March with Midwives back on streets of Northampton warning of ‘state of emergency’ in maternity services

March with Midwives back on streets of Northampton warning of ‘state of emergency’ in maternity services Midwives, parents and campaigners were out in force in Northampton town centre on Sunday (November 20) declaring a “state of emergency” in maternity services.

The ‘March with Midwives’ was one of a series of events nationwide aimed at raising awareness of staff shortages and lack of funding in the sector.

Organisers said the first March, last November, carried the message that ‘enough is enough.’ But one said: “Nothing has really changed in 12 months, in fact it’s probably got worse.” Northamptonshire Telegraph

How does UK health spending compare across Europe over the past decade?

How does UK health spending compare across Europe over the past decade? This analysis examines how health care spending in the UK compares with EU countries in the decade preceding the pandemic. Taking a longer term view enables us to see how trends in spending may have impacted health care resilience today. The Health Foundation

The Autumn Budget 2022: what was announced and what does it mean for health and care spending?

The Autumn Budget 2022: what was announced and what does it mean for health and care spending? Fiscal events may have come thick and fast in recent years but they are still important events that have a significant bearing on the health and care sector. Let’s take a look at what this year’s Autumn Budget means for health and social care. The King's Fund

Providers deliver: trusts in systems

Providers deliver: trusts in systems This report shows how trusts are playing a key role in shaping, supporting and co-leading the development of system working. It presents a series of case studies highlighting ways in which trusts are delivering on the priorities of integrated care systems and driving improvement through partnership working including provider collaboratives and place based arrangements. It shows how trusts are committing to closer collaboration and integration, recognising that 'system working' can help address immediate pressures and deliver longer term improvements to quality of care and service delivery. NHS Providers

Scoping digital support for children and young people’s mental health

Scoping digital support for children and young people’s mental health To help increase capacity and achieve better outcomes in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at a time of rising demand, the NHS has recognised it needs help to identify and harness the best of the ever-expanding array of digital innovations – from assessment through therapeutic interventions to ongoing support and prevention. This report identifies potential digital solutions to support NHS mental health services for children and young people. The audit of 24 digital tools and solutions covered current usage, interoperability, user experience and cost, and fit with NHS strategic priorities. Oxford Academic Health Science Network

Energy bills: Patients prescribed heating as part of health trial

Energy bills: Patients prescribed heating as part of health trial Doctors are prescribing heating to patients with conditions that get worse in the cold as part of a health trial.

The Warm Home Prescription pilot paid to heat the homes of 28 low-income patients to avoid the cost of hospital care if they became more ill.

The trial achieved such good results it is being expanded to 1,150 homes. BBC News

See also:

• NHS pays for patients’ energy bills in winter pilot to cut hospital admissions The Independent

Superbug fight 'needs farmers to reduce antibiotic use'

Superbug fight 'needs farmers to reduce antibiotic use' Health and animal welfare campaigners concerned about the spread of superbugs in humans are calling for a ban on the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals.

They say routinely using antibiotics in livestock can lead to bacteria becoming resistant and such 'superbugs' could spread to humans. BBC News

• New data shows 148 severe antibiotic-resistant infections a day in 2021 UK Health Security Agency
• World's deadliest bugs REVEALED: Bacterial infections kill nearly 8MILLION people a year The Daily Mail
• UK rivers are a ‘superbug-polluted’ health threat, study finds The Independent
• Antibiotic-resistance 'not a problem we can ignore' as even new medications fail to tackle infections Sky News

How many Covid cases does China have and what are its rules?

How many Covid cases does China have and what are its rules? China has seen its first deaths from Covid-19 in six months, and thousands more people are catching the disease, despite the government's strict lockdown policy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said China should rethink its strategy. BBC News

See also:

• MRIs of Covid patients show clusters of plaques in areas responsible for tiredness, anxiety The Daily Mail
• Covid infected 'more than 350,000 pet cats' in Britain The Daily Telegraph
• Lockdown frustration grows in China's COVID epicentre despite a surge in cases Sky News

Vulnerable man ‘abandoned’ and discharged from hospital into budget hotel

Vulnerable man ‘abandoned’ and discharged from hospital into budget hotel The government has been urged to protect “catastrophically” under-resourced mental health social services after a vulnerable man was discharged from a hospital into a Travelodge.

Will Mann, a 42-year-old with long-term mental health illness, was “abandoned” by social care services after he was discharged from an NHS hospital, his mother Jackie has said. The Independent

'I have my freedom back': How breakthrough treatment has changed lives

'I have my freedom back': How breakthrough treatment has changed lives Sickle cell disease sufferers face a lifetime filled with episodes of excruciating pain. But they tell Nadine White and Thomas Kingsley a new treatment has given them fresh hope. The Independent

Rishi Sunak is registered with private GP practice offering £250 consultations

Rishi Sunak is registered with private GP practice offering £250 consultations Campaigners say poorest people will suffer most as NHS is ‘neglected and private practice becomes the norm’

Rishi Sunak is registered with a private GP practice that guarantees that all patients with urgent concerns about their health will be seen “on the day”. The Guardian

Good cholesterol isn't so good after all, NIH study finds

Good cholesterol isn't so good after all, NIH study finds There may be no such thing as 'good' cholesterol after all, a federally-funded study suggests.

Researchers found that high levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were not associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Race-Dependent Association of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels With Incident Coronary Artery Disease (open access) Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Cancer survival rates could DOUBLE in a decade as research leads to more treatment options

Cancer survival rates could DOUBLE in a decade as research leads to more treatment options Scientists believe they could double the survival rates of people with advanced cancer within just ten years.

World-leading experts from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London said cutting-edge research will mean more patients get cured while others live far longer. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Scientists plot ‘extinction’ of cancers by disrupting their ecosystems Institute of Cancer Research