Northampton signs up to 'digital doctors' app where GPs video call patients for appointments

Northampton signs up to 'digital doctors' app where GPs video call patients for appointments Over 100,000 patients in Northampton can now book appointments and speak to their GP about their health concerns - by video calling from their smartphone.

A partnership of 10 Northampton GPs has signed up to provide healthcare to patients in the town through Swedish app LIVI. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton woman may have survived had she not waited nine hours to be taken to hospital -

Northampton woman may have survived had she not waited nine hours to be taken to hospital
Criticism has been levelled at the ambulance service covering Northampton and the NHS's 111 service, after an inquest found woman could have survived if she had not waited nine hours to be taken to hospital.

Diana Gudgeon died of multi-organ failure on May 25 last year, three days after being diagnosed with a water infection by her GP.

But deputy coroner for Northamptonshire, Hassan Shah, has now written to the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and NHS 111 in a bid to prevent further deaths. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

How doctors in leadership roles establish and maintain a positive patient-centred culture

How doctors in leadership roles establish and maintain a positive patient-centred culture This report finds that positively-engaged leaders, from diverse backgrounds, are key to transforming organisational cultures. However, they are often unprepared and unsupported for the challenges of leadership during the early stages of their management careers. It makes the case for support for senior healthcare leaders to help them overcome challenges that can impact on patient care. General Medical Council

Lyme disease: Older white women 'at highest risk'

Lyme disease: Older white women 'at highest risk' Older women are at most risk of contracting Lyme disease, a study suggests - and parts of southern and south-west England are "hotspots".

There are around 3,000 cases of the disease - a bacterial infection carried by ticks - each year in the UK.

But experts say everyone should become aware of the characteristic bulls-eye rash and flu-like symptoms.

More than 2,300 hospital patients with the condition were analysed between 1998 and 2015. BBC News

Dental surgeons urge England's schools to go sugar-free

Dental surgeons urge England's schools to go sugar-free Dental surgeons are calling for the government in England to encourage all schools to go sugar-free in a bid to combat tooth decay.

They say it is essential to cut sugar in school meals to tackle a condition affecting a quarter of five-year-olds.

Dentists also want more supervised teeth-brushing in schools and guidelines on healthy packed lunches. BBC News

See also:

• Schools face calls to BAN cakes and sweets as more than 100 children a DAY have rotten teeth removed The Daily Mail
• War on sugar could see the death of some of Britain's best loved sweets The Daily Telegraph

NHS boss suspended on full £185k pay in Rotherham gets new job in Devon – and is suspended on full £300k pay

NHS boss suspended on full £185k pay in Rotherham gets new job in Devon – and is suspended on full £300k pay A health boss who stayed off work for nine months while being investigated over accusations of bullying continued to receive his £300,000 salary, it has been revealed.

George Thomson pocketed the cash from struggling Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust despite being absent between March and December 2018 as his behaviour was probed. The Independent

Salt levels in picnic foods dangerously high, health group warns

Salt levels in picnic foods dangerously high, health group warns Action on Salt calls for compulsory, front-of-pack, nutritional labelling.

One in four savoury picnic foods contain dangerously high levels of salt and almost half are worryingly high in saturated fat, a health group has warned.

Action on Salt found that a typical picnic basket could contain more than 5g of salt, almost the recommended daily limit for an adult, which is 6g a day. Excessive salt consumption has been blamed for thousands of cases of heart disease, stroke and cancer. The Guardian

See also:

• Pick Wisely When You Picnic as NEW Survey Exposes Dangerously High Salty Finger Foods That Could Put Your Health at Risk Action on Salt

Emergency medical supplies could be airlifted into UK after Brexit

Emergency medical supplies could be airlifted into UK after Brexit An "express" freight service will be set up in an effort to ensure the UK does not run out of essential medical supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Supplies could be airlifted into Britain, under the plans, which aim to prepare for all eventualities.

Health officials have invited bids to tender for a 12 month contract to deliver emergency medicines and short-life treatments within 24 hours. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• New service to deliver urgent medicines and medical products into UK Department of Health and Social Care
• Government says EU citizens living in UK will not have to pay for NHS care The Independent

Patient, 25, is encouraged to find another GP practice after sharing a critical link on Facebook

Patient, 25, is encouraged to find another GP practice after sharing a critical link on Facebook A patient has been encouraged to find another GP practice after sharing an article that criticised the surgery on Facebook.

Bosses at Culcheth Medical Centre wrote to the 25-year-old, telling her that staff often 'monitor' the social media of patients.

They printed off the unidentified woman's post on a community Facebook page - a link from about the practice in her local newspaper. The Daily Mail

Building healthier communities: the role of the NHS as an anchor institution

Building healthier communities: the role of the NHS as an anchor institution Anchor institutions are large, public sector organisations that are unlikely to relocate and have a significant stake in a geographical area. The size, scale and reach of the NHS means it influences the health and wellbeing of communities simply be being there. This report identifies five ways in which NHS organisations act as anchor institutions and it sets out actions and opportunities for the NHS to harness its considerable influence to have an even greater impact on the health and wellbeing of communities. The Health Foundation

Government response to "Ignoring the alarms follow-up: too many avoidable deaths from eating disorders"

Government response to "Ignoring the alarms follow-up: too many avoidable deaths from eating disorders"  In June 2019, the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee published its report into avoidable deaths from eating disorders. It contained recommendations across six areas to improve eating disorder services and this report outlines the government's response to the recommendations. Department of Health and Social Care

Mental health services failing to ask women about their experience of domestic abuse – ‘putting women at risk’

Mental health services failing to ask women about their experience of domestic abuse – ‘putting women at risk’ Mental health services across England are failing women by not asking about experiences of domestic abuse, according to new data in a report published today by Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk.

The findings – based on results from Freedom of Information requests – show that more than a third (15) of NHS mental health trusts that responded (42 of 58) have no policy on ‘routine enquiry’ about domestic violence and abuse – in spite of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Mental health services should be asking about domestic abuse in recognition of the high rates of violence and abuse experienced by people who access them. This is especially true for women; 38 per cent of women who have a mental health problem have experienced domestic abuse.

See also:

• Ask and take action:why public services should ask about domestic abuse (report) Agenda
• Domestic Abuse Bill Home Office
• Mental health services 'putting women at risk' by failing to ask them about domestic abuse The Independent

Social-media use 'disrupting teen sleep and exercise'

Social-media use 'disrupting teen sleep and exercise' Using social media isn't directly harming teenagers - but it can reduce the time they spend on healthy activities, such as sleeping and exercising, a study suggests.

Parents should ban phones from bedrooms after 22:00 and encourage more physical activity, the UK researchers said.

Girls were particularly vulnerable to cyber-bullying on social media, which could lead to psychological distress.

But what drove boys' distress needed more research, the study said. BBC News

See also:

• Roles of cyberbullying, sleep, and physical activity in mediating the effects of social media use on mental health and wellbeing among young people in England: a secondary analysis of longitudinal data (abstract) The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health 
• A third of girls who check social media just THREE times a day have mental health issues The Daily Mail
• Children’s lack of sleep ‘more harmful than social media use’ The Guardian
• Social media itself not the cause of poor mental health in adolescents OnMedica

Deaths by suicide and drugs highest among Generation X

Deaths by suicide and drugs highest among Generation X People born in the 1960s and 70s stand out as the generation most likely to die by suicide or drug poisoning, data for England and Wales shows.

The higher rate of fatalities began in the 1980s and 90s when people belonging to Generation X were in their 20s, and is still occurring in the now middle-aged cohort, says the Office for National Statistics.

Public Health England says the trend overlaps with patterns of heroin use.

But other factors will also contribute. BBC News

Homeless person dying every 19 hours in UK, figures show

Homeless person dying every 19 hours in UK, figures show A homeless person dies on average every 19 hours in the UK, according to figures that have prompted calls for the prime minister to address the country’s housing crisis.

Data collated through coroners’ enquiries, media coverage, family testimony and freedom of information requests reveals at least 235 people affected by homelessness have died over the last six months, ranging from the ages of 16 to 104 years old. The Independent

NHS gets £8m payout over drug firm's anti-competitive practices

NHS gets £8m payout over drug firm's anti-competitive practices The NHS has been given an £8m payout from a pharmaceutical firm after an investigation found that it engaged in anti-competitive practices that pushed up the cost of a life-saving drug for the health service.

It is the first time that the Competition and Markets Authority has secured such a payment to the NHS as part of one of its investigations. The Guardian

See also:

• Drugs firm to pay NHS £8m after competition probe BBC News

Why do so many construction workers kill themselves?

Why do so many construction workers kill themselves? Construction knows it has a problem. Working on a building site has become the deadliest profession in the UK, but the dangers have nothing to do with cranes or ladders.

More than 1,400 construction workers took their own lives between 2011 and 2015, according to national statistics. In 2016, the figure was put at 450. The rate is more than three times the national average for men. The Guardian

See also:

• Revealed: mental health crisis at Hinkley Point C construction site The Guardian
• No more 'man up': the push for better mental health at Hinkley C The Guardian

NHS declares national emergency over shortage of feed for babies and disabled patients

NHS declares national emergency over shortage of feed for babies and disabled patients The NHS has declared a national emergency over shortage of feed for babies and disabled patients, with some patients being told to go to Accident & Emergency departments.

Medics said vulnerable patients were being left starving for several days, with some being admitted to hospital because of malnutrition.

Hundreds of NHS patients, including children, who depend on intravenous nutrition, have been experiencing delays in deliveries. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Hundreds of patients at risk over delays to intravenous feed The Guardian

Almost nine in 10 Brits think over-stretched A&E services are being overused

Almost nine in 10 Brits think over-stretched A&E services are being overused The vast majority of Britons believe A&E units are being abused by patients with minor ailments, a poll suggests.

A National Centre for Social Research survey quizzed almost 3,000 people about their thoughts towards emergency care.

The results, which come amid an NHS crisis, found 86 per cent of people agreed too many people unnecessarily use casualty units. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Majority of Brits think A&E services are overused but half think it is hard to get a GP appointment National Centre for Social Research

NHS staff took almost 7,000 days of sick leave because of drug or alcohol abuse last year

NHS staff took almost 7,000 days of sick leave because of drug or alcohol abuse last year NHS staff took almost 7,000 days of sick leave because of drug or alcohol abuse last year, figures have revealed.

Alcohol Change UK said they expect many workers in the health service will use substances as a way of coping with stress.

However, this could impact on their decision-making, which the charity warned was 'particularly concerning'. The Daily Mail