This blog covers the latest UK health care news, publications, policy announcements, events and information focused on the NHS, as well as the latest media stories and local news coverage of the NHS Trusts in Northamptonshire.
Health service insiders fear the NHS will be hit by another cyber-attack similar to the WannaCry ransomware outbreak that caused widespread disruption to hospitals and GP surgeries last year.
Poor leadership, budgetary constraints, deficient IT systems and a lack of qualified staff mean another attack on the health service is inevitable, according to experts at a Guardian event supported by DXC. Guardian technology reporter Alex Hern spoke about the impact of the 2017 WannaCry cyber-attack, and clinicians, cybersecurity specialists, policy advisers and politicians discussed how to best protect NHS IT systems. The Guardian
Growing numbers of hospital units that provide cancer care and children’s services are among those being forced to shut because the NHS’s deepening staffing crisis means it has too few doctors and nurses to operate them safely.
The closures are leading to patients having to travel further to receive care as NHS bosses increasingly decide to centralise services in fewer hospitals in response to gaps in rotas. The Guardian
Research shows that patients with conditions such as schizophrenia and personality disorder are being denied help despite feeling suicidal.
Charity Rethink Mental Illness urged health officials to introduce NHS waiting targets for mental health problems, including a two week maximum wait for those suffering from psychosis. The Daily Telegraph
Research shows that patients with conditions such as schizophrenia and personality disorder are being denied help despite feeling suicidal.
Charity Rethink Mental Illness urged health officials to introduce NHS waiting targets for mental health problems, including a two week maximum wait for those suffering from psychosis. The Daily Telegraph
NHS England announces a ‘major overhaul’ of cancer screening programmes A top-to-bottom review has been launched into the screening services after private firm, Capita, failed to send cervical screening reminders and results and waited two months to tell the NHS about the error. The Daily Mail
Valerie Mary Hawksworth - who was paralysed on one side from a stroke and battling dementia - was found facedown on the floor in a communal living room at Argyle House care home after she fell out of her reclining chair, broke both wrists and suffered a bleed on the brain.
She died 10 days later at Northampton General Hospital surrounded by her family on May 29, 2018. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Staffing shortfall of almost 250,000 by 2030 is major risk to NHS long-term plan, experts warn Critical and lasting shortages in the healthcare workforce mean that the forthcoming NHS long-term plan risks becoming an unachievable ‘wish list’ of initiatives to improve the health service. If unaddressed, these shortages could lead to growing waiting lists, deteriorating care quality and the risk that some of the money for frontline services pledged at the Budget will go unspent, according to a new briefing published today by The King’s Fund, the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust.
Responsible for over 95,000 EU deaths every year, life expectancy at the time of diagnosis is just 4.6 months. Improvements in patient outcomes have largely stood still for the past four decades, which is of stark contrast to the progression in survival rates that has been witnessed with many other cancers.
The report provides a concise overview on the state of pancreatic cancer across the continent. UEG and its partners are also calling on six initiatives to transform pancreatic cancer outcomes by 2035, which include an increase in research funding and the delivery of a pan-European standard of care. United European Gastroenterology
Thousands caught up in cervical screening blunder More than 40,000 women in England have not received information regarding cervical cancer screening after a failure to send out letters by the NHS.
The errors were made between January and June.
Around 4,000 of them were results of tests, the remainder were letters inviting them for screening or reminding them they were due.
Between 150 and 200 of the test results that were not sent out were abnormal results.
But it is thought their intended recipients should have received at least one notification from their GP or screening clinic - as women with abnormal results should be sent letters from two or three sources. BBC News
Pfizer's failed pregabalin patent appeal means NHS could reclaim £502m The NHS could claim back over half a billion pounds from Pfizer - following a long-running controversy that saw GPs having to switch patients between generic and branded pregabalin - after the Supreme Court ruled that the drug company’s patent for Lyrica (pregabalin) is invalid.
The judgement, handed down this morning, dismissed Pfizer’s final attempt to uphold its patent, and accused the company of trying to hold a ‘monopoly’ with ‘insufficient’ evidence. Pulse
London-based AI firm DeepMind said its Streams app will be subsumed by the technology giant in a move that one expert described as “totally unacceptable” and a betrayal to patient’s privacy.
DeepMind, which is owned by Google but has operated the app independently until now, justified the decision in a blog post explaining how Google would allow the app to scale in a way that would not be possible by itself. The Independent
Pollution from diesel vehicles is stunting the growth of children’s lungs, leaving them damaged for life, a major study has found.
The research, conducted with more than 2,000 school children in London, is the first such study in a city where diesel pollution is a significant factor, and has implications for cities around the world. It also showed that charges to deter polluting trucks from entering the city did reduce air pollution a little but did not reduce the harm to children’s lungs.
This study reveals the terrible legacy of successive governments’ failure to act over illegal levels of air pollution The Guardian
Just 19 countries completing a United Nations safety check have built or shown strong biosecurity safeguards. No countries meet the highest standard for biosecurity.
The lack of robust controls increases the chances of a “catastrophic” biological event, according to NTI, a campaign group tracking nuclear, biological and chemical threats. The Daily Telegraph
Developed by academics from the University of Bristol, led by Dr Massimo Antognozzi, the imaging machine detects minute movements in bacteria, determining whether they’ve been affected by particular antibiotics.
The wiggle-ometer is one of more than 70 projects from around the world in the running for the £8 million Longitude Prize, launched by the government in 2014, in a bid to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Daily Telegraph
Task force to be sent to protect vulnerable children in Northamptonshire Ministers are to send in a task force to crisis-hit Northamptonshire County Council after it emerged hundreds of vulnerable children were being placed at greater risk of harm because of rapidly deteriorating frontline child protection services..
The move follows publication of a highly critical letter by Ofsted inspectors revealing that children referred to council social services were not effectively supported or protected, with 267 young people waiting up to four months to be assessed and allocated a social worker. The Guardian
The hospital has become the UK's first to achieve an international mark of excellence for having a positive work environment for nursing and midwifery staff.
England’s Chief Nurse Ruth May, addressing NGH employees on Wednesday, said: "I’m thrilled for each and every one of you.
"I have seen, felt and heard the difference that this makes and it is a just reward for all your efforts. Our challenge is how it roll it out nationally; let’s have nurses whooping right across England.” Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Understanding the health care needs of people with multiple health conditions Analysis of data from 2014 to 2016 for 300,000 people in England found that one in four adults had two or more health conditions, equating to approximately 14.2 million people in England. Over half (55 per cent) of hospital admissions and outpatient visits and three quarters (75 per cent) of primary care prescriptions are for people living with two or more conditions. In the least-deprived fifth of areas, people can expect to have two or more conditions by the time they are 71 years old, but in the most-deprived fifth, people reach the same level of illness a decade earlier, at 61 years of age. The Health Foundation
Health matters: air pollution This edition of Health matters focuses on air pollution and discusses how local authorities, supported by national policies, have an important role in assessing and improving local air quality - and how the cumulative effects of local action can be significant. It will be of particular value to local authority commissioners, directors of public health, environmental health officers, health and wellbeing boards, CCGs and health professionals. Public Health England
According to the results of an online survey from Diabetes UK, 77% of respondents said they sometimes or often feel down because of their family member’s diabetes.
One third of carers also wanted their family member to see more of a diabetes specialist nurse (DSN), while 11% per cent wanted a trained counsellor or psychologist to support the children or adults with diabetes they care for. OnMedica
The Local Government Association (LGA) has drawn up its own blueprint for reforming the sector and says that income tax or national insurance increases should be urgently considered.
Successive governments have kicked the issue of funding the rising cost of care in the UK “into the long grass”, but after eight years of austerity and cuts to council budgets, the LGA says the issues is at crisis point. The Independent
Hundreds of patients have been denied treatment for serious health problems including cancer, arrhythmia and cardiac chest pains after ministers forced the NHS to impose upfront charges on migrants deemed ineligible for free healthcare, the Guardian can reveal.
In one case, a patient with advanced stage cancer died after she went a year without treatment because an NHS hospital demanded £30,000 upfront to provide chemotherapy. The Guardian
NHS launches quest to eliminate scars 'within a generation' The NHS has launched a project to find medical cures for all types of scar as it opens the world’s first scarring research centre in response to wounded veterans and rising crime.
Experts say they aim to eliminate all scarring “within a generation” and transform the emergency care given to victims of trauma ranging from acid attacks and stabbing to terrorism and war.
Using money from fines levied against banks for financial misconduct, the new Centre for Conflict Wound Research at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital will investigate the fundamental molecular process that leads to scarring. The Daily Telegraph
Ian Trenholm, the chief executive of the Care Quality Commission, says he could take 31 NHS organisations and 163 care homes to court over safety concerns.
He took over the CQC in July and now wants to come down hard on failing adult social care companies and sub-standard branches of the health service.
Mr Trenholm revealed the 11 new additions to the team will review evidence and build cases against the ailing organisations - and more in the future. The Daily Mail See also:
The hospital sees 93,000 A&E patients per year - 180 on some busy days - which has doubled in the past 20 years.
An adjoining fractures clinic will be moved and a new area opened by Christmas to treat minor injuries, which make up about 40% of cases. BBC Northampton
National figures suggest the NHS is on course for its worst annual targets for cancer treatment waiting times record.
The NHS aims to have patients into hospital for their first treatments within 62 days of first-referral by their GP. Hospitals aim to have 85 per cent of patients treated in this time. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
How much would NHS costs rise if there’s no Brexit deal? With it still possible the United Kingdom will leave the European Union without a deal, Mark Dayan looks at the impact that would have on NHS costs. Nuffield Trust See also:
WHO Report on Surveillance of Antibiotic Consumption: 2016 - 2018 Early implementation Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to health and human development, affecting our ability to treat a range of infections. Treatments for a growing number of infections have become less effective in many parts of the world due to resistance. The link between antimicrobial resistance and use of antimicrobials is well documented. However, little information is available on antimicrobial use in low-income countries. This report presents 2015 data on the consumption of systemic antibiotics from 65 countries and areas, contributing to our understanding of how antibiotics are used in these countries. World Health Organization
Measles outbreaks across EnglandPublic Health England is advising the public to ensure they have had 2 doses of MMR vaccine after outbreaks of measles are confirmed across England.
Under the banner of “Choose Self Care for Life” the aim is to engage and empower people to better look after their own health.
Whether it is about self-treatable conditions, long term conditions, or lifestyle choices to ensure better physical health and mental wellbeing, this week raises awareness of the huge benefits of people looking after themselves better. NHS England
Focused review of suicides among armed forces personnel This focused review of suicides in service personnel (SP) aims to identify additional measures for preventing suicide. This report is based on evidence drawn from a review of defence publications, an examination of published statistics relating to suicide, a systematic review of the academic literature, interviews with 53 key stakeholders across defence, a national and international benchmarking exercise and an original academic study of self-harm in the UK. Ministry of Defence
Staff are developing new techniques to treat burns, with the goal of achieving scar-free healing within a generation.
It will also give mental health support to those with physical injuries.
The Centre for Conflict Wound Research at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be opened by the The Countess of Wessex later on Tuesday. BBC News
Long waits for Transgender NHS appointments 'putting lives at risk' Transgender campaigners are warning that lives are being put at risk, as people are being left waiting months or even years for the earliest stages of treatment to help them undergo gender reassignment on the NHS.
In most cases, people seeking hormone treatments or surgery must be seen by one of the country's seven Gender Identity Clinics.
Seven out of 10 stillbirths, neonatal deaths and babies brain damaged at birth could be avoided if the NHS provided better care during labour, a new government-funded report has found.
The inquiry identified lack of staff, the pressure on maternity units and a failure by midwives and obstetricians to follow guidelines as common factors in such events. The Guardian
The Home Office has abandoned a controversial “hostile environment” scheme using NHS data to track down patients believed to be breaching immigration rules.
In the face of a legal challenge brought by the Migrants’ Rights Network, a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Health, NHS Digital and the Home Office is being scrapped. The Guardian
The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS trust, in North East England, is using the images of its own staff's children to try and reduce violence.
More than one in six workers at the trust (15 per cent) say they have experienced violence from patients, relatives or the public over the last year.
And, as another busy winter approaches, bosses have launched the campaign promoting their zero-tolerance approach to 'unacceptable' abuse. The Daily Mail
South Western Ambulance Service staff will be given the training after its boss revealed assistance from police has been 'reduced'.
Restraint training, known as safer holding training, has already been given to five per cent of staff at the service and will be rolled out to the rest over the next two years.
It comes after it was reported incidents relating to violence and aggression against SWAS staff had almost doubled in a year up to 1,049 in 2017/18. The Daily Mail See also:
The international stamp of approval is given to hospitals that create a positive work environment for nurses and midwives to enable them to deliver outstanding patient care. Nursing Times
The commitment will ensure that those who have served in the armed forces have the best possible experience of the NHS and get the best care, regardless of whether they get help from their GP, a hospital or a specialist service. NHS England
The guide contains analysis, advice, case studies and recommendations for how to tackle bullying and create positive cultures in ambulance trusts. It has been created by ambulance colleagues as a call to action to implement changes and improve staff experience. NHS Employers
More than a quarter of those who did not try to help said they did not know what to do, while 16 per cent said they would have felt awkward doing so, according to the survey by Parkinson’s UK.
The findings have been revealed to mark the launch of the charity’s campaign about freezing, a little-known symptom of Parkinson’s disease that often strikes in crowded, public spaces. The Independent See also:
I’m a psychiatrist. When people discover this, after the obligatory, “Are you analysing me right now?” (no – at least not in the way you think), the next question is nearly always, “Do you section people?”
For the uninitiated, being “sectioned” in England and Wales means being detained in a hospital under the Mental Health Act (MHA). This can happen if someone is experiencing a mental disorder of a “nature and degree” that could jeopardise their health or safety or the safety of others, and they are unwilling or unable to agree to hospital admission. The Guardian
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, is to meet the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and other world leaders at a summit on new technologies that could revolutionise health and social care.
The minister will champion the UK’s genomics, life sciences and artificial intelligence programmes as he addresses the GovTech summit in Paris on Monday about how innovation can transform patients’ lives. The Guardian See also:
Hospitals could run out of much of the imported food that goes into millions of patient meals in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Department of Health and Social Care has admitted in a letter to all NHS trusts in England.
The department said it was urgently planning to cope with potential “short supply of certain ingredients imported from the EU”, which involves advising suppliers how to use “substitute foodstuffs to maintain nutritional balance” of meals. The Guardian See also:
Medics have already turned to encrypted communication apps to deal with emergency situations such as the 2016 Croydon tram crash, and last year's Grenfell Tower fire and terrorist attacks in London Bridge and Manchester.
The new guidance will help NHS organisations and staff to make a judgment on how and when to use instant messaging safely in acute clinical settings, taking into account data sharing and data privacy rules. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Thousands of elderly patients have not yet been vaccinated after surgeries and chemists ran out of stock.
One pharmacist in Bristol said he was turning away 15 elderly patients a day and shortages have also been reported in Surrey, Kent, Middlesbrough, Birmingham and Bolton. The problems were triggered by the rollout of a new jab. The Daily Mail
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said olaparib was not considered to be cost effective.
The 'pioneering' drug is available on the NHS for women with ovarian cancer who have inherited mutations to the BRCA genes.
Studies have shown a larger amount of women could also benefit from the drug. But Nice says it would not expand its use in draft guidelines. The Daily Mail See also:
In July, in a major victory for this newspaper’s End The Vaccine Apartheid campaign, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that the HPV vaccine, previously available only to girls, would be given to Year 8 schoolboys, aged 12 and 13, from September 2019. The Daily Mail
Waiting times steady as admission rates recover The English waiting list shrank slightly in September as elective admissions picked up after the summer holidays. Waiting times were broadly steady, and the number of one year waiters edged down.
All of that is encouraging. But it is also worth noting that the waiting list is still much longer than it was a year ago, and this is putting continued pressure on waiting times.
As winter approaches and bed pressures remain high, it is doubtful whether the ambition to hold the waiting list steady across the financial year can now be achieved.
Near the bottom of the table, Northampton General Hospital Trust are a new entrant, having risen five places, with waiting times up from 26.3 weeks to 26.8 weeks during September. Health Service Journal
Marsh Spinney Medical Centre in Moulton was given the go ahead in July 2017, to be built on land near Sandy Hill Lane along with 84 new houses.
Yet with work started on the first homes at Marsh Spinney estate, there is no sign of construction beginning on the medical centre.
And it has now come to light that the existing Moulton Surgery needs to be sold before the new medical centre can be built. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Last month it was revealed pharmacists and GPs in parts of Kettering and Corby were facing a gap in supply. It left one 76-year-old woman fearing the worst with many elderly patients unable to have their jab.
Now health Leaders in Corby and across Northamptonshire have announced that a new batch of free flu jabs are on offer to those at risk. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Budget 2018: What it means for health and social care Following the NHS financial settlement this summer, all eyes moved to the Budget to find out what the new money means in the context of other health spending and the overall government finances. As the dust settles, we've joined forces with the Health Foundation and The King's Fund to break it all down into an easy-to-understand explainer. The Nuffield Trust
Outpatients: the future – adding value through sustainability The traditional model of outpatient care is no longer fit for purpose, ie speciality opinion, diagnosis and disease monitoring. It places unnecessary financial and time costs on patients, clinicians, the NHS and the public purse. Growing demand and expectations cannot be, and are not being, met by the status quo. It is no longer acceptable to solely consider the cost of clinical interventions in relation to individual health outcomes.
In order to continue to deliver high-quality healthcare, we must start to think in terms of value and sustainability; identifying a balance between cost and outcomes (value) and long-term impacts (sustainability). Royal College of Physicians
Their report found fertility rate falls meant nearly half of countries were now facing a "baby bust" - meaning there are insufficient children to maintain their population size.
The researchers said the findings were a "huge surprise".
And there would be profound consequences for societies with "more grandparents than grandchildren". BBC News
NHS Digital said the “total net ingredient” cost of prescriptions for diabetes was £1,012.4m in 2017-18, up from £983.7m a year earlier.
Almost one in 20 (4.9 per cent) of prescriptions written by GPs are for diabetes treatments, with 53.4 million items prescribed for diabetes last year.
They make up more than one-tenth (11.4 per cent) of total primary care net ingredient costs. The Independent See also:
The NHS is on course for its worst annual cancer waiting statistics on record, official figures suggest.
In eight out of nine published cancer targets, between April and September, the health service treated the lowest or joint lowest percentage of patients since operation standards were introduced, according to official figures published on Thursday. The Guardian
Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust has agreed the plans with fire services in a bid to prevent overcrowding and bedblocking.
Under the arrangement, the fire service will be used to bring vulnerable patients home, settle them and check surroundings are safe, officials said. The Daily Telegraph
The family of Stephen Pettitt, 69, last night blamed a “catalogue of errors” following a verdict which found the music teacher would almost certainly have survived had the robot not been used. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Patients have been repeatedly sent away by GPs and chemists until fresh stocks arrive.
Problems have been blamed on the rollout of a new, more effective jab which led to supplies being ordered several months later than usual. NHS officials insist there will be enough to go around, and another batch is expected to arrive at some GP surgeries from next week. The Daily Mail See also:
Events in Kettering as part of World Diabetes Day A series of events will be held in Kettering as part of World Diabetes Day. Diabetes specialists and a professional cyclist - who is living with the condition - are carrying out a series of awareness events on Wednesday, November 14.
Kettering General Hospital consultant diabetologist, Dr Mike Pierides, is amongst a team of staff from various disciplines who are supporting events that will highlight how local people can best manage their diabetes.
The team is composed of nurse specialists, dieticians, podiatrists and doctors from KGH and Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust who deal with diabetes, and who will be on hand at a number of high profile venues giving lectures, advice and answering questions. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Prevention and early action are key to positive, healthy outcomes The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has named prevention as one of his three priorities. He talks of a ‘radical shift in approach’ towards preventive care centred around individuals, keeping people healthy, treating problems quickly, and empowering people to manage their own health. This ‘radical shift’ would bring the Health Secretary’s plans in line with the approach of many of us in the charity sector, who have been promoting prevention and early action for years. The King's Fund
Report reveals impact of discrimination on health of LGBT people New research from Stonewall, Britain’s leading charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality, exposes alarming levels of poor mental health among LGBT people compared to the general population. Stonewall’s study also reveals a shockingly high level of hostility and unfair treatment faced by many LGBT people when accessing healthcare services.
The research, based on YouGov polling of over 5,000 LGBT people, shows more than half of LGBT people (52 per cent) have experienced depression in the last year, and three in five (61 per cent) had anxiety. This compares to one in six adults in England who faced a common mental health problem, such as anxiety and depression, according to Mind.
Stemming the Superbug Tide: Just A Few Dollars More Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a large and growing problem with the potential for enormous health and economic consequences, globally. As such, AMR has become a central issue at the top of the public health agenda of OECD countries and beyond. In this report, OECD used advanced techniques, including machine learning, ensemble modelling and a microsimulation model, to provide support for policy action in the human health sector. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
New figures released today by The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) and the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (BSCI) to mark the annual International Day of Radiology reveal thousands of angina sufferers are missing out on potentially life-saving scans.
Historically, patients with chest pain are referred to rapid access chest pain clinics to have their heart function assessed by exercise tests.
Cardiac experts have long argued that exercise tests are not accurate enough to rule out underlying causes of angina, such as the plaque that causes fatal heart attacks.
Report on district nurse education The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has published its fifth annual report on education of district nurses in the UK.
The report indicates that the increase in district nurse student numbers seen in recent years has stalled and raises concerns about the sustainability of the workforce.
Comprehensive model of personalised care The comprehensive model of personalised care helps to establish a whole-population approach to supporting people of all ages and their carers to manage their physical and mental health and wellbeing, build community resilience, and make informed decisions and choices when their health changes. NHS England
The 13,000 vulnerable people who rely on its staff for washing, dressing and help with eating now face an anxious wait to see if bosses can get the finances together to keep services going.
But Allied is not alone. The UK Homecare Association, the body which represents the firms providing care, warned only last month that providers were refusing to sign up to council contracts because of the low fees being offered. BBC News
CCGs failing to offer access to ‘flash’ glucose monitoring devices Only about 3-5% of patients with type 1 diabetes in England are prescribed the FreeStyle Libre glucose sensor on the NHS as many clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are ‘paying lip service’ to offering access to the device, a BMJ investigation* has found. Experts told the report’s authors that this postcode lottery means that tens of thousands of patients are being denied the potential lifestyle and health benefits of flash glucose monitoring. OnMedica
The number of NHS psychiatrists treating troubled children and young people is falling, despite a surge in demand among under-18s who need urgent mental health care.
NHS workforce statistics show that the number of full-time equivalent psychiatrists working in child and adolescent mental health services in England fell to 942 in July – its second lowest number on record, down from 970 in January this year. The Guardian
We know the shocking impact of bullying and harassment on NHS staff in England. But, until now, we haven’t known the full financial impact. The appalling truth is that the toxic behaviour of some managers and staff is costing the health service more than £2bn a year – money that could be better spent on patient care.
Artificial intelligence has a 'near unlimited capacity' to diagnose diseases and perform surgery more accurately than medics, according to Dr Jörg Goldhahn.
Dr Goldhahn, from ETH Zurich, also argues robots may help overcome healthcare funding shortages due to them being cheaper to hire and train than humans.
But while Dr Vanessa Rampton acknowledges AI may be a useful aid to medics, she argues it will never completely replace human healthcare. The Daily Mail
The Government has announced new measures to better protect health service staff in England, calling for a ‘zero tolerance’ approach.
Responses to the latest NHS Staff Survey show that 23% of workers at the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust said they had experienced bullying, harassment or abuse from patients, relatives or members of the public in 2017. Daventry Express
Our report with UCL’s Institute of Education finds that one child in every twelve in the UK has behavioural problems from a young age into their teenage years, putting them at risk of a lifetime of disadvantage and poor health. Children with persistent problems are much more likely to have a multitude of risks early in life, including poverty and housing insecurity, parental mental illness and developmental delay. Centre for Mental Health
The Greater Nottingham Transformation Partnership This case study from the Core Cities Network looks at how commissioners and providers in Nottingham used the results of system-wide actuarial analysis to develop a framework that improves care, infrastructure and governance. NHS Clinical Commissioners
Understanding the performance and potential of specialist hospitals This report, produced together with the Innovation Agency, outlines how high-performing specialist trusts have the potential to do more to benefit the wider NHS. A review of around one-third of England’s 21 specialist trusts looked at why they consistently score higher than their counterparts in ratings for performance and satisfaction. The review recommends seven ways in which local systems can benefit more widely from the role of specialist trusts. UCLPartners
Supermarket bakeries 'unclear on allergies' Three supermarket chains have given confusing or incorrect information on potentially lethal food allergens in their bakeries, the BBC has found.
Branches of Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco gave wrong or unclear details to Watchdog Live's undercover reporters.
It comes after a 15-year-old girl died after eating a baguette from Pret A Manger, which did not specify the presence of sesame in the sandwich.
The retailers said they would review their labelling and staff training. BBC News
The new analysis from the British Medical Association finds the summer of 2018 delivered worse levels of care to patients than five out of eight recent winters.
Caroline Corrigan, national director of people strategy at NHS Improvement, told the Managers in Partnership summit that NHS employers can only access £20m of the £200m available funding because “they can’t get through the rules”. Health Service Journal
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has written to 84 councils across England who use services from care group Allied Healthcare, which it said had announced its intention to apply for a Company Voluntary Arrangement in April to restructure its debts.
The company supports around 9,300 elderly and disabled people with managing their medication, washing, dressing, cooking and other activities. The Independent
A growing number of victims of the spiralling knife crime epidemic are children as young as 12 and school exit times should be staggered to reduce the risk of violence, NHS trauma doctors have warned.
According to new research on people treated for knife wounds at the Royal London hospital between 2004 and 2014, the average age of stabbing victims has fallen from the late 20s to just 18 and an increasing proportion of victims are teenagers. The Guardian See also:
The medical technology centres in Leeds, Oxford, Coventry, Glasgow and London will be funded by the Government as it looks to increase its investment in AI and improve patient treatment.
The centres will use AI software to digitalise scans and biopsies, and develop products to detect diseases early. The Daily Mail
Marsh Spinney Medical Centre in Moulton was given the go ahead in July 2017 to be built off Sandy Hill Lane. along with 84 new houses. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Prevention is better than cure – and actions speak louder… Matt Hancock’s arrival at the Department of Health and Social Care was an opportunity for a refresh of the government’s priorities on health, beyond the budget settlement for the NHS secured as part of the NHS70 celebrations. All were watching eagerly then for a sign of his priorities, and many were pleased that prevention was signalled as one of them. The King's Fund
Understanding the health of babies and expectant mothers Progress on stillbirths and neonatal and infant mortality has slowed down in the UK in recent years. This explainer from Jessica Morris looks at the possible reasons why, and what can be done about it. Nuffield Trust See also:
Brexit and the Health & Social Care Workforce in the UK The UK’s H&SC workforce is under considerable strain to provide services for an ageing population with increasingly complex needs. While many of the problems supplying new recruits into the sector pre-date the 2016 Brexit referendum, the vote to leave the European Union (EU) has added another layer of challenge and uncertainty for planning this future workforce.
This report examines recent trends in the UK’s H&SC workforce and the critical role of EEA nationals within it. National Institute of Economic and Social Research See also:
A society of readersDemos carried out research over the summer of 2018 to assess the potential impact of reading on several great challenges of our time: loneliness, mental health problems, dementia and social (im)mobility.
Nearly two thirds (57 per cent) of stage one and stage two pancreatic cancer patients in England do not have surgery and the charity believes too many are being denied their only chance of survival because the extremely aggressive cancer spreads while they await treatment. Pancreatic Cancer UK See also:
All parents should be offered the opportunity to engage with the review of their baby’s death When a baby dies in hospital, a Perinatal Mortality Review (PNMR) takes place. Currently, parents are largely unaware these reviews even take place and in most cases, bereaved parents are not given the opportunity to be involved and share their perspective of their care. This PARENTS study tested the hypothesis at two UK hospitals (Bristol and Manchester) that involving parents would have the potential to answer parents’ questions and therefore support them in grieving, drive patient safety improvements, and promote an open culture within healthcare. University of Bristol
Patients facing NHS tests 'bottleneck' A rising number of patients are facing long waits for key NHS tests as UK hospitals struggle with staff shortages, a BBC investigation shows.
Tests such as scans and biopsies are crucial for diagnosing illnesses.
But tens of thousands of patients are waiting weeks - sometimes months - for them, leading to potentially harmful delays before treatment can start.
Figures obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act suggest a lack of radiographers is a key cause. BBC News
They found seven in every eight children given tonsillectomies were unlikely to benefit from the operation.
NHS England has already said it plans to cut back on this surgery, along with other "ineffective" treatments, where the harms outweigh any gains. BBC News
