Adult social care provider partnerships in integrated care systems

Adult social care provider partnerships in integrated care systems This guide for adult social care providers concerns the opportunities integrated care systems (ICSs) provide for partnership working between health and social care. ICSs are partnerships between health and care organisations, coming together to collectively plan and deliver health and care to meet the needs of their population. This guide has been developed with input and support from NHS England and is designed to help adult social care providers understand ICS and, at the same time, help ICSs to have a better understanding of the value of the full participation and engagement from adult social care providers. Care Provider Alliance

Departmental overview 2020-21: Department of Health and Social Care

Departmental overview 2020-21: Department of Health and Social Care This overview summarises the work of the Department of Health & Social Care including what it does, how much it costs, recent and planned changes and what to look out for across its main business areas and services. National Audit Office

All children aged 1 to 9 in London to be offered a dose of polio vaccine

All children aged 1 to 9 in London to be offered a dose of polio vaccine Following the discovery of type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus in sewage in north and east London, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that a targeted inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose should be offered to all children between the ages of 1 and 9 in all London boroughs.

This will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help reduce further spread of the virus. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Polio NHS UK
• Urgent polio boosters for London children  BBC News
• Polio IS spreading in Britain for first time in 40 years: Health chiefs launch 'urgent' jab rollout The Daily Mail
• Polio vaccine will be offered to London children after virus found in sewers The Daily Telegraph
• 900,000 London children to be offered polio vaccine booster after sewage findings The Guardian
• Children in London to be offered polio vaccine in bid to stop outbreak ITV News
• All London children aged one to nine to be offered polio vaccine dose after more virus found in sewers Sky News

'I've been let down - I shouldn't have stage-4 cancer'

'I've been let down - I shouldn't have stage-4 cancer' A woman with fast-growing stage-four breast cancer says the NHS has let her down, with delays at every stage of her treatment.

Caroline Boulton, 56, had several appointments for a mammogram, which checks for early signs of cancer, cancelled because of Covid, in March and November 2020.

In late 2021, she found a small lump, went to her GP and was referred urgently to a specialist - but then the delays began. BBC News

See also:

• Long cancer waits double in a year (log in required) Health Service Journal

Covid symptoms sufferers still have four months after catching virus revealed

Covid symptoms sufferers still have four months after catching virus revealed Covid sufferers are still reporting common symptoms an average of four months after having caught the virus, a new study has found.

Two hundred patients enrolled in the Covid-19 Neurological and Molecular Prospective Cohort Study in Georgia, or CONGA, to investigate the longer term impacts of the illness. The Independent

See also:

• Neuropsychiatric sequelae of long COVID-19: Pilot results from the COVID-19 neurological and molecular prospective cohort study in Georgia, USA (open access) Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
• People ‘still travelling less and exercising more than before Covid’ The Independent
• Covid reinfections: How likely are you to catch coronavirus again as cases rise? The Independent
• Study reveals new COVID treatments, therapies and drug combinations Open Access Government

Monkeypox vaccines set to run out in UK with bookings in some areas already closing

Monkeypox vaccines set to run out in UK with bookings in some areas already closing While the latest data suggests the monkeypox outbreak is slowing across the country, new cases are being reported every day, and it has been labelled as a "global health emergency".

The UK is set to run out of monkeypox vaccines, with bookings in some areas already closing as a result, Sky News understands.

Sources have suggested supply issues mean there are only around 5,000 doses of the jab left.

See also:

• Monkeypox isn’t just spread by sexual contact Full Fact
• UK will ‘run out of monkeypox vaccine in 10 to 20 days’ The Guardian
• Monkeypox: UK ‘on brink of running out of vaccines’ as infection spreads The Independent
• WHO forced to explain monkeypox has nothing to do with monkeys after spike in attacks on primates The Independent
• UK ‘on the verge of running out of monkeypox vaccines’ Metro
• The Chaotic Monkeypox Vaccine Pipeline Is Leaving Everyone Short Wired

CALL or nothing: NHS will tell patients to accept a 'virtual' appointment or face long waits

CALL or nothing: NHS will tell patients to accept a 'virtual' appointment or face long waits Patients will be forced to accept a virtual NHS appointment or face long waits as part of controversial plans to bring down waiting lists.

NHS bosses say the use of phone and video consultations will become much more common as part of a push to clear waits of more than 18 months by next April.

As part of the plans, trusts with the biggest backlog of outpatient appointments — like post-operation follow-ups — will be paired with hospitals with spare capacity. The Daily Mail

Lie down on your right side to absorb drugs better, new research suggests

Lie down on your right side to absorb drugs better, new research suggests Taking medicine lying on your right speeds up its effects, a new study has found, as researchers say posture affects how the stomach absorbs drugs.

Scientists have used a state-of-the-art 'StomachSim' that is based on the anatomy of the human stomach to analyse and understand how effective swallowed medicines are. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Computational modeling of drug dissolution in the human stomach: Effects of posture and gastroparesis on drug bioavailability (open access) Physics of Fluids

Charity's pride after donating picnic tables to KGH

Charity's pride after donating picnic tables to KGH KGH staff, patients and visitors can now take a break outside after a health charity donated 22 picnic tables.

The Northamptonshire Health Charity handed over £10,000 to pay for the tables after a funding request from the hospital’s health and wellbeing group. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The distribution of doctor quality: evidence from cardiologists in England

The distribution of doctor quality: evidence from cardiologists in England There is widespread and unexplained variation in the outcomes of similar patients across place and providers in all developed health systems. This paper provides new evidence on the role senior doctors play in determining patient outcomes. It exploits within-hospital quasi-random assignment of patients to senior doctors following a heart attack to estimate the effectiveness of individual doctors, and to estimate returns to experience for these doctors. Institute of Fiscal Studies

Investigation into the government’s contracts with Randox Laboratories Ltd

Investigation into the government’s contracts with Randox Laboratories Ltd Government had to move very fast at the start of the pandemic to increase testing capacity, but did not document key decisions adequately when awarding a contract to Randox Laboratories Ltd (Randox) for COVID-19 testing services, according to a report from the National Audit Office.

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates UKHSA has published the latest epidemiological overview for the ongoing monkeypox outbreak.

It shows that as of 8 August 2022, there are 2,914 confirmed and 103 highly probable monkeypox cases in the UK: 3,017 in total. Of these, 2,883 are in England. UK Health Security Agency

UK heatwave: Four-day extreme heat warning issued for parts of England and Wales

UK heatwave: Four-day extreme heat warning issued for parts of England and Wales The Met Office has issued a four-day amber extreme heat warning, meaning vulnerable people's health could be impacted and travel could be disrupted.

The warning applies to southern and central England and parts of Wales from midnight on Thursday until Sunday. BBC News

What we know so far about ‘Langya,’ the new virus discovered in China

What we know so far about ‘Langya,’ the new virus discovered in China Less than three years after the discovery of the Covid-19 virus, Chinese scientists say that they have discovered a new virus that may potentially be fatal to humans.

Thus far, the Langya Henipavirus, known as “Langya,” does not appear to be as deadly or spreading as quickly as Covid. According to data from Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC), though the virus has already infected 35 people, none have become seriously ill or died. The Independent

See also:

• Langya virus: Warning as brand new virus is detected in China The Daily Mail
• Newly identified Langya virus tracked after China reports dozens of cases The Guardian
• China discovers potentially fatal new virus passed to humans from shrews The Independent

Obese patients ‘being weight-shamed by doctors and nurses’

Obese patients ‘being weight-shamed by doctors and nurses’ Doctors and nurses often “weight-shame” people who are overweight or obese, leaving them feeling anxious, depressed and wrongly blaming themselves for their condition, research has found.

Such behaviour, although usually the result of “unconscious weight bias”, leads to people not attending medical appointments, feeling humiliated and being more likely to put on weight. The Guardian

Half of people with possible signs of cancer wait six months to contact a GP

Half of people with possible signs of cancer wait six months to contact a GP Half of people with possible cancer symptoms in the UK do not contact a GP for at least six months, potentially reducing their chances of survival, research has found.

Poorer people are less likely than the better-off to see their family doctor once they have eventually sought medical help, a survey by Cancer Research UK found. The Guardian

See also:

• Help seeking: Why isn’t it as simple as it might sound? Cancer Research UK

Six in ten stroke patients waiting dangerously long times to be seen, study shows

Six in ten stroke patients waiting dangerously long times to be seen, study shows Six in ten stroke patients face dangerously long waits to be seen in a specialist unit, a study found. 

Just 38.3 per cent were admitted within the recommended four hours of arriving in A&E during the first three months of this year. 

The figure was down ten percentage points on the same period in 2021. The Daily Mail

NHS to launch 'Super September' to cut down backlogs in time for winter

NHS to launch 'Super September' to cut down backlogs in time for winter Patients in England are set to face longer waits for routine check-ups as NHS bosses order hospitals to see those who are yet to have their first appointment, in a fresh bid to hack down backlogs.

The plan, dubbed 'Super September' by health chiefs, will see those who have been in the queue the longest prioritised for appointments over those who are waiting for routine second consultations. The Daily Mail

North Northants healthy eating project awarded £250,000

North Northants healthy eating project awarded £250,000 A project to help north Northants residents be more healthy is being launched by a charity thanks to funding from Public Health Northamptonshire.

The initiative will focus on communities most at risk of a poor diet and will address ‘health inequalities’ in north Northamptonshire, as well as using knowledge and expertise already available. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Elderly patient reveals his "lonely" experience and criticises "appalling" TV services at Northampton General Hospital

Elderly patient reveals his "lonely" experience and criticises "appalling" TV services at Northampton General Hospital An elderly patient at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) has criticised the ‘cutting back’ of television services at the hospital.

The man, who the Chronicle & Echo has not named, said he and many other pensioners were often left ‘staring at walls’ because the free television service was scrapped. Northampton Chronicle and Echo