People urged not to ignore COVID-19 booster invitation – as difficult winter could lie ahead

People urged not to ignore COVID-19 booster invitation – as difficult winter could lie ahead It’s that time of the year when colds and flu sweep through the nation.

But this year it’s more important than ever to get a booster jab, not only against the flu season but also COVID-19. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Hospitals at capacity: understanding delays in patient discharge

Hospitals at capacity: understanding delays in patient discharge This QualityWatch blog from Sophie Flinders and Sarah Scobie takes a closer look at the rising number of patients facing delays in leaving hospital – and explores the reasons for why it’s happening. Nuffield Trust

The NHS nursing workforce – have the floodgates opened?

The NHS nursing workforce – have the floodgates opened? Despite the constant pressures and chronic shortages, the number of nurses leaving the NHS had flatlined over recent years. Now our analysis of new data shows there has been a large increase in nurses leaving the NHS, and that this trend is being driven by younger workers.

The last year's data (June 2021 - June 2022) saw a 25 per cent increase in the number of NHS nurses leaving their role, with an additional 7,000 leaving compared to the previous year. The largest increase in numbers leaving was seen among the younger nurses, two thirds of leavers were under 45 years of age. The King's Fund

Junior doctors to ballot in early January for industrial action

Junior doctors to ballot in early January for industrial action The BMA junior doctors committee has today voted to go to a ballot for industrial action in early January. 

Junior doctors have now entered a trade dispute and will request approval from BMA council, the union’s principal executive committee, to ballot junior doctors in England from around the 9 January. What form that industrial action will take will be decided at a later date. 

See also:

• Disastrous NHS strikes inch another step closer as BMA gives doctors a £2million war chest The Daily Mail
• British Medical Association raps top physician for suggesting doctors should not go on strike The Daily Mail
• BMA sets up first-ever ‘strike fund’ to support industrial action GPonline
• Junior doctors to be balloted on industrial action in early January GPonline
• I'm a junior doctor – here's why I'm prepared to go on strike The Independent

Consensus statements and medium-term projections on COVID-19

Consensus statements and medium-term projections on COVID-19 Consensus statements and medium-term projections from the UK Health Security Agency's Epidemiology Modelling Review Group (EMRG).

See also:

• Policy paper: Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: The R value and growth rate UK Health Security Agency
• Official Statistics: Surveillance of influenza and other seasonal respiratory viruses in the UK, winter 2021 to 2022 UK Health Security Agency

Covid infections rise by 14% in a week in UK

Covid infections rise by 14% in a week in UK Covid infections in the UK are rising and have topped more than one million, according to official estimates.

There has been a 14% rise in people testing positive in the week to 20 September - the biggest increase since the summer.

But there is no clear evidence of an autumn Covid wave starting, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS). BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: 30 September 2022 Office for National Statistics
• Government must do all it can to deliver booster programme amid rising Covid cases BMA
• Autumn Covid wave officially kicks off: NHS virus admissions jump by HALF in a week The Daily Mail
• Experts warn the UK is ALREADY at the start of a 'devastating' Covid wave The Daily Mail
• Latest Covid surge a ‘heavy straw on camel’s back’ for every hospital in UK The Guardian
• Covid has left a third of young people feeling life is out of control – study The Guardian
• Bereaved families fear Covid inquiry cover-up after ban on testimony The Guardian
• Covid infections on the rise in the UK The Independent
• UK ‘blind’ to new immune-evasive Covid variants creating ‘perfect storm’ for devastating wave The Independent

UK looks to be winning the fight against monkeypox

UK looks to be winning the fight against monkeypox The UK's monkeypox situation is looking "very positive" with cases continuing to fall, says one of Britain's leading infectious disease modellers.

Prof Neil Ferguson believes vaccines and vigilance have helped drive cases down from a peak in July this year.

The scare started in May when the UK saw cases of the disease traditionally confined to parts of Africa.

The UK has recorded more than 3,500 cases, but in recent weeks there have been fewer than 100 new infections. BBC News

Black and Asian infected blood victims feel let down, inquiry told

Black and Asian infected blood victims feel let down, inquiry told Some African and Asian patients who were given contaminated blood transfusions in the 1970s and 80s feel they have been "let down" compared with people who were born in the UK, an inquiry has heard.

The infected blood inquiry has heard evidence about three witnesses from Kenya and Pakistan.

All were told they probably contracted hepatitis C outside the UK. BBC News

Number of 'dental deserts' across England growing, figures show

Number of 'dental deserts' across England growing, figures show The number of “dental deserts” is growing across England, according to a new analysis.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said figures show a lack of NHS dentists in several parts of the country, with deprived and rural areas having fewer dentists than richer and urban areas. The Independent

See also:

• NHS “dental deserts” persist in rural and deprived communities Local Government Association

England skin and breast cancer patients have worst waiting time to see specialist

England skin and breast cancer patients have worst waiting time to see specialist Patients with suspected skin and breast cancer have experienced the largest increase in waiting times of everyone urgently referred to a cancer specialist, with one in 20 patients now facing the longest waits, analysis of NHS England data shows.

Almost 10,000 patients referred by a GP to a cancer specialist had to wait for more 28 days – double the supposed maximum 14-day waiting time – in July. Three-quarters of them were suspected of having skin, breast or lower gastrointestinal cancer, a Guardian analysis has revealed.

New NHS hospitals might have to be built for single patient rooms only

New NHS hospitals might have to be built for single patient rooms only New NHS hospitals could be built without wards, it was claimed today.

Patients may instead be housed in their own rooms, under plans being considered by health chiefs.

It would mark a major change to traditional NHS designs, which, for decades, have relied on multi-bed wards. The Daily Mail

NHS maternity failures leading to avoidable stillbirths have cost £65m in a decade, analysis shows

NHS maternity failures leading to avoidable stillbirths have cost £65m in a decade, analysis shows Catastrophic failures on NHS maternity units that led to avoidable stillbirths have cost almost £65 million in compensation payouts over the past decade.

Data analysis seen exclusively by The Mail on Sunday shows that the NHS has been found guilty of negligence in 758 cases of stillbirth since 2010. This resulted in an average payout of £39,000 per family – a total of almost £30 million – along with a further £34.8 million in legal fees. 

Nearly a quarter of Northampton General Hospital capacity taken up by bed-blockers waiting to be discharged

Nearly a quarter of Northampton General Hospital capacity taken up by bed-blockers waiting to be discharged NHS chiefs say Government plans to tackle bed-blocking do not go far enough as figures revealed nearly a quarter of Northampton General Hospital beds are occupied by patients who do not need to be there.

Latest NHS England data showed 214 people in NGH were medically cleared to leave hospital on August 31.

Those patients should be moved to a care home or offered home support but staff shortages in the sector meant only 45 of those were actually able to go. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

STOPTOBER 2022: Quit now for good of your health and wealth, message to Northamptonshire smokers

STOPTOBER 2022: Quit now for good of your health and wealth, message to Northamptonshire smokers It’s nearly Stoptober and health chiefs are encouraging the estimated 95,000 smokers across Northamptonshire to quit for better health and more wealth.

This year marks the 11th national stop smoking campaign, Stoptober, based on research that those who can stay smoke free for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Peak leaving? A spotlight on nurse leaver rates in the UK

Peak leaving? A spotlight on nurse leaver rates in the UK Nursing is the single largest profession in the NHS, but it suffers from substantial staffing shortages. This analysis from Billy Palmer and Lucina Rolewicz reflects on the rate at which the health service is losing nurses, and considers the reasons why. Nuffield Trust

See also:

• Record number of nurses quitting the NHS BBC News

Concerns for NHS staff and patients as cost of living pressures hit health services

Concerns for NHS staff and patients as cost of living pressures hit health services Nurses are skipping meals to feed and clothe their children, and staff are finding it hard to make the journey to work due to rising living costs a new survey reveals.

Every trust which responded reported concerns about the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of staff as a result of the cost of living.

One trust leader said: "For some staff this is the final straw psychologically after two years of COVID-19."

Food banks and debt counselling are among ways trusts are helping staff to cope with financial hardship. NHS Providers

See also:

• Rising living costs: the impact on NHS, staff and patients (survey results) NHS Providers
• NHS nurses not eating at work in order to feed their children, survey finds The Guardian
• NHS staff quitting for private sector jobs as cost of living crisis intensifies, leaders warn The Independent
• NHS staff ‘leaving for better paid jobs in retail’ with staff sickness due to mental health rising ITV News
• Cost-of-living crisis: Nurses leaving for better-paid jobs in shops because 'they can't afford to work for NHS' Sky News

What are the public’s priorities for the NHS? And is the government listening?

What are the public’s priorities for the NHS? And is the government listening? Understanding where the public’s key priorities are is crucial for any government. These latest findings from our programme of public polling, delivered in partnership with Ipsos, provide new insight into what the public thinks about the NHS. We surveyed a representative sample of 2,068 people aged 16 years and older in the UK between 26 May and 1 June. The Health Foundation

Health and care LGBTQ+ inclusion framework

Health and care LGBTQ+ inclusion framework The LGBTQ+ population in the UK experiences significant physical and mental health inequalities compared to the general population. These inequalities extend from increased risk factors for ill health and barriers to accessing health care and support, to discrimination against LGBTQ+ staff within the workplace. This framework comprises six key pillars of inclusivity that organisations should aim to build to create and maintain inclusive cultures: visible leadership and confident staff; a strong knowledge base; being non-heteronormative and non-cisnormative; collecting and reporting data; listening to service users; and proactively seeking out partners to co-deliver services. NHS Confederation

NHS 111’s response to callers with Covid-19-related symptoms during the pandemic

NHS 111’s response to callers with Covid-19-related symptoms during the pandemic The purpose of this investigation is to support improvements in the delivery of NHS 111 and other telephone triage services during a national healthcare emergency. The investigation uses real patient safety incidents involving Patients and their families who dialled NHS 111 (and were either managed through NHS 111 or the Covid-19 Response Service [CRS]) for advice during the Covid-19 pandemic. Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

See also:

• Covid vulnerable not always assessed by NHS 111 early in pandemic BBC News
• NHS 111 failures led to early Covid deaths, investigation finds The Guardian

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Surveillance indicators suggest that, at a national level, COVID-19 activity has increased in most indicators in week 38 of 2022.

The number of acute respiratory infection incidents (suspected outbreaks) increased in England in week 38 to 170 compared to 133 in the previous week.

Positivity for pillar one laboratory confirmed cases for week 38 was 6.9 per 100,000 population, an increase from 5.5 in the previous week. There was a large increase in those aged over 80.

The hospital admission rate for week 38 was 7.62 per 100,000 population, an increase from 4.96 in the previous week. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 28 September 2022 World Health Organization
• Rise in Covid cases and hospital patients shows ‘winter wave’ has begun, government official warns The Independent
• Autumn Covid wave arrives with one-in-32 infected Pulse
• COVID hospital admissions in England highest since August amid new 'autumn wave' Sky News