Number of Northampton hospital A&E patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted TRIPLES

Number of Northampton hospital A&E patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted TRIPLES The number of patients waiting in A&E at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) for over 12 hours to be admitted has risen threefold in a year.

Analysis of NHS England data by NationalWorld showed that one in seven patients admitted to hospital through A&E in December endured waits of over 12 hours for a bed once medics decided they needed to be admitted. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

'Patients save up problems for a GP appointment'

'Patients save up problems for a GP appointment' The NHS is under increasing pressure and GPs say they are seeing those issues on a daily basis.

But at a surgery in Moulton, near Northampton, the staff also say they feel privileged to be able to help so many people.

With more than 12,700 patients on its books and more set to join with major housing developments in its catchment area, how the staff dealing with the challenges? BBC Northampton

Emergency healthcare: a national emergency

Emergency healthcare: a national emergency This report includes an action plan, setting out suggestions as to what the Government should do to address the crisis regarding access to emergency care. It finds that, in many cases, patients are attending emergency care services because they have, or feel they have, no alternative. The report concludes that the Government should consider, consult upon, and establish a bold and ambitious new operating model for emergency health care. House of Lords Public Services Committee

People, partnerships and place: How can ICSs turn the rhetoric into reality?

People, partnerships and place: How can ICSs turn the rhetoric into reality? Integrated care systems are now legally responsible for leading the charge on using a localised approach to bring multiple aspects of the health care system closer together, and for working better with social care and other public services. But this is far from a new aspiration - why should it be any different this time? Nuffield Trust hosted a series of roundtables to discuss concerns with stakeholders and experts and understand how to ensure the aims are achieved. This new report consolidates these findings and offers ways forward as the new era gets underway. Nuffield Trust

What our joint vision means for people and communities this winter

What our joint vision means for people and communities this winter Written with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and Local Government Association, this briefing sets out a vision for a high-quality and sustainable health and care system. The briefing explores what this might mean in the current context of intense pressures across the system. NHS Confederation

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Swab positivity for flu has decreased to 6.0% in week 2, compared to 12.2% in week 1. The highest positivity is seen in 0 to 4 year olds at 8.9%.

Hospital admission rates decreased in the last week and are at medium activity levels, approaching the low activity threshold. ICU/HDU hospital admission rates have also decreased, with activity levels returning back to the low activity range. UK Health Security Agency

Ambulance strikes: Unite workers announce 10 new days of walkouts

Ambulance strikes: Unite workers announce 10 new days of walkouts Ten more days of strikes by ambulance workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been announced by the Unite union.

Four of the dates in February and March coincide with walkouts by staff from the GMB union, in a pay dispute.

On 6 February the two unions will be joined by nurses from the GMB in the biggest NHS walkout in this dispute.

A health department spokesman said it is "continuing to have constructive discussions" with unions about pay. BBC News

See also:

• Fury over crippled NHS's February 6 D-Day: Tory MP fears strike will lead to 'unnecessary deaths' The Daily Mail
• NHS ambulance workers announce fresh strike dates as pay row escalates The Guardian
• Ambulance workers announce six more strikes as bitter pay row escalates The Independent
• Ambulance workers from Unite union announce more strikes in coming weeks ITV News

Covid: Half a million people missed out on heart drugs

Covid: Half a million people missed out on heart drugs During the pandemic, nearly half a million people in the UK missed out on starting medication to help prevent heart attacks and strokes, a new study suggests.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) team looked at prescribing data for the first 18 months after Covid hit.

Some 491,000 people - 27,000 a month - appear to have missed out on blood pressure pills.

And 316,000 did not get treatment to lower their cholesterol. BBC News

See also:

• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease prevention and management (open access) Nature Medicine
• Analysis reveals there were 800,000 fewer prescriptions for drugs during pandemic The Daily Mail
• Thousands at risk of heart attacks due to Covid disruption, experts warn The Guardian

NHS 'remains under significant pressure' as new hospital figures released

NHS 'remains under significant pressure' as new hospital figures released  More than 14,000 hospital beds in England last week were filled with people who were fit to leave. Meanwhile in Wales, ambulances staff have been on strike. ITV News

See also:

• Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Reports 2022-23 NHS England
• NHS Confederation responds to the latest winter situation report NHS Confederation
• Pressures of NHS's worst-ever winter are EASING The Daily Mail
• Ambulance delays cause ‘severe harm’ to record 6,000 patients a month The Independent
• What the latest NHS data reveals about the pressures hospitals are facing ITV News

‘A contentious place’: the inside story of Tavistock’s NHS gender identity clinic

‘A contentious place’: the inside story of Tavistock’s NHS gender identity clinic Clinicians and young people speak about the pioneering and controversial London facility now facing closure

This is Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust on Belsize Lane, a specialist centre for mental health therapies. Within it is the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), one of the longest running services for gender-diverse children and young people in the world, founded 33 years ago, but whose work here as a national centre will be wound up within months. The Guardian

Chemo BEFORE bowel cancer surgery slashes chances of disease returning

Chemo BEFORE bowel cancer surgery slashes chances of disease returning Chemotherapy before bowel cancer surgery can slash its chances of returning by more than a quarter, research has found.

The Cancer Research UK funded trial shows that giving chemotherapy ahead of operating for early-stage bowel cancer cuts the chance of the disease coming back by 28 per cent. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Preoperative Chemotherapy for Operable Colon Cancer: Mature Results of an International Randomized Controlled Trial (open access) Journal of Clinical Oncology
• New treatment strategy cuts risk of bowel cancer returning by 28% The Guardian
• Bowel cancer breakthrough as chemotherapy before surgery ‘cuts risk of return’ The Independent