NGH's Maria could become national Overseas Nurse of the Year

NGH's Maria could become national Overseas Nurse of the Year A nurse from Northampton General Hospital has been shortlisted for a prestigious national nursing award.

Maria Sagucio is the hospital’s International Nurse Pastoral Support Facilitator and has looked after about 90 overseas nurses since she started in her post in March 2022. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Dedicated NGH healthcare support workers receive national awards

Dedicated NGH healthcare support workers receive national awards Five healthcare support workers (HCSCs) from Northampton General Hospital have received national awards for the way they demonstrate NHS values.

Amy Taylor, Sarah Woolley, Iain Bonner, Mat Wright, and Lorna Walsh have all received Chief Nursing Officer for England Healthcare Support Excellence Awards for the ways in which they work to support patients and their colleagues. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Exploring the earnings of NHS doctors in England

Exploring the earnings of NHS doctors in England In this explainer, we look at how doctors’ pay in England has changed over time, how it compares to other salaries in the wider economy, and how it compares with what doctors in other countries are paid. The Nuffield Trust

See also:

• NHS consultant strike: How pay compares globally BBC News

Creating better health value: understanding the economic impact of NHS spending by care setting

Creating better health value: understanding the economic impact of NHS spending by care setting This research report (commissioned by the NHS Confederation and conducted by Carnall Farrar) examines where the greatest returns on investment from spending in the NHS can come from to impact the wider domestic economy. It shows that when high levels of funding are ploughed into primary and community care the economic gains are significant. In the five years between 2015 and 2019 those localities in England that most increased NHS spend in primary and community care experienced far higher gross value added (GVA) growth in their areas than those that spent the least on these services. There is also an Associated briefing.

Social needs among people living with mental health difficulties

Social needs among people living with mental health difficulties The NIHR Mental Health Policy Research Unit (MHPRU) at University College London (UCL) and King’s College London (KCL) reviewed research about how mental health services can best support the social needs of people living with mental health difficulties. This briefing paper summarises their findings and explores the policy implications. Centre for Mental Health

COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions

COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), when applied in packages that combine a number of measures with complementary effects, were unequivocally effective in reducing the spread of infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, a major Royal Society report has found. NPIs are measures that are not drugs or vaccines aimed at reducing transmission of an infectious disease.

The report, COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions, reviewed the scientific evidence gathered during the pandemic for six groups of NPIs and their effectiveness in reducing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: masks and face coverings; social distancing and ‘lockdowns; test, trace and isolate; travel restrictions and controls across international borders; environmental controls; and communications.

Around 1 in 8 new students unprotected against meningitis

Around 1 in 8 new students unprotected against meningitis The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and leading meningitis charities are urging students to make sure they have been vaccinated against meningitis and other diseases before the start of the academic year.

The NHS MenACWY immunisation programme for schools is offered to all pupils in year 9 and 10. UKHSA vaccine coverage data shows around 1 in 8 new students going to college and university this year remain unprotected against these 4 strains of meningococcal bacteria, each of which can cause long term disability, serious health complications and can be life threatening.

NHS to be 'hit hard' as consultants in England walk out for 48 hours - with further strikes announced

NHS to be 'hit hard' as consultants in England walk out for 48 hours - with further strikes announced Routine hospital care is expected to come to a standstill as consultants in England strike for 48 hours in the bitter row over pay between medics and the government.

As the latest strike began today, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced plans for a three-day walkout later in the year.

Medics will strike on 2, 3 and 4 October and are also planning to walk out on 19 and 20 September. Sky News

See also:

• Consultants in England begin two days of strikes – and announce further dates in October BMA
• Consultant strikes set to cause major disruption to NHS routine care NHS England
• NHS set to hit grim milestone of 1million cancelled operations because of strikes - as £134,000-a-year consultants begin 48-hour walkout The Daily Mail
• Striking consultants are in top 2 per cent of earners, says Health Secretary The Daily Telegraph
• Warning over major disruption to NHS services as consultants to strike Evening Standard
• We're ready for war of attrition if PM wants it, says BMA as senior doctors walk out Evening Standard
• NHS consultants in England to strike for further three days in October The Guardian
• Consultants announce more strike action as second walkout begins The Independent
• Further strike action announced by consultants as second walkout begins ITV News

Brain advance gives voice hope to paralysed

Brain advance gives voice hope to paralysed Scientists have developed a device that can translate paralysed people's brain signals into words at faster speeds than before, it has been reported in two papers in the journal Nature.

Pat Bennett, 68, who has motor-neurone disease (MND), tested the technology and said it could help her stay connected to the world.

Implants in her brain decode the words she wants to say.

The US researchers now want to improve their technology further. BBC News

See also:

• Brain-reading devices allow paralysed people to talk using their thoughts Nature

DIY bowel cancer checks could spare 100,000 Brits from colonoscopies every year, health watchdog says

DIY bowel cancer checks could spare 100,000 Brits from colonoscopies every year, health watchdog says DIY test kits could spare 100,000 people undergoing colonoscopies for suspected bowel cancer each year after changes to guidelines.

New draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence say patients should first be offered faecal immunochemical tests (FIT).

It is hoped the move could help diagnose bowel cancer faster – particularly among younger sufferers - and cut NHS waiting times by reducing referrals. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Quantitative faecal immunochemical testing to guide colorectal cancer pathway referral in primary care National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• Nice calls for routine use of at-home faeces tests for bowel cancer screening The Guardian

UK Covid cases nearly DOUBLE in a month amid rise of two mutant variants, official figures suggest as BA.2.86 continues to sweep the globe

UK Covid cases nearly DOUBLE in a month amid rise of two mutant variants, official figures suggest as BA.2.86 continues to sweep the globe Covid cases in England have almost doubled in a month, MailOnline can reveal, amid fears a new heavily-mutated Covid variant dubbed the 'real deal' is rapidly spreading worldwide undetected.

Some 875 cases were logged in the country on August 11, according to the most recent Government statistics available, up from just 449 one month earlier. 

Hospital admissions are also rising sharply — up by a fifth in a week — sparking concerns that the UK is on the brink of another wave just as the country heads into the autumn when the NHS gets busier. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Fact Check: What is the new Omicron Covid variant and how many cases are there in the UK? Channel 4 News
• CDC warns BA.2.86 Covid variant IS potentially most infectious yet - but it's still unclear if it's more deadly The Daily Mail

E-mail shows NHSE backtracking on dedicated digital workforce plan

E-mail shows NHSE backtracking on dedicated digital workforce plan NHS England executives removed a series of commitments to future plans and policies from its long-term workforce plan, including a previous promise to draw up a dedicated digital workforce plan, HSJ has reported, citing leaked internal emails.

An internal email thread of discussion among NHSE and Health Education England directors, seen by HSJ, referred a decision “taken by a senior panel as part of a move to strip out commitments to future plans, policies” from the document. Digital Health