RCN research shows huge numbers of patients being treated in corridors and on trollies

RCN research shows huge numbers of patients being treated in corridors and on trollies Investment in the nursing workforce is needed now, the RCN insists, as survey findings released today (14 July) show clinical care is taking place in settings such as hospital corridors and waiting rooms rather than on wards. 

Our poll of more than 20,000 nursing and midwifery staff found the situation is worst in emergency care settings where nearly two-thirds of respondents reported the problem. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• Hospital patients being treated in corridors and waiting areas, says RCN The Guardian

A community-powered NHS: making prevention a reality

A community-powered NHS: making prevention a reality This report argues for a health care system that is focused as much on preventing illness as treating it. It discusses how working collaboratively with communities as equal partners in the design and delivery of health care could be a way of achieving this. New Local

Developing workforce skills for a strong economy

Developing workforce skills for a strong economy This report examines whether government has an effective approach to enhancing workforce skills. While much of the examination focused on the Department for Education’s activities given its responsibilities for leading government’s approach to skills, it does also look at other areas of the workforce including health and social care. It covers the workforce skills system; the scale of the skills challenge that government faces; government’s understanding of workforce skills needs; and how well government is supporting the development of workforce skills. National Audit Office

Turkey teeth: Are cut-price reality TV teeth worth it?

Turkey teeth: Are cut-price reality TV teeth worth it? Hundreds of British dentists have treated patients with serious complications after they travelled abroad to get cut-price crowns, a BBC documentary has learned. The latest cosmetic look, seen on ITV's Love Island and via the hashtag #Turkeyteeth, has given some people their dream smile but left others asking the NHS to pick up the pieces. BBC News

Hundreds of children in mental health crisis facing 'unacceptable' A&E waits every week

Hundreds of children in mental health crisis facing 'unacceptable' A&E waits every week Hundreds of children suffering from mental health issues are attending A&E each day, with some waiting up to five days in emergency departments,The Independent can reveal.

Internal NHS data leaked to The Independent, shows the number of young patients waiting more than 12 hours from arrival has also more than doubled in the last year. The Independent

‘There were moments I questioned my passion for the job’: the overseas nurses helping to keep the NHS running

‘There were moments I questioned my passion for the job’: the overseas nurses helping to keep the NHS running Almost half of new nurses are now trained abroad. What is life in the UK – and the NHS – like for them?

Even before the pandemic struck, there was a shortage of nurses in the UK. In January 2020, a survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that almost three-quarters of nurses said the staffing level on their last shift was not sufficient to meet the needs of patients safely and effectively. Yet this month NHS England predicted that the government will not meet its manifesto pledge to boost the NHS’s nursing workforce by 50,000 by March 2024. The key reason? NHS workers are quitting in droves, citing burnout, fatigue and pay as factors. The Guardian

Breast cancer drug that doubles survival time is available on NHS after watchdog U-turns

Breast cancer drug that doubles survival time is available on NHS after watchdog U-turns A breast cancer drug that almost doubles a patient’s survival time will now be available on the NHS in England after a U-turn from the watchdog.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) rejected sacituzumab govitecan, also known as Trodelvy, for use in England in April after saying it was “too expensive” to be cost effective. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NICE recommends Piqray and Trodelvy, maintaining 100% approvals of breast cancer drugs since 2018 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• Two breast cancer drugs available on NHS in England after U-turn The Guardian

Seeing the same GP could ease agony for dementia patients

Seeing the same GP could ease agony for dementia patients Seeing the same GP during treatment could prevent dementia patients needing a series of trips to hospital as they near the end of their lives, a study found.

Repeat hospital visits in the final months have previously been linked to poor end-of-life care, delirium and falls. They also cost the NHS vast sums.

Now researchers have found offering dementia patients continuity of care from the same GP may lower the risk.  The Daily Mail

See also:

• Primary care contacts, continuity, identification of palliative care needs, and hospital use: a population-based cohort study in people dying with dementia (open access) British Journal of General Practice

Northampton and Kettering hospitals bring back face masks rules to combat rise in Covid patients

Northampton and Kettering hospitals bring back face masks rules to combat rise in Covid patients Bosses at Northamptonshire’s two biggest NHS hospitals are telling staff, patients and visitors they need to wear masks again following a “significant increase in Covid-19 infections”. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Mask wearing reintroduced in our hospitals Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
• Updated mask wearing guidance for NHFT Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

New analysis reveals future NHS beds shortage

New analysis reveals future NHS beds shortage New research carried out by the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre finds that the next decade will see increases in demand for services from rising levels of chronic disease and a rapidly ageing population – putting pressure on hospital services that are already stretched with bed occupancy rates of close to 90%.

The analysis finds that even if the NHS continues to reduce the length of time people stay in hospital, 23,000 to 39,000 extra beds could be needed in 2030/31 to maintain pre-pandemic standards of care – a 20–35% increase. The Health Foundation indicates that the build cost could be between £17bn and £29bn, but cautions that this depends on a range of factors, with recent rises in inflation significantly increasing construction costs.

Are ICSs getting off to the right start?

Are ICSs getting off to the right start? It’s official; integrated care systems (ICSs) have now taken up their place as statutory bodies.

Having worked closely with system leaders developing ICSs, we don’t doubt that the will and commitment exists to improve population health and reduce inequalities through cementing new ways of working based on partnership and collaboration. But we also don’t underestimate how challenging it will be to make a reality of those ambitions or the risks of them being derailed by wider system pressures and the gravitational pull towards entrenched ways of working.

So, what early indicators might signal whether ICSs are getting off to the right start? The King's Fund

Addressing backlogs and managing waiting lists during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic

Addressing backlogs and managing waiting lists during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic Postponement of non-emergency procedures to keep capacity available for Covid-19 patients, and to avoid infections, has led to backlogs of care in virtually all countries. As each delay in diagnosis and treatment may worsen health prospects, health systems have sought to understand and address the extent of the backlogs and their drivers. This briefing sets out the drivers that can increase the backlog and those that can decrease the backlog. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

First ever Patient Safety Commissioner appointed

First ever Patient Safety Commissioner appointed The Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has today appointed Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner for England.

Adding to and enhancing existing work to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices, the appointment of a commissioner is in response to the recommendations from Baroness Cumberlege’s review into patient safety, published in 2020. Department of Health and Social Care

Covid: 3m adults still unvaccinated in England

Covid: 3m adults still unvaccinated in England Nearly three million adults in England have still not come forward for a Covid vaccine, data reveals.

Experts say the figure includes some people who could get extremely sick if they were to catch the virus.

Most elderly and vulnerable people have already had several protective shots. BBC News

See also:

• Redouble efforts on unvaccinated to reduce risks of Covid deaths, warn MPs Public Accounts Committee
• 3 MILLION Britons are still unvaccinated against Covid: Health chiefs must redouble their efforts to boost take-up ahead of winter, MPs say The Daily Mail
• Catching flu and Covid at the same time could reduce symptoms... but only if you catch flu first The Daily Mail
• Calls grow for No10 to bring back masks and £2bn-a-month free testing scheme The Daily Mail
• School absences hit six-month high in Covid ‘wake-up call’ The Guardian
• UK Covid infection levels reach new record high for pandemic, estimates show The Independent
• Covid cases could soar across Midlands due to highly 'infectious' new strain, warns health expert ITV News
• World Health Organization warns COVID-19 is 'running freely' and global deaths are unacceptably high Sky News

School mindfulness lessons don't work for teenagers

School mindfulness lessons don't work for teenagers Giving teenagers mindfulness lessons at school to boost wellbeing is largely a waste of time, a major UK study has found.

The technique, which encourages people to meditate and live in the moment, was no better than what schools were already doing for mental health.

Many pupils were not that interested in using the method, calling it "boring". BBC News

See also:

• School-based mindfulness training in early adolescence: what works, for whom and how in the MYRIAD trial? (open access) Evidence Based Mental Health

Protect children from illegal vapes, doctors say

Protect children from illegal vapes, doctors say Children are at risk from vaping, and more should be done to protect them from illegal and unregulated products containing high levels of nicotine, doctors are warning.

Trading standards in England and Wales say the market is being flooded by unsafe, disposable vapes aimed at children.

The colourful, sweet-flavoured devices are growing in popularity among teens. BBC News

See also:

• Girl, 11, is rushed to hospital after vaping as mother warns parents over them being sold to kids The Daily Mail

Heatwave pushes NHS to 'tipping point' as hospitals and ambulance services declare black alert

Heatwave pushes NHS to 'tipping point' as hospitals and ambulance services declare black alert A spike in Covid absences and the extended heatwave have left NHS hospitals and ambulance services struggling to cope.

The hot weather is also driving more patients to A&E departments, and callers are being urged not to use 999 except in serious emergencies.

All 10 ambulance trusts in England are on black alert, the highest level, while health leaders warn that “ill-equipped” hospital buildings are are struggling to store medicines correctly amid the abnormally high temperatures. The Independent

See also: 

• Highest alert level for ambulance services in England BBC News
• Cambridge hospital 'under pressure' as Covid absences double BBC News
• Nurse absence concerns amid latest spike in Covid-19 cases Nursing Times
• Record 6.5 million people waiting for routine NHS hospital treatment in England Sky News

Monkeypox could become 'endemic' if urgent action isn't taken, experts warn - Sky News

Monkeypox could become 'endemic' if urgent action isn't taken, experts warn The government's handling of monkeypox has been severely criticised by an alliance of the country's leading sexual health professionals, who warn the outbreak could last months and risk the virus becoming "endemic if urgent action is not taken". Sky News

NHS to miss out on recruiting thousands of nurses if BTecs are scrapped

NHS to miss out on recruiting thousands of nurses if BTecs are scrapped The NHS will miss out on recruiting thousands of nurses every year as a direct result of the government scrapping BTec courses in health and social care, hospital bosses have warned.

NHS Employers wrote in a letter to the education secretary, James Cleverly, that it had “serious concerns” about the plan, which it fears will exacerbate the health service’s acute staffing problems. The Guardian

Ghost patients: More than 5million people who do not exist are registered at GP surgeries

Ghost patients: More than 5million people who do not exist are registered at GP surgeries More than 5.2million patients who do not exist are registered at GP surgeries in England, MailOnline can reveal as campaigners demand action to stamp out the scourge of 'ghosts'.

Crucial NHS statistics — used to determine how much money surgeries should be allocated from Government — show there are 61.7million patients across the country. But results from the 2021 census, which were released last month, states the nation's population actually stands in the region of 56.5million. The Daily Mail