Northamptonshire Health Trust runners-up at prestigious awards

Northamptonshire Health Trust runners-up at prestigious awards Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) finished as runners up in the Trust of the Year category at the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards 2022.

Chief Executive of the Trust, Angela Hillery, said being shortlisted for Trust of the Year was testament to the dedication of “brilliant colleagues” who have all played their part in helping the Trust to become a leading provider of outstanding compassionate care. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS figures reveal more than 200 ‘bed blockers’ a day kept waiting to be discharged from Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital

NHS figures reveal more than 200 ‘bed blockers’ a day kept waiting to be discharged from Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital More than 200 'bed blockers' were waiting to be discharged from Northamptonshire’s two main NHS hospitals every day on average last month, new figures show.

NHS England figures identified more than 15 percent of the 1,400 beds at Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital which could be ready for new patients — but nearly a third of those ready to be discharged must stay in because of pressure on the social care system outside. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Council designates 67 warm spaces for the winter

Council designates 67 warm spaces for the winter A council has designated 67 community buildings as "welcoming warm spaces" to help people struggling with the cost of living this winter.

The locations listed by West Northamptonshire Council included libraries, village halls and cafes. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Hope Centre offers one of 67 vital warm spaces across Northamptonshire giving lifeline to those in need this winter Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Almost half of young people experiencing mental health problems

Almost half of young people experiencing mental health problems Poor mental health among young people (aged 16 and 17) has increased by more than a quarter since 2017, according to new research by UCL and the Sutton Trust, using the COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study.

The COSMO study, led jointly by the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, and the Sutton Trust, is the largest study of its kind into the impacts of the pandemic on young people. 

See also:

• Over half of teenage girls have mental health problems, major survey finds The Daily Telegraph

Understanding patient perspectives on improving GP referrals to secondary care through the use of specialist advice and guidance

Understanding patient perspectives on improving GP referrals to secondary care through the use of specialist advice and guidance The Patients Association has been working with NHS England to look at how to improve GP referrals of patients to hospital. This report looks at ways specialists could support GPs so they could reduce the number of outpatient appointments patients have to attend, without compromising care.

Commit, understand, act: our anti-racism strategy

Commit, understand, act: our anti-racism strategy Anti-racism is more than a statement for us at the NHS Confederation. Being an anti-racist organisation means that we actively target, challenge and remove systemic barriers that enable racism, recognising this as a corporate responsibility. For us, commitment, understanding and action to eliminate racism and reduce health inequalities really matters. NHS Confederation

Supporting our NHS people through menopause: guidance for line managers and colleagues

Supporting our NHS people through menopause: guidance for line managers and colleagues This guidance helps NHS organisations, line managers, and those working in the NHS understand more about the menopause, how they can support colleagues at work and those experiencing menopause symptoms. NHS England

See also:

• Menopausal women should be offered cooler uniforms and fans at work, NHS boss says The Daily Mail
• We must break the stigma of menopause and help women thrive at every stage of their working lives The Daily Telegraph
• New national NHS guidance aims to help health staff through menopause Evening Standard
• Menopausal women in NHS England workforce to be offered flexible working The Guardian
• Menopausal NHS workers will be able to work from home under new national guidance The Independent

Consultation launched to protect patients from silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance

Consultation launched to protect patients from silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance The increasing risk to patients of superbugs resistant to existing medicines will be the focus of a new consultation launched today [Wednesday 23].

The consultation will bring together the latest evidence and data from leading experts on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It will help inform a new 5-year action national action plan to protect patients from deadly infections and will capture learnings from the Covid pandemic. Department of Health and Social Care

Pregnant soon after miscarriage no more risky - study

Pregnant soon after miscarriage no more risky - study Contrary to current advice, getting pregnant within a few months of an abortion or a miscarriage does not appear to be extra risky for the mum and baby, say researchers who have looked at recent real-life data.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least a six-month gap. BBC News

See also:

• Interpregnancy interval and adverse pregnancy outcomes among pregnancies following miscarriages or induced abortions in Norway (2008–2016): A cohort study (open access) PLOS Medicine

NHS ‘needs thousands more staff to meet cost of living crisis demands’

NHS ‘needs thousands more staff to meet cost of living crisis demands’ NHS therapy services won’t be able to manage increased demand driven by the cost of a living crisis as they are already thousands of therapists short, The Independent has been told.

NHS counselling services in England are not meeting therapy access targets due to a shortfall of 2,000 workers, according to sources.

Fruit and veg prescribed to low-income families in NHS trial

Fruit and veg prescribed to low-income families in NHS trial Fruit and vegetables are being prescribed to low-income families in a pilot scheme targeting health inequalities and poverty-related hunger for those hit hardest by the cost of living crisis.

Vouchers for fresh produce are being distributed to around 120 people in some of London's most deprived areas, on assessment of the risk to their health from being forced to cut back on spending at the green grocer’s. The Independent

Severely ill refusing sicknotes as they cannot afford time off, says GPs’ head

Severely ill refusing sicknotes as they cannot afford time off, says GPs’ head Ill patients are refusing sicknotes from their GP because they cannot afford time off work, while physicians suffer “moral distress” at their powerlessness to do more to help the most vulnerable, the new leader of Britain’s family doctors has revealed.

More patients are experiencing asthma attacks or other serious breathing problems because they cannot afford to heat their homes, said Dr Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, while many have reported deteriorating mental health due to financial stress. The Guardian

Calls for UK to screen for diabetes: Experts say cancer-like programme could spot cases earlier

Calls for UK to screen for diabetes: Experts say cancer-like programme could spot cases earlier The UK's 25million middle-aged adults should be screened for type 2 diabetes, researchers said today.

Scientists, who examined the medical records of hundreds of thousands of Britons, found that one per cent had undiagnosed diabetes.

This equates to 250,000 people aged 40 to 70 across the UK unwittingly having type two diabetes, their study suggests. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The impact of population-level HbA1c screening on reducing diabetes diagnostic delay in middle-aged adults: a UK Biobank analysis (open access) Diabetologica