Cransley Hospice Kettering timeline stone marks 25 years of care at heart of the community and launches celebration year

Cransley Hospice Kettering timeline stone marks 25 years of care at heart of the community and launches celebration year Cransley Hospice has been guaranteed its own place in the history of Kettering after a stone marking the charity’s foundation was unveiled in the town.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of Cransley Hospice based at St Mary’s Hospital, a carved stone has been added to the Kettering Timeline.

Rev Dr John Smith, Cransley Hospice founder, who launched the specialist facility 25 years ago, was special guest at the ceremony. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• PICTURE SPECIAL - Looking back at the first 25 years of Kettering's Cransley Hospice Northamptonshire Telegraph

Independent health care and the NHS

Independent health care and the NHS Discussion around the role of the independent sector in providing health care often focuses on the ‘privatisation’ of the NHS.

Private providers have always played a role in the NHS, and while there was a small increase in NHS expenditure on independent sector providers following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, it has flatlined at a lower level since. The King's Fund

When will the government and national agencies act to ensure that ethnicity coding in health records is fit for purpose?

When will the government and national agencies act to ensure that ethnicity coding in health records is fit for purpose? All governments in recent decades have committed to reducing health inequalities, including among ethnic minority groups. The pandemic’s disproportionate impact on ethnic minority communities highlighted the critical importance of being able to measure health care need, use and outcomes among ethnic minority groups, in order to both mitigate the impact of Covid-19 and address ethnic disparities in health more generally.

The analyses and research that followed illustrated the power of data to inform health strategies designed to protect and improve health. However, the caveat of poor quality of ethnicity coding in health records has been a constant theme, pre-dating the pandemic, requiring analysts to adjust for coding flaws prior to analysis or making do with sub-standard data quality. The King's Fund

See also:

• Understanding consistency of ethnicity data recorded in health-related administrative datasets in England: 2011 to 2021 Office for National Statistics

Can mental health services afford the cost-of-living crisis?

Can mental health services afford the cost-of-living crisis? While the recent extra funding to mental health crisis services is welcomed to help mental health services address the immense pressures the cost-of-living crisis is having on the mental health of England's population, this is short-term thinking. The mental health sector need governmental support to move to preventative approaches. NHS Confederation

The future of pharmacy: manifesto report

The future of pharmacy: manifesto report This report calls for urgent action to deliver on the potential of pharmacy teams and relieve significant funding and workforce pressures. It highlights the need for a new “strategic vision” for pharmacy and highlights opportunities for the pharmacy network to be empowered to deliver even more for patients. However, the manifesto also underlines the very real risk that this opportunity may be lost if significant and ongoing pressures are not addressed. All-Party Pharmacy Group

Care and support reimagined: a national care covenant for England

Care and support reimagined: a national care covenant for England This report sets out three actions to realise a new vision for care and support: rethinking attitudes to care and support; rebalancing roles and responsibilities; and redesigning the social care system. The Commission, which was launched by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in April 2021, calls for a National Care Covenant, developed through national dialogue, which sets out the roles and responsibilities of government, communities, families and individuals. Key elements of the covenant proposed by the Commission are: investment in communities; a stronger role for the state; a new deal for unpaid carers; and a commitment to our responsibilities as actively engaged citizens. Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care

See also:

• Urgent need to reclaim momentum on social care reform Nuffield Trust

NHS urges women to book a cervical screening as a third don’t take up vital offer

NHS urges women to book a cervical screening as a third don’t take up vital offer The NHS has issued a call for anyone eligible for cervical screening to come forward for a potentially life-saving appointment, with nearly a third, around 4.6 million, not taking up their latest test.

The plea from senior NHS medics comes on the back of the health service sending a record number of invites for cervical screening in the last year, as part of its ambition to eradicate the cancer through a combination of vaccination and early identification.

More than five million invites were sent in the last full year (2021/22) – up by over a tenth (10.5%) on pre-pandemic levels. NHS England

See also:

• Smear tests: GP waiting times putting women off cervical screening BBC News
• 4.6m women in England have missed cervical screening test GPonline

Dreaded Covid-flu twindemic cost NHS this winter

Dreaded Covid-flu twindemic cost NHS this winter Simultaneous big waves of Covid and flu - the 'twindemic' experts warned of as people returned to 'normal' pre-pandemic mixing - cost the NHS this winter, say NHS bosses.

NHS England chief strategy officer Chris Hopson said hospital pressures in England peaked on 29 December.

The workload involved gave hospitals a "significant problem" at the turn of the year, he said.

It was at this point that record-long waits at A&E were seen.

Since then the pressures have begun to ease a little. BBC News

NHS racism shame: One in three Black and minority ethnic staff face discrimination or bullying

NHS racism shame: One in three Black and minority ethnic staff face discrimination or bullying A third of Black and ethnic minority health staff have suffered racism or bullying as the NHS fails to address “systemic” levels of discrimination, The Independent can reveal.

Levels of bullying and harassment of minority workers have not improved in the past five years with almost 30 per cent saying they have been targeted in the past year, compared to 20 per cent of white staff.

Despite being one-quarter of the workforce, minority ethnic staff make up just 10 per cent of the most senior positions, the NHS’s flagship report is set to reveal.

Women in low-income households are less likely to receive the health care they need

Women in low-income households are less likely to receive the health care they need A study of 10,650 females in the UK found those with a combined household income of up to £25,000 per annum are less health literate and are less likely to attend health screenings or vaccination invitations.

In fact, one in 10 have never had health issues such as blood pressure or cervical cancer checked, compared to just five per cent of those in a household earning more than £40,000 per annum. The Independent

Biggest strike day in NHS history will be 'difficult', chief warns

Biggest strike day in NHS history will be 'difficult', chief warns The biggest strike in the history of the NHS will be a “difficult” day, a senior health service leader has warned, as a top emergency doctor described ongoing chaos in A&E departments.

Chris Hopson, chief strategy officer for NHS England, said that combined action on February 6 is a “step change” in the dispute. Evening Standard

See also:

• Striking doctors ‘angry, burned out and demoralised’ - with ‘no light at end of tunnel' The Express
• A&Es ‘haemorrhaging’ nurses as strikes to hit services hard, health chiefs warn The Independent

NHS: What a 12-hour paramedic shift is really like

NHS: What a 12-hour paramedic shift is really like Ambulance response times are the worst on record and the NHS is struggling to cope with a surge in demand this winter.

Sky News joined West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Danny Thompson and ambulance technician Dan Fiedler for a 12-hour shift.

Parents still waiting for food vouchers after NHS scheme beset by IT problems

Parents still waiting for food vouchers after NHS scheme beset by IT problems Struggling parents are having to wait more than a year for vouchers to buy healthy food for their children after the relaunch of an NHS scheme was plagued by IT problems.

The Healthy Start scheme, which helps low-income parents and pregnant women pay for fruit, vegetables, milk and formula, has been misfiring since it began the switch away from paper vouchers in October 2021. As it moved from a paper coupon format to a prepaid card system, parents who had been using the old scheme were rejected for the new one without explanation. The Guardian

Massive spike in excess deaths sparks calls for an 'urgent investigation'

Massive spike in excess deaths sparks calls for an 'urgent investigation' MPs have called for an urgent investigation into Britain's soaring death rates as thousands more people than usual are dying each week.

Some 17,381 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the seven days to January 13 – 2,837 above average for the time of year.

This is the highest number of excess deaths since 3,429 in the week to February 12, 2021, when the UK was experiencing its second wave of Covid-19 infections and vaccination had only just begun. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 13 January 2023 Office for National Statistics
• The King's Fund responds to the latest ONS mortality data The King's Fund
• Deaths nearly 20% higher than normal amid NHS crisis Evening Standard

Now the NHS eyes up robots to help clear Covid backlogs

Now the NHS eyes up robots to help clear Covid backlogs Robots will have the power to decide patient priority in the NHS after they are employed by the service to help clear the backlog of waiting lists.

Automated calls will be used by the health service to assess people waiting for operations and prioritise their urgency to speed up the handling of referrals.

The plan could see more than 100,000 NHS workers being trained in coding and boy creation to reduce the bureaucratic burden. The Daily Mail