Northampton comes together to 'commemorate and remember' those affected by Covid-19

Northampton comes together to 'commemorate and remember' those affected by Covid-19 Northampton will come together to commemorate, reflect and remember those affected by Covid-19 this weekend.

An afternoon of reflection is planned for Sunday (October 9) in Abington Park with a service around the iconic bandstand from 2pm.

The service will be held against a backdrop of a new autumn wave of coronavirus pushing numbers of patients with the virus in Northamptonshire's hospitals hit the highest level in two months, according to latest NHS data. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The courage to press the pause button: the role of OD in supporting health and care leaders

The courage to press the pause button: the role of OD in supporting health and care leaders In early July, alumni participants of The King’s Fund’s Advanced Organisational Development (OD) programme met to share their experiences and explore the role of OD during some of the most complex times the health and social care system has ever faced. In the same week, the Health and Social Care Select Committee identified acute shortages and high turnover of staff across the sector; the stories that afternoon came to life against this backdrop. The King's Fund

Ipsos Global Health Service Monitor 2022

Ipsos Global Health Service Monitor 2022 This annual study explores the biggest health challenges facing people today and how well-equipped people think their country’s healthcare services are to tackle them. The survey was run in 34 countries between 22nd July and 5th August 2022. Key findings in the report include: for a third year, Coronavirus remains the biggest health problem facing people around the world (47 per cent globally, down from 70 per cent in 2021); and mental health (36 per cent) has experienced a five-point increase from 2021, making it the second biggest concern — for the first time, it is ahead of cancer (34 per cent) which is now third. Ipsos

Covid inquiry first preliminary hearing to begin

Covid inquiry first preliminary hearing to begin The first preliminary hearing of the UK Covid public inquiry will begin later.

The one-day hearing had originally been scheduled last month but was delayed after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The session, in London, will focus on the UK's pandemic preparedness before 2020.

It will be largely procedural, involving lawyers and an announcement about who will be giving evidence. Public hearings where witnesses are called will not start until the spring. BBC News

See also:

• COVID inquiry: the UK government’s pandemic response was often not ‘guided by the science’ – yet now scientists are under fire The Conversation
• Why you really DON'T need to panic about Covid's resurgence: Experts argue new wave was inevitable The Daily Mail
• Should YOU be worried about a flu and Covid TWINDEMIC this winter? The Daily Mail
• UK ‘no better prepared for the next pandemic’ with ‘dangerous gaps’ in its health security The Daily Telegraph
• Covid-19: is there a ‘twindemic’ coming? – podcast The Guardian
• Covid bereaved fear testimonies will not be heard by inquiry The Independent
• UK ‘at start of new Covid wave that could devastate the NHS’ Metro

Edenfield Centre: Care watchdog praised bosses at abuse hospital

Edenfield Centre: Care watchdog praised bosses at abuse hospital The healthcare watchdog praised bosses of a mental health hospital after visiting during the weeks when the BBC filmed patients being mistreated.

According to a report to governors at the trust which runs the Edenfield Centre, the Care Quality Commission noted its "strong, motivated leaders".

After the BBC gave it information about the abuse, the watchdog suspended the hospital's "good" rating.

The CQC said it would take further action if needed. BBC News

Schools and hospitals ‘must find £11bn of cuts’ after Kwarteng spending freeze

Schools and hospitals ‘must find £11bn of cuts’ after Kwarteng spending freeze Schools and hospitals must find a whopping £11bn of cuts after the chancellor refused to protect their budgets from rampant inflation, experts say.

Kwasi Kwarteng is being warned that his decision to stick to 2021 spending allocations – despite prices now rising by 10 per cent – spells bad news “for stretched public services”. The Independent

See also:

• NHS Confederation responds to the Chancellor's comments on public sector spending NHS Confederation
• What does the mini budget mean for the NHS? The BMJ
• An insurance-based system is the only way to save the NHS The Daily Telegraph
• Treasury: No new NHS funding to deal with soaring inflation HSJ

Hundreds of thousands more women than men prescribed powerful anti-anxiety drugs ‘harder to come off than heroin’

Hundreds of thousands more women than men prescribed powerful anti-anxiety drugs ‘harder to come off than heroin’ Hundreds of thousands more women than men have been prescribed powerful anti-anxiety drugs which experts warn are harder to come off than heroin, The Independent can reveal.

New information obtained under freedom of information (FOI) laws shows women in England were 59 per cent more likely to be prescribed benzodiazepines – better known by the brand names of Valium, Xanax and Temazapam – than men between January 2017 and December 2021.

NHS to investigate health inequalities among Jewish communities for first time

NHS to investigate health inequalities among Jewish communities for first time The NHS will investigate health inequalities affecting Jewish communities for the first time.

Low immunisations, high Covid-19 rates and heightened breast cancer risks are among some of the disproportionate well-being issues faced by these groups and will be examined through a year-long review commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory. The Independent

NHS hospitals are still cancelling more than 22 THOUSAND appointments every day

NHS hospitals are still cancelling more than 22 THOUSAND appointments every day More than 22,000 hospital appointments are being cancelled every day — despite waiting lists for treatment standing at a record 6.8million, it emerged today.

The Government has pledged to tackle the NHS care backlog but some patients are continuing to see their appointments cancelled multiple times.

So far this year, the average number of cancellations each day was 20 per cent more than it was before the pandemic, when around 18,000 were axed every day. The Daily Mail

Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does NOT raise risk of having an autistic child

Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does NOT raise risk of having an autistic child Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not raise the risk of autism in newborns, a major study has found.

Both antidepressant use and the prevalence of autism have increased in recent years, and previous studies suggested the two might be linked.

But while researchers found women taking the drugs had a higher risk of having a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder, the medication was not to blame. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Association of Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy With Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children (abstract) JAMA Internal Medicine

Will the new Alzheimer's drug ward off brain decline?

Will the new Alzheimer's drug ward off brain decline? Could the tide finally be turning in the hunt for an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease? That was the suggestion from a story last week about a new drug, lecanemab, which seems to improve symptoms of early Alzheimer’s. The Daily Mail