Striking junior doctors in Northampton want talks over pay

Striking junior doctors in Northampton want talks over pay Junior doctors at the beginning of a four-day walkout said they hoped it would prompt talks between their union and the health secretary.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has asked for a 35% pay rise, but Steve Barclay said this was "unreasonable".

Striking doctor Katy McDowall, a specialist registrar in maternity at Northampton General Hospital, said pay rates meant the NHS found it "really difficult retain staff".

Northampton General Hospital (NGH) said there would be "some disruption" and it would prioritise urgent care. BBC Northampton 

See also:

• NHS faces most significant strikes ever NHS Confederation
• Emergency care to be prioritised during most disruptive industrial action in history NHS England
• All hands on deck as trusts call for talks to end strikes NHS Providers
• Junior-doctors' strike: Cancer survivor's anguish over cancelled op BBC News
• Ipswich and Colchester hospitals boss urges quick solution to doctors' row BBC News
• Singing strikers on the junior doctors' picket lines BBC News
• It will take ‘some weeks’ to recover from backlog caused by junior doctors strikes, NHS Confederation says Channel 4 News
• We're junior doctors who are striking this week... these are our reasons why The Daily Mail
• Hard Left union leader behind the most disruptive NHS strike in history goes on HOLIDAY The Daily Mail
• Fears junior doctor dispute that has crippled the NHS could drag on for months The Daily Mail
• The junior doctors’ strike is a defining point in the collapse of the NHS The Daily Telegraph
• Junior doctors’ union asks Acas to help end strikes deadlock The Guardian
• Junior doctors’ strike: hospitals ‘worried about overnight patient safety’ The Guardian
• I’ll tell you why junior doctors are striking: things are so unsafe we have no choice The Guardian
• ‘Joining the picket line is a last stand’: junior doctors on the four-day strike The Guardian
• Sunak tells striking doctors: Withdraw your ‘unreasonable’ 35% pay demand if you want a deal The Independent
• Junior doctors’ strike enters second day ITV News
• Why junior doctors feel it is necessary to strike as the NHS faces a pivotal week Sky News

Effectively embedding digital in your trust

Effectively embedding digital in your trust This guide, prepared with Public Digital as part of the Digital Boards programme, highlights key learnings from the programme's previous six leadership guides. It covers insights from NHS board leaders on a range of topics, including: digital leadership – understanding the role of the board; building and enabling digital teams; creating an effective digital strategy; making technology decisions; digital delivery; and optimising electronic patient record systems (EPR). NHS Providers

Learning disabilities: policies to reduce inpatient care

Learning disabilities: policies to reduce inpatient care Around 1.5 million people in England have a learning disability. The Government and NHS England are working to reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and have established national programmes to improve care and outcomes.

This briefing outlines health policies aimed at reducing inpatient care for people with a learning disability. House of Commons Library

A national framework to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways: guidance for integrated care boards

A national framework to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways: guidance for integrated care boards This national framework sets out the principles that should underpin the planning, design and delivery of an autism assessment pathway that works for everyone irrespective of where they live, their background, age, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexuality, disability, or health conditions. Implementation of this national framework will include taking actions to reduce known sources of health inequality that exist in access to, or experiences of, an autism assessment across England. NHS England

Record doctors and nurses working in the NHS helping to cut waiting lists

Record doctors and nurses working in the NHS helping to cut waiting lists There are record numbers of doctors and nurses working in the NHS in England helping to deliver extra appointments, speed up diagnoses and cut waiting lists, according to the latest stats.

Data published today by NHS Digital shows in January 2023 there were almost 1.27 million full-time equivalent staff working in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England - over 48,700 more people compared to a year ago, an increase of 4%. Department of Health and Social Care

NHS drop-out rate an accident waiting to happen, says surgeon

NHS drop-out rate an accident waiting to happen, says surgeon A leading surgeon says a major drop-out rate of trainee doctors is "an accident waiting to happen" for the NHS.

Nigel Mercer was tasked with prioritising surgery across the NHS during the pandemic when services were under intense pressure.

His biggest fear with what he sees as an up to 40% drop-out rate is whether there will be enough doctors to replace his generation of medics.

The government said the majority of trainees go on to work in the NHS. BBC News

Parkinson's disease device trial at Addenbrooke's Hospital

Parkinson's disease device trial at Addenbrooke's Hospital A device that could potentially improve the mobility of people with Parkinson's disease is being trialled on inpatients at a Cambridge hospital.

The CUE1, worn on the sternum of the chest, delivers vibration and pulses intended to improve motor skills and alleviate stiffness.

It is hoped the device, being trialled at Addenbrooke's Hospital, will also reduce falls. BBC News

Over 1,600 ‘sexual safety incidents’ in one 59-bed children’s hospital

Over 1,600 ‘sexual safety incidents’ in one 59-bed children’s hospital A single children’s mental health hospital with just 59 beds reported more than 1,600 “sexual safety incidents” in four years, shocking NHS figures reveal.

Huntercombe Hospital in Maidenhead was responsible for more than half of the sex-related investigations reported in the 209 children’s mental health units across the country. The Independent

Covid no longer: Leading cause of death in England and Wales revealed

Covid no longer: Leading cause of death in England and Wales revealed Covid-19 has dropped out of the top five leading causes of death in England and Wales for the first time since the start of the pandemic, figures show.

Coronavirus was recorded as the main cause of death for 22,454 people in 2022, or 3.9% of all deaths registered, making it the sixth leading cause overall. The Independent

Hugely contentious study that claimed Covid jabs have killed 280,000 people in the US gets pulled

Hugely contentious study that claimed Covid jabs have killed 280,000 people in the US gets pulled The publisher of some of the world's most prestigious scientific journals has today sensationally retracted a study that wrongly claimed Covid vaccines have killed up to 280,000 people across the US. 

The bombshell estimate was jumped on by anti-vaxx groups across the planet, who demanded roll-outs across the world were urgently suspended.

Springer Nature has now taken the rare step of retracting the paper, more than three months after it was initially published in one of its underling journals. The Daily Mail

See also:

• RETRACTED ARTICLE: The role of social circle COVID-19 illness and vaccination experiences in COVID-19 vaccination decisions: an online survey of the United States population (open access) BMC Infectious Diseases