Regulator criticised over whistle-blower response

Regulator criticised over whistle-blower response Major failings have been identified at the body responsible for regulating England's health and care sector.

Two reviews into the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were ordered after an employment tribunal found surgeon Shyam Kumar had been unfairly dismissed by the independent regulator after raising patient safety concerns.

The reviews found problems with how whistle-blowing concerns were acted on.

But they said there was no evidence of race discrimination in the case. BBC News

See also:

• Listening, learning, responding to concerns Care Quality Commission
• The Elms: CQC apologises to family in care home death case BBC News

Blood tests may spare cancer patients chemo

Blood tests may spare cancer patients chemo A blood test which can detect traces of cancer cells could spare thousands of patients unnecessary chemotherapy every year.

A major bowel cancer trial is examining whether the test can show if surgery has removed all of the tumour.

Doctors say half of patients with stage 3 bowel cancer are cured by surgery alone so by using chemotherapy they are over-treating many people.

About 1,600 bowel cancer patients are being recruited to the UK study. BBC News

NHS could work 'smarter' to help plug workforce shortages, leader says

NHS could work 'smarter' to help plug workforce shortages, leader says The NHS could make “significant dents” in plugging workforce shortages by working “smarter” and more efficiently, its chief strategy officer has said.

Chris Hopson said more staff were needed but the NHS could also work differently to deal with chronic staff shortages. Evening Standard

Mental health hospital facing teen mistreatment claims to shut after Sky News investigation

Mental health hospital facing teen mistreatment claims to shut after Sky News investigation A mental health hospital for teenagers is to close months after Sky News revealed accusations of the overuse of restraint and medication along with inadequate staffing and training.

Former workers claimed the alleged failings at Taplow Manor in Maidenhead, Berkshire, put young people at risk.

Bupa Dental Care to cut 85 practices amid UK dentist shortage

Bupa Dental Care to cut 85 practices amid UK dentist shortage Bupa Dental Care is to cut 85 dental practices this year in a move that will affect 1,200 staff across the UK, amid a national shortage of dentists and “systemic” challenges across the industry.

The private healthcare group said patients at the affected practices had not been able to access the NHS dental service they needed. The Guardian

See also:

• Bupa set to close Corby dental practice - and Wellingborough site is 'under review' Northamptonshire Telegraph

Losing weight cuts your risk of heart attacks and type 2 diabetes - even if you put it back on

Losing weight cuts your risk of heart attacks and type 2 diabetes - even if you put it back on Losing weight can cut the chances of heart attacks and type 2 diabetes — even if you put some of it back on.

Oxford University researchers found those who shed the pounds still enjoyed health benefits five years later, even if they regained a proportion of the weight. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Long-Term Effect of Weight Regain Following Behavioral Weight Management Programs on Cardiometabolic Disease Incidence and Risk: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (open access) Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes

How Covid-19 has a lasting impact on Northampton three years on from the start of the first lockdown

How Covid-19 has a lasting impact on Northampton three years on from the start of the first lockdown It has been three years since former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK's first lockdown.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a wide-ranging impact on life in the UK, from health to education and the economy.

We looked at the latest data to see how West Northamptonshire has changed since the first lockdown. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Full list of where 103 bleed kits and bleed control cabinets are located in Northamptonshire

Full list of where 103 bleed kits and bleed control cabinets are located in Northamptonshire Following on from the tragic fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old in Northampton last week, this newspaper is publishing a full list of where potentially life saving bleed kits are located across Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2022: Results from the British Social Attitudes survey

Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2022: Results from the British Social Attitudes survey The Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund have joined forces again to publish the gold-standard measure of public attitudes and opinions towards the NHS and social care, as surveyed by NatCen during 2022. This report shows public satisfaction with the health service has slumped to its lowest level ever recorded in the 40-year history of the British Social Attitudes survey.

See also:

• Time for Government to ‘get its head out of the sand’ BMA
• British Social Attitudes Survey results are in – our response Healthwatch
• British Social Attitudes: Satisfaction with the NHS falls to the lowest level ever recorded The King's Fund
• A long way back – public satisfaction with health and care services at record lows The King's Fund
• Drop in public satisfaction with the NHS 'a red flag for government' NHS Confederation
• NHS Providers responds to new report on public satisfaction with the NHS NHS Providers
• NHS response to the British Social Attitudes Survey results NHS England
• There are simply not enough GPs to deliver the care and services we are trained for Royal College of General Practitioners
• RCN responds to the British Social Attitudes Survey Royal College of Nursing
• NHS: Public satisfaction with health service drops to record low BBC News
• More than HALF of public is dissatisfied with ailing NHS for first time ever The Daily Mail
• Majority of public unhappy with NHS for first time, survey finds The Daily Telegraph
• 'Wake-up call' for government as NHS and GP satisfaction hit all-time low GPonline
• Satisfaction with the NHS plummets to lowest level in 40 years The Guardian
• Public satisfaction with NHS hits all-time low, with dissatisfaction doubling in two years, survey says The Independent
• Unhappiness with the NHS has reached record highs - but the public still supports it Sky News

Spotlight on maternity care: your stories, your rights (report)

Spotlight on maternity care: your stories, your rights (report) Women should be able to have confidence that they will receive safe, effective, compassionate maternity care that focuses on their individual needs. That is the experience of many people. But too many families still face care that puts the safety and wellbeing of women and babies at risk.

In this report, we look at themes from maternity complaints families have brought to us, to shine a light on their experiences and encourage others to let their voices be heard. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

See also:

• Even more mothers and babies will be harmed unless failing NHS maternity services are rapidly overhauled, damning report warns The Daily Mail
• More maternity tragedies will occur unless rapid changes are made – report Evening Standard
• Mothers and babies being put at risk due to unsafe NHS maternity services, report says The Guardian
• More maternity tragedies will occur unless rapid changes are made – report The Independent

Technology-enabled lives: delivering outcomes for people and providers

Technology-enabled lives: delivering outcomes for people and providers This paper (produced in partnership with over 30 organisations) highlights the lack of widespread adoption of digital social care services despite the public’s desire for technology to better support those who draw on social care and health services. The paper reveals that only a handful of councils, housing, and care organisations are delivering digital care in people’s homes at scale. This is despite evidence that using technology in social care keeps people safe, healthy, and happy at home. TEC Action Alliance

Increased funding for care homes providing nursing

Increased funding for care homes providing nursing Increased funding for care homes providing nursing will support tens of thousands of care home residents with nursing needs following confirmation that government will increase the rate by 5% for 2023 to 2024, including those with learning and physical disabilities. Department of Health and Social Care

Bullying and toxic culture at NHS trust, report finds

Bullying and toxic culture at NHS trust, report finds Repeated cases of bullying and a toxic environment at one of England's largest NHS trusts have been found in a review.

The Bewick report was ordered after a BBC Newsnight investigation heard from staff at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) saying a climate of fear had put patients at risk.

It cites anger that senior staff did not attend the funeral of Vaish Kumar, a junior doctor who killed herself.

The West Midlands trust said it fully accepted the report's recommendations. BBC News

See also:

• University Hospitals Birmingham: Phase 1 review (Bewick report)  IQ4U Clinical Safety
• Response to review into patient safety University Hospitals Birmingham
• Patient safety review into University Hospitals Birmingham published Birmingham and Solihull ICB
• Report into University Hospitals Birmingham shows "toxic" culture BMA
• Statement on the Bewick review into patient safety and concerns at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Healthwatch Birmingham
• Culture of fear still prevalent at Birmingham NHS trust - Bewick BBC News
• Bullying, cronyism and a ‘corrosive’ culture: Damning verdict on one of NHS’s biggest trusts The Independent
• Corrosive’ culture at NHS trust could put patient safety at risk, report finds The Independent
• 10 damning findings uncovered in the University Hospitals Birmingham report ITV News
• 'Corrosive' bullying culture at 'toxic' NHS trust could put patient care at risk, review finds after doctor's death Sky News

Treasury will find extra cash to fund NHS pay offer, says Jeremy Hunt

Treasury will find extra cash to fund NHS pay offer, says Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt has conceded the Treasury will have to find extra money to fund the pay offer to NHS staff, though the Department of Health and Social Care will also be forced to make savings.

Health unions are now consulting their members on the offer, which includes a one-off bonus of up to 8.2% for this year and a pay rise of 5% from April, plus more for the lowest-paid. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS Confederation responds to Secretary of State's comments on AfC pay offer NHS Confederation
• NHS Providers responds to secretary of state's pay offer statement NHS Providers
• NHS pay deal: UK Treasury to provide extra funding Channel 4 News
• Health chiefs say NHS pay offer must be fully funded after government pledge The Guardian

Women in England with advanced cervical cancer to be offered new treatment

Women in England with advanced cervical cancer to be offered new treatment Hundreds of women in England are to be offered the first new treatment for advanced cervical cancer in about 15 years on the NHS, officials have announced, amid a concerted push to boost women’s health.

The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab will be available to those with incurable forms of the disease immediately after it won the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the drugs regulator. Currently, two women with the disease die every day. The Guardian

See also:

• Hundreds of people are set to receive the first immunotherapy drug for advanced cervical cancer through the Cancer Drugs Fund National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• First new life-extending NHS treatment for incurable cervical cancer in almost 15 Years NHS England
• NHS will offer pembrolizumab cervical cancer drug in England BBC News
• Patients with incurable cervical cancer offered life-extending drug The Independent

NHS treating hundreds of children as young as 13 for gaming disorders

NHS treating hundreds of children as young as 13 for gaming disorders Hundreds of children are being treated for video game disorders by the NHS, including some who have been driven to attack their own family.

New figures reveal that 745 people have been referred to the National Centre for Gaming Disorders since it opened in October 2019, the only clinic of its kind in the UK. Sky News

See also:

• NHS treats hundreds with gaming disorders NHS England

Why 8,000 - not 10,000 - might be the magic number when it comes to daily steps

Why 8,000 - not 10,000 - might be the magic number when it comes to daily steps f 10,000 daily steps seems like a bridge too far, you might be in luck. 

Scientists have found that 8,000 is enough to significantly lower the risk of an early death.

Achieving that target on just one or two days cut the mortality risk by 15 percent in a study of 3,000 middle-aged people. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults (open access) JAMA Network Open

Number of Brits getting cosmetic surgery doubles in a year

Number of Brits getting cosmetic surgery doubles in a year Britain's new-found love for the brow lift was unearthed in an annual report from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

It showed how cosmetic surgery as a whole is once again booming, after nosediving over the past few years. 

More than 31,000 procedures were carried out in 2022 — double that of 2021. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Cosmetic Surgery Boom: BAAPS National Audit Reveals 102% Rise in Procedures during 2022 British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons
• UK cosmetic procedure numbers recover after Covid BBC News

Transforming Integrated Care in the Community (TICC): blueprint

Transforming Integrated Care in the Community (TICC): blueprint This report captures the key lessons of a project undertaken by organisations in four European countries (UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium) to explore what is involved in taking a highly successful innovation in one national context and applying it in others. The example of Buurtzorg was chosen because of its undoubted and extraordinary success in its country of origin, the Netherlands, where it has revolutionised community-based health and care services. Its achievements - improving care, the jobs of professionals providing care, and resource use - provided the inspiration for the organisations that came together as partners in this project with a view to replicating its achievements in their own countries and localities. Health and Europe Centre

Continuing to pay the price: the impact of prescription charges on people living with long term conditions

Continuing to pay the price: the impact of prescription charges on people living with long term conditions A survey of more than 4,000 people with long-term conditions has found that having to pay for a prescription stops some people getting the medicines they need. The survey also showed people with long-term health conditions who cannot afford their medication are visiting their GPs and A&E more than before. There has also been an increase in hospital stays, mental health issues and time off work. The Prescription Charges Coalition brings together around 50 organisations and professional bodies to campaign to scrap prescription charges in England for people with long-term conditions. Prescription Charges Coalition