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
What does the future hold for Kettering General Hospital's breast services? The potential for aspects of breast care to move from KGH to Northampton forms part of early talks about the service’s future, it has been revealed.
Discussions are under way about how the two hospitals – which form the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire group – could work together in the future. Northamptonshire Telegraph
General practice on the brink: how did it get there? General practice is on the brink, and policy-makers, clinicians and patients seem to know it. But how did it come to this? At the start of a mini series of blogs on general practice, Charlotte Paddison reflects on how its problems came about and what lessons can be learnt from them. Nuffield Trust
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60,000 NHS staff living with post-traumatic stress following pandemic An estimated 60,000 NHS workers could be living with post-traumatic stress as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, new research suggests.
In our survey of over 1000 NHS workers, close to three quarters (73%) expressed concern about colleagues leaving the workforce due to poor mental health. But while the pace of work and loss of unprecedented numbers of patients have taken a toll on staff, the public still feels overwhelming pride and affection for the health service – 60% say it is ‘the best thing about the UK. NHS Charities Together
UK monkeypox outbreak ‘unprecedented’ as officials say sexual contact likely route of transmission The recent outbreak of monkeypox cases in the UK is “unprecedented,” a scientist has said, as others warned there were “gaps in our knowledge” over the recent spread of the disease.
Health officials are investigating the links between four new cases that have been identified in London and the northeast of England, none of which have known connections to the previous three infections detected by the UK Health Security Agency. The Independent
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Northampton mental health hospital responds to data revealing 58 allegations of assault made against staff A mental health hospital in Northampton has responded to data revealing that 86 safeguarding concerns were reported to West Northamptonshire Council in the space of a year.
A Freedom of Information Request was submitted to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) regarding safeguarding at St Andrew’s Healthcare, situated on Billing Road. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Millions suffer poor care due to overstretched NHS and social care staff New polling from Engage Britain shows that one in four adults say they, or an immediate family member, have received poor NHS care due to workforce problems.
The People’s Panel brought together 100 people to consider the health and care challenges being faced by the British public.Levelling up dementia diagnosis: Tackling variations in diagnosis rates in England Future Health has published research which shows that over 300,000 people living with dementia in England
The report finds:
We need a definitive exit from our Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s the roadmap Nasal or oral coronavirus vaccines, more and better drugs, and a variant-proof vaccine could catalyze a clear way out.
As the virus accelerates its evolution, the humans capitulate. For two and a half years, Covid-19 has been outrunning our response, getting more and more transmissible, reaching a level of infectiousness that few pathogens have ever attained. Instead of taking a stance of getting ahead of the virus, and outsmarting it, people have succumbed. The Guardian
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Devolve to evolve? The future of specialised services within integrated care Specialised services typically care for small numbers of patients with rare or complex conditions. They are commonly overlooked in debates around the future of the NHS.
This report sets out a series of recommendations including refinement of the services into more logical groupings, an expanded role for patient and carer input into service design, and stronger ministerial and financial oversight to ensure the sustainability of service delivery for the longer term. Policy Exchange
Tens of thousands waiting too long for 999 calls to be answered in England Tens of thousands of emergency calls are taking more than two minutes to be answered in England amid a crisis in the ambulance service, The Independent has learned.
More than 37,000 emergency calls took more than two minutes to answer in April 2022 – 24 times the 1,500 that took that long in April 2021, according to a leaked staff message.
Jeremy Hunt: I was at top of rogue system as health secretary Jeremy Hunt has described sitting at the top of a “rogue system” when he was health secretary, as he reportedly told how he was “shocked to his core” by failures in care.
The current chair of the Health and Social Care Committee said the a fear of transparency and honesty in the NHS when it comes to avoidable deaths and mistakes is a “major structural problem” that must be addressed, in comments reported in the Sunday Times. The Independent
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Vaccine boss hails Covid jabs success as Northamptonshire hospital cases plummet 80 percent in four weeks Vaccination bosses are hailing the success of Covid-19 jabs after the number of patients in hospital with the virus dropped by 80 percent in four weeks. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Waiting for Care ADASS Report May 2022 New survey findings from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services show that more than half a million people are now waiting for an adult social care assessment, for care or a direct payment to begin or for a review of their care. The latest data suggests:
Almost 170,000 hours a week of home care could not be delivered because of a shortage of care workers during the first three months of 2022. That is a dramatic seven-fold increase since Spring 2021
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High pollen levels this weekend ‘could be deadly’ for asthma sufferers, charity warns Asthma sufferers have been warned that high pollen levels this weekend could put their lives at risk.
The Met Office is forecasting high pollen levels across most of England and Wales from Friday, with medium levels in other parts of the UK, except in Orkney and Shetland, where they should remain low. The Independent
Loneliness and Mental Health Report UK We all know what loneliness feels like and feeling lonely from time to time is a normal part of life. But when loneliness is severe or lasts a long time, it can negatively affect our mental health.
This report explores what it’s like to be lonely: its causes, consequences and the groups of people who are more likely to experience severe and enduring loneliness. Mental Health Foundation
KGH team's pride after fast-food trailer testing service wins national award When Covid hit the nation one team at KGH faced a dilemma – how would they keep giving blood tests to patients who needed to shield?
With the virus spreading across the country the last thing they wanted was vulnerable people regularly going into the hospital.
But thanks to the imagination of the anticoagulation team they were able to have their tests at a fast-food trailer in a car park. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Government must go further to level up the health recovery Commenting on the Queen's Speech, Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of The Health Foundation, said:
‘Today's Queen’s Speech reiterated the UK Government's ambitions to level up. But with a cost-of-living crisis and a huge backlog in NHS care, much bolder action is needed to secure the nation's healthy recovery post-Covid.'
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New chief executive for Lakeside Healthcare A group which runs GP surgeries across the region including Corby’s super-practice has appointed a new chief executive.
Lakeside Healthcare has announced Jessica Bawden will take up the post in September, overseeing a partnership of eight GP practices across Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Northamptonshire identified as ‘dental desert’ as fewer than 40 percent of adults seen by dentist in last two years A new report has identified Northamptonshire as a “dental desert” as figures revealed fewer than 40 percent of adults have been seen by a dentist in the last two years. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
New prostate cancer treatment using ultrasound rolling out across UK A revolutionary new prostate treatment is being rolled out across the UK, with nine hospitals set to offer a non-invasive option to stop thousands of men being left with gruelling side effects from surgery. The Independent
