National data guardian says suppliers must share NHS core values

National data guardian says suppliers must share NHS core values NHS national data guardian Dr Nicola Byrne has advised national policymakers that they should ensure key suppliers must share NHS core values.

The guidance, provided as part of a blog on advice she has been offering on the proposed new federated data platform, appears to provide a warning about the expected award of the contract to Palantir, due to the risk of undermining public confidence. Digital Health

See also:

• In pursuit of balance: unlocking the power of data whilst preserving public trust National Data Guardian

NHS creates £1.3bn pot for Covid compensation claims

NHS creates £1.3bn pot for Covid compensation claims The NHS has set aside £1.3 billion to cope with compensation claims arising from the pandemic this year with claims for treatment delays, cancellations and misdiagnosis expected.

An annual report from NHS Resolution, which deals with patient disputes, shows that the health service anticipates it will need to pay out more than a billion pounds this financial year to settle claims arising from poor service during Covid. The Daily Telegraph

Next big Covid variant WILL be more deadly, according to new study of immuno-compromised patient

Next big Covid variant WILL be more deadly, according to new study of immuno-compromised patient The world's next major Covid variant is poised to be more severe than the mild strains that are currently world-dominant, according to a new study. 

The ultra-infectious Omicron strain emerged almost exactly a year ago and its mutated spinoffs have risen to the top in virtually every country in the world. The Daily Mail

See also:

• SARS-CoV-2 evolves increased infection elicited cell death and fusion in an immunosuppressed individual (open access preprint) medRxiv
• Covid: Blood thinner ineffective for patients, trial finds BBC News
• Britain has world's SECOND biggest Covid outbreak currently... so where else is in the worst 20? The Daily Mail
• Could China's Covid chaos send world straight back to square one? The Daily Mail
• Zero-Covid policy: why is China still having severe lockdowns? The Guardian

GPs fail to identify osteoporosis sparking fears of a hidden epidemic of brittle bones

GPs fail to identify osteoporosis sparking fears of a hidden epidemic of brittle bones Tens of thousands of patients are suffering life-changing fractures every year because GPs 'routinely' fail to identify those with weak bones, a parliamentary inquiry has found. 

Family doctors are well-placed to diagnose and treat osteoporosis but too many people only learn they have it after suffering a fall, the cross-party group of MPs and Peers warn. The Daily Mail

Patients WON'T have surgery cancelled at last minute, NHS bosses say

Patients WON'T have surgery cancelled at last minute, NHS bosses say Patients won't have procedures cancelled at the last minute due to the nurses' strikes, but care will have to be postponed, the head of the NHS has warned.

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, told MPs she could not confirm how far in advance patients would be notified about any changes to upcoming treatment.

Addressing the public accounts committee, she said efforts would be made to inform them 'sooner rather than later'. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Urgent surgery ‘may be postponed’ by nurses’ strikes, say NHS bosses The Guardian

Revealed: The GP surgeries in Northampton with the best, and worst, ratings for appointment waiting times

Revealed: The GP surgeries in Northampton with the best, and worst, ratings for appointment waiting times Patients at some doctor’s surgeries in Northampton have to wait far longer for appointments than at others, NHS figures show. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Has Brexit affected the UK’s medical workforce?

Has Brexit affected the UK’s medical workforce? How have the numbers of doctors in the NHS who come from the EU and the European Free Trade Association changed since the Brexit referendum in 2016? And do certain specialties face particular problems? Martha McCarey and Mark Dayan take a closer look at what’s happened since the vote. Nuffield Trust

See also: 

• Brexit has worsened shortage of NHS doctors, analysis shows The Guardian
• NHS forced to spend £180m a year on ‘pointless’ visa charges The Independent

What does the autumn statement mean for public services?

What does the autumn statement mean for public services? This report sets out the impact of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s plans on four service areas: the NHS, schools, the criminal justice system and local government. It warns that while frontloading funding in protected areas shields them from the damaging ‘austerity 2.0’ feared, this is still unlikely to enable key services like the NHS to return performance to pre-pandemic levels this parliament. It also suggests that unless historic pay cuts are addressed, it may not be enough to improve recruitment and retention or avert widespread strikes. Institute for Government

Mind the gaps: understanding and improving out-of-hours care for people with advanced illness and their informal carers

Mind the gaps: understanding and improving out-of-hours care for people with advanced illness and their informal carers The hours outside of Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, including weekends and bank holidays, make up 75% of the time in every week. So it's no surprise that many people with a terminal illness need care urgently in this out-of-hours period.

But out-of-hours services aren't up to scratch. This report shows they're disjointed, confusing and unreliable. Lots of people can't get the care they need at home in a crisis, especially if they live in a deprived area.

This can leave people with no option but to go to A&E departments. And it means they aren't getting the good end of life experience that we all hope for. Marie Curie

See also: 

• Palliative care: 'My dad should not have been expected to die in office hours' BBC News

Government to use Vaccine Taskforce model to tackle health challenges

Government to use Vaccine Taskforce model to tackle health challenges NHS patients are set to benefit from cutting-edge new treatments and technologies as the government introduces a Vaccine Taskforce style approach to tackling some of the biggest public health challenges facing the UK.

The government has today announced over £113 million to fund research into four healthcare missions – cancer, obesity, mental health and addiction – to unlock the next generation of medicines and diagnostics to save lives, transform patient care and ensure UK patients are the first to benefit from medical breakthroughs. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• New obesity treatments and technology to save the NHS billions Department of Health and Social Care
• Sunak wants vaccine taskforce-style strategy to tackle NHS missions The Independent
• Rishi Sunak wants vaccine taskforce-style strategy to tackle NHS 'missions' like cancer and obesity Sky News

Thousands more cancer cases linked to deprivation

Thousands more cancer cases linked to deprivation Thousands of extra cancer cases are linked to deprivation in Scotland, according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

The charity has found that around 4,900 extra cancer cases a year are linked, which equates to 13 cases a day.

Those living in the poorest areas are also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage when cancer can be harder to treat successfully.  BBC News

See also:

• Poorer women in UK have sixth-highest cancer death rates in Europe, WHO finds The Guardian

Eight days waiting in A&E: Inside the crisis in NHS mental health care

Eight days waiting in A&E: Inside the crisis in NHS mental health care People suffering from mental illness are increasingly struggling to access help at every level of the NHS – from record numbers facing “unacceptable” delays in referrals to patients waiting up to eight days in A&E for a hospital bed.

Figures seen by The Independent show almost four times as many people are waiting more than 12 hours in emergency departments as two years ago.

See also:

• Health bosses are fiddling while the NHS burns The Daily Telegraph
• Stress, exhaustion and 1,000 patients a day: the life of an English GP The Guardian
• GPs tell patients to ‘get an Uber’ as NHS ambulance delays hit record level The Guardian

‘This is as much about patient safety as pay’: NHS faces wave of strikes as more unions vote

‘This is as much about patient safety as pay’: NHS faces wave of strikes as more unions vote The NHS faces the threat of coordinated industrial action lasting several months, with results to be announced within days of strike ballots of ambulance crews and about 300,000 health workers.

Junior doctors, paramedics, midwives, porters, cleaners, pharmacy technicians and physiotherapists are being balloted across the NHS. The government now faces the threat of waves of strikes across the public sector, from nurses and firefighters to civil servants and teachers. The Guardian

See also: 

• December strike by NHS nurses is biggest in their history BBC News
• 'Militant' nursing union orchestrating pre-Christmas strikes threatens MORE walk-outs The Daily Mail
• The ARMY could drive ambulances and fill hospital roles under emergency plans for NHS this winter The Daily Mail
• Nurses are struggling – our strike has been a long time coming The Guardian
• Public sector pay demands ‘unaffordable’, says transport secretary
• Army could step in to help NHS during winter of strikes The Independent
• Ministers harden their stance ahead of nurse strike as they say there is no more money for a better pay deal iNews
• Army would step in to help NHS during winter of strikes under contingency plans ITV News

No 10 hiring of healthcare lobbyist prompts privatisation concern

No 10 hiring of healthcare lobbyist prompts privatisation concern Rishi Sunak has appointed a private healthcare lobbyist with links to a series of controversial clients to advise him in Downing Street, raising concerns over further privatisation within the NHS.

Bill Morgan, a founding partner of the PR and lobbying firm Evoke Incisive Health, joined No 10 as a health policy adviser earlier this month where he is believed to be helping drive through NHS efficiencies. The Guardian

Rotherham: inquiry after family says boy, 5, died after hospital turned him away

Rotherham: inquiry after family says boy, 5, died after hospital turned him away A hospital trust in South Yorkshire has opened an investigation after the family of a five-year-old said he died after being turned away by doctors because there were no available beds.

Yusuf Ahmed died on Monday after a tonsil infection had spread to his lungs and caused multiple organ failure. The boy had been taken to Rotherham general hospital by his uncle Zaheer Ahmed on 14 November with complaints of a sore throat. He had been prescribed antibiotics the previous day by his GP, but his condition had not improved. The Guardian

See also:

• Family claim Rotherham Hospital delays led to death of boy BBC News
• 'They said they had no space': Family says boy, 5, died after he was sent home from hospital Sky News

Older people left with incontinence after hospital visits as NHS staff 'fit catheters unnecessarily'

Older people left with incontinence after hospital visits as NHS staff 'fit catheters unnecessarily' Older people who spend time in hospital are being discharged suffering from long-lasting incontinence because NHS staff are too busy to take them to the toilet while they're on the ward, experts warn.

One reason, say specialists, is inappropriate use of urinary catheters – a tube inserted into the urinary tract which empties the contents of the bladder into a drainage bag. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Ending healthcare's over-reliance on containment products and catheters (open access) British Journal of Nursing
• Inappropriate urinary catheterisation: a review of the prevalence, risk factors and measures to reduce incidence (open access) British Journal of Nursing

Fast-track drug brings prostate cancer hope as it could extend life expectancy for patients

Fast-track drug brings prostate cancer hope as it could extend life expectancy for patients Around 9,000 men with one of the most advanced forms of prostate cancer will be eligible for a new life-extending drug – thanks to a fast-tracked deal.

The NHS in England will become the first healthcare provider in Europe to roll out Darolutamide to patients whose prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Trials of the drug have shown the chances of living longer are increased by a third in men who were previously left untreated. The Daily Mail

NHS staffing shortages: why do politicians struggle to give the NHS the staff it needs?

NHS staffing shortages: why do politicians struggle to give the NHS the staff it needs? The workforce crisis has been a prominent issue for years, but there has been little concerted action from governments to tackle the challenge.

For almost two decades now there has been no clear plan to address the crisis and the staffing gaps have continued to worsen, because, for whatever reason, the UK political system seems unable to respond properly to this very real public concern. Given this long-running gap in solutions from national politicians, The King’s Fund and Engage Britain commissioned Bill Morgan, a former Conservative special adviser, to explore what can get in the way of ministers taking meaningful, long-term action to address NHS workforce shortages.

The resulting report, NHS staffing shortages; why can’t politicians give the NHS the staff it needs?, focuses on the role of politicians in workforce planning and delivery. The King's Fund

See also:

• The health and care workforce: planning for a sustainable future The King's Fund

The evolving role of county authorities in integrated care systems

The evolving role of county authorities in integrated care systems This report analyses the new systems which replaced Clinical Commissioning Groups this year from the perspective of councils. The study, commissioned by the County Councils Network, is based on a survey and interviews with local authorities in county areas and senior health officials. The report finds that local government is spending more time with NHS colleagues, with 80 per cent of council respondents saying they have increased their time working with health partners since the inception of ICSs. Local authorities also report being cautious about pooling further resources with the NHS at a time when finances are stretched. It recommends that the government and health service review the level of centrally imposed targets on ICSs, particularly in shared policy areas with local government, which could help move towards a culture shift that gives greater prominence to prevention. County Councils Network

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Swab positivity for flu* has increased slightly and is now at 8.2%; it is highest in 5 to 14-year-olds at 18%, followed by 15 to 44-year-olds at 15.8%.

Hospital admission rates and intensive care admission rates have increased notably in the last week, to medium activity levels for intensive care and just below the medium activity threshold for admissions. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• NHS's 'toughest ever winter': Flu already piling 10 times more pressure than last year The Daily Mail
• NHS faces ‘perfect winter storm’ with tenfold rise in hospital flu cases The Guardian
• Flu cases rise in England as hundreds of hospital beds filled ahead of winter The Independent
• Hospital flu cases up 10 times on last year amid 'tripledemic' warning, NHS England data shows Sky News