Tech transformation disrupts leadership styles

Tech transformation disrupts leadership styles Digital technologies are transforming the NHS and social care, changing how care is accessed, provided and experienced, by both patients and staff, and the effectiveness of services. Leaders have an important part to play in creating the conditions in which digital technologies to be effectively implemented and used, but this requires a significant change in leadership behaviours. The King's Fund

10 steps hospitals can take to tackle ethnic inequalities in elective waiting lists

10 steps hospitals can take to tackle ethnic inequalities in elective waiting lists Across England, hospital activity continues to be seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with large falls in routine care resulting in millions of patients now subject to vast backlogs. Data analysis shows people from Asian groups faced larger falls in planned hospital care – both before and during the pandemic – than people from White, Black or Mixed ethnic groups. This infographic resource, designed in collaboration with the Nuffield Trust, aims to support the healthcare system by highlighting ten key ways to tackle these disparities, and to take practical actions to address the ethnicity gap in care provision. NHS Race & Health Observatory

Long Covid & employment

Long Covid & employment This report calls on government to introduce guidance for employers on long Covid alongside a compensation scheme for frontline workers. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus

Delayed hospital discharges and adult social care

Delayed hospital discharges and adult social care This explainer sets out what the government is doing to reduce the number of people staying in hospital longer than necessary. House of Commons Library

One-stop-shops for testing deliver over 3 million potentially lifesaving checks, tests and scans

One-stop-shops for testing deliver over 3 million potentially lifesaving checks, tests and scans Tens of thousands of patients across the country will benefit from quicker access to tests, with 19 new community diagnostic centres which will perform 1.1 million tests, checks and scans every year set to open later this year. Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals in England with worst A&E waits revealed

Hospitals in England with worst A&E waits revealed A&E waiting times have deteriorated so much this winter that at some hospitals in England more than half of patients have had to wait more than four hours.

BBC analysis of data for December and January shows Hull University Hospitals, Wye Valley and Shrewsbury and Telford were worst for A&E waits.

The best trust out of the 107 providing data, Northumbria Healthcare, had fewer than 10% waiting more than four hours.

NHS England said plans were being put in place to support struggling trusts. BBC News

Watford General Hospital recorded 50 times birth gas legal limit

Watford General Hospital recorded 50 times birth gas legal limit Nitrous oxide levels on Watford General Hospital's maternity suite far exceeded legal limits during peak periods, a BBC investigation has found.

In February 2022, air monitoring showed levels of almost 5,000 parts per million (ppm) - 50 times what is safe.

The hospital's trust said it had since installed machines to remove the gas. BBC News

One in three women with female health conditions forced to wait three years for diagnosis

One in three women with female health conditions forced to wait three years for diagnosis A third of those with a women’s health condition have been made to wait three years or longer for a diagnosis, damning new research has revealed.

The same study found half of those women took a year or more to be given their diagnosis.

Gynaecologists told The Independent delays are harming women’s mental health and placing their physical health at risk.

See also:

• Why women are more likely to suffer chronic pain but less likely to be taken seriously than men The Daily Mail

'Abused and exhausted': 90% of junior doctors say mental health has worsened

'Abused and exhausted': 90% of junior doctors say mental health has worsened A survey carried out by ITV News has shown that 90% of junior doctors say work has worsened their mental health.

NHS pressures aren’t just impacting patients' physical health, they’re affecting doctors’ mental health too.

According to a survey carried out on behalf of ITV News, many feel burnt out, demoralised and some are even driven to have suicidal thoughts.

More than half said last year was worse for their mental health than either of the pandemic years.

See also:

• NHS in crisis: Junior doctors struggling with mental health and rising pressures ITV News

Healthcare staff shortages fuelling near-record job vacancies across UK economy

Healthcare staff shortages fuelling near-record job vacancies across UK economy Shortages of healthcare workers are fuelling near-record numbers of job vacancies across the UK economy, with the lack of nurses, carers and other staff serving as the biggest recruitment challenge in almost every local authority area.

According to analysis by the Office for National Statistics, more than one in 10 job vacancies posted online in December were in healthcare – more than any sector across the economy. The Guardian

Patients in England not collecting NHS prescriptions because of cost

Patients in England not collecting NHS prescriptions because of cost Rising numbers of patients in England are failing to collect their medicines or asking pharmacists which ones they can “do without” because they cannot afford prescription charges, a survey shows.

NHS prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England there are exemptions for certain items, medical conditions and specific parts of the population, but most adults have to pay. The current prescription charge is £9.35 an item. The Guardian

See also:

• Pharmacists say 'tax on sick' should be axed. So is it time to END prescription charges in England? The Daily Mail

How 'virtual wards' may only be staffed 12 hours a day

How 'virtual wards' may only be staffed 12 hours a day 'Virtual wards' designed to relieve pressure on the NHS may backfire as some are only staffed 12 hours a day, a senior doctor has warned.

The system works by giving patients devices to monitor vital signs like blood pressure at home, with readings sent to their doctors via a smartphone app, freeing up hospital beds.

But some of the 'wards' are only staffed 12 hours a day, with patients told to call 111 or 999 for help at other times, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The Daily Mail

Covid booster jabs END for under-50s - so how many have ever been jabbed in your area?

Covid booster jabs END for under-50s - so how many have ever been jabbed in your area? Just a third of people in some English neighbourhoods have ever had a Covid jab, MailOnline can reveal.

Approximately 13million people across the nation have still never been vaccinated against the virus — despite the historic programme having opened over two years ago.

It comes as the multi-billion pound immunisation drive starts to be wound down as the country settles further into post-pandemic life. The Daily Mail 

How dozens of lives were saved or transformed by Northants organ donors last year

How dozens of lives were saved or transformed by Northants organ donors last year Donors across Northamptonshire were able to save or transform dozens of lives by giving the "ultimate gift" of their organs transplants last year, according to the county's two hospitals. They say it highlights the importance of donors speaking to their families about their decision. Northants Live

Some children in Northamptonshire waiting more than a year for mental health help, health boss says

Some children in Northamptonshire waiting more than a year for mental health help, health boss says Some children in Northamptonshire who need specialist help after suffering trauma are having to wait for more than a year for treatment.

A senior manager at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) conceded some waits are “too long” at a meeting of members of NHFT. An experienced social workers also told the meeting that this is a “national problem”. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Valuing Nursing in the UK – Staffing for Safe and Effective Care

Valuing Nursing in the UK – Staffing for Safe and Effective Care A new report reveals that tens of thousands of skilled and experienced nursing staff are leaving the profession, with many of those aged 21 to 50.

The report sets out the issues contributing to the poor retention of nursing staff, the reasons why they’re leaving, and calls for immediate action from the UK governments. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• Nurses’ union in UK warns of exodus of young staff The Guardian

The state of community health services in England

The state of community health services in England Community health services help people to stay healthy and live independently at home, but it has proved difficult to realise a long-standing ambition to deliver more services out of hospital. In this explainer, Sarah Scobie and Stephanie Kumpunen describe what community services are, who uses and provides them, who pays for them, and some of the challenges they face. Nuffield Trust

Both, and: population health and public health professionals need to make the most of distinct contributions to better health

Both, and: population health and public health professionals need to make the most of distinct contributions to better health Integrated care systems (ICSs) were established to create partnerships for population health, not simply to better manage existing patterns of NHS care. In many systems, statutory status has been accompanied by the creation of director, or similar, roles with titles that include population health. Roles intended sometimes to stimulate a reframing of work across the whole leadership team but elsewhere simply leading a standalone programme of work, often primarily analytical. How these emergent roles develop matters. The King's Fund

The cost of living impacts access to prescription medicines

The cost of living impacts access to prescription medicines The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has released the results of a survey showing that pharmacists say the cost of living is having an impact on whether people can afford prescription medicines in England.

The A&E crisis: what’s really driving poor performance?

The A&E crisis: what’s really driving poor performance? This briefing paper seeks to understand what is actually happening in emergency departments and, using publicly available data, challenges some of the arguments frequently heard about the A&E crisis. It identifies areas for further investigation which the authors believe could be key to stabilising the system. Reform