Tuesday 14 February 2023

Exciting new phase for 'crisis houses' in Northamptonshire

Exciting new phase for 'crisis houses' in Northamptonshire New sensory garden for people with autism among plans being unveiled.

Just a few days after the Prime Minister described Northamptonshire’s mental health services as “trailblazing”, exciting plans have been unveiled to transform the county’s innovative ‘crisis houses’. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Trusts' chair to leave amid CEO instability

Trusts' chair to leave amid CEO instability The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group – which covers Northampton General Hospital Trust and Kettering General Hospital Foundation Trust – today confirmed Alan Burns would not extend his term of office, which ends on 31 March. Health Service Journal

Tech transformation disrupts leadership styles

Tech transformation disrupts leadership styles Digital technologies are transforming the NHS and social care, changing how care is accessed, provided and experienced, by both patients and staff, and the effectiveness of services. Leaders have an important part to play in creating the conditions in which digital technologies to be effectively implemented and used, but this requires a significant change in leadership behaviours. The King's Fund

10 steps hospitals can take to tackle ethnic inequalities in elective waiting lists

10 steps hospitals can take to tackle ethnic inequalities in elective waiting lists Across England, hospital activity continues to be seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with large falls in routine care resulting in millions of patients now subject to vast backlogs. Data analysis shows people from Asian groups faced larger falls in planned hospital care – both before and during the pandemic – than people from White, Black or Mixed ethnic groups. This infographic resource, designed in collaboration with the Nuffield Trust, aims to support the healthcare system by highlighting ten key ways to tackle these disparities, and to take practical actions to address the ethnicity gap in care provision. NHS Race & Health Observatory

    Long Covid & employment

    Long Covid & employment This report calls on government to introduce guidance for employers on long Covid alongside a compensation scheme for frontline workers. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus

      Delayed hospital discharges and adult social care

      Delayed hospital discharges and adult social care This explainer sets out what the government is doing to reduce the number of people staying in hospital longer than necessary. House of Commons Library

      One-stop-shops for testing deliver over 3 million potentially lifesaving checks, tests and scans

      One-stop-shops for testing deliver over 3 million potentially lifesaving checks, tests and scans Tens of thousands of patients across the country will benefit from quicker access to tests, with 19 new community diagnostic centres which will perform 1.1 million tests, checks and scans every year set to open later this year. Department of Health and Social Care

      Hospitals in England with worst A&E waits revealed

      Hospitals in England with worst A&E waits revealed A&E waiting times have deteriorated so much this winter that at some hospitals in England more than half of patients have had to wait more than four hours.

      BBC analysis of data for December and January shows Hull University Hospitals, Wye Valley and Shrewsbury and Telford were worst for A&E waits.

      The best trust out of the 107 providing data, Northumbria Healthcare, had fewer than 10% waiting more than four hours.

      NHS England said plans were being put in place to support struggling trusts. BBC News

      Watford General Hospital recorded 50 times birth gas legal limit

      Watford General Hospital recorded 50 times birth gas legal limit Nitrous oxide levels on Watford General Hospital's maternity suite far exceeded legal limits during peak periods, a BBC investigation has found.

      In February 2022, air monitoring showed levels of almost 5,000 parts per million (ppm) - 50 times what is safe.

      The hospital's trust said it had since installed machines to remove the gas. BBC News

      One in three women with female health conditions forced to wait three years for diagnosis

      One in three women with female health conditions forced to wait three years for diagnosis A third of those with a women’s health condition have been made to wait three years or longer for a diagnosis, damning new research has revealed.

      The same study found half of those women took a year or more to be given their diagnosis.

      Gynaecologists told The Independent delays are harming women’s mental health and placing their physical health at risk.

      See also:

      'Abused and exhausted': 90% of junior doctors say mental health has worsened

      'Abused and exhausted': 90% of junior doctors say mental health has worsened A survey carried out by ITV News has shown that 90% of junior doctors say work has worsened their mental health.

      NHS pressures aren’t just impacting patients' physical health, they’re affecting doctors’ mental health too.

      According to a survey carried out on behalf of ITV News, many feel burnt out, demoralised and some are even driven to have suicidal thoughts.

      More than half said last year was worse for their mental health than either of the pandemic years.

      See also:

      Healthcare staff shortages fuelling near-record job vacancies across UK economy

      Healthcare staff shortages fuelling near-record job vacancies across UK economy Shortages of healthcare workers are fuelling near-record numbers of job vacancies across the UK economy, with the lack of nurses, carers and other staff serving as the biggest recruitment challenge in almost every local authority area.

      According to analysis by the Office for National Statistics, more than one in 10 job vacancies posted online in December were in healthcare – more than any sector across the economy. The Guardian

      Patients in England not collecting NHS prescriptions because of cost

      Patients in England not collecting NHS prescriptions because of cost Rising numbers of patients in England are failing to collect their medicines or asking pharmacists which ones they can “do without” because they cannot afford prescription charges, a survey shows.

      NHS prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England there are exemptions for certain items, medical conditions and specific parts of the population, but most adults have to pay. The current prescription charge is £9.35 an item. The Guardian

      See also:

      How 'virtual wards' may only be staffed 12 hours a day

      How 'virtual wards' may only be staffed 12 hours a day 'Virtual wards' designed to relieve pressure on the NHS may backfire as some are only staffed 12 hours a day, a senior doctor has warned.

      The system works by giving patients devices to monitor vital signs like blood pressure at home, with readings sent to their doctors via a smartphone app, freeing up hospital beds.

      But some of the 'wards' are only staffed 12 hours a day, with patients told to call 111 or 999 for help at other times, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The Daily Mail

      Covid booster jabs END for under-50s - so how many have ever been jabbed in your area?

      Covid booster jabs END for under-50s - so how many have ever been jabbed in your area? Just a third of people in some English neighbourhoods have ever had a Covid jab, MailOnline can reveal.

      Approximately 13million people across the nation have still never been vaccinated against the virus — despite the historic programme having opened over two years ago.

      It comes as the multi-billion pound immunisation drive starts to be wound down as the country settles further into post-pandemic life. The Daily Mail