Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals to host first joint annual meeting since joining forces - public are invited

Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals to host first joint annual meeting since joining forces - public are invited Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals will host their first joint annual meeting since becoming a University Hospital NHS Group last year.

The event is being held online on Thursday, November 3, from 10am until midday and is open to the public who will be able to ask live questions. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Kettering and Northampton hospitals have their first joint annual meeting (includes details of how to join the meeting) Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

Northampton General Hospital team 'highly commended' at national awards for patient safety work

Northampton General Hospital team 'highly commended' at national awards for patient safety work Northampton General Hospital’s patient safety improvement team are runners-up in a prestigious national award.

The team, led by Dr Jonathan Hardwick, were ‘highly commended’ in the Health Service Journal Patient Safety Awards in the early-stage patient safety innovation category. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Winter warmth packs on offer at Northampton day care centre

Winter warmth packs on offer at Northampton day care centre A day care centre has begun offering winter warmth packs to its older clients to help keep them out of hospital this winter.

Affinity Daycare in Duston, Northampton said they were among the most vulnerable to the effects of rising prices as they were on fixed incomes.

Many of the 90 people using its services are in their 80s and 90s. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Cost of living crisis: Northamptonshire village youth club welcomes residents into ‘warm room’ Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire village sets up ‘community living rooms’ to help residents keep warm this winter Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Has the public fallen out of love with the NHS?

Has the public fallen out of love with the NHS? Earlier this year The King’s Fund and The Nuffield Trust published the results of the 2021 British Social Attitudes survey, which asked members of the public about their views on health and care services. The results were stark, with unprecedented drops in satisfaction across the board. But can we conclude that there has been a fundamental rupture in the relationship between the NHS and the public?

Public health grant: what it is and why greater investment is needed

Public health grant: what it is and why greater investment is needed The public health grant is paid to local authorities from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) budget. It is used to provide vital preventative services that help to support health. This includes smoking cessation, drug and alcohol services, children's health services and sexual health services, as well as broader public health support across local authorities and the NHS. 

The public health grant has been cut by 24% on a real-terms per person basis since 2015/16. The Health Foundation

Hygiene poverty 2022

Hygiene poverty 2022 This report is the first comprehensive, national, mixed methodology research study into the issue of hygiene poverty in the UK. It establishes not only the incidence rates and risk factors but provides a clear picture from those with lived experience about the impact of hygiene poverty on their daily lives and their futures. The Hygiene Bank

See also:

• Many skip work over hygiene poverty shame, charity says BBC News

A working partnership: a guide to developing integrated statutory and voluntary sector mental health services

A working partnership: a guide to developing integrated statutory and voluntary sector mental health services Increasingly, the NHS and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) are being expected to work together to shape and deliver integrated mental health (and other health) services. This guide has been developed drawing on the experiences of a significant number of people actively involved in the development of integrated mental health services across the country from a range of perspectives. It reflects the many common themes and suggestions they shared. Centre for Mental Health

Biggest NHS union ballots staff over strike action

Biggest NHS union ballots staff over strike action he biggest health union is beginning to ballot its members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on strike action.

Unison is asking 350,000 NHS staff, including porters, nurses, paramedics and cleaners, to vote in favour of walking out in a dispute over pay.

But a ballot of its 50,000 members in Scotland, which was already under way, has been suspended after a new offer.

The government in England has urged staff to consider the impact of a walkout on patients. BBC News

See also:

• Strikes across the NHS edge closer as latest industrial action ballot begins UNISON
• Biggest NHS union ballots staff over strike action Evening Standard
• Around 350,000 NHS workers to vote on possible strike action over pay ITV News
• Sunak urged to act on NHS pay and funding amid strike ballot Nursing Notes

'Dark matter' find could change cancer treatment

'Dark matter' find could change cancer treatment Scientists have discovered more about the mysterious role of epigenetics, the study of how genes change, in controlling the way cancers develop.

Often called "dark matter", it could alter the way cancer is detected and treated, research from The Institute of Cancer Research suggests.

And it could lead to new forms of tests for the disease which would help tailor treatments. BBC News

BMA warns NHS app records rollout may be illegal

BMA warns NHS app records rollout may be illegal GP IT system suppliers who turn on automatic patient access to their records without the explicit consent of practices may be acting illegally, the BMA has said.

In new guidance published yesterday, the BMA suggested that doing so would mean breaking data protection laws. Pulse

Long Covid: ‘fraction’ of sufferers getting NHS help in England

Long Covid: ‘fraction’ of sufferers getting NHS help in England Just a “fraction” of long Covid sufferers are getting the help they need, with a third of them waiting more than three and a half months to be assessed after a GP referral, rising to almost half in some areas.

More than 60,000 people in England had a first assessment for post-Covid syndrome in an NHS specialist service between July 2021 and August 2022. The Guardian

See also:

• Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK: 6 October 2022 Office for National Statistics
• New bivalent Covid vaccines DON'T give people better immunity, studies show The Daily Mail
• Nine Covid symptoms affecting the fully vaccinated — and signs you may have it The Independent
• New inhalable COVID vaccine, that is sucked in through the mouth, trialled in China Sky News
• COVID-19: New report predicts how many daily cases there will be by February Sky News

The revolving door of Health Secretaries must end unions say

The revolving door of Health Secretaries must end unions say The 'merry-go-round' of Health Secretaries must stop if the Government has any chance of fixing the ailing, medical unions demanded today.

Record waiting lists, a broken emergency service system, strikes and the prospect of the worst winter in living memory are just a selection of NHS issues No10 must get a grip on.

Newly anointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last night appointed Steve Barclay as his Health Secretary, with the expectation of fixing NHS spending. The Daily Mail

Private health firms offer 'misleading' blood tests that can give patients 'abnormal results'

Private health firms offer 'misleading' blood tests that can give patients 'abnormal results' Dozens of UK companies are offering 'misleading' private blood tests for a range of conditions and deficiencies, an investigation has found.

Many of the tests are not backed by evidence and are leaving an already overworked NHS to follow up 'abnormal results', according to the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Patients are promised such tests will help them take control of their health and spot problems early. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The rise of direct-to-consumer testing: is the NHS paying the price? The BMJ
• Why blood testing companies need effective regulation The BMJ