Northamptonshire charity joins forces with national charity to provide greater support to families of disabled children

Northamptonshire charity joins forces with national charity to provide greater support to families of disabled children A Northamptonshire charity that provides emotional support to parents of severely ill or disabled children has partnered with Together for Short Lives, the country’s leading charity for children's palliative care, to offer more support to families. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

‘Health week’ can’t hide slow progress on Rishi Sunak’s NHS pledge

‘Health week’ can’t hide slow progress on Rishi Sunak’s NHS pledge The government’s ‘health week’ is the latest summer attempt by No10 to get on the front foot. Ministers are keen to talk up policy initiatives, but this is also an opportunity to evaluate the government’s progress against Rishi Sunak’s promise to “cut NHS waiting lists”. With a general election approaching, there has been little improvement in many of the major indicators across the service and the biggest drag on performance – ongoing industrial action – remains an unresolved problem. The Institute for Government

See also:

• The next general election will be critical for five areas of health and social care Nuffield Trust

Homeworking and agile/hybrid working in the NHS

Homeworking and agile/hybrid working in the NHS The NHS Staff Council, on behalf of NHS trade unions and employers, have agreed to incorporate a home and agile/hybrid working framework into the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (NHS TCS) Handbook (Section 35). NHS Employers

Policy paper: Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework

Policy paper: Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework Ahead of the government's forthcoming major conditions strategy, this report sets out our approach to tackling the groups of conditions that drive ill health in England. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• The major conditions strategy - just another NHS plan? NHS Confederation
• NHS Confederation responds to the major conditions strategy case for change and strategic framework NHS Confederation
• Response to the Major Conditions Strategy report Nuffield Trust

£210 million to tackle deadly antimicrobial resistance

£210 million to tackle deadly antimicrobial resistance State of the art laboratories, cutting-edge disease surveillance systems, and a bigger global workforce to tackle deadly antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will be backed by up to £210 million of funding, the government has announced.

The funding - from the government’s UK aid budget - will support the Fleming Fund’s activities to tackle AMR in countries across Asia and Africa over the next 3 years, helping to reduce the threat it poses to the UK and globally. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Consultation outcome: Antimicrobial resistance national action plan - call for evidence Department of Health and Social Care

Junior doctors in Scotland accept new pay offer

Junior doctors in Scotland accept new pay offer Scotland's junior doctors have voted to accept a pay offer from the Scottish government.

The deal will include a 12.4% pay increase for 2023/24.

This is in addition to a wage rise of 4.5% for 2022/23 with ministers also promising talks on future pay increases.

Junior doctors had been planning to take strike action before the latest pay offer was made by Scottish ministers. BBC News

See also:

• NHS England publishes data on latest junior doctors strike NHS England
• Over 61,000 appointments affected by junior doctors’ strike as total cancellations may reach one million The Independent
• Government tells junior doctors pay talks are over as fifth round of strike action ends ITV News

Steve Barclay wrong to say NHS consultants get tax-free pensions, admits UK government

Steve Barclay wrong to say NHS consultants get tax-free pensions, admits UK government Steve Barclay, the health secretary, got it wrong when he claimed in an interview this week that NHS consultants received tax-free pensions, the Department of Health has admitted.

Barclay had come under fire after trying to defend the government’s stance on junior doctors’ pay demands in England by claiming that consultants retiring at 65 would get a tax-free pension of more than £73,000 a year. The Guardian

See also: 

• Health secretary Steve Barclay wrong to claim NHS consultants receive tax-free pensions Full Fact

How high are Covid rates in England and what are the vaccination plans?

How high are Covid rates in England and what are the vaccination plans? With Covid in the UK on the rise once more, we take a look at the current situation and what the plans are for vaccination.

While many of the community surveillance studies tracking Covid infection levels have been wound up, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continues to keep tabs on some metrics of Covid.

According to the most recent UKHSA report, from late July, Covid case rates and positivity rates picked up through hospital testing in England increased while hospitalisations also rose, with the latter up to 1.97 per 100,000 people compared with 1.47 the week before. The Guardian

See also: 

• Research: SARS-CoV-2: genome sequence prevalence and growth rate UK Health Security Agency
• Should we be worried about Covid this winter? BBC News
• Covid-19: Infections climb globally as EG.5 variant gains ground The BMJ
• Here comes the 'real deal'! Scientists raise alarm over new Covid variant and call for return of face masks The Daily Mail
• Have YOU suffered from 'pre-Covid'? Phenomenon that sees symptoms appear week before positive test is on the rise again as variant Eris sweeps US The Daily Mail
• Covid vaccines should be available to buy privately in UK, scientists say The Guardian
• New Covid wave has begun and masks should be worn again, scientists warn The Independent
• Covid symptoms: 800,000 Brits reportedly infected with Eris Times Series

NHS insists controversial move to slash cancer targets down from 10 to THREE will see patients diagnosed and treated quicker despite huge backlash

NHS insists controversial move to slash cancer targets down from 10 to THREE will see patients diagnosed and treated quicker despite huge backlash The NHS has vowed to diagnose and treat cancer patients quicker after ministers accepted its request to streamline performance targets.

The controversial reforms will see the number of cancer waiting time indicators that hospitals are measured against slashed from ten to three.

Health chiefs argue the changes 'reflect what matters most to patients' and will improve care by reducing bureaucracy and 'aligning with modern clinical practice'. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Widespread clinical support for reforming NHS cancer standards to speed up diagnosis for patients NHS England
• Two-thirds of NHS cancer targets to be scrapped by autumn Evening Standard
• A million patients hit by delays to cancer care in last 10 months The Guardian
• Strikes will make new cancer targets more difficult to meet, top medic warns The Independent
• NHS England cancer targets to be cut by two-thirds from Autumn, government confirms ITV News
• Which cancer targets may be scrapped - and what would it mean for the NHS? Sky News

Taking morning after pill alongside a 30p tablet given to arthritis sufferers can make it work 50% BETTER, study finds

Taking morning after pill alongside a 30p tablet given to arthritis sufferers can make it work 50% BETTER, study finds The morning after pill works better when taken alongside a drug usually given to patients with arthritis, researchers have found. 

Levonorgestrel, sold as Levonelle in Britain or Plan B in the US, was found to be 63 per cent effective on its own.  

This jumped to 95 per cent when given with piroxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug that costs around 30p a tablet.  The Daily Mail

See also:

• Oral emergency contraception with levonorgestrel plus piroxicam: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial (abstract) The Lancet
• Morning after pill more effective when taken with anti-inflammatory – study The Independent