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.
My weekend was spent at the Edinburgh fringe watching standup comedians that I love, while sitting curled up in my seat with heat pads stuck to my skin. This isn’t ideal in summer, but I needed the heat pressed against my left side to drown out the agonising pain I often experience. The only way I can describe it is that it feels like my organs are being squeezed as tightly as possible. The Guardian
A study of more than 12,000 people found those who ate mostly plant-based foods were 32 per cent less likely to die from heart disease.
Opting for vegetables, whole grains and nuts also reduced their risk of dying from any cause by a quarter over 29 years, scientists found. The Daily Mail
Hospital admission figures compiled from Public Health England data show that in Northamptonshire, 1,748 out of every 100,000 (1.7 per cent) related to smoking, while the average across England is 1.5 per cent. Northamptonshire Telegraph
After a year of bad health, Dave "Dudge" Durrant, from Finedon, had spent months planning a get-together with his friends and family. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
People with learning disabilities in England Updates of national statistics about people with learning disabilities in England and the services and support available to them and their families. Public health England
But NHS experts have cast doubt on whether the money is really new, and whether it is enough to make a difference to cash-strapped hospitals. Channel 4 News
Last year saw the highest number of deaths for 10 years, with 541,589 deaths registered in England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The Independent
The family of a seriously ill five-year-old girl are taking an NHS trust to court in an effort to force doctors to release her for what they believe would be life-saving treatment abroad.
Tafida Raqeeb, from Newham, east London, suffered a traumatic brain injury in February and is on a life support machine at Royal London hospital. Her parents want to fly her to Italy for treatment but doctors at the hospital, part of Bart’s NHS trust, say it would not be in her best interests. The Guardian
Suicide was previously the leading cause of death for males aged 35 to 49.
However, figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that men in this age group are now more likely to be killed by drug overdoses or accidental poisonings, amid concerns from public health experts of a looming opiate crisis. The Daily Telegraph
The national body that overseas independent health providers say there is a 'clear commitment' in the NHS constitution for people to receive treatment for things like hip and knee replacements within 18 weeks.
But figures show that 15 per cent of patients in Northampton have been on the waiting list for longer. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
What has a pensions tax crisis got to do with your hip operation? Changes to pensions tax policy do not generally quicken the pulse or grab the headlines. But in recent months both have happened as pensions tax rules have been linked to patients having operations cancelled and clinicians considering early retirement. The issue has reached such prominence that the new Prime Minister has personally committed to the problem being solved. So what is happening, and why are these changes to pension tax so important? The King's Fund
Mental health trusts work in partnership to support people affected by eating disorders CONNECT: the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Adult Eating Disorders Service, is a regional service aimed at improving care for adults with eating disorders. It offers a variety of treatment options based on a person’s needs including early intervention, home-based treatment or inpatient treatment. This case study describes the service provided by a partnership of four mental health trusts. NHS England
Tackling loneliness The government's Loneliness Strategy was published in October 2018. It set out a wide variety of cross-departmental measures that the government would take to provide 'national leadership' to tackle loneliness in England. This briefing: explains the Strategy; the steps taken so far by the government; looks at research into the causes and impact of loneliness and possible interventions; and briefly outlines the situation in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The briefing is accompanied by a reading list. House of Commons Library
The former EastEnders star, who has Alzheimer's, launched an open letter with her husband Scott Mitchell to coincide with their appointment as ambassadors for Alzheimer's Society.
Ministers in England have been promising to publish plans on social care reforms since 2017. BBC News
Humans aren’t supposed to be eternally happy, so why do we continue to force it? A huge happiness and positive thinking industry, estimated to be worth $11bn a year, has helped to create the fantasy that happiness is a realistic goal. Chasing the happiness dream is a very American concept, exported to the rest of the world through popular culture. Indeed, “the pursuit of happiness” is one of the US’s “unalienable rights”. Unfortunately, this has helped to create an expectation that real life stubbornly refuses to deliver. The Independent
An extra £1.8bn will still be spent on NHS infrastructure and equipment even if there is a no-deal Brexit, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has promised before the formal announcement of the proposed funding.
Boris Johnson was to unveil the spending plan on a visit to Lincolnshire, one of the most pro-Brexit areas in the country, fuelling speculation that the prime minister could be preparing for an autumn general election by reinforcing the Vote Leave message about extra NHS spending. The Guardian See also:
A study of papers published in six psychiatry journals found more than half of them had been oversold to readers.
Experts may be claiming their results are stronger than they really are in a bid to get published in a competitive field.
And this may in turn influence doctors' decisions on how they treat patients, the team warned, even though the evidence isn't strong enough. The Daily Mail
Lloyds Pharmacy announced this morning (August 2) it would shut it its branch at the Weston Favell Health Centre on Oct 31.
CEO of McKesson UK - which controls Lloyds - Toby Anderson says he thinks the closure is "at odds with the NHS' ambitions" and has scolded NHS Properties Ltd for problems over rent charges. Northampton Chronicle and Echo See also:
Accounts for the latest financial year show that the acute hospital finished up with a deficit of £28.9m.
The hospital’s annual governance report says: “This marked an underachievement against the £27.4m deficit plan. This overall finance picture remained challenging financially, in particular staffing costs in some areas across the trust and in ensuring safe staffing levels in clinical areas. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Carers are being disproportionately heavily penalised for years of DWP administrative errors or their own honest mistakes, in a confusing and outdated system where the IT cannot even adapt a basic information letter within a year, says the Work and Pensions Committee in a new report
Case study: working in a multidisciplinary team A case study from NHS England shows how wider teams of clinicians, social workers and other health and care professionals could help people to avoid hospital.
Alzheimer's blood test 'one step closer' Researchers say they can accurately identify people on track to develop Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear, which could help the progress of drug trials.
US scientists were able to use levels of a protein in the blood to help predict its build-up in the brain.
UK experts said the results were promising - and a step towards a reliable blood test for Alzheimer's to speed up dementia research. BBC News
Jackie Doyle-Price criticised the 'unacceptable' disparity in health treatments across the UK for creating postcode lotteries.
She claims women are signing up with surgeries further away from their own home because their own CCG does not offer enough rounds of IVF. The Daily Mail
Paediatrics at a crossroads: what next? With many child health outcomes in the UK going in the wrong direction over the past decade, a guest blog from Dr Guddi Singh makes the case for social paediatrics. Nuffield Trust
Physical activity and lifestyle toolkit This toolkit, created in partnership with Sport England, accompanies the creation of an Active Practice Charter to inspire and celebrate GP practices that are taking steps to increase activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in their patients and staff. The toolkit will support practices achieve this charter and it contains a comprehensive selection of condition-specific, professional-facing information documents that can be used to help all health care professionals. Royal College of General Practitioners
The NHS Workforce Challenge: How to plug the gap Derek Bell OBE, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, asks what needs to happen to plug the NHS workforce gap. National Health Executive
AI may help to spot heart problems A new way of identifying a common condition that causes the heart to beat irregularly may have been discovered by artificial intelligence.
Atrial fibrillation affects one million people in the UK and increases the risk of stroke and long-term heart problems.
It is relatively simple to diagnose when the heart is beating irregularly, but not when it returns to normal. BBC News
In 2018 there were 657,076 live births, a decrease of 3.2 per cent since 2017 and 9.9 per cent down since 2012.
It is the third year in a row that the number of live births has dropped and levels have not been this low since 2005, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Independent See also:
To my new junior doctor colleagues just starting out,
A year ago I was standing in a packed lift, going up and heading into the unknown. Hospitals are full of worried people – those waiting for test results, those going to see their unwell relatives, the recently bereaved. People whose lives are spiralling out of control. But as I stood in this lift full of the emotions of others I was preoccupied by my own anxieties, waiting to start my first day as a doctor. The Guardian
However, she also addressed what exactly was at fault with our ailing health service, including a failure to adequately prepare for an overwhelming surge in patient numbers as well as a crisis in GP recruitment. The Daily Telegraph
Scientists who swabbed regularly-touched surfaces in the city discovered almost 300 of samples could cause infections which medicine would struggle to cure.
Most of these were found in hospitals but there were also resistant bacteria living on escalators in shopping centres and on train station ticket gates. The Daily Mail
Social care funding reform: As a former senior civil servant, I’ve had a ringside seat for every effort to reform social care funding in the past decade. I’ve drafted Green Papers and White Papers and even got legislation passed, but not one reform has ever been implemented. The King's Fund
Improving menopause support for staff Sherwood Forest Hospital Foundation Trust has developed and implemented a menopause strategy which has had a positive impact for staff working with the menopause.
After recognising that staff sickness absences were often related to menopause symptoms the trust made a commitment to introducing change including educating staff and raising awareness and making it easier for staff to disclose menopause related health problems. NHS Employers
Primary care networks: a quiet revolution The Community Network, a partnership between NHS Providers and NHS Confederation, have published this briefing to act as a guide to support provider organisations to engage effectively with primary care networks (PCN). The briefing draws on official guidance and discussions with both PCN leaders and providers of community services. It explores the role of PCNs, what the emerging picture is, what this means for providers of community services and, crucially, how we can work together effectively. The Community Network
The 'dual stigma' of alcohol-related brain damage Alcohol-related brain damage, a condition similar to dementia, is poorly understood and often missed by health professionals, a study by charity Alcohol Change UK says.
And patients struggling with the "double stigma" of brain impairment and alcohol addiction often end up in accident and emergency units because of a lack of community services. BBC News
National guidelines say assessment should begin within three months of a patient being referred to a trust for diagnosis – but new data shows adults in England faced waits of up to 122 weeks for an appointment in 2017/18.
Meanwhile, children as young as five were stuck on waiting lists for up to 98 weeks. Huffington Post UK
About 1,700 pregnant women, some due to give birth within weeks, will need to find new midwives after a maternity care service was forced to close because of financial difficulties.
One to One Midwives announced it was withdrawing the services it provided for the NHS and will enter insolvency proceedings. The Guardian
Police officers in Essex have launched an investigation after six people died in 50 hours in what they suspect to be Class A drug-related deaths.
A woman in her 30s was found dead in Southend on Sunday morning, while two women and three men died on Monday and Tuesday. The Daily Telegraph See also:
The report is the latest blow for the council, which declared effective bankruptcy last year and has spent the 18 months since then coming to terms with half a decade of chronic mismanagement and spending cuts. The Guardian See also:
Best-laid plans: will the NHS get it right this time? With 2019 so far seeing a few ‘plans’ for and within the NHS, Helen Buckingham takes a look at how set the health service is for success this time – and what it will take to get there. Nuffield Trust
Health inequalities: place-based approaches to reduce inequalities This guidance aims to reinforce a common understanding of the complex causes and costs of health inequalities and provide a practical framework and tools for places to reduce health inequalities. The accompanying documents include a slide set providing a summary and examples of how to use a place-based approach to reduce health inequalities. Public Health England
Patient insights on cancer care: opportunities for improving efficiency Almost 4,000 cancer patients and caregivers from more than ten countries across the world responded to a survey to share their experiences of cancer care. While most reported that their needs were sufficiently addressed during their care, they highlighted some specific areas where they encountered inefficiency. From the responses, four key opportunities for improvement were identified: ensure swift, accurate and appropriately delivered diagnosis; improve information-sharing, support and shared decision-making; make integrated multidisciplinary care a reality for all patients; and address the financial impact of cancer. All.Can
Research by HSJ suggests less than £100m has been distributed to local providers over the last two years – equating to just 3 per cent of the total funding listed in several headline-grabbing media announcements.
The findings are supported by data in published Department of Health and Social Care accounts. Health Service Journal
Alcohol rehab in England 'cut by £100m' Massive cuts to alcohol rehab services mean a "national epidemic" of alcohol-related problems is not being tackled, King's College London researchers say.
And people with drink problems in England are less than half as likely to receive the right help as those in Scotland and Wales.
More than £100m has been cut since services in England were reorganised in 2012, the study found. BBC News
Is routine genetic profiling coming closer? As genome sequencing costs continue to fall and artificial intelligence gets to work on analysing all this new data, the era of personalised medicine draws closer.
More than half of Icelanders have now had their precise genetic make-up sequenced and analysed.
Tens of thousands of their genomes have been fully sequenced by specialist firm Decode Genetics at a cost of around $600 (£487) a head. BBC News
After analysing the anonymous medical records of 8.4 million people from across the UK, scientists forecast that the total number of Lyme disease diagnoses in the UK could top 8,000 in 2019, compared with previousestimates of between 2,000 and 3,000 annual diagnoses. The Guardian See also:
Twenty staff have won a test case in the Court of Appeal, successfully arguing that the system used by nearly half of hospitals in England underestimated the hours they worked.
Junior doctors working under the 2002 contract are entitled to half an hours’ rest for every four hours they work. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Towards mental health equality: a manifesto for the next Prime Minister This manifesto focuses on five key asks of the new Prime Minister: take action to prevent mental illness; create a cross-government plan for mental health and establish a ‘mental health in all policies’ approach across government; reform the Mental Health Act; ensure everyone can access the right mental health support, in the right place, at the right time; and build a mental health workforce fit for the future. NHS Confederation
US experts say most in-flight incidents involve common conditions that should be easily treated - but airlines often fail to carry children's medicines.
They say their analysis should provide a "shopping list" for airlines.
A UK expert said parents preparing for their summer break should ensure they had suitable medications with them. BBC News
The sum represents the taxes paid by an average of more than 11,000 doctors and 31,000 nurses as well as savings on the cost of training British replacements, said medical firm Medbelle. The Independent
The appointment is likely to bring attention to Ms Dorries’ views on women’s reproductive rights, as she has repeatedly called for the time limit for abortions to be cut from 24 weeks to 20 and attempted to amend the law in 2011 to strip abortion providers of their role in counselling women. The Independent
Private catering firm Apetito provide around a fifth of all hot meals served at hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales, which are prepared at one factory in Wiltshire before being shipped across the country. The Daily Telegraph
Charities said older people were being put at risk by “a broken social care system and an overstretched NHS” as they urged ministers to act. The Daily Telegraph
After The Mail on Sunday exposed how people seeking help were being held in solitary confinement for years, violently restrained, pumped full of drugs and fed through hatches, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission asked the Department of Health and Social Care and the Care Quality Commission to explain what it was doing to end such practices. The Daily Mail
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has asked its ethics and law advisory committee to look into the increasing use of hormone blockers. The Daily Mail
The future of Kings Heath Practice, in North Oval, was uncertain in March this year after service provider Northants GP Alliance wrote to patients that it would no longer be responsible for the surgery. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Outpatients: a snapshot of the year The NHS Long Term Plan has set an ambitious aim of reducing the number of outpatient attendances by 30 million over the next 10 years. In part this is a reaction to the huge growth in appointments and attendances over the last decade, and partly due to possibly better ways of delivering care, reducing inefficiencies and improving patient experience and outcomes. Nuffield Trust
Primary care networks and mental health The creation of primary care networks (PCNs) is one of the most significant elements of the NHS long-term plan. Around 1,300 PCNs will become the hub (or ‘dock’ to quote Simon Stevens) around which community and mental health services will organise themselves – but are services ready for this? And are PCNs ready to take on the challenge of improving mental as well as physical health in the communities they serve? The King's Fund
NHS England annual assessment published The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has published his annual assessment of NHS England for 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019. Department of Health and Social Care
Involving patients and the public in research This learning report aims to build a better understanding of the role of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research, thereby helping ensure meaningful involvement that has tangible impacts and mitigate against undesired consequences. Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute
Health on the Shelf Obesity is a complex and multi-layered issue. It needs everyone – government, health professionals and industry – to find workable ways to solve the obesity epidemic and help the millions of people it already affects.
Retailers, and in particular supermarkets, have a hugely important role to play in tackling obesity. Supermarkets can create an environment which enables individuals and families to make healthier choices.
The report explores the public’s perception of supermarkets and the marketing strategies retailers use to boost sales. It also showcases how supermarkets can be health promoting spaces, and nudge customers to make healthier choices. Royal Society for Public Health
The new implant, by the drug company Merck, was tested in just a dozen subjects for 12 weeks. But experts were quite excited at its potential to revolutionise the long battle against HIV.
The research was described on Tuesday at an international AIDS conference in Mexico City. The Independent
Research has found 1,042,098 people in England paid the full price for more than 12 prescriptions, spending more than the cost of a prescription prepayment certificate. The Daily Mail
The Department of Health and Social Care said the move will flag which conditions people are at risk of getting before any symptoms appear.
This will then allow people to take preventative measures to stay healthier for longer, reducing the pressure on the NHS, ministers said. The Daily Mail See also:
Emergency admissions to hospital from care homes: how often and what for? Reducing emergency admissions from care homes has the potential to reduce pressure on hospitals. This is a significant national policy focus, as demonstrated by a strong commitment to improve support in care homes in the NHS Long Term Plan.
But to achieve change, we need to understand and monitor the quality of health care provided to residents, both to gauge the impact of national programmes and to help pinpoint areas of improvement. The Health Foundation See also:
Carers Action Plan 2018-2020: one-year on progress review This report highlights the progress that has been made in increasing support for carers. The cross-government action plan was published in June 2018. It sets out the government’s commitment to supporting carers through 64 actions across five priorities. Department of Health and Social Care
Health secretary announces £20m NHS young people careers funding The health and social care secretary has announced £20m funding to support 10,000 young people from all backgrounds to get a career in the NHS. This will be matched by £7m from the Prince’s Trust. National Health Executive
Parents 'missing out on new baby health visits' About one in four new parents in England is not seeing a health visitor when their baby turns one, increasing the risk of mental health problems going unnoticed, the NSPCC says.
The government has promised five home visits for every family - from pregnancy until the age of two.
But cuts to local authority budgets and fewer health visitors were having an impact, the charity said. BBC News
NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) told Pulse that some of its members 'are concerned’ their existing allocations do not go 'far enough' to deliver the £1.50 per patient as mandated in the new five-year GP contract.
Six months ago Aisha Okafor (not her real name), in her 30s, was ready to quit her job as a nurse and leave the NHS.
“I got to the point where I thought [nursing] wasn’t for me anymore, where I forgot what I was doing here – which was to care and look after the service users. I was starting to lose that motivation,” she says.
If you have more diversity, you're more likely to have inclusive patient care. The Guardian
The first doctor specialising in profound and multiple learning disabilities in the UK is set to be recruited later this year. Hull clinical commissioning group (CCG) took the decision to employ a specialist PMLD doctor to support adults with complex needs after the condition of a patient, Erica Carlin, improved dramatically following the care she had received for serious digestive and bowel problems from a palliative care doctor trained in learning disabilities. The Guardian
A survey of family doctors found more than one in three said they had failed to properly diagnose cases because they did not have enough time to fully assess them.
Typically, the time slot to see a patient is around 10 minutes. The Daily Telegraph See also:
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has pledged to roll out a controversial scheme across the NHS – but there are fears it could 'cream off' young patients and increase the 'digital divide' in healthcare. The Daily Mail
