The hospital food served up in Northamptonshire that's among the best in UK

The hospital food served up in Northamptonshire that's among the best in UK This is the hospital food served up in Northamptonshire that is among the best in the UK. In 2022, Kerrey Healey and Natasha Day from Cafe Vie, Isebrook Hospital, in Wellingborough, were named among the best chefs in England.

They were crowned regional winners of NHS Chef of the Year 2022 after wowing the judges with their Vegan Rainbow spring rolls, stuffed chicken Ballotine served with mashed potato and roasted cherry tomatoes. Northants Live

NHS mental health services: what's changed?

NHS mental health services: what's changed? A deterioration in mental health in England during 2020 and 2021 drew attention to how mental health in the country has worsened over time. So how has that affected the NHS? 

In this QualityWatch blog, Stuti Bagri looks at how referrals to mental health services have changed, whether psychological treatment is meeting people’s needs, and the changes there have been in the use of medication. The Nuffield Trust

Stressed and overworked: What the Commonwealth Fund’s 2022 International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians in 10 Countries means for the UK

Stressed and overworked: What the Commonwealth Fund’s 2022 International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians in 10 Countries means for the UK GPs in the UK are under extreme strain and public satisfaction with general practice has plummeted. Pressures on general practice are not unique to the UK and GPs around the world are contending with the impact of the pandemic on their patients and working lives.

The 2022 Commonwealth Fund survey compares perspectives from GPs across 10 high‑income countries. The survey asked GPs’ views about their working lives and wellbeing, quality of care and how services are delivered. We analysed the survey data to understand the experiences of GPs in the UK and how they compare to other countries. The Health Foundation 

See also:

• UK GPs suffering unsustainable workplace pressures The Health Foundation
• Health Foundation report reveals ‘sorry state of affairs’ facing UK general practice Royal College of General Practitioners
• UK GPs are more stressed than international peers, analysis shows The BMJ
• Extreme pressure leaves UK GPs among most stressed and least satisfied GPonline
• UK GPs have the highest stress levels, finds survey of 10 countries’ doctors The Guardian
• UK GPs among the ‘most stressed’ and ‘least satisfied’, finds international study Pulse

Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers

Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers Deep-dive analysis of experiences of 2,693 new mothers and birthing parents shows that six-week postnatal checks – required of GPs in England - are failing many new mothers. 

The analysis suggests that not all GP practices comply with the requirement to provide six to eight-week postnatal checks. And where those checks take place, it is not clear that GP practices are aware of NICE guidance which tells them in detail how to spot mental health problems and provide help. Healthwatch

See also:

• GPs 'are treating key check-ups for new mothers as a box ticking exercise', study suggests The Daily Mail
• Key appointment for new mothers treated as ‘tick box exercise’, group warns The Independent
• Postnatal checks are 'failing' new mothers, says patient group Metro

Exploring adult social care funding and delayed discharge

Exploring adult social care funding and delayed discharge This briefing sets out detail and commentary on the funding announced for adult social care in the 2022 Autumn Statement. It does so in the important context of delayed discharge, offering joint Local Government Association and NHS Confederation illustrative thinking on the kind of actions that could be taken to help address immediate pressures in hospitals. NHS Confederation

See also:

• Demand for adult social care hits record high while support from local authorities drops The King's Fund

Government sets out strategy to protect NHS from cyber attacks

Government sets out strategy to protect NHS from cyber attacks Patients will benefit from bolstered protection to the nation’s health and adult social care services as a new cyber security strategy for England is published today.

The Cyber Security Strategy for Health and Adult Social Care sets out a plan to promote cyber resilience across the sector by 2030, protecting services and the patients they support. Department of Health and Social Care

Progestogen-only pill breast cancer risk revealed

Progestogen-only pill breast cancer risk revealed Taking a progestogen-only 'mini pill' carries a small risk of breast cancer - similar to combined oral contraceptive pills, say researchers.

The study, in PLoS Medicine journal, is one of the first big ones able to assess the odds for users of this type of birth control.

It shows a tiny risk, skewed towards older users, which goes away within a few years of stopping the medication.

On the flip side the pills protect against some other female cancers. BBC News

See also:

• Combined and progestagen-only hormonal contraceptives and breast cancer risk: A UK nested case–control study and meta-analysis (open access) PLoS Medicine
• Progestogen-only pill carries SAME 20% heightened risk of breast cancer as traditional version The Daily Mail
• Hormonal contraceptives linked to increased breast cancer risk, study finds The Independent

A CDC warning and a fungus spreading: Everything we know about the deadly candida auris

A CDC warning and a fungus spreading: Everything we know about the deadly candida auris A drug-resistant form of fungus is currently spreading through US healthcare facilities and causing alarm, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned.

Candida auris or C. auris is a type of yeast that can pose a potentially deadly threat to people with weakened immune systems if it enters the bloodstream and spreads through the body, according to the CDC, with between 30 per cent and 60 per cent of people who get sick in this way dying of their infections. The Independent

See also:

• Candida auris Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Candida auris fungal infections spreading in US at 'alarming' rate, says CDC BBC News
• Interactive map reveals America's Candida auris hotspots The Daily Mail
• Candida auris: Potentially deadly fungus spreading through US at ‘dramatic’ rate Evening Standard
• Candida auris: deadly fungal infections spreading across US at ‘worrisome’ rate The Guardian
• 'Worrisome' deadly fungus spreading through US at alarming rate Sky News
• Rise of deadly fungus spotlights hospital infection-control challenges Washington Post

Cuts to cycling and walking budget in England ‘will cost £2bn in long term’

Cuts to cycling and walking budget in England ‘will cost £2bn in long term’ The government’s decision this month to slash the budget for cycling and walking in England by more than 50% could cost more than £2bn in the long term through its impact on public health and the wider economy, a Labour analysis has estimated.

The £380m cut to the active travel budget in the current spending review, which has two more years to run, has already been condemned by campaign groups as short-sighted and damaging. The Guardian

Length of doctors' training should be slashed from seven years to fix staffing crisis, says NHS boss

Length of doctors' training should be slashed from seven years to fix staffing crisis, says NHS boss The time it takes to qualify as a doctor should be slashed to plug staffing gaps, the chairman of NHS England has said.

Richard Meddings suggested new medics were over-qualified after seven years of training because 'most' did not get to use their full skills on the job.

The former banker, who took up his role a year ago, said the NHS has fewer doctors and nurses than other developed countries. The Daily Mail

Full report linking Covid's origins to raccoon dogs in wet market is revealed

Full report linking Covid's origins to raccoon dogs in wet market is revealed Scientists have released the full report that made headlines last week linking Covid's origins to raccoon dogs sold at an infamous wet market in Wuhan.

The paper, which has not been peer-reviewed and was published online Monday, suggests the fox-like mammals sold at the slaughter market were carrying Covid at the end of 2019. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Genetic evidence of susceptible wildlife in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples at the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, Wuhan: Analysis and interpretation of data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control (open access preprint) Zenodo
• New study reveals the Covid origins data that China suppressed The Daily Telegraph
• COVID-origins study links raccoon dogs to Wuhan market: what scientists think Nature
• Chinese COVID data from animal market gives clues on origins of virus, scientists say Sky News

Children with eczema 'should not be offered bath emollients on the NHS

Children with eczema 'should not be offered bath emollients on the NHS Children with eczema should not be offered bath emollients on the NHS, according to new guidance.

Watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it had reviewed the evidence and concluded that bath emollients are not clinically or cost effective. Evening Standard

See also:

• Atopic eczema in under 12s: diagnosis and management (update) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• NICE advises against bath emollients for children with eczema GPonline

Google makes bid to throw out High Court claim over NHS medical record transfer

Google makes bid to throw out High Court claim over NHS medical record transfer Google has made a bid to throw out a High Court claim brought on behalf of around 1.6 million people about the transfer of their medical records by an NHS trust.

The software giant and its artificial intelligence arm DeepMind are facing legal action over the transfer of patient data by the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust in October 2015. Evening Standard

See also:

• Google makes bid to throw out High Court claim over NHS medical record transfer The Independent
• Google asks London court to throw out lawsuit over medical records Reuters