Kettering General Hospital nurses and ambulance staff vote to join strike over pay and patient safety

Kettering General Hospital nurses and ambulance staff vote to join strike over pay and patient safety Kettering General Hospital nurses and the region’s ambulance staff will join in strike action after backing a national call for industrial action.

The Royal College of Nursing said the majority of England’s biggest hospitals would see staff stop work in a dispute over pay and patient safety — including KGH, Northamptonshire Health Foundation Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Northampton General Hospital nurses' strike ballot 'narrowly misses' turnout threshold Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS performance summary September - October 2022

NHS performance summary September - October 2022 Emergency care performance continues to deteriorate, with A&E waiting times in October 2022 being the worst on record. 31% of attendees waited over 4 hours before being discharged or admitted.

A record number of people, over 150,000, waited over 4 hours between a decision to admit them through A&E, and being admitted. A new record was also set for the number waiting over 12 hours.

The elective care backlog continues to grow beyond 7 million, with month-on-month increases in the waiting list. Nuffield Trust

See also: 

• Trolley waits in 2022 three times higher than previous 10 years combined The Health Foundation
• The King's Fund responds the latest NHS performance data The King's Fund
• NHS continues to operate under huge pressure but has made progress in meeting rising demand for care NHS Confederation
• Progress on clearing long waits for NHS treatment stalls Nuffield Trust
• NHS cuts 18-month waits as staff contend with busiest October ever NHS England
• Record numbers faced four-hour A&E waits in England in October BBC News
• NHS's never-ending crisis: Waiting list hits another all-time high with 7.1 MILLION The Daily Mail
• Record 7.1m people in England waiting for NHS hospital treatment The Guardian
• NHS waiting times for routine hospital treatment hit another new record high The Independent
• Record number of people waiting at least four hours in A&E, NHS England data shows Sky News

Chart of the week: The cost of NHS backlog maintenance hits an all-time high

Chart of the week: The cost of NHS backlog maintenance hits an all-time high The cost of fixing the backlog of maintenance in the English NHS has increased markedly over the years. In this chart, John Appleby shows how just six trusts account for over a quarter of the total backlog. He also describes how the cost of high-risk maintenance has risen considerably. Nuffield Trust

Anxiety nation?: economic insecurity and mental distress in 2020s Britain

Anxiety nation?: economic insecurity and mental distress in 2020s Britain Amid rocketing rates of diagnosis for anxiety, and with 7.3 million English adults already having received antidepressants by 2017-18, this report establishes many connections between financial insecurity and poor mental health. It calls for more to be done to protect those millions of Britons, and not just those on the very lowest incomes, at a time of increasing prices and interest rates. Joseph Rowntree Foundation

A knotted pipeline: data-driven systems and inequalities in health and social care

A knotted pipeline: data-driven systems and inequalities in health and social care This report aims to describe the interplay between data and inequalities in the health and social care system across the UK. Acknowledging the potential for data-driven technologies to improve health and social care outcomes, it scrutinises the ‘pipelines’ of data that power health technologies, identifying trends, approaches or limitations in data and data use that might undermine the beneficial outcomes sought. Ada Lovelace Institute

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Swab positivity for flu* has remained stable and is now at 6.6%; it is highest in 15 to 44-year-olds at 12.4%, followed by 5 to 14-year-olds at 11.2%.

Hospitalisation rates for flu are stable overall but are now slightly exceeding the baseline threshold for the first time this season. There is some week-to-week variability: the over 75s and under 5s remain the highest but have dropped, while rates in the 15 to 44-year-olds have increased. Intensive care admission rates remain above baseline. are highest in those aged 75 to 84 at 1.67 followed by those aged 85 and over at 1.49. UK Health Security Agency

NHS catching more cancers earlier than ever before

NHS catching more cancers earlier than ever before The NHS is diagnosing more patients with cancer at an earlier stage than ever before, according to new analysis.

Last year (2021-2022), over 100,000 (100,461) patients were diagnosed with cancer at stages one or two when it is easier to treat – the highest proportion on record.

Record numbers of people are getting checked for cancer – almost half a million more patients were checked between March 2021 and August 2022, compared to the same period before the pandemic. NHS England

'Leap forward' in tailored cancer medicine

'Leap forward' in tailored cancer medicine People with untreatable cancers have had their immune system redesigned to attack their own tumours.

The experimental study involved only 16 patients, but has been called a "leap forward" and a "powerful" demonstration of the potential of such technology.

Each person had a treatment developed just for them, which targeted the specific weak spots in their tumour.

It is too early to fully assess the therapy's effectiveness and is expensive and time-consuming. BBC News

See also:

• Non-viral precision Tcell receptor replacement for personalized cell therapy (open access) Nature
• Silver bullet for cancer? Scientists use CRISPR to unlock patients' true tumor-fighting potential The Daily Mail

Nurses' union pay demands not affordable, says Rishi Sunak

Nurses' union pay demands not affordable, says Rishi Sunak The 17% pay rise requested by a nursing union that has voted to strike is "not affordable", Rishi Sunak has said.

Nurses in the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union have voted for its first UK-wide strike in its 106-year history.

The action will involve RCN members in more than half of hospitals and community teams, but emergency care will still be staffed.

The prime minister said the health secretary would sit down with unions to "see how we can resolve this". BBC News

See also:

• Now the MIDWIVES start voting on strikes! The Daily Mail
• NHS strike chaos could last SIX MONTHS and begin before Christmas The Daily Mail
• I beg my colleagues to think again and not strike, writes NHS staff nurse CARMELAH JACOBS The Daily Mail
• Government urged to reverse NHS pay cuts as nurses back historic strikes GPonline
• UK nurses’ pay rise demand ‘remarkably high’, says minister as strike looms The Guardian
• Army could answer 999 calls if ambulance workers in England strike The Guardian

Desperate NHS paying nurses up to £2,500 a shift

Desperate NHS paying nurses up to £2,500 a shift NHS bosses are increasingly paying premium rates for agency staff to plug holes in rotas, the BBC has found.

Spending in this area rose by 20% last year to hit £3bn in England.

For many shifts, bosses have been so short-staffed they have been willing to breach the government pay caps for these agency workers, most of whom are doctors and nurses. BBC News

England’s mental health care lacks money, yes – but it also lacks compassion

England’s mental health care lacks money, yes – but it also lacks compassion | Jay Watts We have made great progress in England when it comes to acceptance and knowledge around mental health issues. But have our basic services also improved in tandem? We are told that clinical approaches to mental health are getting better: that the coercive control of the asylum era is over, heralding care in the community; that the blossoming of interest in wellbeing means psychiatric care is no longer the second-class citizen of medicine. But some facts, unfortunately, tell a more harrowing story, reflecting a problem as much with ideology as funding. The Guardian

Circumcisions, tummy tucks and liposuction are among operations which will stop being funded by NHS

Circumcisions, tummy tucks and liposuction are among operations which will stop being funded by NHS Circumcisions, tummy tucks and liposuction are among 13 operations which will stop being funded by the NHS in a 'crackdown' on wasteful spending.

It is thought that stopping the state funding of these operations could save £2 billon a year, along with less wasteful prescribing methods.

Last week bosses of the ailing NHS said that they want billions more cash to keep key services running this winter as Rishi Sunak ruled out cutting its budget as part of the public spending squeeze. The Daily Mail

Appeal launched to enhance vital facilities for bereaved parents at Northampton General Hospital

Appeal launched to enhance vital facilities for bereaved parents at Northampton General Hospital An appeal has been launched to help enhance the vital facilities and support for bereaved parents at Northampton General Hospital.

Northamptonshire Health Charity, which funds equipment and projects for local NHS hospitals and community services beyond what can be funded, is proud to be supporting the hospital by launching its Daisy Suite Appeal for those who experience the devastating loss of a baby. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Supporting children and young people with mental health needs in acute paediatric settings

Supporting children and young people with mental health needs in acute paediatric settings Over the past decade, there has been increasing need for mental health services to support children and young people. The pandemic resulted in a greater number of children and young people presenting with mental health disorders, often with complex needs requiring care or medical stabilisation, within a paediatric or acute setting. This framework commits to ensuring children and young people, and those who look after them, are supported. NHS England

Secure data environment for NHS health and social care data - policy guidelines

Secure data environment for NHS health and social care data - policy guidelines In Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data, we committed to implementing secure data environments as the default way to access NHS health and social care data for research and analysis. The strategy also sets out our intentions for the use of secure data environments to access NHS health and social care data through 12 clear guidelines. 

This publication provides additional background and detail for how we have developed those guidelines and their intended outcome. Department of Health and Social Care

Nurses across UK back strikes in pay dispute

Nurses across UK back strikes in pay dispute Nurses across the UK have voted to strike over pay with action expected to start by the end of the year.

The walkout will involve Royal College of Nursing members in more than half of hospitals and community teams, but emergency care will still be staffed.

Nurses in every service in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for action. In Wales all but one health board did.

But in England the turnout was too low in nearly half of NHS trusts for strike action to take place. BBC News

See also:

• NHS pay ballot results: members vote to strike at majority of NHS employers across the UK Royal College of Nursing
• Striking a balance: patient safety during industrial action Royal College of Nursing
• NHS Confederation responds to RCN announcement on strike action NHS Confederation
• RCN announcement on strike action NHS Employers
• Nurses' strike: What is the dispute about? BBC News
• 'NHS haemorrhaging staff' – nurse explains why she voted for strike action Channel 4 News
• Nurse strike Q&A: All the questions answered as Royal College of Nursing confirms 'historic' action The Daily Mail
• Nurses WILL strike! Thousands of operations and treatments facing the axe this winter The Daily Mail
• Fury as Rolex-wearing minister says nurses 'usually' only use foodbanks when they've been dumped The Daily Mail
• Health Secretary Steve Barclay accused of being 'invisible man' The Daily Mail
• Nurses’ pay demands ‘simply not reasonable’ as they plan first national walkout The Daily Telegraph
• Real-terms fall in UK nurses’ pay is part of wider trend The Guardian
• ‘Pay in the NHS has become laughable’: UK nurses’ views on the vote to strike The Guardian
• Nurses’ strike: what’s at stake and how will it affect patients? The Guardian
• Nurses’ strikes: Full list of hospital trusts affected – see your area The Independent
• Nurses ‘worried about feeding families and paying rent’ as strike action gets go-ahead The Independent
• Nurses at 176 different NHS organisations vote to take strike action Nursing Notes

Antibody jab approved for common winter virus RSV

Antibody jab approved for common winter virus RSV A new treatment to protect babies against a common and potentially dangerous winter virus has been approved by the UK regulator.

The single antibody shot helps stop infants getting chest infections, such as pneumonia, for about six months.

A large study has now begun to find out whether nirsevimab should be offered to all babies in the UK.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main reason children under five end up in hospital. BBC News

Sharp rise in cancer care delays 'risking lives'

Sharp rise in cancer care delays 'risking lives' There has been a sharp rise in long waits for cancer therapy in the past four years, BBC analysis shows.

The number waiting more than the 62-day target time for therapy in the past year has topped 67,000 across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland - twice as many as the same period in 2017-18.

Waits are also getting worse in Wales, but data does not go that far back.

The national cancer director for the NHS in England said staff were striving to catch up on the backlog of care.

But experts warned the problems could be putting patients at risk. BBC News

England's healthiest and unhealthiest boroughs REVEALED

England's healthiest and unhealthiest boroughs REVEALED England's health plummeted to a five-year low in the year the pandemic first struck, official figures suggest.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which measures health across the country's 308 authorities every year using 50-plus metrics, found it dropped to levels not seen since 2015 — when records began.

The results, which the ONS compared to a health version of GDP, showed that well-being, mental health and life satisfaction deteriorated in the early days of Covid. The Daily Mail

How some NHS hospitals are still nowhere near pre-Covid levels of activity

How some NHS hospitals are still nowhere near pre-Covid levels of activity Most NHS hospitals are still treating fewer patients than before Covid, MailOnline can reveal amid calls to make the backlog one of the Government's top priorities this winter.

Close to 270,000 routine operations like hip and knee replacements were carried out between June-August this year per month. For comparison, the figure was around 9 per cent higher during the same period in 2019.  The Daily Mail