Frustration at Northampton hospital clinic after calls to crucial phone line go unanswered

Frustration at Northampton hospital clinic after calls to crucial phone line go unanswered Northampton General Hospital bosses have apologised to patients of a facial treatment clinic after many struggled to arrange appointments.

The maxillofacial unit based in Billing Road offers a range of treatments related to the face - from mouth cancer, to jaw problems, orthodontics and dental surgery.

But patients of the clinic have told the Chronicle and Echo how they have simply been unable to make appointments in recent weeks due to the fact the phone lines there were not being answered.

The hospital said the problem was down to "staffing gaps", which have now been filled.

One person quits smoking every 80 seconds in England

One person quits smoking every 80 seconds in England PHE encourages people to join in the mass quit attempt, Stoptober, and get the right stop smoking support for them.

Last year, nearly 400,000 smokers in England quit successfully, which is the equivalent to 1,069 smokers each day. Despite new smokers starting and ex-smokers relapsing, there are now 1 million fewer smokers in England since 2014.

Of the 6.1 million smokers in England, 6 in 10 want to quit but most try to quit using willpower alone (or ‘cold turkey’) despite this being the least effective method. The most successful quit attempts use a combination of effective stop smoking support methods. Public Health England

See also:

• Stoptober 2018 resources Public Health England
• 'Don't go cold turkey' to quit smoking BBC News
• Latest stop smoking campaign includes an online guide to where your nearest e-cigarette shop is The Daily Mail

Recommendations for future EEA migration post-Brexit

Recommendations for future EEA migration post-Brexit The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its recommendations for a future migration system post-Brexit.

The report follows a request from the Home Secretary in July 2017 to assess current patterns of European Economic Area (EEA) migration, what likely future patterns may arise, and the impact this will have on the UK. NHS Employers

Shropshire hospitals baby deaths review cases rise to over 100

Shropshire hospitals baby deaths review cases rise to over 100 A review into mother and baby deaths and injuries at hospitals in Shropshire is examining more than 100 cases, it is understood.

In 2017, Jeremy Hunt ordered an investigation into maternity care relating to 23 cases at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust (SaTH).

That figure expanded to 40 but is now thought to include 104 families.

Meanwhile, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has taken urgent action against the maternity department. BBC News

See also:

• Shrewsbury baby scandal at maternity unit expands to 100 cases The Daily Telegraph
• Scores of cases of alleged poor care on Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust maternity unit to be reviewed The Independent

Public Health England accused of links with drinks industry

Public Health England accused of links with drinks industry Public Health England (PHE) has failed to learn the lessons over its partnership with the drinks industry, warn public health experts in The BMJ.

Last week, Ian Gilmore, a senior government adviser on alcohol policy, stepped down from his role at PHE after the agency partnered with Drinkaware, an alcohol education charity that receives funding from industry, for a new campaign encouraging middle-aged people to have more alcohol-free days per week.

In an editorial for The BMJ, Gilmore and colleagues Linda Bauld and John Britton, of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, University of Nottingham, state that voluntary agreements with the tobacco industry in the second half of the 20th century served to “undermine, dilute or constrain measures designed to curtail their activities.” OnMedica

Millions of unpaid carers putting own health at risk to look after loved ones, councils warn

Millions of unpaid carers putting own health at risk to look after loved ones, councils warn Millions of unpaid carers are putting their own health at risk in order to look after loved ones as the adult social care system edges closer to “collapse”, local councils have warned.

Rising demand for care and the increasing cost of providing it is putting more pressure on families to look after loved ones, with many of the 5.7 million unpaid carers in England unable to take a break from their caring roles, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). The Independent

See also:

• Strain on unpaid carers putting adult social care at increased risk of collapse Local Government Association
• Carers action plan 2018 to 2020 Department of Health and Social Care

Smoking will be 'eradicated in England by 2030'

Smoking will be 'eradicated in England by 2030' Smoking will be “eradicated” in England by 2030 as roughly a thousand people quit every day, health chiefs have predicted.

More than a million smokers have kicked the habit since 2014, Public Health England said yesterday, leaving overall rates at their lowest ever, with just 14.9 per cent of adults smoking. The Daily Telegraph

Top journal RETRACTS six studies by disgraced celebrity scientist

Top journal RETRACTS six studies by disgraced celebrity scientist One of the world's top medical journals has retracted six papers by a celebrity scientist.

Brian Wansink, PhD, earned a name for himself with fun, relatable, and (most importantly) viral studies about the way we eat and the way food brands target us. The Daily Mail

NHS pays £100,000 a day to compensate people scarred for life in hospital errors

NHS pays £100,000 a day to compensate people scarred for life in hospital errors More than three people a week are suing the NHS after being left permanently disfigured by treatment that went wrong.

Patients have lost limbs, gone blind or been scarred for life by the NHS and compensation claims are costing the health service more than £100,000 a day.

Since 2010 the NHS has paid compensation to 810 people who suffered a needless amputation of a limb. The Daily Mail

Northants health bosses draw up plan to prevent winter crisis

Northants health bosses draw up plan to prevent winter crisis The county’s health and social care services are pioneering a new way of working this winter in a bid to prevent another seasonal crisis.

In a national first, the county’s acute and community hospitals have joined with GP surgeries and social care to commission a demand and capacity plan that should lead to less hospital admissions this winter and shorter stays for patients. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Corby sleep apnoea sleep-tracker trial attracting attention from medics across UK

Corby sleep apnoea sleep-tracker trial attracting attention from medics across UK Some of Corby’s estimated 1,500 obstructive sleep apnoea sufferers have paved the way for easier diagnosis for patients around the UK after taking part in a ground-breaking trial.

Because diagnosing the dangerous sleep condition can be a time consuming process involving spending time at the overnight sleep clinic in Leicester, doctors in Corby came up with using an wrist-worn activity-tracker device to give people the chance to be diagnosed while they sleep at home. Northamptonshire Telegraph

What is the ethnicity pay gap among NHS doctors?

What is the ethnicity pay gap among NHS doctors? Following on from our work showing an overall gender pay gap in favour of men in the English NHS, John Appleby looks at how the pay of doctors in the health service varies by ethnic group. Nuffield Trust 

The health and well-being of men in the WHO European Region: better health through a gender approach

The health and well-being of men in the WHO European Region: better health through a gender approach This first ever WHO report on men’s health and well-being in the 53 countries of the WHO European Region reveals men are living healthier and longer lives than ever before. But despite progress, many of them die far too young from preventable causes, and the reasons behind this go beyond biology. The new findings are prompting calls to use a gender approach to get men’s health on the agenda of health policy-makers in the European Region. World Health Organization

Meeting pathology demand: histopathology workforce census

Meeting pathology demand: histopathology workforce census This workforce census finds that only three per cent of NHS histopathology departments have enough staff to meet clinical demand. The report highlights the intense pressures that histopathologists face from increased workloads, such as new NHS screening programmes. In addition, services are facing more complex work as personalised medicine develops and guides new therapies. Outdated IT systems compound these pressures. Royal College of Pathologists

Clinical radiology: UK workforce census 2017 report

Clinical radiology: UK workforce census 2017 report This annual radiologist workforce report highlights the UK’s current and predicted future shortage of imaging doctors and urgently calls for more funding for trainees and better NHS retention and recruitment. The report shows that 10.3 per cent of UK radiologist jobs remained empty in 2017, with nearly a fifth of posts (18.4 per cent) in Northern Ireland unfilled. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of unfilled NHS radiologist posts have been vacant for a year or more. Royal College of Radiologists

Pregnancy weight gain 'going unmeasured'

Pregnancy weight gain 'going unmeasured' Midwives are calling for official guidance on how much weight is healthy for women to put on during pregnancy.

One in five women in the UK are obese when they start pregnancy, yet there is no national target for what constitutes normal pregnancy weight gain.

Regular weigh-ins fell out of favour in the 1990s when it was suggested that they cause pregnant women unnecessary anxiety for little or no clinical gain.

Officials say they are considering whether to reintroduce them. BBC News

Air pollution: ‘Toxic’ school run poses health risk to thousands of children, experts warn

Air pollution: ‘Toxic’ school run poses health risk to thousands of children, experts warn Children are most exposed to dangerous air pollution on the school run and in the playground, experts have warned.

While children only spend 40 per cent of their time on the school run and at school, they receive 60 per cent of their exposure to tiny particles of black carbon during those times, a study has found.

Peaks in children's exposure to the pollution were recorded while they travelling to and from school and during breaktime when they were likely to be in the playground, the report by Unicef UK and Queen Mary, University of London showed. The Independent

See also:

• Every child's breath is under threat: How toxic air is putting children’s health at risk and what you can do to help fix it Unicef UK

NHS fees for maternity care 'putting migrant mothers at risk'

NHS fees for maternity care 'putting migrant mothers at risk' Vulnerable women becoming distressed by legacy of ‘hostile environment’, report says

Migrant mothers and their babies are being put at risk because they are too frightened of incurring large debts and falling victim to the so-called hostile environment immigration policy to access vital medical care, a report has found.

Mothers who are not settled in the UK are not eligible for taxpayer-funded treatment, and are charged 50% more than the normal tariffs for antenatal care, births and postnatal care. Some with secure immigration status have also been mistakenly charged for treatment. Attempts at debt collection launched shortly after new mothers leave hospital can trigger mental health issues among some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in the UK, the research found. Continue reading... The Guardian

Number of children getting the MMR jab declines for the fourth year in a row

Number of children getting the MMR jab declines for the fourth year in a row The number of children being given the MMR vaccine has fallen for the fourth year in a row, with immunity now at its lowest since 2011.

The jab protects against measles, mumps and rubella, and children are expected to have their first dose before their second birthday.

But only 91.2 per cent of children across England are meeting this target, meaning thousands have no protection against the three killer infections.

The number is down from 92.7 per cent in 2014 – the highest level of the past decade years – and from 91.6 per cent in 2017, NHS Digital data has revealed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Childhood Vaccination Coverage Statistics- England 2017-18 NHS Digital
• Take-up of MMR vaccine falls for fourth year in a row in England The Guardian

New guidance to help you with reflection

New guidance to help you with reflection New guidance has been published to support doctors to be ‘reflective practitioners’.

It has been developed in partnership with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans (COPMED), the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC).

A reflective practice toolkit includes a number of templates and examples for use with the guidance.