Has the Women’s Health Strategy listened to what women really need?

Has the Women’s Health Strategy listened to what women really need? The Women’s Health Strategy promises to address the poor experiences and worse health outcomes that women endure. The underlying cause of these issues is that the health system has historically been built by men for men. Consequently, women are often not listened to or believed by the health and care system. So, the crucial question is, will this strategy change the culture in the NHS of women not being listened to about their health and wellbeing? The King's Fund

Realising the benefits of provider collaboratives

Realising the benefits of provider collaboratives NHS trusts will play a critical role in delivering the key purposes of integrated care systems, often through partnership arrangements that will act as delivery vehicles within ICSs including provider collaboratives, place-based partnerships and neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams. This briefing: provides a brief overview of how provider collaboratives are developing across England; illustrates some of the emerging benefits that collaboratives are working to realise; explores how trust leaders see the role of provider collaboratives developing within ICSs; and identifies some key enablers and risks trust boards need to consider. NHS Providers

Our position on industrial action

Our position on industrial action We are aware that some nursing and midwifery professionals are expected to be balloted in the coming weeks and months on industrial action. When this happens, we are often asked about how industrial action, including strike action, relates to the NMC Code of conduct for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. As the nursing and midwifery regulator, we’ve taken this opportunity to update our existing statement on industrial action and ensure we are highlighting our latest resources. Nursing and Midwifery Council

NHS rolls out new electric vehicles to help patients and the planet

NHS rolls out new electric vehicles to help patients and the planet New NHS electric vehicles are hitting the road this summer, helping to relieve pressure on ambulance services across the country while also helping the NHS cut its carbon footprint.

Eight ambulance trusts are trialling 21 zero-emission vehicles of various types, with six of the new green vehicles dedicated to mental health response in the community – designed to cut emergency response times for people with mental health needs and help reduce demand on traditional double-crewed ambulances. NHS England

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates

Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates Latest updates on cases of monkeypox identified by the UK Health Security Agency.

HRT Taskforce presents recommendations to support future supply

HRT Taskforce presents recommendations to support future supply Action will be taken to make supplies of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) more resilient as Head of the HRT Taskforce Madelaine McTernan presents her key recommendations to support future management of the supply chain.

The recommendations will inform the work of the department and the UK wide menopause taskforce as Ms McTernan has returned to working full time as the Director General of the Vaccine Taskforce as preparation for the autumn booster campaign ramps up. Department of Health and Social Care

HRT tsar returns to role overseeing Covid boosters

HRT tsar returns to role overseeing Covid boosters Madelaine McTernan, who was recently appointed hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) tsar, to help deal with UK supply issues, has returned to her role overseeing vaccines, ahead of the planned autumn Covid booster campaign.

Access to the medication for menopause symptoms has improved over the four months she has been head of the HRT Taskforce, the government says.

But stocks of some products remain low. BBC News

See also:

• Wuhan lab at centre of Covid cover-up claims detects brand NEW virus The Daily Mail
• How would a shorter Covid isolation period work, and would it affect case numbers? The Guardian
• There’s some good news in the battle against long Covid The Guardian
• Long Covid causes erectile dysfunction and hair loss as symptoms list widens The Independent
• Life as a young person with long COVID: “You go through so many phases of up and down, it’s like being on a rollercoaster forever” World Health Organization

Hip fracture care too slow in some hospitals, study says

Hip fracture care too slow in some hospitals, study says There are big differences in how well patients with hip fractures are cared for by hospitals in England and Wales, a Bristol University study says.

In some hospitals one in 10 people died within a month of surgery - more than three times worse than in the best.

Getting patients into theatre quickly and out of bed the next day for physio are key ways to improve care.

People should receive the same, high-quality care wherever they live, the researchers said. BBC News

See also:

• Multiple hospital organisational factors are associated with adverse patient outcomes post-hip fracture in England and Wales: the REDUCE record-linkage cohort study (open access) Age and Ageing
• Recovery from a hip fracture varies widely among NHS hospitals, study finds University of Bristol
• Hip patients in deadly postcode lottery for care which leaves some twice as likely to die The Daily Mail
• Hip fracture patients more than twice as likely to die at some hospitals The Daily Telegraph
• Hip fracture recovery ‘varies between hospitals’ – study The Independent

Advanced cyber-attack: NHS doctors' paperwork piles up

Advanced cyber-attack: NHS doctors' paperwork piles up Doctors say it could take months to process mounting piles of medical paperwork caused by a continuing cyber-attack on an NHS supplier.

One out-of-hours GP says patient care is being badly affected as staff enter a fourth week of taking care notes with pen and paper.

The ransomware attack against software and services provider Advanced was first spotted on 4 August. BBC News

See also:

• NHS cyberattack causing ‘total chaos’ in hospitals could take a year to recover The Independent

There are five ways we can tackle the NHS staffing crisis

There are five ways we can tackle the NHS staffing crisis “The National Health Service and the adult social care sector are facing the greatest workforce crisis in their history”, said Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select Committee in July. The aspirations to rebuild services post-Covid, and tackle rising waiting times and other access challenges, are limited by the same challenge: there are simply not enough staff. The Independent

Faecal transplants to be offered to hundreds with antibiotic-resistant superbug

Faecal transplants to be offered to hundreds with antibiotic-resistant superbug Hundreds of people with a hard-to-treat superbug are to be offered faecal transplants to tackle their infections.

A faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) involves taking healthy bacteria "in a mixture of prepared processed stool from a healthy donor" to the intestine of another person. Sky News

See also:

• NICE recommends transplant with good bacteria taken from poo to resolve recurrent Clostridium difficile infections NICE
• Faecal transplants recommended for Clostridium difficile BBC News
• NHS patients struggling with superbugs to be offered poo transplants The Guardian
• Poo transplants to be offered to hundreds of NHS patients with superbugs The Independent

Common virus can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, study suggests

Common virus can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, study suggests A common type of herpes virus could increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.

Researchers at Ludwig Maximilian University and Helmholtz Munich in Germany have found that the herpes virus can contribute to the development of the condition.

Their study followed previous research that suggested viruses (including rubella and hepatitis C) are associated with type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune disease not linked to obesity). The Daily Mail

See also:

• Health impact of seven herpesviruses on (pre)diabetes incidence and HbA1c: results from the KORA cohort (open access) Diabetologia
• New study reveals that herpesvirus infection may increase the risk of developing diabetes Diabetologia

End of the family doctor? Patients are hit as 474 GPs' surgeries close their doors in a decade

End of the family doctor? Patients are hit as 474 GPs' surgeries close their doors in a decade Nearly 500 GP practices have permanently shut in the last decade without being replaced, according to stark figures unearthed in an investigation.

It means almost 1.5million people have been forced to travel further afield to seek treatment because new surgeries haven’t opened in their postcode area.

The research also shows that traditional family doctor-patient relationship is being lost because the average practice that shut treated fewer people in the vicinity. The Daily Mail

See also:

• GP shortage closes surgeries - even as patients desperately await appointments ITV News
• Revealed: The GP practices that have closed for good and why they have closed Pulse
• Full UK map: The areas where practice closures have left a gap in provision Pulse

NHS is hurtling towards a 'winter of discontent' with 'distinct possibility' doctors strike

NHS is hurtling towards a 'winter of discontent' with 'distinct possibility' doctors strike Britain faces a 'winter of discontent' in the NHS with a 'distinct possibility' doctors will strike over pay, one of the country's top medics warned today.

Philip Banfield, chairman of the British Medical Association, said doctors are having to decide daily which patients live or die because of the 'terrible state' of the NHS. The Daily Mail

Northamptonshire’s Vice Lord Lieutenant appointed as Healthwatch interim chair

Northamptonshire’s Vice Lord Lieutenant appointed as Healthwatch interim chair Northamptonshire’s Vice Lord Lieutenant has been appointed as the interim chair of the Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire advisory board.

Morcea Walker, who was appointed as Vice Lord Lieutenant in January, is taking a step up from her role as Healthwatch’s vice chair. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Deal or no deal: understanding the effect of the NHS pay settlement on earnings

Deal or no deal: understanding the effect of the NHS pay settlement on earnings The recently announced pay deal for NHS staff comes amid rising costs and a general cost-of-living crisis, as well as increased competition from the private sector. So what are the implications of that pay deal on different staff groups in the health service? Nuffield Trust

Building capacity and capability for improvement in adult social care

Building capacity and capability for improvement in adult social care In this discussion paper, we look at how local authorities in England improve the quality of adult social care. This discussion is timely because the government intends to increase funding for improvement activities to support the reforms of adult social care. There are also plans to introduce a new Care Quality Commission (CQC) assurance framework to assess local authority performance in delivering all their adult social care functions. The King's Fund

Life changing care: the role, gaps and solutions in providing social care to people experiencing homelessness

Life changing care: the role, gaps and solutions in providing social care to people experiencing homelessness This report examines the provision of care services for people who have been homeless and finds they are missing out on the care they need and deserve because of a lack of specialist provision. People who have experienced homelessness often have multiple and complex health conditions, which can result in their care needs being much higher and more prevalent at an earlier age, than the general population. The report makes eight recommendations about how to improve the current situation. St Mungo’s

Tens of thousands of people sign up to careers in the NHS

Tens of thousands of people sign up to careers in the NHS Tens of thousands of new healthcare support workers are set to join the NHS, following successful recruitment drives across the country.

Since the end of January, NHS trusts reported that almost 35,000 job offers have been made, with over 25,000 already starting as healthcare support workers – with 9,000 being new to healthcare.

A nationwide recruitment drive earlier this year saw almost 4,000 “on-the-spot” job offers made to people attending events between March and May to help boost support for patients, families and staff. NHS England

See also:

• Consultation launched on NHS pension changes to boost winter workforce Department of Health and Social Care
• Open consultation: NHS Pension Scheme: proposed amendments to continue the suspension of restrictions on return to work Department of Health and Social Care

Covid infections keep falling in August across UK

Covid infections keep falling in August across UK Covid infection levels have continued to fall across the UK in mid-August, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

One in 45 people tested positive, with Covid rates lowest in school-age children.

The ONS says it will "closely monitor" the numbers as children return to the classroom. BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: 26 August 2022 Office for National Statistics
• Moderna suing Pfizer over Covid vaccine technology BBC News
• Vaccine chiefs clash over Covid booster advice as they give conflicting views on jabs' usefulness The Daily Mail
• Liz Truss rules out imposing another lockdown as PM and says Covid rules were 'too draconian'  The Daily Mail
• Boris Johnson insists Covid lockdown decisions were 'right' The Daily Mail
• Covid vaccine mastermind Kate Bingham warns NHS is relying on jabs that are 'not good enough' The Daily Mail
• ‘A collective trauma’: Covid keeps its grip on mental health of many patients The Guardian
• How dare anyone demand an apology for Covid lockdowns – have they forgotten the terrors of early 2020? The Independent
• 'Copied without permission': Moderna sues Pfizer and BioNTech over Covid vaccine ITV News