Most vulnerable in Northamptonshire invited to book Covid-19 Spring jabs

Most vulnerable in Northamptonshire invited to book Covid-19 Spring jabs Thousands of the most vulnerable people in Northamptonshire are being invited to top-up their protection from coronavirus and book a Spring Covid-19 vaccine from today (Wednesday, April 5).

Eligible groups for Spring Covid-19 jabs include residents in care homes for older people, people who are 75 and over and adults and children (aged five and over) with a weakened immune system. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Retaining NHS nurses: what do trends in staff turnover tell us?

Retaining NHS nurses: what do trends in staff turnover tell us? Nurse shortages are a key contributor to NHS workforce shortages. Registered nurse posts consistently account for more than a third of all full-time equivalent vacancies in NHS trusts in England.

Understanding how the NHS competes for nurses is crucial for better workforce planning and pay determination. In this analysis we examine the movement of employees into and out of the NHS nurse labour market in England between 2011/12 and 2021/22. The Health Foundation

Vacancy rates reach 23% in speech and language therapy

Vacancy rates reach 23% in speech and language therapy In January 2023 we asked managers of speech and language therapy services to tell us about vacancy rates and recruitment issues both in the NHS and the independent sector.

The results paint a shocking picture with the average vacancy rate reaching 23% across the UK. Of the managers who responded, 96% managing children’s services and 90% managing adult services said recruitment is more or much more challenging than at any time in the last three years. This is pan-sector with vacancies just as high, if not higher, in non-NHS services. Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy

See also:

• Survey finds ‘alarming’ number of vacancies in speech and language therapy Evening Standard

Independent report: Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems

Independent report: Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems The review set out to consider the oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs). Each ICS has an integrated care board (ICB), a statutory organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in the ICS area. ICBs include representatives from local authorities, primary care and NHS trusts and foundation trusts.

The review covered ICSs in England and the NHS targets and priorities for which ICBs are accountable, including those set out in the government’s mandate to NHS England.

The government is now considering the recommendations made by the review. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Findings of independent review of ICSs published Department of Health and Social Care
• GPs must be central to discussions about the future of general practice BMA
• Hewitt calls for 10-year capital plan and payment system review Healthcare Financial Management Association 
• LGA response to the Hewitt Review of ICS accountability and autonomy Local Government Association
• NHS Confederation responds to the Hewitt Review NHS Confederation
• Hewitt review: what you need to know NHS Confederation
• NHS Providers responds to the Hewitt Review NHS Providers
• On the day briefing: The Hewitt Review NHS Providers
• RCN responds to Hewitt Review Royal College of Nursing
• RPS England responds to Hewitt Review Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Raft of NHS targets should be axed and best-performing bosses given more freedom to improve ailing £150bn-a-year service, Government-ordered review states The Daily Mail
• The NHS review asks the wrong questions The Daily Telegraph
• NHS leaders broadly welcome Patricia Hewitt’s review of healthcare Evening Standard
• How to read between the lines of the Hewitt review Health Service Journal
• NHS leaders broadly welcome Patricia Hewitt’s review of healthcare The Independent
• Hewitt: align council and NHS budgets to help ICSs unlock potential Local Government Chronicle
• Hewitt recommendations for general practice contract reform Pulse

Next steps to put people at the heart of care: a plan for adult social care system reform 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025

Next steps to put people at the heart of care: a plan for adult social care system reform 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 This document sets out how the government proposes to make sure adult social care is of outstanding quality, personalised and accessible. It details how £700 million will be spent, including investment in: improved access to care and support; recognising skills for careers in care; driving digitisation and technology adoption; data and local authority oversight; support to enable people to remain independent at home; encouraging innovation and improvement; and joining up services to support people and carers. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Government sets out next steps to support social care Department of Health and Social Care
• Funding changes signal an end to the government’s ambitious social care reform package Institute for Government
• Health Foundation response to social care plan The Health Foundation
• The King’s Fund responds to government social care reform package The King's Fund
• NHS Confederation responds to cut to funding for social care training NHS Confederation
• NHS Providers responds to social care workforce funding cut NHS Providers
• Government roll back on funding for social care a disgrace The Patients Association
• Government halves promised social care funding Royal College of Physicians
• Cuts to social care reform funding are a betrayal Nuffield Trust
• Fund for social care workforce has halved, ministers confirm The Daily Telegraph
• Adult social care budget cut ‘deeply disappointing’ Local Government Chronicle
• Charities accuse government of halving social care funding pledge Sky News

Rare tick disease found in England

Rare tick disease found in England A virus carried by ticks, which is common in many parts of the world, is now present in the UK and health officials are reminding the public how to avoid bites from the tiny bugs.

They say the risk of tick-borne encephalitis is very low - only one person is confirmed to have been infected in England so far, last year.

But the tick species which carries the virus is widespread in the UK.

Most people do not develop symptoms but swelling to the brain is possible. BBC News

See also:

• Tick-borne encephalitis detection in England UK Health Security Agency
• HAIRS risk assessment: tick-borne encephalitis UK Health Security Agency
• Tick bite risks and prevention of Lyme disease: resources UK Health Security Agency
• Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) NHS UK
• Deadly virus from tick bites that causes flu-like symptoms found in three patients in the UK The Daily Mail
• Hikers urged to check themselves for ticks after deadly virus found in UK The Guardian
• Tick-Borne Encephalitis Has Arrived In England. Should You Worry? Huffington Post UK
• Warning as deadly tick-borne virus detected in several areas in England The Independent
• Tick-borne virus detected in several areas in England, UKHSA warns Sky News

'Major moment in MS research' as new Octopus trial starts

'Major moment in MS research' as new Octopus trial starts Ailsa, now 47, is taking part in a groundbreaking new trial, which is looking into whether existing drugs can be repurposed to help slow MS progression.

The way it is designed means several drugs can be tried at the same time, and more can be added or dropped as results emerge.

The Octopus trial - so-called because it is a multi-arm, multi-stage trial - is being run by Prof Jeremy Chataway, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery UCLH in London, with £13m in funding from the UK's MS Society.

A similar trial design has been used to test drugs for prostate cancer and Covid. BBC News

Short works breaks do not prevent mental fatigue or increase efficiency – study

Short works breaks do not prevent mental fatigue or increase efficiency – study Stopping for tea breaks while at work does nothing to make people more efficient or prevent them from feeling tired, research suggests.

A study that simulated an office day – with tasks involving attention, concentration, learning, and memory – showed that healthy men who took a 10-minute break every 50 minutes were more likely to experience mental exhaustion. The Independent

See also:

• Regular short-duration breaks do not prevent mental fatigue and decline in cognitive efficiency in healthy young men during an office-like simulated mental working day: An EEG study (abstract) International Journal of Psychophysiology

NHS trust warned doctors on visas who chose to strike will be reported to BORDER FORCE

NHS trust warned doctors on visas who chose to strike will be reported to BORDER FORCE An NHS trust has sparked fury after warning that immigrant doctors who take to picket lines could be referred to Border Force. 

An unnamed medic at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust messaged staff to warn that any medic on a work visa who strikes would have their 'absence' reported to the Home Office — which could make any future visa renewals 'problematic'. 

The message, which was circulated on social media, drew the ire of junior medics and the British Medical Association (BMA), which said it 'will unnecessarily instil fear and doubt' among doctors. The Daily Mail

See also:

• BMA reassures international doctors of their right to strike BMA
• We’re always fully supportive of everyone’s right to strike without judgement, fear or consequence (Twitter) Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
• London NHS trust criticised after warning to striking staff on visas BBC News
• London NHS trust apologises after striking doctors warned they will be reported to Border Force Evening Standard
• Critically ill patients ‘will inevitably die’ due to junior doctors’ strike The Guardian
• As a cardiac surgeon, I am extremely concerned about risks of delaying surgery by strikes The Guardian
• Striking migrant doctors received WhatsApp warning them they’d be reported to Border Force iNews

GPs working long hours are up to 5 times more likely to prescribe opioids and antibiotics

GPs working long hours are up to 5 times more likely to prescribe opioids and antibiotics GPs working long hours are up to five times more likely to prescribe high levels of opioids and antibiotics, a study found.

Those experiencing signs of burnout such as emotional exhaustion, feeling detached from colleagues and patients and lower job satisfaction were more likely to overprescribe medications.

This was particularly true in more deprived areas, according to the government-backed study. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The association of strong opioids and antibiotics prescribing with general practitioner burnout (open access) British Journal of General Practice