Desperate veteran says he's spent 50 or 60 years dealing with festering wound of PTSD

Desperate veteran says he's spent 50 or 60 years dealing with festering wound of PTSD A veteran who says he was refused help from ex-service and mental health organisations is now “hopeful” for his future after attending Northampton’s first mental health festival. Headfest'22 was held during Mental Health Awareness Week at Northampton Filmhouse. Northants Live

Hospital admissions for eating disorders increased by 84% in the last five years

Hospital admissions for eating disorders increased by 84% in the last five years Signs that someone with an eating disorder is dangerously ill are often missed by healthcare professionals due to lack of guidance and training.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists launches new Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders guidance for frontline staff so that people with eating disorders needing urgent care can be identified and treated earlier.

Hospital admissions for eating disorders have increased by 84% in the last five years reaching a total of 24,268 admissions. New Royal College of Psychiatrists’ analysis of hospital data for eating disorders shows 11,049 more admissions in 2020/21 compared to 2015/16.

See also:

• Eating disorder hospital cases up 84% in five years in England BBC News
• NHS reports ‘alarming’ rise in hospital admissions for eating disorders The Guardian
• Hospital admissions for eating disorders rise by 84% over past five years The Independent

Let down

Let down It will be years before the Government’s public inquiry into COVID gives its findings, but lessons need to be learned now. So the BMA is publishing its own reports into the pandemic, the first two revealing the woeful lack of protective equipment in the early days of the epidemic, and the profound physical and mental strain it has placed on doctors

See also:

• BMA COVID-19 review BMA
• COVID-19: PPE for doctors BMA
• Government failed health staff in pandemic - BMA BBC News
• Covid-19: Government failed to protect doctors during pandemic, BMA inquiry finds The BMJ
• UK government 'failed in duty of care to doctors' in pandemic, BMA warns GPonline
• Doctors let down by Government during Covid-19 pandemic, says BMA The Independent

Maternity Disparities Taskforce explores women's health before and during pregnancy

Maternity Disparities Taskforce explores women's health before and during pregnancy Minister for women’s health, Maria Caulfield, and chief midwifery officer, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, co-chaired the second meeting of the Maternity Disparities Taskforce this week (Monday 16 May 2022).

The taskforce led a deep dive discussion into the role of primary care – including GPs, nurses, healthcare practitioners, pharmacists – in supporting women’s health before they become pregnant, known as preconception health. Department of Health and Social Care

Government review could see NHS England, CQC and UKHSA 'abolished'

Government review could see NHS England, CQC and UKHSA 'abolished' A Government review of arm’s length bodies (ALBs), including the NHS England, CQC and UKHSA could see ‘powers returned to accountable ministers’.

The evaluation will look at the efficacy and efficiency of all public bodies and whether they should be ‘abolished or retained’ or should carry on delivering all of their functions.

NHS Improvement, NHS Digital and Health Education England (HEE) also fall under the remit of the review. Pulse

Monkeypox: Two more people infected to take total to nine in UK

Monkeypox: Two more people infected to take total to nine in UK Two more people with monkeypox have been identified, taking the total number of cases in the UK to nine.

Both live in the South East of England - where most of the cases have been identified - and it is thought they got the infection through spread in the community, rather than travel.

Monkeypox is usually linked with travel to West Africa. BBC News

See also:

• Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: Monkeypox UK Health Security Agency
• Close contacts of UK's monkeypox cases are being given 'off-label' vaccine The Daily Mail
• Monkeypox hits Europe: Portugal says five men have virus while Spain probes eight suspected cases The Daily Mail
• Monkeypox: What we know about rare virus as four more cases confirmed in England The Independent

Wire cutters and drill bits among the items left inside NHS patients

Wire cutters and drill bits among the items left inside NHS patients There were more than 400 "never events" between April 2021 and March 2022, despite the category being for incidents that "should not occur if healthcare providers have implemented existing national guidance or safety recommendations". Sky News

See also:

• Never Events data NHS England
• Drill bits and scalpel blades left inside patients as NHS ‘Never Events’ become everyday occurrence The Daily Telegraph
• Drill bits, scalpels and wire cutters left inside NHS patients, new data shows ITV News

NHS trust fined £1.3m over deaths of two patients after staff mistakes

NHS trust fined £1.3m over deaths of two patients after staff mistakes An NHS trust has been fined over £1.3m after it admitted breaking the law by failing to provide safe care in two cases where patients died after serious mistakes were made by hospital staff.

The Shrewsbury and Telford trust pleaded guilty on Wednesday at Telford magistrates court to three criminal charges brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the NHS care regulator in England. The Guardian

See also:

• Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust admits failures after two patients die BBC News
• Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust fined over £1.3m for safety failings linked to two deaths Sky News

Care watchdog issues urgent warning over patient safety at mental health hospital facing police probe

Care watchdog issues urgent warning over patient safety at mental health hospital facing police probe A private hospital facing a police investigation following a patient’s death has been given an urgent warning by the care regulator due to concerns over patient safety.

The Huntercombe Hospital in Maidenhead, which treats children with mental health needs, was told it must urgently address safety issues found by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in March. The Independent

NHS checks for prostate cancer hit all-time high

NHS checks for prostate cancer hit all-time high Checks for prostate cancer have hit an all-time high after an awareness campaign, according to NHS England.

Urgent referrals for urological cancers reached a record level in March, with 24,331 men checked in one month.

These referrals increased by more than a fifth (23%) compared with the previous month and are up by almost one third (30%) compared with the same month last year. The Independent

NHS will NOT hit key cancer targets by next March, health chief warns

NHS will NOT hit key cancer targets by next March, health chief warns The NHS will likely still be missing crucial cancer targets next year, a senior health official warned today.

Dr Liz Bishop, who sits on NHS England's national cancer board, admitted that she 'does not think' it will be 'business as usual' by March. The Daily Mail