Northamptonshire hospitals in top 25 per cent of dangerously busy hospitals in England, NHS data shows

Northamptonshire hospitals in top 25 per cent of dangerously busy hospitals in England, NHS data shows Both Northampton and Kettering General Hospital are in the top 25 per cent dangerously busy hospitals across England, analysis of NHS figures shows.

A bed occupancy rate of 85 per cent is generally considered to be the safe limit - one that has been endorsed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton General Hospital visiting returns to pre-Christmas rules after 11-day ban

Northampton General Hospital visiting returns to pre-Christmas rules after 11-day ban Visiting rules at Northampton General Hospital have returned to what they were before Christmas.

On December 29, normal visiting was suspended at the Cliftonville hospital due to a “significant increase” in cases of Covid, flu and other respiratory illnesses.

Now, Covid-19 cases have dropped from 71 on December 29, 2022 to 45 on Monday January 9, 2023, so visiting restrictions have been relaxed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Visiting restrictions at Kettering General Hospital relaxed as Covid rate declines Northants Live

People with long term health conditions at serious risk from flu, warn Northamptonshire health experts

People with long term health conditions at serious risk from flu, warn Northamptonshire health experts Do you have a long term health condition which makes you eligible for a free flu jab, but have not yet taken up the offer? Book yours today to protect yourself from flu.

Those who have long-term health conditions are at a higher risk of catching flu and the life-threatening complications that can come with it which frequently lead to hospitalisation. These complications include pneumonia, septic shock, heart, brain or muscle tissue inflammation, or organ failure, such as lung or kidney failure. Sadly, even with hospital treatment these can, and do, lead to death. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The health policy year in review 2022

The health policy year in review 2022 Just when you thought things couldn’t get any stranger, 2022 happened. Here's The King’s Fund’s Chief Analyst, Siva Anandaciva's, annual look at what the health policy year had in store.

6 key questions to help shape diversity and inclusion plans in 2023

6 key questions to help shape diversity and inclusion plans in 2023 Whenever and however we engage in the work of planning and deciding organisational diversity and inclusion priorities, the overarching question to be answered as part of the process is: ‘What levers are the organisation going to pull across the year to bring about true and lasting cultural change?’ The King's Fund

Digital apps and reducing ethnic health inequalities : driving progress through digital, design, and organisational transformation

Digital apps and reducing ethnic health inequalities : driving progress through digital, design, and organisational transformation This report reviews how information gleaned from users of online health tools is used by health providers to analyse and improve patient health. An analysis of NHS data finds that digital and apps teams, employed by the NHS, face a number of barriers and limitations preventing insight and the linking of gaps across health services, conditions, digital usage and wider ethnic health inequalities. It calls for an explicit reform in how the NHS and NHS Blood and Transplant rebuild, collect and use data to guide policy decisions, particularly around ethnicity coding and health inequalities. NHS Race & Health Observatory

Get in on the Act: Mental Health Act 2022

Get in on the Act: Mental Health Act 2022 In June 2022 the government published the draft Mental Health Bill. The Bill is currently going through parliament and is at the Joint Committee Inquiry stage. Councils have several existing statutory duties under the Mental Health Act 1983 and will continue to have responsibilities under the new Act. This briefing examines the role and responsibilities of Councils under the new Act. Local Government Association

Diabetes artificial pancreas tech recommended for thousands on NHS

Diabetes artificial pancreas tech recommended for thousands on NHS More than 100,000 people in England and Wales with type 1 diabetes could soon be offered new technology to manage their condition on the NHS.

The system uses a glucose sensor under the skin to automatically calculate how much insulin is delivered via a pump.

Health assessors said it was the best way of controlling diabetes, barring a cure.

A charity said it would transform lives and was the "closest thing to a working pancreas". BBC News

See also:

• New “artificial pancreas” technology set to change the lives of people having difficulty managing their type 1 diabetes NICE

Excess deaths in 2022 among worst in 50 years

Excess deaths in 2022 among worst in 50 years More than 650,000 deaths were registered in the UK in 2022 - 9% more than 2019.

This represents one of the largest excess death levels outside the pandemic in 50 years.

Though far below peak pandemic levels, it has prompted questions about why more people are still dying than normal.

Data indicates pandemic effects on health and NHS pressures are among the leading explanations. BBC News

NHS staff have to work harder to ‘justify’ more pay, Steve Barclay tells furious unions

NHS staff have to work harder to ‘justify’ more pay, Steve Barclay tells furious unions Planned strikes by NHS workers looked set to go ahead after trade union leaders branded talks with Steve Barclay over pay “bitterly disappointing” and an “insult”.

A walkout of ambulance workers will go ahead on Wednesday after the failed crisis talks, during which Mr Barclay told union leaders any pay increase would have to involve greater “productivity and efficiency” from staff. The Independent

 

See also:

• Talks to resolve strikes end with little progress, unions say BBC News
• Anti-strikes bill to be introduced to Parliament  BBC News
• The prime minister’s emergency NHS summit: more symbolic than meaningful? The BMJ
• NHS strikes will go ahead despite Health Secretary's hint that pay rise could be backdated The Daily Mail
• NHS strike dates: When the next nurse walkouts are and which areas are affected The Daily Telegraph
• Barclay agreed to discuss lump sum or back pay for NHS workers, say sources The Guardian
• No 10 proposals to end NHS strikes 'insulting', says union official – video  The Guardian
• Strikes to go ahead – but ministers’ willingness to talk is a sign of progress  The Guardian
• Ministers to unveil anti-strike laws as disputes continue to paralyse UK  The Guardian
• NHS strikes to go ahead after union meeting with health secretary Steve Barclay breaks down Sky News

Staffing ‘crisis’ means £200m extra care beds plan won’t work, health bosses warn

Staffing ‘crisis’ means £200m extra care beds plan won’t work, health bosses warn The staffing “crisis” in the home care sector means the government’s £200m discharging fund to tackle the NHS winter crisis will not work, care home bosses have warned.

Chronic understaffing has left homes with “beds but no staff” to take NHS patients on and home care services have been forced to reduce their support or give back contracts due, sector leaders have told The Independent. The Independent

See also:

• Underfunded social care struggling to help mitigate growing demand on NHS - LGA statement Local Government Association
• Care home provider says it faces ‘perfect storm’ with free beds but not enough staff The Independent
• NHS challenges due to ‘failure of successive governments to address social care’ The Independent
• NHS to block-book care home beds in bid to free up space in hospitals ITV News
• NHS crisis: Government to block-book beds in residential homes so 2,500 patients can be released from hospitals when medically fit Sky News

NHS '100%' needs reform, says Chair of Health Select Committee

NHS '100%' needs reform, says Chair of Health Select Committee The Chair of the Health Select Committee, Conservative MP, Steve Brine joined us from Central Lobby in the Houses of Parliament. Channel 4 News

See also:

• Sunak demands ‘bold and radical’ action to ease NHS crisis as more strikes loom ITV News

Patients face being treated in cabins at hospital car parks under new plans to beat overcrowding

Patients face being treated in cabins at hospital car parks under new plans to beat overcrowding Patients could be treated in cabins in car parks under plans to beat overcrowding and improve ambulance response times.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said hospitals would be given £50million to rent or buy temporary 'modular units' to boost capacity within weeks.

The NHS has a list of approved 'modular unit' suppliers, one of which is Portakabin. They became a fixture of school playgrounds in the 1970s and 80s to accommodate space for extra pupils. Units will be fitted with additional beds or chairs where patients can be treated and observed or wait to be seen or sent home. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Flu season in England is worst for a decade, says health secretary The Guardian

Kids should be taught 'not to bother NHS': Strategy paper demands huge 'cultural shift'

Kids should be taught 'not to bother NHS': Strategy paper demands huge 'cultural shift' Children should be taught about which illnesses can be treated at home, according to experts.

Doctors and pharmacists have called for a 'wholesale cultural shift' towards self-care.

Having the public know when it is appropriate to to A&E or see a GP would help ease pressure on the ailing NHS in future, they claim. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Educate children on how to use NHS – top pharmacist Evening Standard