Travelling sofa highlighting suicide prevention

Travelling sofa highlighting suicide prevention A sofa will be travelling around Northamptonshire giving people the opportunity to sit and chat about their mental health.

Following World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2023, the 'Take a Break' campaign will be encouraging passers-by to stop, sit and talk, to help to raise awareness of suicide prevention and the services that can provide support, as well as reducing stigma around suicide and self-harm.

The campaign is being run by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) with support from West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire Public Health teams. West Northamptonshire Council

NHS Vacancy Statistics England, April 2015 - June 2023

NHS Vacancy Statistics England, April 2015 - June 2023 Data from NHS England show a vacancy rate of 10.6% as at 30 June 2023 within the Registered Nursing staff group (43,339 vacancies). This is a slight decrease from the same period the previous year when the vacancy rate was 11.7% (46,241 vacancies). NHS Digital

See also: 

• NHS Confederation responds to the latest NHS vacancy and workforce statistics NHS Confederation
• RCN responds to the latest NHS England vacancy statistics and urgent and emergency care daily situation report Royal College of Nursing
• NHS nurse vacancies remain above 40,000 in England Nursing in Practice
• Staffing ratio warning as nurse vacancies remain above 40000 Nursing Times

Families sue government for failing to protect care homes from Covid

Families sue government for failing to protect care homes from Covid Thirty families are starting legal action against the government, care homes and several hospitals in England over the deaths of their relatives in the early days of the Covid pandemic.

The families argue not enough was done to protect their loved ones from the virus.

They are claiming damages for loss of life and the distress caused.

The government says it specifically sought to safeguard care home residents using the best evidence available. BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19: Scientists sound alarm over new BA.2.86 “Pirola” variant The BMJ
• Families sue UK government over relatives’ deaths during Covid crisis The Guardian
• Covid cases double in a month as scientists warn about spread of new variants The Independent

Gut problems may be early sign of Parkinson's disease

Gut problems may be early sign of Parkinson's disease Gut problems including constipation, difficulty swallowing and an irritable bowel may be an early warning sign of Parkinson's disease in some people, a new study suggests.

The findings in the journal Gut add more evidence to the idea that brain and bowel health are intimately linked.

Understanding why gut issues happen might allow earlier treatment of Parkinson's, say the researchers.

Parkinson's is progressive, meaning the brain disorder gets worse over time. BBC News

See also:

• Gastrointestinal syndromes preceding a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease: testing Braak’s hypothesis using a nationwide database for comparison with Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular diseases (free access) Gut

New model could offer personalised breast cancer screening approach, say experts

New model could offer personalised breast cancer screening approach, say experts Researchers have developed a new model that predicts a woman’s likelihood of developing and then dying of breast cancer within a decade.

Current breast cancer screening is vital, but can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments, posing challenges to the NHS, researchers say.

They suggest the new model could aid a personalised screening approach, targeting women at the highest risk.

This could potentially reduce breast cancer deaths, and cut unnecessary screenings for those at lower risk. The Independent

See also:

• Predicting 10-year breast cancer mortality risk in the general female population in England: a model development and validation study (open access) The Lancet Digital Health

Watchdog backs Lucy Letby public inquiry and warns of need to root out NHS ‘culture of fear’

Watchdog backs Lucy Letby public inquiry and warns of need to root out NHS ‘culture of fear’ The health watchdog has joined calls for a full public inquiry into failings surrounding the Lucy Letby baby murders, warning that the NHS has a “culture of fear” in which leaders dismiss staff concerns.

The parliamentary health service ombudsman, Rob Behrens, has written to the health secretary warning that the culture of fear in NHS trusts is “not isolated” to the serial killer nurse’s hospital. The Independent

See also:

• Ombudsman writes to Health Secretary calling for statutory inquiry and action on patient safety in wake of Letby trial Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Only four in 10 adults in England have seen their dentist in the last two years, official figures show

Only four in 10 adults in England have seen their dentist in the last two years, official figures show NHS dentistry has failed to bounce back from Covid with less than half of adults in England having seen a dentist within the past two years, official figures show. 

Only 43 per cent of over-18s were seen by a dentist in the 24 months to June this year, compared to more than half in the same period before the pandemic struck.

It means 3.8million fewer adults have had their teeth checked by the health service compared to pre-Covid levels, according to the NHS England figures. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS Dental Statistics for England, 2022-23, Annual Report NHS Digital
• NHS dentistry: No return to ‘business as usual’ for struggling service British Dental Association
• Annual NHS Dental Statistics for England - our response Healthwatch

Putting on weight in middle age can increase your chances of dying early by almost a third, research finds

Putting on weight in middle age can increase your chances of dying early by almost a third, research finds Gaining a few extra pounds in your 40s and 50s can increase your chances of dying early by almost a third compared to those who stay slim in middle age, research shows.

People with marginally elevated blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugars who are carrying a little excess weight are up to 30 per cent more likely to die younger.

Experts said these 'slightly unhealthy traits' put people at higher risk of a heart attack or stroke over the next 30 years. The Daily Mail