Nurses at two Kettering hospitals take to picket lines in first ever RCN strike

Nurses at two Kettering hospitals take to picket lines in first ever RCN strike Royal College of Nursing (RCN) staff based at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) and St Mary’s Hospital have been on picket lines this morning in their first ever strike.

Despite freezing cold temperatures staff, who were not needed to maintain a safe service, showed their support for the industrial action. Northamptonshire Telegraph

'We're underfunded and understaffed': Northampton GP surgery manager's plea to patients during time of 'unsustainable pressure'

'We're underfunded and understaffed': Northampton GP surgery manager's plea to patients during time of 'unsustainable pressure' A practice manager of a GP surgery in Northampton has spoken out about the “unsustainable pressure” staff are under during a time when the healthcare system is at breaking point.

The practice manager of St Luke’s Primary Care Centre in Timken Way South, Duston, posted on Spotted Duston – and shared with Northampton Chronicle & Echo - an account of what has been happening in the healthcare setting during a time were GP surgeries, 111 and A&E departments are unprecedentedly busy.

NHS sees significant 111 demand as flu cases in hospitals continue to rise

NHS sees significant 111 demand as flu cases in hospitals continue to rise NHS staff dealt with a significant number of NHS 111 calls last week with over 700,000 calls in one week alone – an increase of over 60% compared to the previous week (from 440,047 to 706,129).

Excluding two weeks in the first month of the Covid pandemic (March 2020), this is the highest number of 111 calls ever recorded.

The NHS experienced more calls demand from parents concerned about rising Strep A infections, with the number of calls more than doubling compared to the equivalent week last year. NHS England

See also:

• Influenza and other respiratory viruses pilot study: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey Office for National Statistics
• National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports UK Health Security Agency
• NHS is put on alert for 'worst winter flu outbreak in YEARS' The Daily Mail
• Flu hospitalisations in England soar as NHS braces for severe outbreak The Daily Telegraph
• Number of people in hospital with Covid in England rises 22% in a week The Guardian
• NHS creaking under strain of Strep A, flu and norovirus The Independent
• Norovirus symptoms to look out for amid warning over surging cases of vomiting bug The Independent
• Spike in flu hospitalisations piles pressure on an NHS already squeezed by strikes ITV News
• Hospital admissions for flu overtake those for COVID-19 for first time since pandemic began Sky News

UKHSA update on scarlet fever and invasive group A strep

UKHSA update on scarlet fever and invasive group A strep Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continues to show an out of season increase in scarlet fever and group A streptococcus infections.

So far this season (from 12 September to 11 December) there have been 7,750 notifications of scarlet fever. This compares to a total of 2,538 at the same point in the year during the last comparably high season in 2017 to 2018 – although cases in that season started to rise at a different point. In 2017 to 2018 there were 30,768 scarlet fever notifications overall across the year. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Pharmacists able to supply alternative penicillin to treat Strep A Department of Health and Social Care
• Strep A: Pharmacies can now give alternative antibiotics BBC News
• Number of penicillin prescriptions amid Strep A outbreak has surged FIVEFOLD in three weeks The Daily Mail
• Drug watchdog warns firms against hiking prices of antibiotics amid Strep A panic The Daily Mail
• Strep A kills three more children as UK activates alternative medicines plan The Guardian
• Child deaths from Strep A in UK rises to 19 as outbreak spreads The Independent

Digital divide poses exclusion risk for people with mental illness

Digital divide poses exclusion risk for people with mental illness A stark digital skills deficit among people with severe mental illness means they struggle to access key services which are increasingly online, according to research by scientists at the University of York.

See also:

• Measuring the digital divide among people with severe mental ill health using the essential digital skills framework (open access) Health and Nursing

Getting IT right: the case for urgent investment in safe, modern technology and data sharing in the UK’s health services

Getting IT right: the case for urgent investment in safe, modern technology and data sharing in the UK’s health services This report sets out they key areas where more needs to be done to ensure the recovery and resilience of UK health services and the safe delivery of care: infrastructure – hardware, software and connectivity; interoperability – standards and security; involvement – digital leadership, user involvement and skills development; inclusion - digital access and literacy for patients; and investment - prioritise existing funding, protect against budget cuts, increase funding. British Medical Association

Brick by brick: the case for urgent investment in safe, modern, and sustainable healthcare estates

Brick by brick: the case for urgent investment in safe, modern, and sustainable healthcare estates This report examines the condition of the NHS estate across the UK and its impact on both the wellbeing of doctors and patient care, with a focus on: the maintenance and modernisation of healthcare estates; the need to design healthcare environments with capacity, safety and wellbeing in mind; the impact healthcare estates have on climate and the environment; and the need for steeper increases in capital funding. British Medical Association

Nurses' strikes: Union warns of more action unless pay talks open

Nurses' strikes: Union warns of more action unless pay talks open The Royal College of Nursing could announce a fresh wave of strikes if Health Secretary Steve Barclay does not agree to reopen pay negotiations.

Speaking on the BBC's Question Time, the union's leader Pat Cullen said if the government continued to refuse to "get in a room and talk" then the dispute could escalate in the new year.

The UK government says the union's demands are unaffordable.

Nurses are already planning to strike on Tuesday. BBC News

See also:

• End-of-day statement Royal College of Nursing
• Chief nurse calls for strike resolution after day of action BBC News
• Would it cost the government £700m to raise nurses' pay? BBC News
• Is the NHS pay review body independent? BBC News
• 'Nurses are using food banks now' BBC News
• Industrial action causes 'real harms', says NHS Confederation chief Channel 4 News
• What is the truth about the nursing crisis? Fascinating graphs show how pay has barely risen The Daily Mail
• Who is Pat Cullen? The 'taskmaster' organising NHS's biggest ever walk-out The Daily Mail
• Fury as Health Secretary lets deputy do prime-time interviews on day of biggest ever NHS strike The Daily Mail
• 'Four in five Britons concerned about patient safety during NHS strikes' Evening Standard
• Will striking nurses affect my care as an NHS patient? That’s a price I’m willing to pay | Melanie Duddridge The Guardian
• Nurses will step up strikes unless pay offer improved, NHS official warns The Guardian
• Striking nurses need the public behind them to keep pressure on ministers The Guardian
• Hot drinks and public sympathy for nurses on the picket lines The Guardian
• Former Tory ministers join calls for Sunak to negotiate with nurses The Guardian
• NHS nurses on strike: 'Morale has hit the floor' The Guardian
• Government cannot ‘sit back’ on strikes amid warning pay rows will worsen, NHS leaders say The Independent
• Major ambulance workers' union pulls out of NHS pay process ITV News

No timetable for infected blood victims' compensation

No timetable for infected blood victims' compensation There is a "moral case" for compensation to be paid to people affected by the contaminated blood scandal, the government has said.

But Paymaster General Jeremy Quin told MPs he could not commit to a timetable.

In August, the government announced that 4,000 UK victims would receive interim payments of £100,000.

Tens of thousands of people contracted HIV or hepatitis C in the 1970s and 80s after being given infected blood. More than 1,800 have died as a result. BBC News

Ambulance hospital handover delays hit new high in England as one in six patients wait more than hour

Ambulance hospital handover delays hit new high in England as one in six patients wait more than hour One in six patients in England waited more than an hour to be passed to A&E teams last week as ambulance handover delays hit a new high.

A total of 25,182 handover delays of half an hour or longer were recorded across all hospital trusts last week, according to NHS England.

This was 34% of all arrivals by ambulance, up from 31% the previous week. Sky News

How a FIFTH of Britain is waiting on the NHS: Poll lays bare dire state of health service

How a FIFTH of Britain is waiting on the NHS: Poll lays bare dire state of health service A fifth of Britons are waiting for NHS care, official data suggests ahead of what is expected to be the health service's worst ever winter.

Thousands of people were quizzed about their difficulties accessing healthcare.

Twenty per cent revealed that they were waiting on a hospital appointment, test or medical treatment. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The impact of winter pressures on adults in Great Britain: December 2022 Office for National Statistics
• One in eight UK adults using private medical care due to NHS delays The Guardian