Heart attack responses a ‘shambles’ as patients face eight-hour ambulance waits Senior doctors have sent a warning over the “shambles” of heart attack care after pressures on the NHS have left patients waiting eight hours for an ambulance.
The caution comes as several hospitals in the past week have declared critical incidents over the level of pressure on their emergency care services. The Independent
NHS faces consultant exodus The NHS is facing a potential exodus of senior doctors as punitive pay and pensions rules force many consultants to consider quitting, the BMA has warned.
The association’s consultants committee has told the Government the health service could face a ‘tidal wave of resignations’ during the next year, after a survey of consultants in England revealed 44 per cent were planning to leave their roles ‘in some capacity’ in the next 12 months. BMA
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‘Exploited’ foreign doctors worry about risk to UK patients Doctors recruited from some of the world's poorest countries to work in UK hospitals say they're being exploited - and believe they're so overworked they fear putting patients' health at risk.
A BBC investigation has found evidence that doctors from Nigeria are being recruited by a British healthcare company and expected to work in private hospitals under conditions not allowed in the National Health Service. BBC News
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Thousands of pancreatic cancer patients die early 'because their disease is MISSED on scans' Thousands of patients are dying early because pancreatic cancer is being missed on scans, a damning study has warned.
Northamptonshire ambulance crews join NHS nurses and midwives in strike ballots Thousands of East Midlands Ambulance Service workers in Northamptonshire are being urged to vote to strike for the first time in 40 years.
Around 2,000 GMB Union members across the region will be balloted after 88 percent voted in favour of taking industrial action in protest over NHS pay. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Cancer patient, 77, sat and slept in chair for 48 hours at Northampton General Hospital as there were no free beds A 77-year-old woman with cancer was left to sit and sleep in a chair at Northampton General Hospital for 48 hours because there were no beds available. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital bring back face masks and visiting restrictions following rise in Covid cases Bosses at Northamptonshire’s two main hospitals have told anybody entering the hospital to wear facemasks and there will be restricted visiting hours following a rise in Covid cases.
New measures from Thursday (October 6) follow data from NHS England which confirmed the number of patients being treated for Covid more than QUADRUPLED at Northamptonshire General Hospital in a week from 13 to 64 by 8am Wednesday (October 5). Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Aids charity’s concern at fewer HIV tests being done in Northamptonshire Aids charities are concerned that HIV testing rates in Northamptonshire dropped by nearly a third since before the Covid pandemic.
Every year, thousands of people in the UK are infected with HIV, a disease which attacks the immune system. Northamptonshire Telegraph
The cost-of-living crisis is a health emergency too For the second time in 2 years, the UK is in the midst of an economic and health crisis. The rising cost of living risks many being unable to afford essentials to maintain their health, and bringing increased stress and anxiety as families try to make ends meet. The Health Foundation
Emergency 999 call operators set to walk out for first time in strike over BT pay Emergency 999 call handlers have gone on strike with colleagues from BT - which runs their phone lines - in a row over pay.
Hundreds of operators were set to walk out on Thursday, with the union behind the action warning there could be disruption to emergency services as a result.
The Communication Workers Union said it was the first time 999 call operators had gone on strike. The Independent
NHS calls for more steward volunteers to boost community's immunity in North Northants The NHS and NHS Volunteer Responders are calling for more people in North Northamptonshire to volunteer to support the Covid-19 vaccination programme to protect the health of their community and those most at risk.
North Northamptonshire needs 100 more steward volunteers to step forward to support at local vaccination sites, and existing local volunteers are once again being asked to reach for their high-vis vests and book volunteering shifts. Northamptonshire Telegraph
UK economic policies ‘likely to cause many more deaths than Covid’ The UK government’s economic policies are “likely” to have caused a “great many more deaths” than the Covid pandemic, an academic has claimed.
Researchers said their “not only shocking but shameful” statistics showed that almost 335,000 more deaths than expected were recorded across Scotland, England and Wales over an eight-year period. The Independent
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Schools and hospitals ‘must find £11bn of cuts’ after Kwarteng spending freeze Schools and hospitals must find a whopping £11bn of cuts after the chancellor refused to protect their budgets from rampant inflation, experts say.
Kwasi Kwarteng is being warned that his decision to stick to 2021 spending allocations – despite prices now rising by 10 per cent – spells bad news “for stretched public services”. The Independent
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Hundreds of thousands more women than men prescribed powerful anti-anxiety drugs ‘harder to come off than heroin’ Hundreds of thousands more women than men have been prescribed powerful anti-anxiety drugs which experts warn are harder to come off than heroin, The Independent can reveal.
New information obtained under freedom of information (FOI) laws shows women in England were 59 per cent more likely to be prescribed benzodiazepines – better known by the brand names of Valium, Xanax and Temazapam – than men between January 2017 and December 2021.
People urged not to ignore COVID-19 booster invitation – as difficult winter could lie ahead It’s that time of the year when colds and flu sweep through the nation.
But this year it’s more important than ever to get a booster jab, not only against the flu season but also COVID-19. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Hospitals at capacity: understanding delays in patient discharge This QualityWatch blog from Sophie Flinders and Sarah Scobie takes a closer look at the rising number of patients facing delays in leaving hospital – and explores the reasons for why it’s happening. Nuffield Trust
Nearly a quarter of Northampton General Hospital capacity taken up by bed-blockers waiting to be discharged NHS chiefs say Government plans to tackle bed-blocking do not go far enough as figures revealed nearly a quarter of Northampton General Hospital beds are occupied by patients who do not need to be there.
Latest NHS England data showed 214 people in NGH were medically cleared to leave hospital on August 31.
Those patients should be moved to a care home or offered home support but staff shortages in the sector meant only 45 of those were actually able to go. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
STOPTOBER 2022: Quit now for good of your health and wealth, message to Northamptonshire smokers It’s nearly Stoptober and health chiefs are encouraging the estimated 95,000 smokers across Northamptonshire to quit for better health and more wealth.
This year marks the 11th national stop smoking campaign, Stoptober, based on research that those who can stay smoke free for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good. Northamptonshire Telegraph
