'Thousands' of foreign workers to be hired to fill health and social care staffing shortages

'Thousands' of foreign workers to be hired to fill health and social care staffing shortages The government is working on plans to recruit thousands of foreign workers from countries such as India and the Phillippines to plug staffing gaps in the health and social care sector, according to reports.

Overseas recruits are expected to be brought in on a “mass scale” as the health service struggles to fill vacancies. The Independent

See also:

• Slump in nursing course acceptances will worsen staffing crisis – union boss The Independent

UK dentists should give antibiotics to patients at risk of heart infection – study

UK dentists should give antibiotics to patients at risk of heart infection – study Dentists in the UK should be encouraged to give antibiotics to patients at high risk of life-threatening heart infection before invasive procedures, a study has found.

Research suggests bacteria from the mouth entering the bloodstream during dental treatment could explain 30% to 40% of infective endocarditis cases. The rare but life-threatening condition occurs when the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves become infected. The Guardian

See also:

• Antibiotic Prophylaxis Against Infective Endocarditis Before Invasive Dental Procedures (abstract) Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• Dentists should give antibiotics to high-risk patients to help prevent life-threatening heart infection University of Sheffield
• Infective endocarditis following invasive dental procedures: IDEA case-crossover study NIHR

Liz Truss called for patients to be charged for GP visits, 2009 paper reveals

Liz Truss called for patients to be charged for GP visits, 2009 paper reveals Liz Truss called for patients to be charged to see their GP and for doctors’ pay to be slashed by 10% in a pamphlet she co-authored in 2009, the unearthed document has revealed.

The Tory leadership frontrunner also wanted to see the universal child benefit abolished in the report, which she co-wrote with six other people when she was deputy director of the Reform thinktank. The Guardian

Nine in ten GPs fear their practice will struggle to cope this winter

Nine in ten GPs fear their practice will struggle to cope this winter Nearly nine in ten GPs fear that their practice will struggle to cope this winter, with workload pressures and staff shortages chief among their concerns, a GPonline poll has found.

Northampton General Hospital nurse given prestigious award for 'outstanding' end-of-life care

Northampton General Hospital nurse given prestigious award for 'outstanding' end-of-life care A nurse from Northampton General Hospital (NGH) has been awarded a prestigious national award for her outstanding work supporting patients and their families in end-of-life care. The Chief Nursing Officer for England Silver Award recognises major contributions to patient care and the nursing profession. Northants Live

Kettering care home rated inadequate for third time

Kettering care home rated inadequate for third time A nursing home has been rated inadequate for a third consecutive time and will remain in special measures.

An inspection of Five Gables near Kettering, Northamptonshire, in June found "no significant improvement" since the previous checks in January.

A report said its management of records and medicines could put people at risk. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Five Gables Nursing Home Care Quality Commission

Bringing hospital care home: virtual wards and hospital at home for older people

Bringing hospital care home: virtual wards and hospital at home for older people This report explores the potential benefits, limitations, and current scientific evidence to be considered when providing a safe, effective, and person-centred alternative to hospital inpatient care for older adults. This publication highlights how ‘virtual wards’ are being funded and implemented. It explains the various definitions of the term ‘virtual wards’ as used in different parts of the UK and describes the face-to-face care delivered by a multidisciplinary team, combined with some remote monitoring. British Geriatrics Society

Payment reform, purchaser and provider decisions and the performance of emergency healthcare systems: the case of blended payment in the English NHS

Payment reform, purchaser and provider decisions and the performance of emergency healthcare systems: the case of blended payment in the English NHS This paper constitutes the first and foundational output of the ESHCRU2 project 3 - Analysis of purcher-provider contracts: modelling risk sharing and incentive implications. This project focuses on the implications of payment reform of what is called blended payment for emergency care. The paper sets out the theoretical model developed to understand how behavioural choices could be influenced by this payment reform. Centre for Health Economics

Research: Evaluation of the potential approaches to risk assessment of unintentional chemical mixtures for future UK REACH assessments

Research: Evaluation of the potential approaches to risk assessment of unintentional chemical mixtures for future UK REACH assessments This joint report by the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency identifies a recommended approach to address the risks to both the environment and human health from unintentional mixtures of chemicals under the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation.

Covid: Brain fog more common two years on, study suggests

Covid: Brain fog more common two years on, study suggests Two years after having Covid-19, diagnoses of brain fog, dementia and epilepsy are more common than after other respiratory infections, a study by the University of Oxford suggests.

But anxiety and depression are no more likely in adults or children two years on, the research found.

More research is needed to understand how and why Covid could lead to other conditions. BBC News

See also:

• Neurological and psychiatric risk trajectories after SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis of 2-year retrospective cohort studies including 1 284 437 patients (open access) The Lancet Psychiatry
• Covid can raise the risk of dementia and psychosis in sufferers for up to two years The Daily Mail
• Covid patients face dementia risk years after infection, study finds The Independent
• ‘Covid patients at greater risk of psychiatric conditions up to two years later’ The Independent

Dog infected with monkeypox prompts isolation warning

Dog infected with monkeypox prompts isolation warning A dog has been infected with monkeypox after catching the virus from its owner, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

It's the first case of its kind, and health leaders say isolating from pets when infected is important.

The WHO also warned of the need to get rid of rubbish carefully to reduce the risk of infecting other animals.

There is no evidence that dogs can transmit the disease to other dogs or humans, an expert said. BBC News

See also:

• First human to dog monkeypox case prompts WHO advice to pet owners The Guardian
• WHO asks public to propose less stigmatising name for monkeypox The Guardian
• Dog catches monkeypox from owners after sleeping in their bed The Independent

NHS workers to vote on industrial action after rejecting 4% pay award

NHS workers to vote on industrial action after rejecting 4% pay award Hundreds of thousands of NHS workers will decide whether to go on strike after rejecting a pay increase that will see them worse off than last year in real terms.

The pay rise, announced in July, would mean an average 4 per cent increase for most staff but new inflation figures released today mean the average cost of living had increased by 10 per cent since the same time last year. Big Issue

See also:

• New RCN ballot results give clearest sign yet of strike action by nursing staff across the UK Royal College of Nursing
• Junior doctors in strike ballot threat over 'unacceptable' 2% pay rise offer Daily Mail
• Majority of GPs back taking industrial action in the coming year, poll suggests GPonline
• Millions of public sector workers to vote on strikes in ‘biggest industrial action since 1970s’ The Independent
• Nurses speak of ‘shift in appetite’ for strike action over pay Nursing Times
• ‘Agenda for Change’ contractors reject NHS pay award Pharmacy Business

UK hospitals lose millions after AI startup valuation collapses

UK hospitals lose millions after AI startup valuation collapses Two NHS hospital trusts in the UK have lost nearly £15 million ($18 million) between them due to the collapse in value of an AI startup.

Last month, The Register reported that seven NHS hospital trusts appeared to have lost millions following deals with Sensyne Health – a fledgling AI business trying to discover and develop new medicines – which saw company shares exchanged for patient data.

NHS mental health services are turning children away when they need us most

NHS mental health services are turning children away when they need us most | Tara Porter I have worked with young people for 25 years – it’s galling to see them bounced between overworked departments because their diagnosis doesn’t fit. The Guardian

Online pharmacy prescriptions have DOUBLED as patients turn to websites because they can't see a GP

Online pharmacy prescriptions have DOUBLED as patients turn to websites because they can't see a GP Patients are being put at risk because online pharmacies are dishing out drugs in dangerously high quantities and with little scrutiny, a watchdog has warned.

Twice as many prescriptions were written by pharmacy websites last year than pre-pandemic, in a sign of Britons increasingly turning to the internet after struggling to access a GP. The Daily Mail

See also:

• GPhC issues advice about risks relating to online services General Pharmaceutical Council

Genetic links can help men with higher risk of prostate cancer get early diagnosis

Genetic links can help men with higher risk of prostate cancer get early diagnosis Men at high risk of developing prostate cancer could be diagnosed earlier if genetic weaknesses were considered by GPs, research reveals.

A fifth of annual suspected prostate cancer referrals could be fast-tracked for investigation, while another 40 per cent could avoid referral and invasive biopsies if a genetic risk for cancer was included into GP triage. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Applying a genetic risk score for prostate cancer to men with lower urinary tract symptoms in primary care to predict prostate cancer diagnosis: a cohort study in the UK Biobank (open access) British Journal of Cancer

Northampton day hospice reopens after Covid closure

Northampton day hospice reopens after Covid closure A day hospice forced to close its doors due to Covid-19 has resumed face-to-face care.

The Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton moved its day services online in March 2020.

Earlier this month it fully re-introduced its physical wellbeing services for people living in the community. BBC Northampton

Postoperative nutritional management among patients with oesophago-gastric cancer in England: NOGCA short report

Postoperative nutritional management among patients with oesophago-gastric cancer in England: NOGCA short report This report provides insight into current postoperative nutritional practices in ten (27.8 per cent) oesophago-gastric cancer specialist centres across England, based on 617 patients who underwent curative surgery after being diagnosed between April 2019 and March 2020. The report found that, for patients who had oesophagectomy, the most commonly reported nutritional management strategy was enteral nutrition delivered via a jejunostomy during the admission and continued on discharge (51.0 per cent). It also found that the majority of oesophagectomy patients (83.9 per cent) had a jejunostomy or received parenteral nutrition during their surgical admission. National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit

Guidance for emergency departments: initial assessment

Guidance for emergency departments: initial assessment This guidance makes recommendations for models of initial assessment of patients arriving at emergency departments and provides standard definitions of the processes that classify as initial assessment: streaming, triage, and rapid assessment and treatment. It recognises that initial assessment and flow from the front door of a hospital are a crucial first step on a patient’s journey. NHS England

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates Latest updates on cases of monkeypox identified by the UK Health Security Agency.