Visiting suspended at Northampton and Kettering hospitals following "significant increase" in Covid and flu cases

Visiting suspended at Northampton and Kettering hospitals following "significant increase" in Covid and flu cases NHS bosses have suspended visiting on adult inpatient wards at hospitals in Northampton and Kettering due to a “significant increase” in cases of Covid, flu and other respiratory illnesses.

Only compassionate visiting is allowed at Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital from Thursday (December 29), although staff are offering increased virtual visiting to support patients to keep in touch with loved ones. Northamptonshire Telegraph

East Midlands Ambulance Service strikes across Northamptonshire moved to January as pay dispute continues

East Midlands Ambulance Service strikes across Northamptonshire moved to January as pay dispute continues A day of strike action scheduled for some East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) staff across Northamptonshire has been moved to January.

Paramedics and staff members striked on December 21 due to a national pay dispute with the Government. GMB Union members were also due to strike on December 28, however that has now been moved to January 11, 2023. Daventry Express

Four in ten junior doctors plan to leave the NHS as soon as they can find another job

Four in ten junior doctors plan to leave the NHS as soon as they can find another job Four in ten junior doctors (40%) are actively planning to leave the NHS as soon as they can find another job,1 a survey from the BMA has revealed.

In the survey, released as part of the BMA chair of council Professor Phil Banfield’s New Year’s message, poor pay and working conditions were among the top reasons for junior doctors wanting to leave.2

Many of those doctors wanting to quit the NHS plan to work as doctors abroad.

See also:

• Four in 10 junior doctors plan to quit the NHS as soon as possible The Daily Mail
• Four in ten junior doctors want to leave the NHS The Daily Telegraph
• ‘The NHS will not be able to cope’ – new poll reveals planned junior doctor exodus Evening Standard

England slips further off-track for smokefree 2030 target

England slips further off-track for smokefree 2030 target The UK government is almost a decade behind achieving its target for England to be smokefree by 2030, a new report published by Cancer Research UK reveals.

The report warns that, if recent trends continue, the target will now not be met until 2039. This is despite repeated warnings from the charity that data up to 2018 indicated the Government was already seven years off track.

The charity is now calling on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, to publish a plan for tobacco control. This must include more action to prevent young people from smoking, and more funding for the measures and services needed to help people quit.

See also:

• Government is almost a DECADE behind its target for England to become smoke-free by 2030 The Daily Mail
• Targets to make England 'smoke free' by 2030 will be missed by nearly a decade, charity warns Sky News

Hospitals in England taking care of record number of patients

Hospitals in England taking care of record number of patients More people could be spending the time between Christmas and new year in hospital in parts of England this year than at any time in the past decade, as NHS trusts struggle to find social care places for patients medically fit for discharge.

The latest figures for December to date show an average of 94,200 patients were in hospitals across England, more than 93,000 of them in acute settings, the highest in seven winters. The Guardian

Generation of children held back as hundreds of thousands wait for key NHS care

Generation of children held back as hundreds of thousands wait for key NHS care Hundreds of thousands of children have been left waiting by the NHS for the developmental therapies they need, with some waiting more than two years, The Independent can reveal.

The long waiting lists for services such as speech and language therapy will see a generation of children held back in their development and will “impact Britain for the long haul”, according to the head of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). 

Scientific study identifies how men with prostate cancer can live longer

Scientific study identifies how men with prostate cancer can live longer Just one work-out can help suppress cancer, a new study suggests.

Scientists discovered a single bout of exercise can suppress tumour growth and actively fight cancerous cells - even in those with incurable, advanced cancer. The Independent

See also:

• Acute effect of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise on serum myokine levels and resulting tumour-suppressive effect in trained patients with advanced prostate cancer (abstract) Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases

No plans for mandatory COVID-19 testing of arrivals from China, UK government says

No plans for mandatory COVID-19 testing of arrivals from China, UK government says There are no plans to introduce mandatory COVID-19 tests for arrivals to the UK from China, after a series of other countries said they would impose controls.

The news comes after China announced it was abandoning its COVID-zero policy and was preparing to reopen its borders in January. Sky News

See also:

• Covid in China: US imposes Covid testing for visitors from China BBC News
• Hong Kong to scrap almost all its Covid rules BBC News
• UK government ‘has no plans’ to reintroduce Covid-19 testing for arrivals as China infections soar Evening Standard
• Mapped: Covid cases in your area as hospitalisations rise by third before Christmas The Independent

Charity dismisses MP claims that it is 'covering up' data that Covid vaccines harm the heart

Charity dismisses MP claims that it is 'covering up' data that Covid vaccines harm the heart A major British health charity has dismissed claims from a controversial Tory MP that it is 'covering up' data that the Covid mRNA vaccines harm the heart.

Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, made the comments in a parliamentary debate on the potential harms of vaccines earlier this month. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Andrew Bridgen's vaccine debate claims fact checked Full Fact
• British Heart Foundation dismisses Tory MP’s Covid ‘cover-up’ vaccine claim Evening Standard

Government urged to ban additives used in processed meat after more research highlights cancer risk

Government urged to ban additives used in processed meat after more research highlights cancer risk Chemicals routinely added to bacon, ham and deli meats should be banned after research suggests it raises the risk of cancer, one scientist has said.

A Queen's University Belfast study found that mice given processed pork containing nitrites developed 75 per cent more tumours than those that ate meat without the chemicals.

Professor Chris Elliott OBE, one of the study authors, said the results 'make the cancer risk associated with nitrite-cured meat even clearer'. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Dietary inclusion of nitrite-containing frankfurter exacerbates colorectal cancer pathology and alters metabolism in APCmin mice (open access) Nature

Revealed: How GPs are STILL wasting thousands of pounds of NHS cash on bogus homeopathy 'remedies'

Revealed: How GPs are STILL wasting thousands of pounds of NHS cash on bogus homeopathy 'remedies' Family doctors are still spending tens of thousands of pounds every year on bogus homeopathic products, MailOnline can reveal. 

NHS spending on the quack medical treatment was effectively banned four years ago after it was ruled an ineffective use of taxpayer's money. 

But GPs in England have still prescribed nearly £150,000 of homeopathic items since 2018 - the first full year after the ruling, analysis shows.  The Daily Mail

Hard times: the latest chapter in the story of local government public health spending

Hard times: the latest chapter in the story of local government public health spending At The King’s Fund, we – and others – have been charting the trajectory of local government public health spending and the grant that central government provides since 2013. In that time we have seen a period of optimism, and early growth, followed by a serious decline and a plateauing in recent years. This blog updates the story, with the latest chapter recently set out in local government financial returns. So, how much did local government spend on public health in 2021/22, and what did they spend it on?

2023/24 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance: what you need to know

2023/24 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance: what you need to know Overview and analysis of NHS England’s operational planning guidance and priorities for the service in 2023/24. NHS Confederation

See also: 

• 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance NHS England
• NHS Confederation responds to NHS England’s latest Operational Planning Guidance NHS Confederation
• NHS targets are set to be scrapped in reforms designed to free trusts from a 'bureaucratic burden' The Daily Mail
• Ministers plan to scrap NHS England targets to ‘boost efficiency’ The Guardian
• Majority of NHS targets ‘could be abolished in 2023 after review of health service’ The Independent
• Labour warns against scrapping NHS targets The Independent

NHS set to eliminate Hepatitis C ahead of rest of the world

NHS set to eliminate Hepatitis C ahead of rest of the world The NHS is on track to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2025 thanks to a pioneering drug deal and a concerted effort to find people at risk, which is helping dramatically cut deaths five years ahead of global targets.

Following a five-year contract worth almost £1bn to buy antiviral drugs for thousands of patients, deaths from Hepatitis C – including liver disease and cancer – have fallen by 35%. That improvement in outcomes means the NHS has exceed the World Health Organisation’s target of 10% by more than three-fold, putting England in pole position to be among the first countries in the world to eliminate the virus as a public health concern. NHS England

See also:

• England set to be first country in the world to wipe out Hepatitis C virus The Daily Mail
• NHS on track to eliminate hepatitis C five years ahead of global targets The Guardian
• NHS on course to eliminate hepatitis C five years ahead of global targets The Independent
• 'Landmark achievement' as Hepatitis C on course to disappear from England by 2025, NHS England says Sky News

NHS launches new dementia diagnosis drive

NHS launches new dementia diagnosis drive Hundreds more people will be checked for dementia thanks to a new specialist service being trialled across the country, the NHS announced today.

Care home residents will be proactively assessed for the condition by specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals through 14 new pilot schemes being rolled out in the new year. NHS England

Artificial intelligence revolutionising NHS stroke care

Artificial intelligence revolutionising NHS stroke care Tens of thousands of stroke patients across the country are benefitting from quicker treatment and improved outcomes thanks to government investment in cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose and determine the best treatment for patients who suffer a stroke.

Early-stage analysis of the technology, which received funding from the first round of the government’s AI in Health and Care Awards, shows it can reduce the time between presenting with a stroke and treatment by more than 60 minutes, and is associated with a tripling in the number of stroke patients recovering with no or only slight disability – defined as achieving functional independence - from 16 percent to 48 percent. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Stroke victims 48 PER CENT more likely to make full recovery when diagnosed using AI technology The Daily Mail 
• Cutting-edge AI technologies transforming stroke care in England News Medical

Guidance: The R value and growth rate

Guidance: The R value and growth rate The latest reproduction number (R) and growth rate of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

This publication of the R value and growth rate on 23 December 2022 will be the final one. Coronavirus (COVID-19) incidence data will continue to be accessible from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) COVID-19 Infection Survey, UK Statistical bulletins. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Research: Consensus statements and medium-term projections on COVID-19 UK Health Security Agency
• UK Covid modelling data to stop being published BBC News
• Milton Keynes University Hospital reintroduces face mask policy BBC News
• Flu and Covid: People told to stay home for Christmas if unwell BBC News
• Britain's longest-hospitalised Covid patient spends THIRD Christmas away from his family The Daily Mail
• China Covid chaos: 250 MILLION people were infected in 20 days, officials estimate  The Daily Mail
• Chinese funeral homes and hospitals ‘extremely busy’ as Covid-19 spreads rapidly Evening Standard
• UK to stop publishing Covid modelling data in new year The Independent

Further nurse strike dates announced in England

Further nurse strike dates announced in England Nurses will go on strike again on 18 and 19 January in England unless pay talks are opened, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said.

Nurses at more hospital trusts than before will be involved in the strike action in the new year, the union said.

Meanwhile, the GMB union has called off a second day of ambulance strikes planned in England and Wales for 28 December.

But it announced a new co-ordinated walkout on 11 January. BBC News

See also:

• More hospitals to take part in strikes in January, RCN announces, after UK Government fails to open NHS pay talks Royal College of Nursing
• NHS pay dispute: January strike dates and locations announced Royal College of Nursing
• Worst possible time for industrial action, NHS Confederation CEO warns Channel 4 News
• Nursing union announces TWO more NHS strike dates The Daily Mail
• Nurses to strike for two days across England on 18-19 January The Guardian
• Ambulance workers suspend planned strike on 28 December The Guardian
• Private ambulance firms cashing in on strikes and NHS under pressure The Guardian
• I’m a nurse – this is why I voted to strike The Independent
• NHS strikes should be addressed, but striking staff need to be reasonable about their demands iNews
• Thousands of nurses to go on strike again in January - but next ambulance walkout called off Sky News

A new way of killing cancer cells could pave the way for a cure, scientists say

A new way of killing cancer cells could pave the way for a cure, scientists say A new way of using DNA to kill cancer cells which could pave the way for a cure for the disease has been created by scientists.

The method targets human cervical cancer and breast cancer-derived cells, as well as malignant melanoma cells in mice.

It uses a pair of hair clip shaped, cancer-killing DNA which were injected into cancer cells. The Independent

See also:

• Oncolytic Hairpin DNA Pair: Selective Cytotoxic Inducer through MicroRNA-Triggered DNA Self-Assembly (abstract) Journal of the American Chemical Society

More people face being shut out of NHS mental health services, experts warn

More people face being shut out of NHS mental health services, experts warn More people will be shut out from mental health services if no new cash is invested in the next two years, experts have warned.

Sean Duggan, chief executive of the mental health network at the NHS Confederation, which represents the health and care system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said that a lack of long-term investment combined with a potential surge in demand due to the cost of living crisis would cause unsustainable pressure on the system. The Guardian