Confirmed: EMAS ambulance workers in Northamptonshire to stage two 24-hour strikes in December

Confirmed: EMAS ambulance workers in Northamptonshire to stage two 24-hour strikes in December Health service union leaders have announced two dates when Northamptonshire ambulance workers will walk out in a strike over pay and conditions.

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff working for East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) will strike for 24 hours from 6am on December 21 and December 28 after ballots overwhelmingly backed the GMB’s call for action. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Complaints about GPs and dentists in Northamptonshire soar above pre-Covid levels but fewer are being upheld

Complaints about GPs and dentists in Northamptonshire soar above pre-Covid levels but fewer are being upheld Complaints about GPs and dentists in Northamptonshire have soared above pre-Covid levels, new figures show — although fewer are being upheld.

Local surgeries faced increasing pressure since the start of the pandemic as higher demand for medical services led to backlogs for appointments. New data from NHS Digital shows 2,161 complaints were made about GPs and dentists in the former NHS Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group area in the year to March — up 64 percent from the 1,314 made in the year to March 2019. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

'People can't afford to stay on' says Kettering carer

'People can't afford to stay on' says Kettering carer A man who became the carer of someone he met on an allotment said the profession struggled to retain staff because it was undervalued.

Peter New volunteered for the role after meeting Andrew, a 39-year-old with autism, who had been struggling with unreliable carers.

He said: "Care as an industry is massively undervalued. It doesn't work at the minute because people can't afford to stay." BBC Northampton

Research: Diphtheria: cases among asylum seekers in England, 2022

Research: Diphtheria: cases among asylum seekers in England, 2022 Diphtheria is a rare disease in the UK due to the highly successful routine vaccination programme, with 2 to 11 annual cases reported in England over the past decade.

There has been an increase in cases of toxigenic C. diphtheriae reported among asylum seekers in England during 2022, with similar increase in cases reported in Europe since June 2022. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• NHS issues antibiotic-resistant diphtheria warning after cases found in Europe The Independent

Independent report: Hewitt review: terms of reference

Independent report: Hewitt review: terms of reference The Hewitt review will consider how the oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs) can best enable them to succeed, balancing greater autonomy and robust accountability with a particular focus on real time data shared digitally with the Department of Health and Social Care, and on the availability and use of data across the health and care system for transparency and improvement. Department of Health and Social Care

Government turbocharges efforts to tackle Covid backlogs

Government turbocharges efforts to tackle Covid backlogs Patients will benefit from quicker access to treatment and lifesaving diagnostic tests close to home following the launch of a new Elective Recovery Taskforce and approval of 19 new one stop shops for tests, checks and scans, the Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay announced. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• More diagnostic hubs to tackle NHS waiting lists in England BBC News
• NHS will pay for more patients to undergo treatment at private hospital in bid to cut backlog The Daily Mail

Ambulance staff to strike on 21 December

Ambulance staff to strike on 21 December Ambulance staff across most of England and Wales will go on strike on 21 December in a dispute over pay.

The coordinated walkout by the three main ambulance unions - Unison, GMB and Unite - will affect non-life threatening calls only.

But it could mean people who have had trips and falls not being responded to. BBC News

See also:

• Ambulance staff will respond to life threatening emergencies despite strike, says NHS Confederation chief Channel 4 News
• Operations and appointments could still be cancelled even if strikes are called off, says NHS chief The Daily Mail
• NHS Christmas strikes: More than 10,000 ambulance workers will walk out on Dec 21 and 28 The Daily Mail
• Elderly who fall at home unlikely to get an ambulance during strikes The Daily Telegraph
• Ambulance workers and NHS staff to strike days before Christmas in pay row Evening Standard
• Ambulance workers in England and Wales to strike on 21 December The Guardian
• Government to ‘scapegoat’ nurses for NHS failings, claims Wes Streeting – video The Guardian
• What ambulance strike means for calls, response times and staffing The Independent

Number of smokers drops as vaping rises, data shows

Number of smokers drops as vaping rises, data shows The number of people smoking in the UK dropped to its lowest level on record last year but more people were using e-cigarettes, new figures have revealed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics found around 13.3% of people aged 18 or over smoked cigarettes in 2021, down from 14.0% in 2020.

But 7.7% of those aged 16 and over said they used e-cigarettes - compared to 6.4% in 2020.

The first ONS records on smoking were in 2011 and found 20.2% had smoked. BBC News

See also:

• Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2021 Office for National Statistics

Eating ultraprocessed food could increase dementia risk, study warns

Eating ultraprocessed food could increase dementia risk, study warns Regularly eating ultraprocessed food as a fifth or more of your daily calorie intake could increase your risk of contracting dementia, a new study has warned.

Preserving cognitive function may mean doing away with hot dogs, burgers and frozen pizzas, say scientists, who warn the part of your brain that processes information and makes decisions is most acutely impacted by regular consumption of such foods. The Independent

See also:

• Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline (abstract) JAMA Neurology

Strep A concerns create ‘carnage’ and ‘eyewatering demand’ for the NHS

Strep A concerns create ‘carnage’ and ‘eyewatering demand’ for the NHS NHS 111, primary care and A&E services have suffered “carnage” following the recent outbreak in Strep A cases, The Independent has been told.

Senior staff working across services in the NHS have warned that news about the outbreak of Strep A has pushed more parents to use services during a time when demand is already at record levels.

See also:

• GPs warn they're in 'danger of being overwhelmed' by Strep A The Daily Mail
• When should I see a doctor if I think my child has Strep A? The Daily Mail
• Can adults get Strep A? Cases rise across UK as nine children die from infection The Independent
• NHS 111 crisis adds pressure to health system as Strep A calls spike The Independent
• Strep A: Keep your children in school, parents warned as doctors stress most infection cases are mild iNews
• Strep A: Health secretary insists there's a 'good supply' of penicillin after pharmacy director warns 'there are no drugs' Sky News

Cancer referrals at record high - but NHS can't keep up with tests

Cancer referrals at record high - but NHS can't keep up with tests A record number of people with suspected cancer are being referred by their GPs to specialists, but the NHS has not been able to keep up with increased demand.

More than two and a half million people in England were referred for suspected cancer in the year to April 2022, 300,000 more than the previous record set two years ago and more than double the amount from ten years ago. Sky News

MPs to revisit assisted dying with an inquiry next year

MPs to revisit assisted dying with an inquiry next year MPs are to open an inquiry into assisted dying in the new year, looking in particular at the experience of other countries that have changed their laws.

The health and social care committee will hear evidence from medical professionals, campaigners and the public, and make recommendations to the government on the issue. The Guardian

The NHS is failing older patients by keeping them trapped in their beds

The NHS is failing older patients by keeping them trapped in their beds | David Lee If you’re an older person in hospital right now waiting for social care to help get you home, then you’re in trouble. A recent Guardian survey found that in some parts of the country one in three beds are occupied by people who are trapped there waiting for care to be arranged.

Many older people are stuck in a grim cycle of despair because the longer they remain in hospital, the less chance they have of living independently at home. There’s an oft-quoted saying that 10 days in a hospital bed leads to 10 years’ worth of loss of muscle mass in the over-80s. The Guardian

Up to 12,000 men dying from prostate cancer each year without access to key drugs

Up to 12,000 men dying from prostate cancer each year without access to key drugs Up to 12,000 men are dying from prostate cancer in England each year because they are denied groundbreaking drugs on the NHS, charities warn.

Three charities have united with actor Stephen Fry, who survived the disease, to call for precision treatments Olaparib and Pluvicto to be made available. The Daily Mail