@HealthwatchNEL 
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News
Rough sleepers to benefit from NHS mental health outreach
16/10/2019
Towns with high rates of homelessness are set for investment in specialist mental health care, as part of NHS services for rough sleepers across the...
NHS whistle-blower support scheme to roll out across the country
10/10/2019
The NHS in England is to roll out dedicated support for members of staff who raise the alarm on unsafe practice. Following successful pilots, the NHS...
Groundbreaking new platform launched to support mental health
08/10/2019
Public Health England (PHE), in partnership with the NHS, has launched Every Mind Matters to help people take simple steps to look after their mental...
Benefits of digital technology in maternity services
12/12/2018
A new report shows for the first time how digitally savvy maternity services in England are – and aims to drive up the better use of technology. Maternity Digital Maturity Assessment report produced by NHS Digital states that the majority of maternity providers are making a good start at using...
GPs fighting public health challenges are supported by ‘wider healthcare workforce’
12/12/2018
A report co-authored by the Professional Standards Authority and the Royal Society for Public Health discusses the contribution made to public health by the Accredited Registers workforce and the potential they have to support the primary care workforce. Accredited Registers is a programme overseen...
Innovative heart procedure will extend lives of patients with faulty heart valve
12/12/2018
Up to 400 patients each year are set to benefit from the procedure being made available more widely. An innovative minimally invasive procedure to repair a heart valve has been approved for use in the NHS for patients who would otherwise be unable to have conventional open heart surgery. Until now...
Review into over-prescribing in the NHS
11/12/2018
The Health and Care Secretary has announced a review into over-prescribing in the NHS. The review will focus on patients who take multiple medicines, to ensure patients are receiving the most appropriate treatment for their needs. The review will be led by Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Dr Keith...
Clinicians asked to help improve use of medicines
11/12/2018
As many of 50% of patients don’t take medications as prescribed, which has implications for their health and for the wider health economy. University of Leicester Hospitals Trusts is interested in coming up with strategies to improve adherence and would like to hear from GPs and clinicians in other...
GP appointments data published
11/12/2018
NHS Digital has published data to inform users about GP appointments and help show how primary care is affected by seasonal variation. Data will be available monthly at CCG level for GP practices using the TPP and EMIS systems.
Government commits to reform the Mental Health Act
11/12/2018
The government has announced new legislation to reform mental health care. The government will introduce a new mental health bill to transform mental health care, following publication of the final report from the independent review of the Mental Health Act 1983.
NHS England advertises evening and weekend GP appointments
11/12/2018
NHS England has launched a national campaign advertising the availability of evening and weekend appointments in general practice. Patients across the country can now access appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professionals in the evenings and weekends either through a local GP access...
Flu jab: Where can you get the vaccine? Head to these supermarkets to get this year's jab
07/12/2018
FLU JAB is offered on the NHS and is the recommended form of protection against the common winter illness. As well as being available from some GPs, a number of supermarkets can administer the vaccine. For certain people the vaccine is also free. To read more please click here.
Tackling 40,000 wasted hospital appointments
07/12/2018
Improvements to the appointments system at Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole hospitals are being introduced to reduce the number of wasted appointments. Every year around 10 per cent of patients fail to turn up for their appointments, equating to around 40,000 lost appointments. This costs both time...
NLaG to receive £940,000 as part of nationwide funding
07/12/2018
Patients are set to benefit from safer and more convenient prescriptions thanks to a £940,000 slice of national funding to help rollout state-of-the-art technology. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) is among one of 13 organisations to receive a share of £16million national...
NHS to save £1 billion on its medicines bill in 2019
07/12/2018
The NHS is expected to save around £930 million on its medicines bill across the UK under a new deal agreed with the pharmaceutical industry. Patients will also have access to new medicines up to six months earlier. The government and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)...
Funding to help improve the lives of those affected by alcohol
06/12/2018
The government has announced the award of £4.5m in funding for projects to help improve the lives of children whose lives have been affected by alcohol. More....
The role of volunteers in the NHS: views from the front line
06/12/2018
A King’s Fund report looks at how volunteers can support frontline NHS staff working in acute care – and the attitudes of staff to volunteers. The report sets out the findings from a survey, interviews and a literature review.
Health survey for England 2017
06/12/2018
The health survey for England monitors trends in the nation’s health and care. It provides information about children and adults living in private households in England. The survey is used to monitor overweight and obesity, to estimate the proportion of people in England who have certain health...
CQC to review the use of restraint for people with mental health problems
05/12/2018
The health secretary has asked CQC to review the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide inpatient and residential care for people with mental health problems, a learning disability or autism. CQC will report on its interim findings in May 2019, with a full report promised by...
NHS to support partners of new mothers with mental illness
05/12/2018
New and expectant fathers will be offered mental health checks and treatment as part of a new plan to support families. In the landmark move, the partners of pregnant women and new mothers who are themselves suffering from anxiety, depression or more severe disorders such as psychosis will be...
See inside the new £16.4m staff housing block which aims to attract more doctors and nurses to Grimsby hospital
04/12/2018
Grimsby hospital bosses are hoping to attract more medical staff after the opening of a multi-million-pound accommodation block. The first staff are due to move into the modern, £16.4 million facility at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital this month after it was officially opened today. The...
Monthly announcement of national dementia diagnosis rate
04/12/2018
National dementia diagnosis rates (DDR) for September and October 2018 can be found on the NHS Digital website. Click here for more information
Nursing charity launches report on care for homeless
04/12/2018
The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has published a report on homelessness. The report gives insight based on the views of 206 homeless health nurses working across the UK.
Consultation and CCG guidance on prescribing in primary care
03/12/2018
A national public consultation has been launched on proposals to update and review commissioning guidance about items that should not be routinely prescribed in primary care. In the majority of cases there are other more effective, safer and/or cheaper alternatives available. CCGs are asked to...
Very low calorie diets to tackle obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic
03/12/2018
Hundreds of thousands of people will receive NHS help to battle obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to NHS England. Very low calorie diets that have been shown to put type 2 diabetes in remission in those recently diagnosed with the condition will be trialled as part of the NHS long term plan.
Decline in hospital admissions for drug-related mental and behavioural disorders
03/12/2018
Hospital admissions for drug-related mental and behavioural disorders in England dropped by 4% in a year - from 7,545 in 2016/17 to 7,258 in 2017/18, according to new figures published today by NHS Digital. This is the second year in a row that the number of admissions for drug-related mental and...
Latest mental health services statistics
03/12/2018
NHS Digital has published statistics on people who have been referred for treatment or assessment with mental health services in England. This is the most detailed picture available of the use of NHS funded secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services in England during the...
New cervical screening figures released
29/11/2018
NHS Digital has published data on cervical screening coverage for 2017/18. The report presents information on women aged 25-64 who were invited for regular screening, as well as the screening samples sent to pathology laboratories and referrals to colposcopy clinics.
