Therapy dog helps children with eating disorders

Therapy dog helps children with eating disorders A new therapy dog is helping young people who are being treated for eating disorders to be put at ease and laugh, his trainer said.

Sipho, the 10-month-old labradoodle puppy, goes with his owner, Bronwyne Stott, a paediatric nurse, to The Brambles, in Duston, Northampton.

Ms Stott, who works for the service run by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), said: "He instinctively seems to know who is feeling anxious or vulnerable and will sit with his chin on their foot."

She said when he greets patients the entrance "they immediately feel more relaxed". BBC Northampton

Kettering Hospital needs to get its act together, says MP

Kettering Hospital needs to get its act together, says MP The hospital where a ward was accused of failing children "needs to get its act together as quickly as possible", an MP said.

Kettering General Hospital (KGH) in Northamptonshire has been warned by the care regulator about its children's and young people's services.

Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering, said: "The situation is clearly not acceptable."

The trust's chief executive apologised to those who felt let down. BBC Northampton

Highbury Residential Care Home in Rushden rated inadequate by CQC and placed in special measures

Highbury Residential Care Home in Rushden rated inadequate by CQC and placed in special measures he bosses of a Rushden care home are ‘disappointed’ after being rated inadequate, but determined to meet the actions the CQC has asked them to take.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Highbury Residential Care Home in Irchester Road as inadequate and placed it in special measures following an inspection in February. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• CQC rates Northamptonshire care home inadequate and places it in special measures Care Quality Commission

Five principles for implementing the NHS Impact approach to improvement in England

Five principles for implementing the NHS Impact approach to improvement in England The NHS is facing an unprecedented range of workforce, financial and performance pressures. The time has come to think and act differently and to do so at pace. What is needed is a strategy and management system capable of maximising the impact and spread of the many promising NHS-led innovations, service improvements and new technologies.

The new NHS Impact approach to improvement could help to meet this need. It rightly articulates the importance of taking an aligned and integrated approach to improvement delivery and capability building across NHS provider organisations and integrated care systems (ICSs). The Health Foundation

Restoring public confidence in the NHS will be no easy feat

Restoring public confidence in the NHS will be no easy feat With the latest British Social Attitudes survey showing that public satisfaction with the NHS has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded, Professor Sir John Curtice looks back at satisfaction with the health service over the years and points out that the lesson for policy-makers is much the same as two decades ago. Nuffield Trust

NHS England business continuity management toolkit

NHS England business continuity management toolkit This document highlights the need for Business Continuity Management (BCM) in NHS organisations so that they can maintain continuity of key services in the face of disruption from identified local risks. Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (as amended), all NHS organisations have a duty to put in place continuity arrangements. The toolkit is driven by the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle along with being updated in line with both ISO 22301 principles, as well as the Business Continuity Good Practice Guidelines 2018. NHS England

Mental health services to face surprise spot-checks after series of abuse scandals, watchdog warns

Mental health services to face surprise spot-checks after series of abuse scandals, watchdog warns Unannounced and out-of-hours spot-checks on mental health services are set to ramp up following a string of abuse scandals, The Independent can reveal.

The Care Quality Commission’s new mental health chief Chris Dzikiti said he was “saddened” by “unacceptable” scandals in the last six months, warning the regulator “will use the powers [it has] to hold people to account.”

Court may need to decide if nurses' strike is legal

Court may need to decide if nurses' strike is legal The leader of Royal College of Nursing has said the health secretary's legal action against the nursing union's strike is "cruel" and "unacceptable".

Pat Cullen told the BBC members believe the government is punishing nurses for rejecting the government's pay offer.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is to challenge whether the RCN has a mandate for its 48-hour walkout on 30 April.

Ms Cullen said that if the court found against the union, it would "never do anything illegal". BBC News

See also:

• RCN responds to NHS Employers statement on a legal challenge to the next nursing strike Royal College of Nursing
• RCN responds to government 'letter before action' and threat of interim court order to stop entire 48-hour nurse strike Royal College of Nursing
• NHS urges Steve Barclay to intervene in legal row over nurses' strike The Daily Mail
• RCN strike presents serious risk to NHS treatment The Daily Telegraph
• RCN chief: legal action over nurses’ strikes is ‘blatant threat’ The Guardian
• Health Secretary gives nurses' union until midday to call off upcoming strikes ITV News
• Health Secretary Steve Barclay to pursue legal action to stop nurses' strike Sky News
• Nurses strikes: Union boss says members are being 'treated as criminals' Sky News

Woman's bowel cancer spotted by artificial intelligence

Woman's bowel cancer spotted by artificial intelligence A woman who was part of a study using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect bowel cancer is free of the disease after it was found and removed.

Jean Tyler, 75, from South Shields, took part in a study called Colo-Detect as part of a trial at 10 NHS Trusts.

In the trial the AI flags up tissue potentially of concern to the medic carrying out the colonoscopy, which could be missed by the human eye.

About 2,000 patients from 10 NHS trusts have been recruited for the trial. BBC News

The 'lung MOT' scan trucks helping to diagnose lung cancer earlier in deprived areas

The 'lung MOT' scan trucks helping to diagnose lung cancer earlier in deprived areas People in deprived areas are now more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at an earlier stage, thanks to the success of trucks offering chest scans in supermarket car parks, the NHS has said.

For the first time ever, data shows more than a third of people diagnosed with lung cancer from the most deprived 20% of England had the disease detected at stage one or two in 2022 (34.5%) - up from 30% in 2019.

Now at 43 sites across the country, the mobile trucks scan those most at risk from lung cancer, including current and ex-smokers. Sky News

See also:

• NHS lung cancer trucks boost early diagnoses in deprived areas of England The Guardian

England’s ambulance crews spend 1.8m hours a year on mental health callouts

England’s ambulance crews spend 1.8m hours a year on mental health callouts Ambulance crews in England are spending 1.8m hours a year – the equivalent of 75,000 days – dealing with patients with mental health problems, new NHS figures reveal.

Labour’s Dr Rosena Allin-Khan said the data showed that lack of help for people experiencing mental ill health was adding to the strain on the hard-pressed ambulance service. The Guardian

Woman who miscarried fined by NHS for claiming free prescription while pregnant

Woman who miscarried fined by NHS for claiming free prescription while pregnant A woman who suffered a miscarriage has been fined by the NHS for claiming a free prescription during her pregnancy.

Sadie Hawkes lost her baby before she had received the maternity exemption certificate that entitled her to free prescriptions throughout her pregnancy and the first year after birth. She has now been sent a demand for £56.10 for medication issued the week before her miscarriage. She’s been told that she can’t apply for a certificate retrospectively as she is no longer pregnant. The Guardian

Regulator to review safety concerns over medicines courier used by NHS

Regulator to review safety concerns over medicines courier used by NHS The care regulator has launched a review of serious and significant concerns raised by patients, clinicians and health groups about the safety and reliability of the services of Britain’s biggest medicines delivery business, the Guardian can reveal.

Sciensus is paid millions of pounds each year by the NHS to transport vital drugs and medical items to the homes of about 200,000 people with conditions including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia and HIV.

Gonorrhoea IS spread by kissing: Game-changing study overturns decades of medical advice

Gonorrhoea IS spread by kissing: Game-changing study overturns decades of medical advice Gonorrhoea really can be spread by kissing, leading scientists now claim. 

For decades, sexual health experts have insisted 'the clap' couldn't spread through snogging, and is instead transmitted through unprotected sex.

But researchers say the evidence is now clear enough that the guidance should be changed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• A systematic review of kissing as a risk factor for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea or chlamydia (abstract) Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Worried about a mole? Here's where you can get it checked out at drop-in Kettering skin cancer sessions

Worried about a mole? Here's where you can get it checked out at drop-in Kettering skin cancer sessions Those worried about a mole or skin lesion will be able to have them checked by a doctor or nurse at drop-in Kettering sessions next month.

Kettering General Hospital is holding a three-day skin surveillance event to help identify problems like skin cancer as early as possible. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood: a toolkit to support local action in the UK

Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood: a toolkit to support local action in the UK This resource aims to support service leaders, commissioners and policy teams to develop a whole-system approach to support the mental health of babies and young children, and to enable them to develop the capacities to be mentally healthy throughout their lives. Evidence shows that the mental health needs of babies and young children – which present differently than in older children and young people – are not well understood and often overlooked. 

This toolkit acknowledges that it can be harder for professionals to work together to promote and protect mental health at this life stage, as understanding varies across sectors. It suggests practical steps to help all services play their role and work together and will facilitate shared understanding, and constructive discussions about the needs of babies and young children in local communities. UNICEF UK

Living (and dying) as an older person in prison

Living (and dying) as an older person in prison Tough conditions in prison disproportionately affect older prisoners, and they tend to be in poorer health than the general population. This new Nuffield Trust report funded by The Health Foundation uses hospital data to look at the health care needs of those older people in prison. It finds significant health care needs associated with frailty, which has implications for the prison service in managing increasing numbers of older people as the population continues to age.

See also:

• What does it mean to be an older person in prison? Nuffield Trust

NHS Data - Maximising its impact for all

 NHS Data - Maximising its impact for all There is more that can be done to make the most of NHS healthcare data. By maximising the opportunity to use data-driven innovations to improve healthcare, people in the UK and the NHS will benefit, says a new white paper from Imperial College London.

NHS delivery and continuous improvement review: recommendations

NHS delivery and continuous improvement review: recommendations This report contains the findings and recommendations of the delivery and continuous improvement review conducted by Anne Eden. It looked at how improvement-led delivery can enhance the quality of outcomes for our patients, communities and our health and care workforce. It recommends establishing a national improvement board to agree a small number of shared national priorities on which NHS England, with providers and systems, will focus improvement-led delivery work. It also recommends launching a single, shared ‘NHS improvement approach’ and co-designing and establishing a Leadership for Improvement programme. NHS England

Millions wait more than a fortnight to see a GP in England

Millions wait more than a fortnight to see a GP in England Nearly five million patients each month in England wait more than a fortnight for a GP appointment, NHS figures show, which Labour is calling "unacceptable".

The government says it expects all patients needing a GP appointment to be seen within two weeks.

The Royal College of GPs says 85% of appointments happen within two weeks and nearly half on the same day. BBC News

See also:

• Appointments in General Practice, February 2023 NHS Digital
• Millions waiting more than a fortnight for GP appointments each month The Independent
• Almost five million patients wait over two weeks for a GP appointment each month, claims Labour Pulse