Sickle cell patients are being ignored because they’re black, warn campaigners ublic services are dismissing sickle cell patients because the illness disproportionately affects Black people, campaigners have warned.
The blood disorder is prevalent among African and Caribbean communities and advocacy groups say this means it remains poorly understood within state institutions, often leading to the needless suffering and even death of those diagnosed. The Independent
Accidental overdose of hospital patients with paracetamol sparks investigation Patients have been significantly harmed, including suffering permanent damage to their liver, after being given accidental overdoses of paracetamol in hospital.
The NHS safety watchdog the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch has now launched a national investigation after a number of incidents where adults with a low bodyweight were given too much paracetamol through an infusion, or IV drip, directly into their bloodstream. The Independent
Wellingborough overtakes Corby as county's Covid hotspot Corby no longer has Northamptonshire's highest seven-day rate of Covid-19 cases after months as the county's hotspot.
In figures released on Friday the steel town dropped to a weekly rate of 65 cases per 100,000 people after just three positive cases were added today. Northamptonshire Telegraph
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Northampton General Hospital bosses have "robust plans" to tackle record waiting lists Northampton General Hospital bosses have "robust plans" in place to tackle record number of patients waiting more than a year for routine treatment.
Charities and health organisations are warning the Covid-19 pandemic is having a "catastrophic" impact on hospital services as numbers of patients across England waiting to start treatment hits new highs. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Kettering and Rushden to get new Covid Lateral Flow Device testing sites Two new Lateral Flow Device testing sites have been launched giving residents in Kettering and Rushden access to a community testing site. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Support for domestic violence victims in NHS 'highly inconsistent' Support for domestic abuse victims in hospitals remains “highly inconsistent” more than 10 years after a major report concluded a lack of action to improve care in the NHS was “a disgrace”, Women’s Aid has warned. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Unemployment and mental health: Why both require action for our COVID-19 recovery The relationship between mental health and unemployment is bi-directional. Good mental health is a key influence on employability, finding a job and remaining in that job. Unemployment causes stress, which ultimately has long-term physiological health effects and can have negative consequences for people’s mental health, including depression, anxiety and lower self-esteem. The Health Foundation
Reform of social care doomed to fail unless the structural issues of fragile provider market are addressed A report from the Nuffield Trust warns that years of delay to social care reform and a fragmented market has left provider services unstable and without support for innovation.
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Survey shows doctors fear NHS will take years to recover from pandemic As the country edges its way back towards normality, many doctors fear the NHS will take years to recover. According to our 10th survey of members, the majority of doctors (59%) say it will take at least 18 months to get the NHS back on an even keel, including almost a third (30%) who say the huge backlogs in care resulting from the pandemic will take more than 2 years to clear. Royal College of Physicians
Covid rates are still up to FIVE TIMES the UK average in these 12 Northamptonshire neighbourhoods These 12 Northamptonshire neighbourhoods have Covid-19 infection rates up to FIVE TIMES the national average, according to latest official figures.
Numbers of positive tests tumbled county-wide during the lockdown — down by 31 per cent in the week up to April 4.
Yet several stubborn hotspots remain in Northampton, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough — and also in villages which were part of the old Daventry district council area, now West Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire Telegraph
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New private hospital earmarked for Kettering site A business park on the edge of Kettering could soon be home to a new day-case private hospital.
Huge plans have been unveiled by applicants WW Medical Facilities Ltd for the site at North Kettering Business Park, near the hamburger roundabout, in a move which could create 110 highly-skilled jobs. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Joint letter on the health and social care workforce The Nuffield Trust, Health Foundation and King’s Fund have come together to suggest a clause to be added to the NHS Bill putting in place independent projections of how many health and social care staff will be in place in the future, and how many will be needed.
Easing of lockdown measures may have to be ‘reversed’ if variants spread rapidly, says scientist Lockdown measures may need to be reintroduced if there is a rapid spread of Covid variants, a scientist advising the Government has said.
Surge testing is currently taking place in parts of London after a rise in people contracting the coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa. Northamptonshire Telegraph
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Crisis, communities, change: demands for an equitable recovery Over the winter of 2020-2021, we undertook a community inquiry to listen to stories of resilience, challenge and imagination arising from the pandemic.
As part of our community inquiry, this short briefing is an attempt to understand in greater detail how those of ethnic minority backgrounds have been impacted.
Amongst the findings was that discrimination in local services was twice as high among ethnic minorities: 52 per cent of Asian and 50 per cent of Black respondents have faced discrimination when accessing local services – compared to 19 per cent of the white population. The data suggests that institutional distrust because of discrimination may play a role in vaccine hesitancy. Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
Boris Johnson accused of creating ‘loophole’ in proposed conversion therapy ban Boris Johnson has been accused of creating a “loophole” in the government’s proposed ban on conversion therapy after he suggested it will not cover prayer in religious settings for the “exploration” of a person’s sexual identity. The Independent
Northamptonshire among first Covid-19 hubs to roll out Moderna vaccine TODAY Northamptonshire’s Covid-19 Vaccination Centre has today (Tuesday) become one of the first sites in England to give Moderna vaccine jabs.
The county’s vaccination programme was picked out as a location to use the new vaccine, which was approved for use in the UK in January. Northamptonshire Telegraph
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The ethnicity pay gap in the English NHS The NHS is the largest employer of ethnic minority staff in England with over 225,000 employees. Issues around equality are important, but how is this reflected in staff pay? This research report examines the differences in basic pay between ethnic minority staff and White staff employed by the NHS - by occupation, pay system and band. Nuffield Trust
Moderna jabs mark new milestone in NHS vaccination programme The first Moderna jabs will be delivered in England today (Tuesday) as the NHS vaccination programme reaches another milestone.
More than 20 sites, including Reading’s Madejski Stadium and the Sheffield Arena, will initially use the newest vaccine, as the NHS continues to expand the vaccination programme.
For those aged 18-29 who are eligible for a jab, the Moderna vaccine provides another alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, in line with updated MHRA guidance last week. NHS England
Return to crowded A&Es and long ambulance delays will put patients at risk, warn experts Hospital emergency departments are facing a return to dangerous overcrowding within weeks, with queues of ambulances waiting hours to hand over patients, accident and emergency doctors have warned.
A “system failure” of the wider NHS system to support patients means more people are being forced to turn to A&E, said Dr Adrian Boyle, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. The Independent
Hospitals using out-of-date sepsis triage tools put A&E patients at risk Some hospitals are using an out of date triaging tool for emergency patients suffering from sepsis that could leave them at risk of harm.
A warning has been issued to NHS trusts to make sure their triage tools are up to date with the latest advice after several reported incidents in accident and emergency departments. The Independent
Gender divide: a post-COVID recovery must address pandemic inequalities The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all. However, it’s clear women across the UK have faced particular challenges over the past year. From key workers, the majority of whom are female, to mothers supporting their children with home learning – often combined with working from home – women have shown incredible resilience, but at what risk to their long-term health? The Health Foundation
Chart of the week: Real-terms NHS staff pay from 2010 to 2020 Each week we present analysis of data in chart form to illustrate some key issues and invite discussion. Following recent government proposals to offer a 1% pay rise to most NHS staff following a year unlike almost any other for health professionals, Mark Dayan looks at real-terms pay for different NHS staff groups over the past decade. How are different staff groups faring? Nuffield Trust
Government approach to negative body image ‘dangerous’ As the country prepares for the reopening of gyms and beauty salons, a new report into body image has branded the Government's approach to eating disorders and tackling poor body image, and a key health indicator, potentially harmful.
The use of the Body Mass Index (BMI) in determining if an individual's weight is healthy should be scrapped immediately, according to a new report on body image published by the Women and Equalities Committee.
The report also found that lockdown had a 'devastating' impact on those with or at high risk of developing eating disorders and intensified body image anxieties, arguing for improved protection from appearance-based discrimination and more diversity in advertising. Women and Equalities Committee
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Corby Covid case rate still number one but currently on the decline With lockdown restrictions easing, the Corby Covid case rate - the highest in England for most of 2021 has been dropping - but the town still tops the regional and countrywide charts.
Cases per 100,000 residents reported over seven days for Corby have been stubbornly high in comparison to those of other areas causing concern for Public Health officials. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Concern from patients after Nice advise against painkillers for chronic pain People with chronic pain which has no known cause should not be prescribed painkillers, health officials have said.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended physical and psychological therapies should be used instead. The Independent
Inspectors tell Northampton care agency to improve after finding concerns with safety and leadership A Northampton care agency has been told to improve by the health watchdog after a recent inspection found concerns around its safety and leadership.
Carebank Healthcare's rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was been downgraded from 'good' to 'requires improvement' following the visit in February. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
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Multiple opportunities missed to prevent suicide death at NHS mental health unit, inquest hears A 40-year-old mother of four took her own life at an NHS mental health unit after multiple opportunities were missed to keep her safe, an inquest has found, prompting her family to call for a public inquiry.
Azra Parveen Hussain was allegedly the seventh in-patient in seven years to die by the same means while in the care of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHT). The Independent
