VIDEO: Work begins on building multi-million pound mental health facility in Northampton

VIDEO: Work begins on building multi-million pound mental health facility in Northampton  Work to build the largest mental health facility in Europe for young people in Northampton has begun. St Andrew's, yesterday began building its new residential building for young people. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Corby health group shortlisted for top award

Corby health group shortlisted for top award Corby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which plans and pays for health services in the area, has been nominated for a top award. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton radiographers strike against fourth year with no pay rise

Northampton radiographers strike against fourth year with no pay rise Radiographers from two departments at Northampton General Hospital took part in a four-hour strike today after being refused a pay rise for the fourth year running. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Guidance: Cold weather plan for England 2014

Guidance: Cold weather plan for England 2014 The cold weather plan gives advice to the NHS and social care on preparing for the effects of winter weather on people’s health. Public Health England

See also:

• Press release: PHE cold weather plan helps you protect your health Public Health England
• Keep Warm Keep Well Public Health England

Latest NHS staff sickness absence figures released

Latest NHS staff sickness absence figures released NHS staff sickness absence has risen by 0.15 per cent in the year to June 2014.
The latest figures released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show an increase in overall sickness absence, rising to 3.95 per cent in June 2014 from 3.80 percent in June 2013. NHS Employers

Community pharmacy management of minor illness

Community pharmacy management of minor illness This report shows that common ailments such as coughs and sore throats cost the NHS an extra £1.1 billion a year when patients are treated at A&E or GP surgeries rather than at community pharmacies. Treatment results were equally good regardless of whether patients were treated at a pharmacy, A&E or GP practice. Overall, the study estimates that 3% of all A&E consultations and 5.5% of GP consultations for common ailments could be managed in community pharmacies. This equates to over 650,000 visits to A&E and over 18 million GP consultations every year that could be diverted with a total annual cost saving of over £1billion. Royal Pharmaceutical Society

• Report
• Press release

The costs of perinatal mental health problems

The costs of perinatal mental health problems This report argues that perinatal mental health problems carry a total economic and social long-term cost to society of about £8.1 billion for each one-year cohort of births in the UK. It also finds that the NHS would need to spend just £337 million a year to bring perinatal mental health care up to the level recommended in national guidance. Centre for Mental Health

See also:

• Shocking failure to fully address mental health problems in pregnancy and following childbirth costs over £8 billion, report finds Centre for Mental Health
• Poor mental health care for pregnant women costs £8bn OnMedica

Man walks again after transplant

Man walks again after transplant A paralysed man has been able to walk again after a pioneering therapy that involved transplanting specialist cells into his damaged spinal cord. BBC News

See also:

• To walk again - the people behind the story BBC News
• British doctors on brink of cure for paralysis The Independent

More UK medics travel to Ebola area

More UK medics travel to Ebola area About 100 army medics are travelling to Sierra Leone as part of UK efforts to tackle the Ebola outbreak, as screening begins at Gatwick. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: UK Ebola vaccine tests continue BBC News
• Ebola crisis: How Nigeria's Dr Adadevoh fought the virus BBC News
• Ebola: GlaxoSmithKline says working at 'unprecedented rate' to find vaccine The Daily Telegraph
• Downing Streets Ebola panic is a classic case of the politics of fear The Guardian
• Ebola outbreak: WHO missed 'the disaster of our times,' say aid agencies The Independent

NHS needs bigger budget rises to ward off perfect storm, says watchdog

NHS needs bigger budget rises to ward off perfect storm, says watchdog Regulator calls for annual multimillion-pound funding increases to tackle problems caused by ageing and population growth

The NHS must once again start receiving annual multimillion-pound increases in its budget to help it survive a perfect storm of pressures, the boss of the services economic regulator has warned.

The health service will struggle to cope with the ageing and growing population unless it goes back to getting above-inflation annual boosts to its funding, said Dr David Bennett. Continue reading... The Guardian

Exclusive: NHS hires foreign doctors to stave off winter crisis

Exclusive: NHS hires foreign doctors to stave off winter crisis Dozens of extra foreign doctors have been drafted in to help NHS hospitals head off a winter crisis, Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, will announce today. The Independent

NHS hospital staff banned from drinking tea or coffee on the job because it looks like they're not working hard enough

NHS hospital staff banned from drinking tea or coffee on the job because it looks like they're not working hard enough Medics and other staff have been banned from drinking tea or coffee in public areas at three Leicester hospitals. The Independent

See also:

• NHS hospitals ban staff from having cup of tea at their desks in case it makes it look like they're not working Daily Mail

Radiographers at Kettering Hospital to take strike action

Radiographers at Kettering Hospital to take strike action Radiographers at Kettering Hospital will be taking part in a national strike on Monday, October 20, between 9am and 1pm. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The cost of protecting the NHS budget: how do the parties' pledges fare?

The cost of protecting the NHS budget: how do the parties' pledges fare? The Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems have all made promises to increase the NHS budget should they win in the 2015 election. But how do the promises of the parties compare to the amount of money the English NHS will need? The Health Foundation

Suffering in silence: listening to consumer experiences of the health and social care complaints system

Suffering in silence: listening to consumer experiences of the health and social care complaints system This report details the findings of an investigation into the failings of the complaints system in health and social care. It raises concerns about the NHS and local authority red tape making it difficult for people to complain and that there is not enough independent advice and support out there to help those in need and, above all, the public is given little incentive to come forward about their experiences. It highlights simple changes which could be made to the system in order to improve patients' experiences in complaints handling within health and care systems. Healthwatch

Nigeria to be declared Ebola-free

Nigeria to be declared Ebola-free The World Health Organisation is expected to declare Nigeria officially free of Ebola on Monday, after six weeks with no new cases. BBC News

More than half of local health contracts 'go outside NHS

More than half of local health contracts 'go outside NHS' The value of clinical contracts awarded by local health commissioning groups has risen to just over £2bn between April and September this year, data shows. Of the total contracts awarded since April 2013, more than half have gone to non-NHSproviders. BBC News

Doctors 'stop seven-day service talks'

Doctors 'stop seven-day service talks' A spat between doctors and NHS officials about seven-day working has led to the stalling of longstanding negotiations. BBC News

See also:

• Junior and consultant contract negotiations BMA
• NHS Employers disappointed by BMA abandonment of contract talks NHS Employers

Gaps in mental health care for new mothers cost UK £8bn a year study

Gaps in mental health care for new mothers cost UK £8bn a year study Maternal Mental Health Alliance says NHS would need to spend £337m a year to bring care up to recommended levels

Substandard mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers is creating long-term costs of more than £8bn every year, according to a pioneering study of the effects of maternal depression, anxiety and other illnesses.

The report, produced by the London School of Economics and the Centre for Mental Healthcharity, represents the first time academics have sought to quantify not just the direct economic impact on affected mothers, but the effect over decades on their childrens prospects, both in terms of development in the womb and during the crucial early years. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS chief urges hospital staff to join gyms in anti-obesity fight

NHS chief urges hospital staff to join gyms in anti-obesity fight Simon Stevens says repeated warnings have been ignored and we must lead national effort to tackle crisis.

The National Health Service is to put its own 1.35 million staff at the head of a new fight against obesity by encouraging them to join weight-watching groups and take out gym memberships, its new head will announce this week.

The move by Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, comes amid mounting frustration within the medical profession and NHS over the failure of successive governments to invest sufficiently in public health campaigns. Continue reading... The Guardian