Stakes high for both sides as dispute over GP appointments deepens

Stakes high for both sides as dispute over GP appointments deepens Talking to MPs recently, an effusive Sajid Javid lauded the vital role paid by “our fantastic GPs”. But his warm words are unlikely to have persuaded many of England’s family doctors that the new health secretary was softening his stance in an increasingly bitter dispute over his insistence on face-to-face appointments for any patient that asks.

The row has led to the first clash between the government and medical profession since Javid’s predecessor Jeremy Hunt confronted junior doctors in 2015 over weekend working, which led to a year-long struggle including a series of strikes by trainee medics. The Guardian

See also:

• GPs have decided whether they will strike, but they won't tell YOU (the person who pays their wages) The Daily Mail
• Sajid Javid’s criticisms fuelling abuse of doctors, says GPs’ chief The Guardian
• GP access improvement plans to be finalised this week, says NHS England Pulse

Confusion reigns over how many Northamptonshire care home staff missed 'no jabs, no job' deadline

Confusion reigns over how many Northamptonshire care home staff missed 'no jabs, no job' deadline Council claims 143 were forced to quit, NHS England says nearly 1,000 did not have two doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

Confusion reigns over fallout in Northamptonshire care homes from the government's no jabs, no job mandate. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Kettering GP surgery improvement sees practice move to 'good' rating

Kettering GP surgery improvement sees practice move to 'good' rating Staff at a Kettering medical practice are celebrating after they were graded as 'good' in their latest inspection by health regulators.

Lakeside's Headlands Surgery in Headlands, was rated as 'good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after the visit by inspectors in September, having previously been graded as 'requires improvement'. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

No end in sight to mammoth waiting lists for routine NHS treatment at Northampton General Hospital

No end in sight to mammoth waiting lists for routine NHS treatment at Northampton General Hospital Tens of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at Northampton General Hospital Trust in September, figures show.

But those who are being seen, are being seen quicker than they were a year ago. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Strengthening workforce planning in the Health and Care Bill

Strengthening workforce planning in the Health and Care Bill The RCP is one of over 60 organisations (including The King's Fund) supporting an amendment to the Health and Care Bill tabled by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt MP to strengthen workforce planning. Ahead of Report Stage of the Health and Care Bill on 22 November 2021, Jeremy Hunt has tabled an amendment to Clause 34 of the Health and Care Bill that would require the secretary of state to publish independently verified assessments of current and future workforce numbers every two years consistent with Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) long-term fiscal projections. This briefing explains the amendment. Royal Colleges of Physicians 

The NMC Register mid-year update: 1 April–30 September 2021

The NMC Register mid-year update: 1 April–30 September 2021 This report shows that the NMC register of nurses, midwives and nursing associates has grown by 13,011 to 744,929. A big driver of growth is more than 10,600 professionals from outside Europe joining the register between April and September. There’s been an overall increase in people leaving the register, now at the highest level for the period since 2017. The number of nurses and midwives eligible to practise in the UK, and nursing associates who can practise in England, continues to rise. This is amid severe pressure on health and care services heading toward winter. Nursing and Midwifery Council 

Levelling up men’s health: the case for a men’s health strategy

Levelling up men’s health: the case for a men’s health strategy Across the UK, men’s mental and physical health is unacceptably poor – with around one man in five dying before the age of 65. Covid has worsened the situation with completely disproportionate effects amongst men. Many services are failing to reach men in time, especially working-age men, even though there are ever more examples of how services can be designed to reach and engage men more effectively. The lesson from other countries is that introducing a men’s health strategy alongside the government’s planned women’s health strategy can change this. This document lays out the case for change. Men's Health Forum 

The cost of poor housing in England

The cost of poor housing in England This briefing paper quantifies the cost burden to the NHS caused by hazards arising from poor quality homes in England. Findings reveal that 2.6 million homes in England – eleven per cent of the country’s housing stock – are categorised as ‘poor quality’ and therefore hazardous to occupants. Most common hazards are those that cause injuries on stairs, while the costliest issue for the NHS (£857million p/a) is poor quality housing leading to excess cold. BRE Group 

Antibiotic-resistant infections fell in 2020 for first time since 2016, but UKHSA warns drop likely temporary

Antibiotic-resistant infections fell in 2020 for first time since 2016, but UKHSA warns drop likely temporary New data published ahead of World Antibiotics Awareness Week (WAAW), 18 to 24 November, shows that antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections fell in 2020 (from 65,583 in 2019, to 55,384) for the first time since 2016 but still remain at a higher level than 6 years ago. Importantly, the decline was largely driven by a reduction in recorded bloodstream infections overall, likely due to less social mixing, enhanced hand hygiene and changes to healthcare access and delivery. UK Health Security Agency

See also: 

• Research: English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report UK Health Security Agency
• Hidden pandemic of antibiotic-resistant infections, health officials warn BBC News
• Antibiotic-resistant infections ‘set to rise after Covid pandemic’ The Independent

Rare case of woman's body ridding itself of HIV

Rare case of woman's body ridding itself of HIV A woman from Argentina appears to have rid herself of HIV without drugs or treatment - the second documented case of its kind in the world.

Doctors believe the patient's immune system cleared the virus on its own. BBC News

See also:

• A Possible Sterilizing Cure of HIV-1 Infection Without Stem Cell Transplantation (abstract) Archives of Internal Medicine

'We're not battle-axes' - GP receptionists

'We're not battle-axes' - GP receptionists Getting through to a GP in England is becoming more difficult. Demand has bounced back since the pandemic and it's getting harder to recruit new doctors. Staff in Bristol say they have never seen pressure like this before - and winter hasn't even started yet. BBC News 

The death of Dr Kailash Chand: how a lethal mix of NHS privatisation and lack of resources led to tragedy

The death of Dr Kailash Chand: how a lethal mix of NHS privatisation and lack of resources led to tragedy A lethal mix of NHS privatisation, overwhelming demand on ambulance services and lack of staff combined with human error led to a fatal delay in paramedics reaching a prominent doctor.

The series of failures outlined in a review of the case, seen by i, included an ambulance crew having to stop to ask a pedestrian directions to the street where Dr Kailash Chand lived because they had conflicting details. iNews 

Regularly drinking tea and coffee linked to lower risk of stroke and dementia

Regularly drinking tea and coffee linked to lower risk of stroke and dementia Drinking multiple cups of tea and coffee a day has been associated with a lower risk of stroke and dementia, according to a new study.

Research published in the PLOS Medicine journal said those who drank two to three cups of coffee, or three to five cups of tea – or a combination of four to six cups of both – could possibly have a lower risk of developing a condition. The Independent

See also: 

• Consumption of coffee and tea and risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia: A cohort study in the UK Biobank (open access) PLOS Medicine
• Why tea and coffee could reduce the risk of stroke and dementia explained iNews

Childhood obesity in England soars during pandemic

Childhood obesity in England soars during pandemic Thousands of children are facing “serious” and even “devastating” consequences as a result of weight gain during the pandemic, experts warn, as “alarming” figures reveal one in four 10- and 11-year-olds in England are obese.

Health leaders are calling for a “relentless drive” to boost child health as official NHS data lays bare for the first time how child obesity levels have soared during lockdowns. The Guardian

See also: 

• NHS to open first specialist clinics for severely obese children NHS England
• Pandemic sees big rise in obese children in England BBC News
• Childhood obesity hits record high during Covid, NHS data shows The Daily Mail
• NHS to set up 15 special clinics in England for severely obese children The Guardian
• Child obesity clinics open after pandemic shone light on crisis The Independent

COVID-19 infection doubles the risk of psychiatric diagnoses and triples the risk of sleep problems

COVID-19 infection doubles the risk of psychiatric diagnoses and triples the risk of sleep problems COVID-19 infection leads to increased risk of fatigue, sleep problems and psychiatric issues long after patients are diagnosed with their initial illness, a new study finds. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Association of SARS-CoV-2 Infection With Psychological Distress, Psychotropic Prescribing, Fatigue, and Sleep Problems Among UK Primary Care Patients (open access) JAMA Network Open
• Vaccine research among cyber attack targets BBC News
• Covid-19: Pfizer to allow developing nations to make its treatment pill BBC News
• Covid weekly deaths return to levels last seen in March The Daily Mail
• Professor Chris Whitty calls for calm over plans to jab children as young as FIVE against Covid The Daily Mail
• Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are making combined profits of more than $1,000 every second The Daily Mail
• Too many NHS staff are still unvaccinated - this is how we change that The Guardian
• A moment that changed me: ‘After 102 days in intensive care, I finally came home’ The Guardian
• Michael Gove backer won £164m in PPE contracts after ‘VIP lane’ referral The Guardian
• NHS preparing for annual Covid-19 booster programme 'if needed', says chief executive iNews
• Mandatory Covid vaccine: 103,000 unvaccinated home care workers could be sacked under new rules iNews

MPs launch inquiry into future of GPs

MPs launch inquiry into future of GPs MPs have launched an inquiry into the future of general practice, with former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warning the service is 'in crisis'.

There have been growing reports of patients showing up at A&E because they can't get access to a GP and not being seen face-to-face even when they do get an appointment. The Daily Mail

See also:

• MPs seek evidence on the future of General Practice Health and Social Care Committee

NHS beyond full stretch and preparing for most difficult winter ever

NHS beyond full stretch and preparing for most difficult winter ever NHS Providers says trusts are exploring all avenues to support patients and staff as the NHS heads into what trust leaders believe will be the "most difficult winter in the history of the health service".

The organisation, which represents every hospital, mental health, community and ambulance service in England, says that its regular annual survey of trust leaders shows a much higher level of concern about the coming winter than ever before. It is calling for immediate, emergency action to support social care.

See also:

• State of the provider sector November 2021 NHS Providers
• How the NHS is unravelling and why it won't stop BBC News
• Billions more funding for NHS will be wasted without hiring thousands more nurses and doctors The Daily Mail
• Staffing agencies triple rates as care homes and NHS fight over nurses The Guardian
• NHS consultant vacancies reaches highest level in almost 10 years iNews
• NHS chiefs warn care is compromised and patients will die due to a lack of staff Nursing Notes
• NHS facing 'most difficult winter in its history' as leaders call for £500 staff bonuses Sky News

10 unsustainable pressures on the health and care system in England

10 unsustainable pressures on the health and care system in England Members of the RCN working across health and social care in England dispute statements that the current situation in health and care is sustainable. Action needs to be taken to retain as many nursing staff as possible in light of serious staffing vacancies, as well as high levels of exhaustion and burnout. On top of this, the system is currently dealing with the immediate challenge of rising Covid-19 cases, intensified pressures as winter approaches and clearing the growing backlog of undelivered care to people in need. The RCN report has identified ten areas that currently demonstrate unsustainable, untenable conditions within the health and care system across England. All of these are reliant on nursing. Royal College of Nursing

Delayed hospital handovers: impact assessment of patient harm

Delayed hospital handovers: impact assessment of patient harm This report, based on a structured clinical review of handover delays at hospital emergency departments across England, finds that the proportion of patients who could be experiencing unacceptable levels of preventable harm is significant. Over eight in ten of those whose ‘handover’ (from ambulance clinician to hospital clinician) was delayed beyond 60 minutes were assessed as having potentially experienced some level of harm; 53 per cent low harm, 23 per cent moderate harm and 9 per cent (one patient in ten) could have been said to have experienced severe harm. Association of Ambulance Chief Executives

Health systems resilience during Covid-19: lessons for building back better

Health systems resilience during Covid-19: lessons for building back better This study report, developed together with the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Commission, draws out lessons for strengthening resilience to future health threats. It gathers the evidence on how countries have managed (or not managed) to re-engineer how they work, the ways in which they utilize their resources and the methods they use to face and counter the pressures exerted by both Covid and non-Covid challenges. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies