Thursday, 24 November 2022
How digitalisation within Portering has increased Radiology throughput
How digitalisation within Portering has increased Radiology throughput Ever since the digitalisation of their portering system, Northampton General Hospital’s Radiology Department has seen remarkable improvements with patient throughput. Their move to digitalisation encourages better communication between the Portering and Radiology team, leading to closer collaboration between departments and overall better patient care. National Health Executive
We need innovation, improvement and implementation more than ever – but how?
We need innovation, improvement and implementation more than ever – but how? Despair comes easily in health and social care these days. From the daily headlines about crowded hospitals and growing ambulance delays to the underlying investment gap in workforce and infrastructure. Services are struggling to keep up with current demand, never mind get on a sustainable path to meet future expectations.
It’s time for some (cautious) optimism, however. Millions of people still receive great, timely care every day, thanks to the huge efforts made by staff across the UK. It's easy to miss this achievement among all the difficulties we face. And making progress on innovation and improvement is now more important than ever, not just to enhance the services we have today but also to create the services we need tomorrow. The Health Foundation
Following, not leading: politicians and public opinion on action to support better health
Following, not leading: politicians and public opinion on action to support better health Earlier this month, I interviewed Wes Streeting, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, at The King’s Fund Annual Conference. One of the topics was the recent decision by the government to delay the ban on buy one get one free offers, and the Labour Party’s support of this delay. It’s a move that has dismayed many because the evidence of both the scale of the obesity crisis and the impact that the ban could have is so clear. Wes said that politicians care about what the public think and if the public don’t want the ban, it’s right to delay. The King's Fund
The puzzle of UK’s half a million missing workers
The puzzle of UK’s half a million missing workers For the first time, more than 2.5 million people in the UK are out of work because of a long-term health problem. The number has jumped by half a million since the start of the pandemic - but, BBC News analysis reveals, the impact is spread unevenly across the country, with some regions and types of job far more affected.
They died suddenly - then the anti-vax trolling started
They died suddenly - then the anti-vax trolling started "Seven days, 18 hours, 39 minutes ago my beloved... died suddenly of cardiac arrest". When Victoria Brownworth logged onto Twitter to post these words about her partner of 23 years, she didn't know that two of them in particular would provoke a storm of online harassment.
Because, as Victoria waited at her home in Philadelphia on Sunday night for her wife's ashes to be delivered, a video titled Died Suddenly was about to drop.
In an hour and eight minutes of dramatic music and out-of-context news reports, the film tells a fictitious story of a dangerous vaccine killing off swathes of young people - all part of an imagined plot to depopulate the earth. BBC News
See also:
- China Covid: Record number of cases as virus surges nationwide BBC News
- Understanding and neutralising covid-19 misinformation and disinformation (open access) The BMJ
- UK experts helped shut down Covid lab leak theory - weeks after being told it might be true The Daily Telegraph
- Revealed: Tory peer Michelle Mone secretly received £29m from ‘VIP lane’ PPE firm The Guardian
- Michelle Mone’s PPE denials v what we know The Guardian
- A Lasting Legacy of Covid: Far-Right Platforms Spreading Health Myths New York Times
- China expands lockdowns as COVID cases soar to daily record high Sky News
Ministers consider staff body cameras to tackle NHS mental health abuse scandals
Ministers consider staff body cameras to tackle NHS mental health abuse scandals Ministers are considering the use of body cameras within mental health units as part of the government’s response to NHS abuse scandals, The Independent has learned.
Senior sources with knowledge of the conversation between the Department for Health and Social Care and the NHS have raised concerns about the plans. There are fears that using the technology in mental health units could have implications for human rights and patient confidentiality.
See also:
NHS has 'foot on the gas' in effort to meet key cancer target, MPs told
NHS has 'foot on the gas' in effort to meet key cancer target, MPs told The NHS has a “job to do” to meet a key cancer target by March but has its “foot on the gas”, a health boss has said.
In February, NHS England said the number of people waiting more than 62 days from an urgent cancer referral to starting treatment should go back to pre-pandemic levels by March 2023.
At present, just 61.7% of people (the average for 2022/23 so far) get cancer treatment within 62 days, compared with 77.2% before the pandemic. The Independent
Ambulance service in England ‘in meltdown’ as one in four 999 calls missed in October
Ambulance service in England ‘in meltdown’ as one in four 999 calls missed in October NHS heads warn patients dying every day as A&E logjams cause 169,000 hours of crew delays in worst-ever month
Ambulance crews could not respond to almost one in four 999 calls last month – the most ever – because so many were tied up outside A&Es waiting to hand patients over, dramatic new NHS figures show.
An estimated 5,000 patients in England – also the highest number on record – potentially suffered “severe harm” through waiting so long either to be admitted to A&E or just to get an ambulance to turn up to help them. The Guardian
See also:
GPs deliver record 36 million appointments as practice-level data published for first time
GPs deliver record 36 million appointments as practice-level data published for first time GP practices in England delivered a record 36 million appointments last month, the latest NHS Digital data has shown.
This month, the dataset also includes the first-ever publication of controversial GP appointment data at practice level across the country, which from now on will form part of the monthly GP appointment dataset.
The data for October showed that practices in England delivered an estimated 36 million appointments – including around four million Covid vaccinations. PULSE
See also:
- Appointments in General Practice, October 2022 NHS Digital
- Face-to-face GP appointments at highest level since BEFORE Covid nationally The Daily Mail
- GPs will be named and shamed over failure to see patients face-to-face The Daily Telegraph
- Third of GP practices seeing more patients remotely than face-to-face The Daily Telegraph
- How practice-level appointments data threatens unfair pressure on GPs GPonline
- GP surgeries could be named and shamed as appointment 'league tables' revealed for first time Sky News
Breakthrough Alzheimer's drug could be rolled out NEXT YEAR
Breakthrough Alzheimer's drug could be rolled out NEXT YEAR Alzheimer's-stricken Britons could start getting a breakthrough drug that slows the progression of their condition next year, experts claimed today.
Lecanemab's success was hailed a 'historic moment' after landmark trials showed it can halt the declines in memory and thinking among patients in the earliest stages.
The drug, given as an injection, was designed to clear a build up of amyloid — toxic plaques in the brain that are thought to cause the cruel, memory-robbing disease. The Daily Mail
Hope for thousands battling kidney cancer: Study reveals existing lung drug might help fight disease
Hope for thousands battling kidney cancer: Study reveals existing lung drug might help fight disease Thousands of kidney patients could potentially benefit from a new breakthrough.
Researchers have discovered an existing lung cancer drug may be effective against the disease.
Renal cell carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the UK and US and has a 50 per cent mortality rate, partially because three in five patients show no symptoms until the cancer is at a late stage.
Now, a study into the cancer at single-cell level has discovered canakinumab could prevent RCC from forming or progressing. The Daily Mail
See also:
- Mapping single-cell transcriptomes in the intra-tumoral and associated territories of kidney cancer (open access) Cancer Cell
Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Northamptonshire Health Trust runners-up at prestigious awards
Northamptonshire Health Trust runners-up at prestigious awards Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) finished as runners up in the Trust of the Year category at the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards 2022.
Chief Executive of the Trust, Angela Hillery, said being shortlisted for Trust of the Year was testament to the dedication of “brilliant colleagues” who have all played their part in helping the Trust to become a leading provider of outstanding compassionate care. Northampton Chronicle and Echo
NHS figures reveal more than 200 ‘bed blockers’ a day kept waiting to be discharged from Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital
NHS figures reveal more than 200 ‘bed blockers’ a day kept waiting to be discharged from Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital More than 200 'bed blockers' were waiting to be discharged from Northamptonshire’s two main NHS hospitals every day on average last month, new figures show.
NHS England figures identified more than 15 percent of the 1,400 beds at Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital which could be ready for new patients — but nearly a third of those ready to be discharged must stay in because of pressure on the social care system outside. Northamptonshire Telegraph
Council designates 67 warm spaces for the winter
Council designates 67 warm spaces for the winter A council has designated 67 community buildings as "welcoming warm spaces" to help people struggling with the cost of living this winter.
The locations listed by West Northamptonshire Council included libraries, village halls and cafes. BBC Northampton
See also:
- Hope Centre offers one of 67 vital warm spaces across Northamptonshire giving lifeline to those in need this winter Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Almost half of young people experiencing mental health problems
Almost half of young people experiencing mental health problems Poor mental health among young people (aged 16 and 17) has increased by more than a quarter since 2017, according to new research by UCL and the Sutton Trust, using the COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study.
The COSMO study, led jointly by the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, and the Sutton Trust, is the largest study of its kind into the impacts of the pandemic on young people.
See also:
- Over half of teenage girls have mental health problems, major survey finds The Daily Telegraph
Understanding patient perspectives on improving GP referrals to secondary care through the use of specialist advice and guidance
Understanding patient perspectives on improving GP referrals to secondary care through the use of specialist advice and guidance The Patients Association has been working with NHS England to look at how to improve GP referrals of patients to hospital. This report looks at ways specialists could support GPs so they could reduce the number of outpatient appointments patients have to attend, without compromising care.
Commit, understand, act: our anti-racism strategy
Commit, understand, act: our anti-racism strategy Anti-racism is more than a statement for us at the NHS Confederation. Being an anti-racist organisation means that we actively target, challenge and remove systemic barriers that enable racism, recognising this as a corporate responsibility. For us, commitment, understanding and action to eliminate racism and reduce health inequalities really matters. NHS Confederation
Supporting our NHS people through menopause: guidance for line managers and colleagues
Supporting our NHS people through menopause: guidance for line managers and colleagues This guidance helps NHS organisations, line managers, and those working in the NHS understand more about the menopause, how they can support colleagues at work and those experiencing menopause symptoms. NHS England
See also:
- Menopausal women should be offered cooler uniforms and fans at work, NHS boss says The Daily Mail
- We must break the stigma of menopause and help women thrive at every stage of their working lives The Daily Telegraph
- New national NHS guidance aims to help health staff through menopause Evening Standard
- Menopausal women in NHS England workforce to be offered flexible working The Guardian
- Menopausal NHS workers will be able to work from home under new national guidance The Independent
Consultation launched to protect patients from silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance
Consultation launched to protect patients from silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance The increasing risk to patients of superbugs resistant to existing medicines will be the focus of a new consultation launched today [Wednesday 23].
The consultation will bring together the latest evidence and data from leading experts on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It will help inform a new 5-year action national action plan to protect patients from deadly infections and will capture learnings from the Covid pandemic. Department of Health and Social Care
Pregnant soon after miscarriage no more risky - study
Pregnant soon after miscarriage no more risky - study Contrary to current advice, getting pregnant within a few months of an abortion or a miscarriage does not appear to be extra risky for the mum and baby, say researchers who have looked at recent real-life data.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least a six-month gap. BBC News
See also:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)