New Kettering private hospital facility welcomes its first patients

New Kettering private hospital facility welcomes its first patients A state-of-the-art private hospital facility on the edge of Kettering has welcomed its first patients.

Glendon Wood Hospital, just off the A43 near the ‘hamburger’ roundabout, opened earlier this month with new diagnostic services and two operating theatres. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Harm caused by delays in transferring patients to the right place of care

Harm caused by delays in transferring patients to the right place of care This national investigation seeks to examine the systems that are in place to manage the flow of patients through and out of hospitals and considers the interactions between health and social care systems. It finds that issues relating to patient flow affect ambulance crews’ ability to hand over patient care to emergency department (ED) staff. It also finds that EDs are routinely at, or exceeding, their maximum capacity and this has an impact on their ability to provide safe care. This report brings together the findings from the investigation’s three interim reports and provides an update since they were published. Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

NHS flu and covid vaccine programmes brought forward due to risk of new covid variant

NHS flu and covid vaccine programmes brought forward due to risk of new covid variant Millions of eligible people will now be offered a covid vaccine from 11 September, in line with the latest expert guidance on the new covid variant.

This change follows an announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on the risks presented by the new BA.2.86 variant and pre-emptive measures the NHS has been asked to take.

The adult covid and flu vaccination programmes had been due to start in October to maximise protection over the winter months, but now those most at risk including adult care home residents will be vaccinated from 11 September. NHS England

See also:

• Flu and COVID autumn vaccine programmes brought forward Department of Health and Social Care
• Independent report: COVID-19 autumn 2023 vaccination programme: JCVI update Department of Health and Social Care
• Research and analysis: SARS-CoV-2: genome sequence prevalence and growth rate UK Health Security Agency

Coventry NHS boss to keep job despite complaints being upheld

Coventry NHS boss to keep job despite complaints being upheld The chair of an NHS body in charge of health and care in Coventry and Warwickshire is to keep her job, despite criticism from an independent inquiry.

Danielle Oum was found not to have always acted with honesty and integrity in a previous NHS role.

But after a review of the issues, she was allowed to remain as chair of the local Integrated Care Board (ICB).

NHS England said it continued to offer Ms Oum "its full support". BBC News

Boys who smoke and vape ‘risk passing on damaged genes to their children’

Boys who smoke and vape ‘risk passing on damaged genes to their children’ Boys in their early teens who smoke risk passing on damaged genes to their children, increasing the chances of them developing health problems like asthma, obesity and lung conditions, according to a new study.

Scientists at Southampton and Bergen universities warn that vaping could also cause similar health conditions. The Independent

See also:

• Fathers’ preconception smoking and offspring DNA methylation (open access) Clinical Epigenetics

Lucy Letby inquiry will have power to force witnesses to give evidence

Lucy Letby inquiry will have power to force witnesses to give evidence The inquiry into how Lucy Letby was able to murder seven babies will now be able to force witnesses to give evidence.

Ministers agreed to give the inquiry full statutory powers after families said the current investigation would not go far enough in uncovering the truth. The Guardian

See also:

• Legal powers given to Lucy Letby inquiry Department of Health and Social Care
• Lucy Letby: Inquiry given powers to compel witnesses to give evidence BBC News
• Why wasn’t Lucy Letby stopped sooner? – podcast The Guardian
• Lucy Letby inquiry given powers to compel NHS bosses to give evidence ITV News
• Lucy Letby: Inquiry to be made statutory after calls from bereaved families Sky News

‘National tragedy’: figures show large rise in people dying while on NHS waiting list

‘National tragedy’: figures show large rise in people dying while on NHS waiting list More than 120,000 people in England died last year while on the NHS waiting list for hospital treatment, figures obtained by Labour appear to show.

That would be a record high number of such deaths, and is double the 60,000 patients who died in 2017/18.

For example, the Royal Free hospital in London said it had had 3,615 such deaths, while there were 2,888 at the Morecambe Bay trust in Cumbria and 2,039 at Leeds teaching hospitals trust. The Guardian

See also:

• Patient deaths while on NHS waiting lists 'terrible indictment of this Government's mismanagement' BMA
• Over 120,000 patients died last year on NHS waiting lists as backlog soared: Official data The Daily Mail
• Hospital waiting list deaths double in five years The Daily Telegraph
• More than 121,000 people died waiting for NHS treatment in 2022, Labour says The Independent

Record number of men checked for prostate cancer - as charities credit 'Bill Turnbull' effect

Record number of men checked for prostate cancer - as charities credit 'Bill Turnbull' effect Prostate cancer referrals have reached a record high in the last year thanks to the ‘Bill Turnbull’ effect, a charity has revealed.

New data shows the number of referrals – when a person is sent for extra tests or to a hospital doctor – has risen 17 per cent in the last 12 months.

More than a quarter of a million men were referred for suspected urological cancer in England between March 2022 and February 2023. The Daily Mail