A cold weather warning was declared by Public Health England during the last week of February and guidance was published on their website with recommendations as to how to manage in the very cold climate. Especially aimed at more vulnerable people PHE and NHS England provided information and advice.
News Archive
The Department of Health & Social Care have produced new guidance for Care in Surrogacy. The document is aimed at surrogates and intended parents in surrogate births in England and Wales.
Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has raised concerns at the Cynnydd and Dinas wards in the Ablett Unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire. The hospital mental health unit has been told to make improvements after an inspection found some issues put patient safety at risk. The former Tawel Fan ward, which was part of the unit, shut in 2013 after reports about patients’ care. HIW said it was also concerned to find that some issues it identified in its previous inspection in 2014 were still apparent, despite Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board developing a clear action plan to resolve them.
Around 100,000 NHS posts are vacant and hospital deficits are twice as high as planned even after a winter bailout, according to official figures. Patient numbers continue to rise, with 5.6 million A&E visits in the three months to December, a quarter of a million more than in the same period the previous year.
A new plan has been identified as a key priority in BCUHB’s recently published mental health strategy. It sets out the direction for mental health and wellbeing services across North Wales. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), Public Health Wales, local authorities, North Wales Police and third sector groups including the Samaritans have come together to develop a strategic action plan to reduce suicide and self-harm over the next three years.
UNICEF have published a report: Every child alive – the urgent need to end new born deaths. Amongst the findings it shows that British babies are more likely to die in their first month than those born in Latvia, Belarus and Cuba. Researchers suggested reasons for this could include low breastfeeding rates, obesity and women delaying childbirth. Figures from Unicef ranked the UK 30th out of 184 countries for lowest mortality rates within a month of birth.
Once the NMC start regulating nursing associates, everyone will need to pay a fee to cover the costs of regulation. A consultation has been launched on the proposed range of fees. Registrants are encouraged to have their say. The consultation closes on 26 February 2018.
The NMC have put together social media guidance to help support registrants in using social media and social networking sites. It’s based on the NMC Code and sets out broad principles for users to think about, with a focus on protecting the public.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has welcomed two new members; Leigh Kendall FRSA and Lord Willis of Knaresborough to its Midwifery Panel. The Midwifery Panel was set up in March 2015 and provides the NMC with straight-talking, high level advice on key midwifery issues that affect midwives and mothers across the UK. It also provides a forum to develop strategic thinking on all aspects of the future approach to midwifery regulation.
New analysis from Age UK reveals 1 in 3 people with a life-changing diagnosis of dementia don’t get the follow up NHS support they are supposed to. With the number of people living with dementia estimated to hit 1 million by 2020, Age UK is warning of an urgent and growing need to provide much better support for those who have been told they have the condition.
In his latest blog on the National Bereavement Care Pathway, Project Lead at Sands; Marc Harder, reflects on the exciting news that the NBCP is to run in Scotland and looks forward to launching new pilot sites at hospitals across England.
A study conducted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers suggests that the creation of modified “smart” homes for the elderly could save the NHS and councils £2.5 billion. The study suggests that 78,000 adapted homes will be required during the coming decade, with lead author Dr Helen Meese noting: “Homes built with older people in mind, as well as retrofit technology for existing housing stock, could not only allow people to live in their homes for longer, but also massively reduce costs for the NHS and social care system.”