Women are at greater risk of missing a potentially deadly heart disease diagnosis

Women are at greater risk of missing a potentially deadly heart disease diagnosis Key signs that a woman is suffering from heart disease or will soon suffer a potentially deadly cardiovascular issue are often missed because they are more subtle than they are in men, leading cardiologists warn. The Daily Mail

See also:

• State of the Science: The Relevance of Symptoms in Cardiovascular Disease and Research: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (open access) Circulation

Leukaemia patient warns others for the symptoms to look out for

Leukaemia patient warns others for the symptoms to look out for A leukaemia patient from Northamptonshire is urging people to be aware of the symptoms - as it might just save their life. Hannah Mahoney, 30, from Towcester, never thought cancer would happen to her.

After falling ill and googling her symptoms, she knew there was a chance it could be leukaemia. However, she is now in remission from acute promyelocytic leukaemia and has become a homeowner while landing her dream job as an emergency medical technician in the East Midlands Ambulance Service. Northants Live

7 new community diagnostic centres to offer more patients life-saving checks

7 new community diagnostic centres to offer more patients life-saving checks 7 new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) will open to help bust the Covid backlogs, diagnose patients more quickly and meet future demands on the NHS, the Health and Social Care Secretary has today confirmed. Department of Health and Social Care

COVID-19 alert level reduced to 2

COVID-19 alert level reduced to 2 Based on UKHSA advice, the UK Chief Medical Officers and NHS England National Medical Director have recommended to ministers the COVID alert level moves from level 3 to level 2.

Hospitals and the wider health systems remain extremely busy overall but the summer BA.4 and BA.5 wave is subsiding and direct COVID severe illness is now a much smaller proportion of this. Severe COVID cases, direct COVID healthcare pressures, direct COVID deaths and ONS community positivity estimates have decreased. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Guidance: UK COVID-19 alert level methodology: an overview UK Health Security Agency

Covid: Pregnant women targeted with false vaccine claims

Covid: Pregnant women targeted with false vaccine claims Covid vaccination advice in pregnancy has not changed, contrary to false social media posts, UK health agencies have clarified.

Inaccurate messages shared by thousands claimed that pregnant or breastfeeding women were now recommended not to take the vaccine.

In fact, the NHS says the vaccine is both safe and strongly recommended for this group. BBC News

See also:

• Covid inquiry to examine Boris Johnson's pandemic decisions BBC News
• Moderna receives FDA green light for COVID-19 booster targeting the Omicron variant The Daily Mail
• UK's Covid alert is downgraded to level two as hospital pressure and infections decline The Daily Mail
• WHO: New COVID cases, deaths keep falling nearly everywhere The Independent

Review into Nottingham NHS maternity failings launches

Review into Nottingham NHS maternity failings launches A review into failings at a city's NHS maternity units has launched, with a call for affected families to come forward.

The review, led by midwife Donna Ockenden, will examine how dozens of babies died or were injured at the Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) trust.

Ms Ockenden previously led an inquiry into the UK's biggest maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

NUH said it welcomed the review. BBC News

See also:

• Nottingham maternity crisis: What are families calling for? BBC News

African-Caribbean people with type 1 diabetes ‘at higher risk of kidney disease’

African-Caribbean people with type 1 diabetes ‘at higher risk of kidney disease’ Ethnicity is a risk factor in people with type 1 diabetes developing kidney disease, a study suggests.

The findings also indicate that people of African-Caribbean heritage living with diabetes have nearly a 60% greater risk of advanced kidney disease. The Independent

See also:

• African Caribbean Ethnicity Is an Independent Predictor of Significant Decline in Kidney Function in People With Type 1 Diabetes (abstract) Diabetes Care

Steve Barclay ‘to tell NHS to scrap targets and focus on key areas’

Steve Barclay ‘to tell NHS to scrap targets and focus on key areas’ Health Secretary Steve Barclay will reportedly tell the NHS to scrap some of its targets and focus on cutting wait times for areas including ambulances, operations and GP appointments. The Independent

See also:

• Crackdown on NHS bureaucrats costing taxpayers £2.8billion a year: Steve Barclay launches plan The Daily Mail
• NHS can’t do it all and must scrap targets, warns Health Secretary The Daily Telegraph

"This is just not safe for anyone": the NHS doctors at breaking point

"This is just not safe for anyone": the NHS doctors at breaking point Medics explain how relentless scrutiny and gruelling hours are driving them to leave the profession. The New Statesman

NHS leaders warn of service cuts as hospital energy bills soar

NHS leaders warn of service cuts as hospital energy bills soar Hospital trusts in England face “eye-watering” rises in energy bills of £2m a month each due to the fuel price surge, with NHS leaders saying patients may face longer waiting times or even see their care “cut back” as a result.

NHS trusts are concerned they will have to make critical choices on staff levels and the services they provide in order to keep operating, with energy costs predicted to be as much as three times higher than a year ago. The Guardian

See also:

• Hospitals will be hit with “eye watering” energy bills this winter (open access) British Medical Journal
• NHS hospitals face paying an extra £2MILLION a month for energy this winter The Daily Mail
• Practices could cut staff, stop COVID-19 jabs or hand back contracts as energy bills rocket GPonline
• NHS hospitals to spend millions on crippling energy costs this winter The Independent
• Hospitals facing paying extra £2,000,000 a month for energy bills Metro

Bed-blocking crisis means medically-fit NHS patients have to wait up to 9 MONTHS to be discharged

Bed-blocking crisis means medically-fit NHS patients have to wait up to 9 MONTHS to be discharged The NHS bed-blocking crisis was laid bare today by shock data that revealed some patients are having to wait nine months to be discharged — despite being declared medically fit to leave enough to leave.

Nearly 13,000 hospital beds, one in seven, are filled with patients healthy enough for discharge.

They should be moved to a care home or offered home support, but staff shortages in the social care sector mean many languish on wards for weeks. The Daily Mail

 

See also:

• Patients fit for discharge stuck in hospital for up to nine months HSJ
• Medically fit patients waiting months to be discharged from England’s hospitals The Guardian

Has the Women’s Health Strategy listened to what women really need?

Has the Women’s Health Strategy listened to what women really need? The Women’s Health Strategy promises to address the poor experiences and worse health outcomes that women endure. The underlying cause of these issues is that the health system has historically been built by men for men. Consequently, women are often not listened to or believed by the health and care system. So, the crucial question is, will this strategy change the culture in the NHS of women not being listened to about their health and wellbeing? The King's Fund

Realising the benefits of provider collaboratives

Realising the benefits of provider collaboratives NHS trusts will play a critical role in delivering the key purposes of integrated care systems, often through partnership arrangements that will act as delivery vehicles within ICSs including provider collaboratives, place-based partnerships and neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams. This briefing: provides a brief overview of how provider collaboratives are developing across England; illustrates some of the emerging benefits that collaboratives are working to realise; explores how trust leaders see the role of provider collaboratives developing within ICSs; and identifies some key enablers and risks trust boards need to consider. NHS Providers

Our position on industrial action

Our position on industrial action We are aware that some nursing and midwifery professionals are expected to be balloted in the coming weeks and months on industrial action. When this happens, we are often asked about how industrial action, including strike action, relates to the NMC Code of conduct for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. As the nursing and midwifery regulator, we’ve taken this opportunity to update our existing statement on industrial action and ensure we are highlighting our latest resources. Nursing and Midwifery Council

NHS rolls out new electric vehicles to help patients and the planet

NHS rolls out new electric vehicles to help patients and the planet New NHS electric vehicles are hitting the road this summer, helping to relieve pressure on ambulance services across the country while also helping the NHS cut its carbon footprint.

Eight ambulance trusts are trialling 21 zero-emission vehicles of various types, with six of the new green vehicles dedicated to mental health response in the community – designed to cut emergency response times for people with mental health needs and help reduce demand on traditional double-crewed ambulances. 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.

HRT Taskforce presents recommendations to support future supply

HRT Taskforce presents recommendations to support future supply Action will be taken to make supplies of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) more resilient as Head of the HRT Taskforce Madelaine McTernan presents her key recommendations to support future management of the supply chain.

The recommendations will inform the work of the department and the UK wide menopause taskforce as Ms McTernan has returned to working full time as the Director General of the Vaccine Taskforce as preparation for the autumn booster campaign ramps up. Department of Health and Social Care

HRT tsar returns to role overseeing Covid boosters

HRT tsar returns to role overseeing Covid boosters Madelaine McTernan, who was recently appointed hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) tsar, to help deal with UK supply issues, has returned to her role overseeing vaccines, ahead of the planned autumn Covid booster campaign.

Access to the medication for menopause symptoms has improved over the four months she has been head of the HRT Taskforce, the government says.

But stocks of some products remain low. BBC News

See also:

• Wuhan lab at centre of Covid cover-up claims detects brand NEW virus The Daily Mail
• How would a shorter Covid isolation period work, and would it affect case numbers? The Guardian
• There’s some good news in the battle against long Covid The Guardian
• Long Covid causes erectile dysfunction and hair loss as symptoms list widens The Independent
• Life as a young person with long COVID: “You go through so many phases of up and down, it’s like being on a rollercoaster forever” World Health Organization

Hip fracture care too slow in some hospitals, study says

Hip fracture care too slow in some hospitals, study says There are big differences in how well patients with hip fractures are cared for by hospitals in England and Wales, a Bristol University study says.

In some hospitals one in 10 people died within a month of surgery - more than three times worse than in the best.

Getting patients into theatre quickly and out of bed the next day for physio are key ways to improve care.

People should receive the same, high-quality care wherever they live, the researchers said. BBC News

See also:

• Multiple hospital organisational factors are associated with adverse patient outcomes post-hip fracture in England and Wales: the REDUCE record-linkage cohort study (open access) Age and Ageing
• Recovery from a hip fracture varies widely among NHS hospitals, study finds University of Bristol
• Hip patients in deadly postcode lottery for care which leaves some twice as likely to die The Daily Mail
• Hip fracture patients more than twice as likely to die at some hospitals The Daily Telegraph
• Hip fracture recovery ‘varies between hospitals’ – study The Independent

Advanced cyber-attack: NHS doctors' paperwork piles up

Advanced cyber-attack: NHS doctors' paperwork piles up Doctors say it could take months to process mounting piles of medical paperwork caused by a continuing cyber-attack on an NHS supplier.

One out-of-hours GP says patient care is being badly affected as staff enter a fourth week of taking care notes with pen and paper.

The ransomware attack against software and services provider Advanced was first spotted on 4 August. BBC News

See also:

• NHS cyberattack causing ‘total chaos’ in hospitals could take a year to recover The Independent