Chemo BEFORE bowel cancer surgery slashes chances of disease returning

Chemo BEFORE bowel cancer surgery slashes chances of disease returning Chemotherapy before bowel cancer surgery can slash its chances of returning by more than a quarter, research has found.

The Cancer Research UK funded trial shows that giving chemotherapy ahead of operating for early-stage bowel cancer cuts the chance of the disease coming back by 28 per cent. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Preoperative Chemotherapy for Operable Colon Cancer: Mature Results of an International Randomized Controlled Trial (open access) Journal of Clinical Oncology
• New treatment strategy cuts risk of bowel cancer returning by 28% The Guardian
• Bowel cancer breakthrough as chemotherapy before surgery ‘cuts risk of return’ The Independent

Four more strike dates confirmed for EMAS workers across Northamptonshire

Four more strike dates confirmed for EMAS workers across Northamptonshire Four more days of ambulance strikes have been confirmed as some employees at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) working across Northamptonshire plan to walk out.

GMB Union says its ambulance workers are “angry” and that they are “left with no choice but industrial action” as the pay dispute with the Government continues. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Ambulance wait times in Northampton referenced at Prime Minister’s Questions as Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer clash Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Mental health roadshow for Northamptonshire schools to show the “power of prevention”

Mental health roadshow for Northamptonshire schools to show the “power of prevention” Schools across the county are being given the opportunity to sign up to a free mental health roadshow, helping teachers to put the “power of prevention” to the test.

With one in six children aged five to 16 believed to have a probable mental health problem, St Andrew’s Healthcare wanted to do something about the epidemic that is damaging the minds of young people. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Closure of 'not well used' Rushden care home confirmed

Closure of 'not well used' Rushden care home confirmed The closure of a "not well used" care home has been confirmed by the council that took it over just two years ago.

The Spinneyfields Specialist Care Centre in Rushden provides support for people after leaving hospital.

West Northamptonshire Council said the home's location made it hard to access, with just 12 of its 52 beds being used, and it would close on 29 January. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Statement regarding Spinneyfields Specialist Care Centre West Northamptonshire Council

More myths: Introducing payments, cutting back on managers or bringing in tax breaks for private care will fix the NHS

More myths: Introducing payments, cutting back on managers or bringing in tax breaks for private care will fix the NHS In the final part of his series looking at common critiques of the NHS and why they're mistaken, Nigel Edwards examines the subject of introducing payments for treatment, tackles the claim that managers are to blame for the NHS’s problems, and discusses the impact of bringing in tax breaks for private care. Nuffield Trust

Chart of the week: Are there enough intensive care beds available for children this winter?

Chart of the week: Are there enough intensive care beds available for children this winter? It’s not just adults who are affected by the current situation in the NHS – children are too. In this chart of the week, Liz Fisher looks at how many intensive care beds are available for children across the whole of England this winter. Nuffield Trust

State of health visiting, UK survey report: a vital safety net under pressure

State of health visiting, UK survey report: a vital safety net under pressure This report details the findings from a UK survey of frontline health visitors working with families across the United Kingdom. It finds health visitors reporting epidemic levels of poverty, with more parents struggling with the cost-of-living crisis that is forcing them to turn to food banks to feed their children. Alongside this, more parents are living with mental health problems, domestic abuse and adversity, that pose risks to the health and wellbeing of babies and young children. The report makes various policy recommendations including a shift towards prevention and early intervention, equity of access to support and integrated clinical care pathways. Institute of Health Visiting

Government urged to strengthen draft Mental Health Bill

Government urged to strengthen draft Mental Health Bill The Government’s draft Mental Health Bill must be strengthened to address rising numbers detained under current legislation and tackle unacceptable and inexcusable failures on racial inequalities, say MPs and Peers. 

The Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill’s detailed report is published following extensive hearings to scrutinise the draft legislation. The Joint Committee, established in July 2022, has examined the extent to which the draft Bill would ensure fewer people were detained against their wishes, promote patient choice, address racial inequalities and end the inappropriate long-term detention of people with learning disabilities and autistic people under the Act.

See also: 

• Mental Health Bill must tackle ‘unacceptable’ racial inequalities, MPs warn The Independent

Ambulance staff and nurses to strike on same day

Ambulance staff and nurses to strike on same day Ambulance workers are to join nurses in taking strike action on 6 February in England and Wales in what will be the biggest NHS walkout in this dispute.

The GMB announced four new stoppages for ambulance staff - one of which coincides with a nurses' strike date.

It is the first time both ambulance staff and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have acted on the same day. BBC News

See also:

• Strikes update: How nurses' strikes on Thursday will affect you BBC News
• Ambulance union GMB announces FOUR more strike dates during February and March The Daily Mail
• Government needs proper pay strategy to end healthcare strikes Evening Standard
• Health bosses warn NHS strikes could become ‘war of attrition’ as nurses walk out Evening Standard
• Pressure on GPs will grow unless government finds compromise to end NHS strikes GPonline
• NHS strikes escalate with same-day action by nurses and ambulance staff The Guardian
• NHS bosses implore ministers to do all they can to end nurses' strikes The Guardian
• Pay hikes for NHS staff are unaffordable – and will cut patient care (Steve Barclay) The Independent
• Health secretary tells striking NHS nurses: Take the money and patients will pay the price The Independent
• Ex-Cabinet minister’s comments over nurses using food banks branded ‘heartless’ The Independent
• Barclay: Pay hikes for NHS staff will take ‘billions away from where needed the most’ Pulse
• Health Secretary Steve Barclay says 10% pay rise for nurses 'not affordable' as strikes continue Sky News
• NHS leaders making contingency plans as biggest walkout in its history looms Sky News

East Kent hospitals: Maternity concerns at baby death NHS trust

East Kent hospitals: Maternity concerns at baby death NHS trust Hospital inspectors have raised safety concerns over maternity care at an NHS trust where dozens of babies died unnecessarily.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is threatening the East Kent Hospitals trust with enforcement action to ensure patients are protected.

An independent review in October found that at least 45 babies might have survived with better care at the trust. BBC News

Emergency in the NHS: Medics and politicians debate the crisis

Emergency in the NHS: Medics and politicians debate the crisis The NHS is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis – it’s a true emergency in UK healthcare.

In this special programme we have nurses, doctors, paramedics, care providers, patients and experts debating leading politicians – the Health and Social Care Minister Helen Whatley and Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting – over the current state of our NHS. Channel 4 News

See also:

• FactCheck: England's NHS ten times worse than in 2011 on four key measures Channel 4 News

Unvaccinated COVID patients 'at greater risk of death' for at least 18 months after infection

Unvaccinated COVID patients 'at greater risk of death' for at least 18 months after infection Unvaccinated COVID patients retain a greater risk of death and cardiovascular disease for at least 18 months after infection, new research suggests.

The findings come following a study of more than 160,000 people during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic - before any jabs were available.

Those who caught the disease between March and November 2020 were found to be up to 81 times more likely to die within the first three weeks of infection. Sky News

See also:

• Association of COVID-19 with short- and long-term risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality: a prospective cohort in UK Biobank (open access corrected proof) Cardiovascular Research
• Covid ‘will taunt us for years’ UKHSA head warns as Orthrus variant spreads The Independent

Dementia plan will be revealed 'in due course', Government tells charity 25 times

Dementia plan will be revealed 'in due course', Government tells charity 25 times The Government has refused to give a date for the release of its 10-year dementia plan despite being asked 25 times by an Alzheimer's charity.

The Alzheimer’s Society said it had continually questioned the Health Secretary but been told the strategy would be published "in due course".

On Thursday, the charity will deliver an open letter to Rishi Sunak calling for him to urgently honour the Government’s dementia commitments, which promised widespread social care reform, and double the spending on research. The Daily Telegraph

Warning over post-Covid norovirus boom: Cases of winter virus are 10% above pre-pandemic levels

Warning over post-Covid norovirus boom: Cases of winter virus are 10% above pre-pandemic levels Britain is being hit by a norovirus surge — and it might still get worse, experts have suggested.

Cases of the winter vomiting bug, which can also cause diarrhoea, for this time of year are 10 per cent above levels seen pre-Covid.

Health bosses fear any further norovirus surge will pile even more pressure on the 'fragile' NHS, which is grappling with its worst ever winter with hours-long waits for ambulances and enormous A&E queues. The Daily Mail

See also:

• National norovirus and rotavirus surveillance reports: 2022 to 2023 season UK Health Security Agency

NIH study claims trans teens given hormone drugs enjoy 'significant improvements'

NIH study claims trans teens given hormone drugs enjoy 'significant improvements' The research - the largest of its kind - monitored around 315 teenage Americans with gender dysphoria who received puberty blockers or hormone therapy drugs. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Psychosocial Functioning in Transgender Youth after 2 Years of Hormones (abstract) New England Journal of Medicine

Hundreds of 'missing' cancer diagnoses in Northamptonshire in 2020 – as fewer found at early stage

Hundreds of 'missing' cancer diagnoses in Northamptonshire in 2020 – as fewer found at early stage Hundreds fewer cancers were diagnosed in Northamptonshire in 2020, figures show – a year which also saw a fall in the proportion found at an early stage.

In the former NHS Northamptonshire CCG area, there were 3,670 cancers diagnosed in 2020 – 715 fewer than the year before, when there were 4,385 diagnoses, according to the latest figures from NHS Digital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Away from hospital and into the community: A research report into alternative options for young people’s mental health crisis care

Away from hospital and into the community: A research report into alternative options for young people’s mental health crisis care Young people and expert mental healthcare staff say patients are unlikely to receive in-patient mental health care unless they “have attempted suicide multiple times”, according to a report published today by Look Ahead Care and Support.

Based on in-depth interviews with service users, parents and carers, and NHS and social care staff from across England, the findings draw on experience of treating depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, eating disorders, addiction and psychosis.

See also:

• Children in England at clear risk ‘cannot get mental health bed’ The Guardian
• ‘Young people having a mental health crisis are just dismissed’ The Guardian

Mental health and the cost-of-living crisis report: another pandemic in the making?

Mental health and the cost-of-living crisis report: another pandemic in the making? This policy briefing paper provides an overview of the current and likely effects of the so-called ‘cost-of living crisis’ on mental health. It sets out MHF's evidence-based recommendations for governments across the UK to tackle the mental health impacts of the cost-of-living crisis. The paper emphasises that the priority must be to ensure suitable financial support schemes are available to all who need them to prevent people from experiencing poverty, financial stress and related mental health problems. The paper also stresses that the income support announced to date does not go far enough to meet the needs of low-income people who continue to go without essentials such as food and heating. Mental Health Foundation

Transforming lives, improving health outcomes: tackling the true cost of variation in uptake of innovative medicines

Transforming lives, improving health outcomes: tackling the true cost of variation in uptake of innovative medicines This report considers how to ensure patients are able to access and benefit from innovative medicines – wherever they live in the UK. The joint report with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) makes thirteen specific recommendations (focusing on England, Wales and Northern Ireland) to support progress in tackling the unwarranted variation in the uptake of innovative medicines. NHS Confederation

Patients told to expect widespread disruption as nurses strike

Patients told to expect widespread disruption as nurses strike Patients are being warned to expect widespread disruption to services on Wednesday and Thursday, as nurses stage more strikes in England.

About one out of every four hospitals and community services will be affected by the walkouts, by Royal College of Nursing members, over the two days.

It comes after two days of strikes before Christmas in the pay dispute.

As required under trade union laws, emergency care will be covered during the walkouts from 08:00 to 20:00. BBC News

See also:

• Are nurses striking in your area? BBC News
• Strikes Update: How nurses' strikes on Wednesday will affect you BBC News
• More misery for NHS patients as thousands of nurses stage two-day strike across England The Daily Mail
• Nurses in England begin two days of strikes in pay standoff The Guardian
• Health secretary tells striking NHS nurses: Take the money and patients will pay the price The Independent
• Thousands of nurses begin two day walkout across England ITV News
• As nurses go on strike again this week, how could the row be resolved? ITV News
• Further strikes would be an 'act of self-harm' and damage the economy, says minister Sky News
• Thousands of nurses beginning two-day strike - and walkout will be much bigger than last month Sky News