Government aims to tackle racial disparities with mental health reforms

Government aims to tackle racial disparities with mental health reforms The Government is aiming to tackle racial disparities and better meet the needs of those with learning difficulties as it unveils proposed reforms to mental health services.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) published the draft of the Mental Health Bill on Monday. The Independent

NHS England ‘set to eliminate two-year waiting lists’ by July

NHS England ‘set to eliminate two-year waiting lists’ by July NHS England is poised to “virtually eliminate” the list of those who have waited more than two years for treatment, its chief executive has said, as patients are given the option to be treated more quickly at hospitals in different parts of the country.

The number of people who have waited for two years or more to receive treatment has fallen from a peak of 22,500 in January to 6,700, after the Covid-19 pandemic caused waiting lists to mount. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS patients to be offered chance to travel for surgery BBC News
• 500,000 wait for ear, nose and throat treatment after PM has NHS operation The Guardian
• NHS crisis caused by Tory underfunding not Covid, say doctors The Guardian
• NHS: Patients asked to travel for hospital treatment in NHS 'final push' to 'eliminate two-year waiters' Sky News

NHS staff should get at least a 4% pay rise say independent experts

NHS staff should get at least a 4% pay rise say independent experts NHS staff should receive a pay rise of at least 4%, independent experts have advised, setting healthcare workers on a collision course with ministers who have set a firm maximum of 3%.

The pay review body (PRB) will recommend that NHS personnel should an increase this year of somewhere between 4% and 5%, the Guardian understands, despite warnings from the government that undertaking such advice would break the bank.

Women STILL face excruciating contraceptive coil fittings

Women STILL face excruciating contraceptive coil fittings Women are having to endure excruciating contraceptive coil fittings without pain relief – being expected to 'just grit their teeth and cope', experts have warned.

The alert comes despite new guidance issued by health chiefs last year recommending that women should always be offered 'appropriate analgesia' before the procedure, which involves inserting a small T-shaped device, about half the length of a cotton bud, into the womb. The Daily Mail 

Cervical Screening Awareness Week: Figures show one in three Northamptonshire are not having smear tests

Cervical Screening Awareness Week: Figures show one in three Northamptonshire are not having smear tests Nearly one in three Northamptonshire women are regularly skipping routine smear tests which can detect early stages of cancer.

Charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust believes many are avoiding the straightforward procedures through fear, embarrassment, or a lack of understanding of what they involve. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton General: New critical care unit prepares for first patients

Northampton General: New critical care unit prepares for first patients A new critical care unit, designed with the experience of the Covid pandemic, is preparing for its first referrals.

The 16-bed unit at Northampton General Hospital cost £15.9m and will offer round-the-clock care for the most vulnerable patients.

It includes special isolation rooms as well as space for relatives to stay and sleep close to loved ones. BBC Northampton

Hormone replacement therapy prescriptions rise 42% in one year

Hormone replacement therapy prescriptions rise 42% in one year Shortages of hormone replacement therapy products have been in the news recently, and the number of prescription items in England related to HRT have doubled over the last seven years. John Appleby shows how a large part of this increase was during 2021/22. Nuffield Trust

Changing lives, changing places, changing systems: making progress on social prescribing

Changing lives, changing places, changing systems: making progress on social prescribing This report explores what needs to happen to engage a wider set of stakeholders with planning, funding and delivering social prescribing services and the community activities, groups and services upon which they rely across places and within new Integrated Care Systems. It explores the structures needed to support collaborative planning and delivery and how improving data flows could encourage more partners to get involved. It also describes how communication about social prescribing can be improved to make clearer how it fits into wider plans for transforming health and care across communities and supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing. National Voices

Interim bulletin: harm caused by delays in transferring patients to the right place of care

Interim bulletin: harm caused by delays in transferring patients to the right place of care This investigation explores issues around patient handover to emergency care. This bulletin outlines early investigation findings and recommends a national response to tackle this issue. Findings so far emphasise that an effective response should consider the interactions of the whole system: an end-to-end approach that does not just focus on one area of health care and prioritises patient safety. Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

Re:Birth summary report

Re:Birth summary report This project worked with representatives from across maternity care, including staff, advocacy groups and service users. It advises that midwives and obstetricians put the needs and wishes of women at the heart of all conversations about their care. The report recommends that maternity staff should follow the five As: acknowledge, ask, affirm, avoid and annotate. Royal College of Midwives

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Weekly national influenza and coronavirus (COVID-19) report, COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.  UK Health Security Agency

Increase in hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children under investigation

Increase in hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children under investigation The UK Health Security Agency is continuing to investigate and confirm cases of sudden onset hepatitis in children aged 10 and under that have been identified since January 2022.

Working alongside Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales and the Public Health Agency, active investigations have identified a further 7 confirmed cases since the last update on 17 June, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 258, as of 21 June.

Birmingham hospital faces criminal probe after death of vulnerable man

Birmingham hospital faces criminal probe after death of vulnerable man A hospital and one of its managers are facing a criminal investigation into the death of a vulnerable man who absconded by climbing a fence.

An inquest concluded failings amounting to neglect contributed to the death of Matthew Caseby in 2020, after he fled from Birmingham's Priory Hospital Woodbourne and was hit by a train.

The investigation will be carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). BBC News

100,000s of children not fully vaccinated against polio, figures show

100,000s of children not fully vaccinated against polio, figures show Thousands of children across England are not fully protected against polio, with booster uptake lagging by 50 per cent in some parts of the country, government data show.

Some 101,737 children had not received a booster jab by their fifth birthday in 2020/21, out of a total of 693,928. Around a third of all these unprotected five-year-olds (34,105) were in London. The Independent

See also:

• Polio: What is it and how does it spread? BBC News
• A feared disease which paralysed tens of thousands of children: Polio's history laid bare The Daily Mail
• Polio confusion as NHS cannot tell who has been vaccinated The Daily Telegraph
• Polio: ‘Possible’ source of virus could be traced back to single household, says minister The Independent
• How to check if you’ve had your polio vaccine and what to do if you haven’t The Independent
• Why we don’t need to panic about the return of polio iNews

NHS unions warn of industrial unrest over expected 3% pay rise

NHS unions warn of industrial unrest over expected 3% pay rise Ministers are likely to face a fresh outbreak of industrial unrest if, as expected, the government accepts a well-below inflation pay rise for NHS workers, unions and professional groups have warned.

Even if there are no strikes over a pay offer at around the expected 3% level, some said another cut in real-terms pay coupled with staff shortages and the legacy of Covid could simply prompt an exodus of workers, with one official calling the situation “a perfect storm for the NHS”. The Guardian

NHS hospital failed to disclose babies’ deadly bacteria infections

NHS hospital failed to disclose babies’ deadly bacteria infections A leading NHS hospital failed to publicly disclose that four very ill premature babies in its care were infected with a deadly bacterium, one of whom died soon after, the Guardian can reveal.

St Thomas’ hospital did not admit publicly that it had suffered an outbreak of Bacillus cereus in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of its Evelina children’s hospital in late 2013 and early 2014.

Did not acknowledge either the incident or infant’s death in any public forum. The Guardian

COVID-19 jab saved 20 million lives in its first year, study suggests

COVID-19 jab saved 20 million lives in its first year, study suggests About 20 million lives were saved by the COVID vaccine in its first year, according to new estimates.

Experts believe more deaths were prevented in richer countries, with 12.2 million saved in high and upper-middle income nations. Sky News

See also:

• Global impact of the first year of COVID-19 vaccination: a mathematical modelling study (open access) The Lancet Infectious Diseases
• Covid: Free lateral flow tests in Wales until 31 July BBC News
• Covid drug Paxlovid is NOT effective for people who have been vaccinated, Pfizer reveals The Daily Mail
• How widespread is long COVID in the UK? GPonline
• Britain is being swamped by yet another Covid wave – how can we stop them coming? The Guardian
• Covid-19: Hospital patients with coronavirus in the East of England is highest for six weeks ITV News
• NHS England sets out preliminary plans for autumn Covid boosters Pulse

Northampton General Hospital unveils brand new 'game-changing' £16million 'state of the art' critical care unit

Northampton General Hospital unveils brand new 'game-changing' £16million 'state of the art' critical care unit Northampton General Hospital (NGH) has unveiled its new 'game-changing' £16million 'state of the art' critical care unit.

A £15.9 million grant was given to the hospital to build a new on-site critical care unit through capital funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to upgrade and improve NHS buildings. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Integrated care systems: what do they look like?

Integrated care systems: what do they look like? Integrated care systems (ICSs) are the centrepiece of the biggest legislative overhaul of the NHS in a decade. From July 2022, England will be formally divided into 42 area-based ICSs, covering populations of around 500,000 to 3 million people. The Health Foundation

Tackling health inequalities through inclusive recruitment

Tackling health inequalities through inclusive recruitment Approximately 60-80 per cent of health and wellbeing is attributable to the social determinants of health. Employment is one of the key determinants. There is an inherent and reciprocal link between health and work. Being in good work with fair pay and conditions improves people’s overall physical and mental health and supports quality of life; good health enables people to work, creating a virtuous cycle. This briefing gives information and prompts for NHS workforce leads to consider local approaches. NHS Employers

See also:

• Case studies: addressing local inequalities through employment NHS Employers