Psychiatric podcast featuring Northampton mental health patients nominated for top nursing award

Psychiatric podcast featuring Northampton mental health patients nominated for top nursing award A podcast made in Northampton, which follows people with complex mental health issues such as psychosis and borderline personality disorder, has been nominated for a top nursing prize. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Working in partnership with people and communities: statutory guidance

Working in partnership with people and communities: statutory guidance This guidance is for integrated care boards, NHS trusts, foundation trusts and NHS England. It supports effectively partnership working with people and communities to improve services and meet the public involvement legal duties. NHS England

Evidence on costs associated with NHS-funded nursing care in 2021 to 2022

Evidence on costs associated with NHS-funded nursing care in 2021 to 2022 This report sets out evidence of the cost to care homes of providing NHS-funded nursing care. This evidence was used to inform the setting of the 2022 to 2023 NHS-funded nursing care rate and retrospective increase on the 2021 to 2022 rate. Department of Health and Social Care

Watch out for heat exhaustion and heatstroke

Watch out for heat exhaustion and heatstroke During the hot weather, it can be easy to overheat.

While heat exhaustion is not usually serious, as long as you can cool yourself down, heatstroke is a medical emergency.

Here's what to look for and what to do. BBC News

Government to consider new Covid curbs if NHS backlog is threatened

Government to consider new Covid curbs if NHS backlog is threatened More than 13,000 NHS hospital beds are now taken up by positive Covid patients as a goverment minister says curbs may be introduced if the NHS backlog is threatened by Covid.

The latest NHS data shows beds occupied by Covid patients are up from 10,658 on the Monday prior. The Independent

See also:

• Covid hospital admissions on the brink of hitting 18-month high The Daily Mail
• So do we really need to start wearing masks all over again? The Daily Mail
• Moderna announces its Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster is more effective against BA.5 The Daily Mail
• Covid: hospitals fight sickness and backlogs as latest wave hits UK The Guardian
• Covid: Global warning over ‘exponential’ increase in cases with new subvariant BA.2.75 The Independent
• Global life expectancy falls after Covid pandemic The Independent
• Covid cases set to hit new record as experts call for return of free testing and school air filtration systems iNews
• NHS reintroduces GP practice face mask mandate in some regions Pulse
• COVID-19 restrictions could be reintroduced if rise in cases hits NHS backlog, minister warns Sky News

Doctors forced to work overnight shifts at last minute in NHS staffing crisis

Doctors forced to work overnight shifts at last minute in NHS staffing crisis Hospital doctors are being sent home from daytime shifts and told to come back and work overnight in the latest stark illustration of the NHS’s crippling staff shortage.

Medics are having to change their plans at the last minute because hospitals cannot find any others to plug gaps in the night shift medical rota and need to ensure they have enough doctors on duty. The Guardian

Female doctors launch campaign against harassment in UK healthcare

Female doctors launch campaign against harassment in UK healthcare General Medical Council urged to denounce sexist and misogynistic behaviour towards female colleagues

Female doctors have launched an online campaign that they say exposes shocking gender-based discrimination, harassment and sexual assault in healthcare.

Surviving in Scrubs is an issue for all healthcare workers, say the campaign’s founders, Becky Cox and Chelcie Jewitt, who are encouraging women to share stories of harassment and abuse to “push for change and to reach the people in power”. The Guardian

See also:

• The campaign Surviving in Scrubs
• NHS faces #MeToo moment as dozens of female doctors speak out against sexist culture The Daily Mail

Patients complain of confusing text results as researchers warn lack of clear communication is risky

Patients complain of confusing text results as researchers warn lack of clear communication is risky Patients find getting GP test results by text annoying, according to academics who say a lack of clear communication can be risky. 

Texts, often automated messages sent from GP practices, can be 'flippant', 'blunt' and 'confusing'. 

Dozens of GPs and patients were quizzed about how they received their results from routine blood tests. The Daily Mail

See also:

• ‘I guess I’ll wait to hear’— communication of blood test results in primary care a qualitative study (open access) British Journal of General Practice

Would you feel safe being treated on a 'virtual ward' in your home?

Would you feel safe being treated on a 'virtual ward' in your home? For anyone with a chronic condition, key challenges include the need for regular checks, unsuitable appointment times, costly parking and hours hanging about in hospital as clinics overrun — let alone the discomfort from their illness.

But technological advances mean many could have their health closely monitored in their own homes, rather than in hospital. The Daily Mail 

Medics, social care and support services team up to ease A&E log-jam at Northampton General Hospital

Medics, social care and support services team up to ease A&E log-jam at Northampton General Hospital Medics are working to free up valuable capacity at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) by diverting patients with complex cases who frequently visit A&E to dedicated care services.

Doctors say that a large portion of the thousands who go to A&E are often linked to a number of social, physical and mental health factors, which may require support from more than one organisation. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northampton charity that brings comfort and happiness to cancer patients nominated in national entrepreneur award

Northampton charity that brings comfort and happiness to cancer patients nominated in national entrepreneur award A Northampton-based charity has seen off thousands of applicants to be shortlisted as a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022.

The Lewis Foundation has been recognised as one of the best charities in the UK in the highly acclaimed category, Entrepreneur for Good Award. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Urgent appeal for blood donors in Wellingborough

Urgent appeal for blood donors in Wellingborough Blood donors are urgently needed to fill a session in Wellingborough.

People are being urged to attend the session taking place at Wellingborough District Hindu Centre at 148, Highfield Road, in the town on Sunday, July 17. Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS staff wellbeing: why investing in organisational and management practices makes business sense

NHS staff wellbeing: why investing in organisational and management practices makes business sense This report is a summary of the findings of a rapid evidence review and economic analysis commissioned by The International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) to advise policymakers on how to improve NHS staff wellbeing. This analysis, by IPPO, The University of East Anglia and RAND Europe, estimates the cost of poor mental health and wellbeing to the NHS might amount to £12.1 billion per year. International Public Policy Observatory

How do you measure the success of population health approaches?

How do you measure the success of population health approaches? A common theme highlighted by health and care leaders we support in our leadership programmes is how best to measure success for population health. The King's Fund

Research: Surgical site infections (SSI) surveillance: NHS hospitals in England

Research: Surgical site infections (SSI) surveillance: NHS hospitals in England Data in this report includes voluntary submissions and data submitted as part of the Department of Health and Social Care’s mandatory healthcare-associated infection surveillance programme.

It includes information on the number of operations performed, data quality, benchmarks, trends and risk factors from participating hospitals. UK Health Security Agency

Monkeypox: continuing transmission in interconnected sexual networks

Monkeypox: continuing transmission in interconnected sexual networks Latest UKHSA data shows monkeypox transmission continuing primarily in interconnected sexual networks of gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (GBMSM). UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Research: Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview UK Health Security Agency

Guidance: The R value and growth rate

Guidance: The R value and growth rate These estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 2 to 3 weeks ago due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare.

There is increased uncertainty in both national and regional estimates at present, due to changes in testing policy, which make trends in data streams less clear. UK Health Security Agency

Covid infections continue to rise across the UK

Covid infections continue to rise across the UK Covid infections are continuing to rise across the UK, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

An estimated 2.7 million people, or one in 25, has the virus. About one in 30 had the virus in the previous week.

The rise is being driven by fast-spreading sub-variants of Omicron - called BA.4 and BA.5. BBC News

See also:

• Rising COVID case numbers causing real concern for NHS leaders NHS Confederation
• Has 'long Covid' peaked too? Number of Brits with condition FALLS for first time in a year The Daily Mail
• GPs reschedule non-urgent work as COVID-19 surge triggers county-wide red alert GPonline
• Covid: hospitals fight sickness and backlogs as latest wave hits UK The Guardian
• ‘There’s a feeling of powerlessness’: UK healthcare workers on rising Covid numbers The Guardian
• Is the death of Covid-19 patient with Down’s syndrome proof of care rationing? The Guardian
• Covid: Sage expert accuses government of ‘shutting its eyes and letting virus rip’ The Independent
• Government ‘wasted’ more than £800m choosing single-use PPE over greener alternative The Independent
• Covid warning over symptom of new strain that affects sufferers at night The Independent

Nearly half a million more adults on antidepressants in England

Nearly half a million more adults on antidepressants in England Nearly half a million more adults in England are now taking antidepressants compared with the previous year, according to NHS figures.

The number of prescriptions for children and teenagers has also risen.

From 2021-22, there was a 5% rise in the number of adults receiving them - from 7.9 million in the previous 12 months to 8.3 million.

It is the sixth year in a row that there has been an increase in both patients and prescriptions. BBC News

Nottingham maternity crisis: Are voices finally being heard?

Nottingham maternity crisis: Are voices finally being heard? After a fight lasting many months, families traumatised by poor care at Nottingham's failing maternity units received some positive news.

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden, who led the inquiry into the UK's biggest maternity scandal in Shropshire, is set to lead a review into what is going wrong at the services. BBC News