Tuesday, 16 August 2022
Vision for pharmacy practice in England
Vision for pharmacy practice in England The RPS's project with The King's Fund, transforming pharmacy practice, is developing a vision for the role of pharmacists and pharmacy teams working across systems providing patient care and NHS services. People are being asked to respond to a consultation survey on six key themes and The King's Fund have completed a literature review which has helped inform these initial themes. The consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 30th September 2022. Royal Pharmaceutical Society
NHS expands lifesaving home testing kits for bowel cancer
NHS expands lifesaving home testing kits for bowel cancer Home-testing kits that can help detect early-stage bowel cancer will be rolled out to 58-year-olds in England for the first time, as part of a major expansion of the lifesaving screening programme. NHS England
Update on vaccination to protect against monkeypox in England
Update on vaccination to protect against monkeypox in England Latest figures confirm that over 25,000 people have been vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine, as part of the strategy to contain the monkeypox outbreak in the UK. These thousands of vaccines, administered by the NHS to those at highest risk of exposure, should have a significant impact on the transmission of the virus. UK Health Security Agency
See also:
- COVID-19 autumn booster and flu vaccine programme expansion NHS England
- Monkeypox: experts give virus variants new names World Health Organization
- Monkeypox: Lack of vaccines sparks pause in UK rollout BBC News
- Expert warns that monkeypox IS the next pandemic - but 'not anything like the Covid' outbreak The Daily Mail
- Smallpox vaccines may not protect against monkeypox for life The Guardian
Covid: UK approves Moderna's Omicron booster
Covid: UK approves Moderna's Omicron booster The UK has become the first country to approve a dual vaccine which tackles both the original Covid virus and the newer Omicron variant.
Ministers say the vaccine will now form part of the autumn booster campaign.
Moderna thinks 13 million doses of its new vaccine will be available this year, but 26 million people are eligible for some form of booster.
Health officials say people should take whichever booster they are offered as all jabs provide protection. BBC News
See also:
- JCVI publishes advice on COVID-19 vaccines for autumn booster programme UK Health Security Agency
- Independent report: COVID-19 vaccines for autumn 2022: JCVI advice, 15 August 2022 Department of Health and Social Care
- First bivalent Covid-19 booster gets UK approval BBC News
- The hunt for a universal Covid-19 vaccine BBC Future
- Covid 19: Outrage as NHS is blocked from treating vulnerable patients with Evusheld The Daily Mail
- UK authorises 'next generation' omicron booster vaccine in world first The Daily Telegraph
- JCVI sets out which vaccines to use for autumn COVID-19 boosters GPonline
- The threat of Covid isn’t over – so why does Britain have a conspiracy of silence about it? The Guardian
- ‘Living with Covid’ should be countered by containing the virus once and for all The Guardian
- ‘Serious concerns’ over Covid booster rollout as GPs say they can’t afford to offer jabs The Independent
Changing kidney blood type may boost transplants
Changing kidney blood type may boost transplants Researchers have successfully altered the blood type of donor kidneys in a discovery that could increase the supply of the organs for transplant.
The breakthrough has particular implications for minority groups, who often find it harder to find a match.
A kidney from someone with blood type A cannot be given to someone with type B, and vice versa.
But changing the blood type of a kidney to the universal type O will mean it can be transplanted into any patient. BBC News
Midwife numbers fall in every English region, figures show
Midwife numbers fall in every English region, figures show The number of midwives has fallen in every English region in the past year, figures show.
Numbers dropped by around 600 on top of a longstanding shortage of more than 2,000 midwives, according to analysis of NHS Digital data by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). Evening Standard
NHS accused of 'endorsing quackery' after advertising for a Japanese energy healer
NHS accused of 'endorsing quackery' after advertising for a Japanese energy healer The role in Manchester requires they 'activate the healing process' in cancer patients. Experts slammed the NHS for endorsing the 'quackery in the midst of a funding crisis', describing it as 'frankly appalling'. The Daily Mail
Monday, 15 August 2022
Kettering family's concerns investigated after baby death
Kettering family's concerns investigated after baby death Jessica Mitchell believes she was discriminated against by NHS workers in Kettering who did not "care enough" to save her baby.
Her son Reggie died at home on 5 March from an as yet unknown illness. He was just six weeks old.
Ms Mitchell, 18, says Kettering General Hospital "refused to do proper checks" after Reggie "went floppy and began shaking" in February.
A spokesperson for NHS Northamptonshire said a multi-agency review of the case was under way. BBC Northampton
Major study outlines wide health inequalities in England
Major study outlines wide health inequalities in England People living in the most deprived parts of England are diagnosed with serious illness earlier and die sooner than their peers in more affluent areas, a major new study finds. The Health Foundation
See also:
- Quantifying health inequalities in England The Health Foundation
Pulling teeth: why have successive governments failed dentistry?
Pulling teeth: why have successive governments failed dentistry? After a BBC investigation this week reported that nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service, Nigel Edwards describes some of the problems in the sector and how they could provide a warning for the unfolding crisis in GP services. Nuffield Trust
Commissioning quality standard: alcohol and drug services
Commissioning quality standard: alcohol and drug services This commissioning quality standard (CQS) sets standards that will guide local partnerships to commission alcohol and drug services more effectively. This guidance helps partnerships to: clarify the commissioning process they should follow; plan and deliver harm reduction, treatment and recovery interventions; understand local need for alcohol and drug services; assess whether anyone affected by problem alcohol and drug use is able to access the right support at the right time; and provide high-quality support from a multi-disciplinary skilled workforce for children, young people and adults affected by problem alcohol and drug use. Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Prime Minister launches 'Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission'
Prime Minister launches 'Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission' Prime Minister Boris Johnson launches national mission to tackle dementia and doubles research funding to £160 million a year by 2024. Department of Health and Social Care
NHS checks for bowel cancer hit record-high thanks to Dame Deborah
NHS checks for bowel cancer hit record-high thanks to Dame Deborah Record numbers of people have come forward for bowel cancer checks thanks to lifesaving awareness raising by Dame Deborah James, the NHS said today.
Between the months of May and July, referrals for suspected lower gastro-intestinal cancers reached record levels, with over 170,500 people referred for checks during that period – up over 30,000 compared to the same period last year, and nearly 80,000 higher than the same period two years ago. NHS England
Covid: Evusheld antibody protection ruled out for most vulnerable
Covid: Evusheld antibody protection ruled out for most vulnerable A Covid protection for people with weakened immune systems has been shelved in the UK because of a lack of evidence over how well it works against the Omicron variant.
The Department of Health said it would not be buying doses of the Evusheld injection. BBC News
See also:
Some antidepressants may make heatwave challenging
Some antidepressants may make heatwave challenging People taking some mental health medication need to be extra cautious during the heatwave, the ex-head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists says.
Some antipsychotic medications and antidepressants may hinder the body from regulating temperature properly.
Certain drugs can also cause people to sweat excessively, not register thirst or make skin more sensitive to sun. BBC News
Thousands more NHS beds to be created in England this winter
Thousands more NHS beds to be created in England this winter England's health chiefs say they will create an extra 7,000 beds to tackle "substantial" pressures this winter.
It comes after government scientific advisers warned that "high numbers of beds may be needed for respiratory patients".
The extra beds will include more temporary units at hospital sites and 2,500 "virtual ward spaces" with patients monitored at home. BBC News
See also:
- NHS sets out package of measures to boost capacity ahead of winter NH England
- NHS will send 2,500 patients to 'virtual wards' in in time for inevitable winter crisis The Daily Mail
- NHS to create thousands more beds and boost 999 staff numbers ahead of winter Evening Standard
- New targets to curb hours lost to ambulances waiting outside A&E in bid to cut winter pressures The Independent
Thousands of patients forced to travel far from home for NHS mental health treatment
Thousands of patients forced to travel far from home for NHS mental health treatment Thousands of people are being forced to travel tens or even hundreds of miles to access mental health treatment on the NHS - because beds are not available locally.
In May alone, there were 575 "inappropriate out of area mental health placements" in England. Sky News
Ministers admit 34 hospital buildings in England have roofs that could collapse
Ministers admit 34 hospital buildings in England have roofs that could collapse Thirty-four hospital buildings in England have roofs made of concrete that is so unstable they could fall down at any time, ministers have admitted.
The revelation has prompted renewed fears that ceilings at the hospitals affected might suddenly collapse, injuring staff and patients, and calls for urgent action to tackle the problem. The Guardian
Britons are LESS happy than during pandemic: More people worry about their health and feel lonely
Britons are LESS happy than during pandemic: More people worry about their health and feel lonely Britons are less happy now than they were during some parts of the pandemic, shock official figures show.
More people are concerned about their physical and mental health than they were in mid-2020, just months after the coronavirus outbreak sent the country into its first lockdown.
And Britons are struggling more with relationships and loneliness than ever before. The Daily Mail
See also:
- Quality of life in the UK: August 2022 Office for National Statistics
Data privacy fears as GPs are sharing patient records on Word documents
Data privacy fears as GPs are sharing patient records on Word documents GPs are sharing patient records on Word documents via email amid ongoing disruption due to the NHS cyberattack.
There are concerns the move could risk patient privacy.
Advanced, a major IT provider to the health service, are being held ransom by hackers amid concerns millions of confidential records could be affected. The Daily Mail
See also:
- NHS cyber attacks hit record levels in four in five trusts after Russian invasion The Daily Telegraph
- NHS 111 systems could be offline until next week following cyber attack GPonline
- NHS at risk of further major cyberattacks this year, experts warn The Independent
- Ransomware attack on NHS systems could take weeks to fix, major IT provider warns Sky News
- Ministers coordinating 'resilience response' after 'major' cyber attack hits NHS systems across UK Sky News
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