Northampton: Autistic woman praises 'amazing' crisis house renovation

Northampton: Autistic woman praises 'amazing' crisis house renovation A woman who is autistic says a renovated crisis house that she helped design is "amazing".

Northamptonshire Health NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) has refurbished The Warren in Northampton and The Martin in Rushden to provide more facilities for people who are autistic.

Kirsty Pope and another service user chose new colours and sensory lighting at The Warren.

The work includes a new sensory garden for the site in Northampton. BBC Northampton

Delapré Wellbeing partnership programme shortlisted for national award

Delapré Wellbeing partnership programme shortlisted for national award The partnership programme designed to support people across Northampton make positive choices to take control over their health and wellbeing has been shortlisted for ‘Partnership of the Year’ in the Museums + Heritage Awards 2023.

Delapré Wellbeing partnership was created during the pandemic by local organisations across the town. Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust in partnership with Action for Happiness Northamptonshire, The General Practice Alliance Federation, Northampton Leisure Trust, Northamptonshire Sport, and the University of Northampton have worked together over the past year to put communities at the heart of public health. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Striking images: What caused the NHS crisis and can it be fixed?

Striking images: What caused the NHS crisis and can it be fixed? From unsolved pay disputes to record backlogs, abandoned social care reforms and now accusations of sexual harassment of female surgeons, finding a good news story about health and care services in the UK is nigh on impossible.

So just how bad is the crisis facing the NHS? Who, or what, can be blamed for the pile-up of problems? And is there any way that Rishi Sunak – or maybe Keir Starmer – can fix the crisis? Podcast from Institute for Government

Delaying second doses of vaccine reduced COVID-19 hospitalisations and deaths

Delaying second doses of vaccine reduced COVID-19 hospitalisations and deaths Delaying people’s second COVID-19 vaccine dose likely prevented tens of thousands of hospitalisations and thousands of deaths in England.

These are the findings of a retrospective analysis from the Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team which aimed to quantify the impact of delaying the delivery of second vaccine doses on the epidemic in England.

Their analysis estimates that this may have prevented an average of 58,000 hospital admissions and 10,000 deaths between 8th December 2020 and 13th September 2021. Imperial College London

See also:

• Quantifying the effect of delaying the second COVID-19 vaccine dose in England: a mathematical modelling study (open access) The Lancet Public Health

Troubled hospital trust given warning about staffing levels

Troubled hospital trust given warning about staffing levels A troubled hospital trust, blighted by reports of bullying, has been issued a warning about staffing levels at one of its hospitals.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an unannounced inspection at Good Hope in Sutton Coldfield.

Heartlands Hospital, also part of University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), was also inspected amid concerns about children's services.

The trust said it fully accepted the inspectors' findings. BBC News

See also:

• Good Hope Hospital Care Quality Commission
• Warning to Good Hope Hospital over unsafe staff shortages which saw one nurse caring for 26 patients Birmingham Live
• Patients left waiting on trolleys for four days due to 'unsafe' staffing levels, report finds The Independent
• Birmingham NHS Trust handed warning notice for staffing levels ITV News

NHS criticised for sending patients to children's hospital despite 1,600 ‘sexual safety incidents’

NHS criticised for sending patients to children's hospital despite 1,600 ‘sexual safety incidents’ The NHS has been criticised for sending vulnerable patients to a children’s hospital despite receiving reports of more than 1,600 “sexual safety incidents” at the 59-bed unit.

A series of investigations by The Independent have exposed allegations of systemic abuse across a group of children’s hospitals run by the former Huntercombe Group. The Independent

Sickness drags down UK economy as job vacancies go unfilled

Sickness drags down UK economy as job vacancies go unfilled Unwelcome though it is for a government facing strikes by doctors and nurses in the months ahead, the message from the latest labour market figures is clear: Britain is already the sick man of Europe.

More than 2.5 million people who are economically inactive cite long-term sickness as the reason why they are not looking for a job – and the number is rising sharply. The Guardian

Nanny statism fears behind UK’s 30-year failure to tackle obesity, report says

Nanny statism fears behind UK’s 30-year failure to tackle obesity, report says Fears of “nanny statism” have led to a failure by every UK government of the last 30 years to tackle the obesity crisis, a report claims, as it emerged that the condition now costs the NHS £6.5bn a year.

Labour and Conservative governments have displayed a similar reluctance to get too closely involved in a subject widely seen as a minefield, according to the Institute for Government (IfG). The Guardian

See also:

• Tackling obesity: Improving policy making on food and health Institute for Government
• Ministers afraid to tackle obesity over fears of promoting 'nanny-statism' The Daily Mail
• How UK governments from Major to Johnson tried to tackle obesity The Guardian
• The primary cause of Britain’s childhood obesity emergency is clear: poverty The Guardian
• Government ‘squeamishness’ over tackling obesity ‘will lead to higher taxes’ The Independent

Patients are having to wait nearly 100 MINUTES just for their 999 calls to be answered

Patients are having to wait nearly 100 MINUTES just for their 999 calls to be answered People dialling 999 for an ambulance have been forced to wait up to 1 hour 37 minutes for call handlers to pick up the phone, an investigation reveals.

Patients were also made to wait up to 3 hours for their NHS 111 calls to be answered in December, according to Freedom of Information responses from ambulance trusts.

Meanwhile, those using the 111 service whose symptoms required a call back from a nurse have been waiting more than a day to hear from the service. The Daily Mail

Number of NHS patients placed onto mixed-sex wards reaches all-time high of nearly 5,000

Number of NHS patients placed onto mixed-sex wards reaches all-time high of nearly 5,000 The number of NHS patients being forced to endure the indignity of banned mixed-sex wards has reached a record high.

Almost 5,000 people were placed on wards with the opposite sex in January, the worst recorded figure since the Government first cracked down on the practice. The Daily Mail

Treating depression using CBT therapy could help cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes

Treating depression using CBT therapy could help cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes Treating depression through talking therapy could help cut the risk of heart attack and stroke in later life, a study suggests.

Previous research has found those suffering with the mental health condition are significantly more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems.

Now scientists believe that successful treatment of depression through treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could not only help the brain but also improve heart health. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Psychological therapies for depression and cardiovascular risk: evidence from national healthcare records in England (open access) European Heart Journal