healthcare received by autistic people in England, from sources already collected or in the process of being established. NHS England

Research: Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview

Research: Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview Overview of the current monkeypox outbreak in the UK. UK Health Security Agency

Flu and Covid could make this a hard winter for UK

Flu and Covid could make this a hard winter for UK The UK must prepare for a big, early wave of flu, experts warn, based on what Australia has just experienced during its winter.

Many Southern Hemisphere nations have had their most rampant flu season for years.

It is largely because people mixed more once Covid restrictions had eased, but had little immunity to the influenza virus after a break from the disease.

Health experts are urging anyone who is eligible for a flu shot to get one. BBC News

See also:

• Covid vaccine: 'Get the jab' says woman who nearly died while pregnant BBC News
• Prepare for the twindemic! Health chiefs warn Covid will strike at same time as flu this winter The Daily Mail
• Winter flu could kill 20000: Perfect storm of seasonal virus and Covid may overwhelm NHS The Daily Mail
• UK faces serious threat from flu and COVID-19 'twindemic' this winter GPonline
• Millions urged to get flu and Covid jabs amid fears of winter ‘twindemic’ in UK The Guardian
• Millions urged to get flu and Covid jabs as experts predict ‘difficult winter’ The Independent
• Build reserve testing capacity to tackle next pandemic, UK researchers urge The Independent
• Why the UK could be heading for a flu-covid 'twindemic' this winter New Scientist

Pumping weights could help you live longer

Pumping weights could help you live longer Activities which strengthen the muscles - like weightlifting - should be part of an older person's weekly exercise routine, a study suggests.

People doing both aerobic and muscle exercises were more likely to live longer than those who did just one or the other, US researchers found.

But you don't have to go to the gym - carrying heavy shopping bags, digging in the garden and pilates all count.

Both types of activity are recommended in current advice. BBC News

See also:

• Independent and joint associations of weightlifting and aerobic activity with all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (open access) British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Lifting weights in middle age lowers the risk of death from all causes by up to a FIFTH, study finds The Daily Mail

Wes Streeting speech: Labour promises face-to-face GP appointments

Wes Streeting speech: Labour promises face-to-face GP appointments Labour wants GPs in England to provide face-to-face appointments for anyone who wants them.

The government is promising to improve access to GPs, including same-day appointments.

New Health Secretary Therese Coffey has said GPs will be able to take on extra staff, but has not promised face-to-face access for all. BBC News

See also:

• Would Labour's £2billion-a-year NHS rescue plan REALLY save the NHS? Unions welcome workforce plan The Daily Mail

One in five over-50s who have dropped out of UK workforce are on NHS waiting list

One in five over-50s who have dropped out of UK workforce are on NHS waiting list Nearly 20 per cent of over-50s who quit work during the Covid pandemic and have not returned are on NHS waiting lists, according to official data.

The figure was higher than for those who remained in the workforce during the pandemic, as well as those who stopped working but have since gone back. The Independent

NHS smartwatches could improve quality of life for Parkinson's patients

NHS smartwatches could improve quality of life for Parkinson's patients More than 100,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease will be prescribed smartwatches as part of a new treatment programme on the NHS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the treatment watchdog, has recommended the use of five devices which could improve the quality of life for those living with the condition. Evening Standard

Scientists sound alarm over little-known STI in US resistant to EVERY antibiotic used against it

Scientists sound alarm over little-known STI in US resistant to EVERY antibiotic used against it A ‘silent-spreader’ STI which can cause infertility is feared to be evolving into a superbug.

Mycoplasma genitalium, also known as M. genitalium or M. gen, has become resistant to every antibiotic used to treat it so far.

The sexually transmitted infection was first discovered in London in the 1980s — but a test has only been available in the US since 2019. It means scientists are unsure exactly how widespread it is. The Daily Mail