Radiographers begin 48-hour strike in England

Radiographers begin 48-hour strike in England Radiographers, who perform vital scans on patients, begin a 48-hour strike at 08:00 on Tuesday in parts of England.

Staff at 37 NHS trusts are staging walkouts over pay.

The government says its offer of a 5% pay rise combined with one-off payments totalling at least £1,655 is "reasonable" and "final".

Patients can expect disruption to services - but staffing levels akin to those during bank holidays will provide "life and limb" emergency cover. BBC News

See also:

• Our members deserve better, our patients deserve better Society of Radiographers
• Radiographers' strike will hit patients hard NHS Providers
• Radiographers at 37 NHS trusts in England going on strike over pay Evening Standard
• Radiographers in England stage two-day strike over pay and staffing The Guardian
• NHS radiographers strike amid complaints of staff shortages and low pay ITV News

NHS trust to review all suicides since 2017

NHS trust to review all suicides since 2017 The deaths of dozens of people who took their own lives while patients of an NHS trust will be reviewed after concerns were raised.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) will review all 63 suicides since 2017.

It comes after the trust was accused of adding to the records of Charles Ndhlovu, 33, the day after he took his own life to "correct their mistakes".

The trust's chief Anna Hills said it "will be an important piece of work". BBC News

Reports of modern slavery double in UK care sector

Reports of modern slavery double in UK care sector The number of modern slavery cases reported within the UK care industry has more than doubled in the past year.

There were 109 potential victims, exploited for personal or financial gain, between January and March - twice as many as the same period in 2022.

BBC File on 4 obtained the figures from the government-approved anti-slavery helpline, run by charity Unseen.

Investigators trying to protect workers from being exploited say the care industry is now a "top priority". BBC News

Most NHS staff say they don’t have enough time to spend with patients

Most NHS staff say they don’t have enough time to spend with patients Most NHS staff think they have too little time to help patients and the quality of care the service provides is falling, a survey reveals.

Medical and nursing groups said the “very worrying” findings showed that hard-pressed staff cannot give patients as much attention as they would like because they are so busy.

In polling YouGov carried out for the Guardian, 71% of NHS staff who have direct contact with patients said they did not have the amount of time they would like to have to help them.

38m patients in England wait beyond 14 days to see GP despite government pledge

38m patients in England wait beyond 14 days to see GP despite government pledge More than 38 million patients in England have waited longer than a fortnight for a GP appointment since the government promised everyone would be able to get one within 14 days.

In September last year, the government said patients would be able to see a family doctor within two weeks of booking a consultation. Thérèse Coffey, the then health secretary, promised to prioritise the issue with a “laser-like focus”. The Guardian

Bisexual people ‘experience worse health outcomes than other adults’

Bisexual people ‘experience worse health outcomes than other adults’ Bisexual people experience worse health outcomes than other adults in England, a study has found.

Data from lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) patients indicates these groups have poorer health outcomes compared to those who identify as heterosexual.

The new findings indicate that bisexual people face additional health disparities within an already marginalised community. The Independent

See also:

• Bisexual People Experience Worse Health Outcomes in England: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Primary Care (open access) The Journal of Sex Research

A single pill made using magic mushroom hallucinogen could help treat anorexia that affects 100,000 Britons, study suggests

A single pill made using magic mushroom hallucinogen could help treat anorexia that affects 100,000 Britons, study suggests Could a single tablet help improve the outcome for patients with anorexia? That is the tantalising prospect offered by a study published yesterday looking at the use of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component of magic mushrooms. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Psilocybin for the treatment of anorexia nervosa (abstract) Nature Medicine
• Psilocybin may be a potential treatment for anorexia, research suggests The Independent

New fathers can suffer from postnatal depression too, study suggests

New fathers can suffer from postnatal depression too, study suggests Having a baby could cause men with a history of depression to relapse, a new British study suggests. Researchers from University College London (UCL) analysed medical records of 90,000 men who had children in the previous year and compared them with those that hadn't become dads.

Men who had not taken antidepressants prior to having a child were no more likely than men without children to need the treatment. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Association of Recent Fatherhood With Antidepressant Treatment Initiation Among Men in the United Kingdom (open access) JAMA Network Open

Northampton centre to take patients to free up hospital beds

Northampton centre to take patients to free up hospital beds A rehabilitation centre designed to free up hospital beds which was set up as a pilot scheme is to remain throughout the year.

The 51-bed unit at Turn Furlong in Northampton provides short-term care for people who are not quite ready to return home after a hospital stay.

It is run jointly by the NHS and West Northamptonshire Council.

Patients are cared for by health and social care staff employed by both Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust and the council. BBC Northampton

Boost for women and girls as Women’s Health Strategy turns one

Boost for women and girls as Women’s Health Strategy turns one A year on from its flagship Women’s Health Strategy, the government is today announcing a significant package of new measures to boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls. A raft of actions are also being taken to support women and their families through the unbearable and devastating impacts of pregnancy loss. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Guidance: Women’s health hubs £25 million transformation fund Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Women's health hubs: information and guidance Department of Health and Social Care

Independent report: Pregnancy Loss Review

Independent report: Pregnancy Loss Review The review looks at options to improve NHS gynaecology and maternity care practice for parents who experience a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy or termination for medical reasons.

It makes 73 recommendations, which are intended to support the government and the NHS in creating a forward-looking approach to improve the safety and care experience for all those who have a pre-24-week baby loss. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Policy paper: Government response to the independent Pregnancy Loss Review Department of Health and Social Care
• Baby loss in pregnancy: Pledge to store remains in dignified way BBC News

Some people's brain function still affected by Long COVID years after infection

Some people's brain function still affected by Long COVID years after infection UK researchers have found that people with longer-term COVID-19 symptoms including 'brain fog' showed reduced performance in tasks testing different mental processes up to two years after infection with the virus. King's College London

See also:

• The effects of COVID-19 on cognitive performance in a community-based cohort: a COVID symptom study biobank prospective cohort study (open access) eClinicalMedicine
• ‘Brain fog’ of long Covid comparable to ageing 10 years, study finds The Guardian
•  Long Covid ‘brain fog’ can last for years, scientists find The Independent

NHS discharges: Reasons for hospital departure delays revealed

NHS discharges: Reasons for hospital departure delays revealed Hundreds of patients are taking up hospital beds across England every day despite being ready to leave, according to NHS data.

Figures show the biggest obstacle to speedy discharge is lack of beds in other settings, such as care homes.

Other reasons include hold-ups in sorting transport, medicines and paperwork.

The government said it wanted to "ensure patients leave hospital as soon as they are medically fit".

It is the first time data has been published which breaks down the reasons for discharge delays. BBC News

NHS negligence claims: £2.7bn cost prompts renewed calls for system reform

NHS negligence claims: £2.7bn cost prompts renewed calls for system reform Payments for clinical negligence in the NHS in England rose by 9.5% in 2022-23 to almost £2.7bn, according to the latest report from NHS Resolution, the body that handles claims.

The increase, driven by a rise in the number of high value claims, has prompted renewed calls for reform of clinical negligence litigation.

The figure reflects the high cost of maternity claims, with lifelong support needed for babies with devastating birth injuries. Recent reports have highlighted avoidable deaths and injuries at several NHS trusts. The BMJ

See also:

• Annual report and account 2022-23 NHS Resolution 

Turnover in NHS cancer workforce highest for more than a decade

Turnover in NHS cancer workforce highest for more than a decade Staff turnover in NHS cancer services has risen significantly, with more than 4,000 leaving the workforce last year, new figures show.

Data from NHS England shows the leaver rate for the cancer workforce in hospital and community health services hit 12.1% in the year to September 2022, as 4,378 staff left. Evening Standard

Revealed: drug firms funding UK patient groups that lobby for NHS approval of medicines

Revealed: drug firms funding UK patient groups that lobby for NHS approval of medicines Drug companies are systematically funding grassroots patient groups that lobby the NHS medicines watchdog to approve the rollout of their drugs, the Observer can reveal.

An investigation by the Observer has found that of 173 drug appraisals conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) since April 2021, 138 involved patient groups that had a financial link to the maker of the drug being assessed, or have since received funding.

NHS group changes same-sex fertility rules after couple’s campaign

NHS group changes same-sex fertility rules after couple’s campaign A married lesbian couple who launched a landmark legal test case against the NHS have claimed a “victory for equality” after their local health service group agreed to change its fertility treatment rules for same-sex couples.

Megan Bacon-Evans, 36, and Whitney Bacon-Evans, 35, have formally withdrawn their case at the high court after NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB) volunteered to give same-sex female couples the same access to fertility treatment as heterosexual couples, following a two-year review. Their case sparked national debate and led to a significant policy U-turn by the government last year. The Guardian

See also:

• Lesbian couple drop NHS fertility treatment legal challenge BBC News

NHS faces exodus of doctors and surgeons to foreign healthcare systems

NHS faces exodus of doctors and surgeons to foreign healthcare systems The NHS is losing senior doctors to countries including Ireland, Australia and the United Arab Emirates because they can double their salary and enjoy better working conditions.

Medical leaders are concerned about a growing exodus of hugely experienced doctors and surgeons to foreign healthcare systems, the Guardian has been told. Rising numbers of middle-aged consultants are opting for a new life abroad, which is exacerbating the NHS workforce crisis.

Worst-rated GP practices in England, as ranked by YOU: Shock NHS analysis reveals just one in 10 patients are happy at some surgeries - so use our table to see how yours fares

Worst-rated GP practices in England, as ranked by YOU: Shock NHS analysis reveals just one in 10 patients are happy at some surgeries - so use our table to see how yours fares Just one in 10 patients registered to England's worst-rated GP practices are happy with their care, damning analysis reveals today.

MailOnline crunched the data from the 2023 edition of the NHS GP Patient Survey, which assessed the performance of the nation's 6,400-plus surgeries. Hundreds of thousands of patients were asked to rank how their practice fared.

Nationally, satisfaction plummeted to an all-time low, fuelled by the appointments crisis that frustrated Brits into giving up trying to see their doctor altogether. The Daily Mail

Alarm over postcode lottery of GP surgery lung tests due 'scandalous' shortage which leaves thousands undiagnosed, charity warns

Alarm over postcode lottery of GP surgery lung tests due 'scandalous' shortage which leaves thousands undiagnosed, charity warns A 'scandalous' shortage of tests for lung disease is leaving thousands undiagnosed and missing out on vital treatment, says a leading charity.

In a report to be published next month, Asthma + Lung UK will warn of a postcode lottery for accessing a test for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a group of serious lung conditions that affect around 1.2 million people in Britain. The Daily Mail