In the news w/e 05 July

Your media headlines roundup, week ending 05 July…

Ombudsman calls for review into failings identified at at former county health trust
Dunmow Broadcast – 28 June 2019
An ombudsman has called for a national review into years of potential failings at an NHS trust which provided social care, substance misuse and mental health services for more than 17,000 people in north Essex, including in Uttlesford. Read the full story.

New Uttlesford District Council leaders to face historic petition against Stansted Airport expansion
itv News – 28 June 2019
This evening, Uttlesford District Council will be presented with the biggest petition in its history after 1500 people call for a sanctioned expansion of Stansted Airport to be recalled. Read the full story.

Princess Alexandra Hospital dementia specialist in running for Nurse of the Year
Bishop’s Stortford Independent -28 June 2019
A nurse at Princess Alexandra Hospital who is dedicated to improving care for patients with dementia is a Nurse of the Year finalist in the annual Nursing Times Awards. Read the full story.

Hopes rise for an end to ‘heartless’ rationing of IVF
The Guardian – 29 June 2019
The NHS clinical commissioning groups in Herts Valley and South Norfolk reinstated patients’ access to IVF in April and this week Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG may follow suit. Read the full story.

Councillor’s gift makes life easier for sick children and parents at Princess Alexandra Hospital
Bishop’s Stortford Independent -29 June 2019
The gift to Dolphin Ward from Harlow Council’s former chairwoman Cllr Maggie Hulcoop has helped pay for special chairs which convert to beds. Read the full story.

Lesbian women cervical screening myth is ‘dangerous’
BBC Health – 29 June 2019
The “dangerous myth” that gay and bisexual women cannot get cervical cancer means thousands could be missing out on screening, NHS England says. Read the full story.

More than one child per week in Lancashire is sectioned under the Mental Health Act
LacsLive – 30 June 2019
One was detained by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and the other by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. Read the full story.

Leg fat ‘better than belly fat’ for older women
BBC Health – 1 July 2019
Carrying more fat on legs compared with the stomach protects postmenopausal women from heart disease, a study says. Read the full story.

Aspiring integrated care provider makes first formal appointment
HSJ – 1 July 2019
An aspiring integrated care provider in the West Midlands has appointed an independent chair to lead the future organisation, HSJ can reveal. Email for the full story.

Paperless 2024 target a ‘stretch’ – NHSX CEO
HSJ – 1 July 2019
The NHS’s top IT executive has said the long-term plan commitment to digitise all hospital trusts by 2024 will be “a stretch” and require “sharp progress” by the least advanced providers. Email for the full story.

Exclusive: NHS England attempted to alter independent report on child cancer care
HSJ – 1 July 2019
NHS England engaged in an unprecedented attempt to interfere with an independent clinical body’s report into child cancer services, seeking to have a recommendation on co-location of intensive care services removed, HSJ has learned. Email for the full story.

NHS practices join forces to form primary care networks
The Guardian – 29 June 2019
Patients will have the opportunity of longer appointments with their GP from Monday under a new initiative of practices working together. Read the full story.

Smoking ‘damages eyes as well as lungs’
BBC Health – 02 July 2019
Millions of people in the UK are putting their sight at risk by continuing to smoke, warn specialists. Read the full story.

Boys more likely to need help for ‘back to school asthma’
BBC Health – 02 July 2019
Boys with asthma are twice as likely as girls to visit their GP with worsening symptoms during the first weeks of the new school year, research suggests. Read the full story.

CCG backtracks over major cuts plan after DHSC intervention
HSJ – 1 July 2019
A large clinical commissioning group has pushed back its discussion of controversial proposals to axe NHS funded IVF, just hours after HSJ reported the recommendations were on the table. Email for the full story.

Exclusive: Regulators skipped survey asking staff about bullying
HSJ – 2 July 2019
Thousands of staff working for NHS England and NHS Improvement were denied an opportunity to air their views on bullying and other key indicators in an annual staff survey, HSJ has learned. Email for the full story.

Tory leadership: Boris Johnson promises review of ‘unhealthy food taxes’
BBC News – 3 July 2019
Boris Johnson has said he wants to examine whether levies on foods high in salt, fat and sugar are effective, and has vowed not to introduce any new ones until the review is complete. Read the full story.

Medical cannabis ‘expectations unfairly raised’
BBC News – 3 July 2019
Families’ hopes were unfairly raised when doctors were allowed to prescribe cannabis, a report has concluded. Read the full story.

Obesity ’causes more cases of some cancers than smoking’
BBC News – 3 July 2019
Obesity now causes more cases of four common cancers in the UK than smoking, according to a charity. Read the full story.

Look out for Stansted Airport in Spider-man: Far From Home
Dunmow Broadcast – 2 July 2019
Eagled-eye cinema-goers will spot a familiar sight in summer blockbuster, Spider-man: Far From Home, as several scenes were filmed in Stansted Airport last summer. Read the full story.

Investigation of serious safety incidents to be overhauled
HSJ – 2 July 2019
The NHS will move away from traditional thresholds for serious incident investigations as part of its new national patient safety strategy. Email for the full story.

NHSI programme reducing staff turnover, it reveals
HSJ – 2 July 2019
NHS Improvement’s national programme to improve workforce retention has resulted in the lowest nursing turnover rate since 2014, it has said. Email for the full story.

Alcohol abuse affects one in five UK inpatients, study suggests
BBC Health – 4 July 2019
One in five people admitted to a UK hospital drinks alcohol in a harmful way and one in 10 depends on it, a study suggests. Read the full story.

Sepsis: How good are hospitals at treating ‘hidden killer’?
BBC Health – 4 July 2019
Hospitals are meant to put patients on an antibiotic drip within an hour when sepsis is suspected – but research by BBC News suggests a quarter of patients in England wait longer. Read the full story.

NHSE sets first targets to cut BME disciplinary cases
HSJ – 4 July 2019
The first NHS targets for reducing the disproportionate share of black and minority ethnic staff being subject to disciplinary cases have been set by NHS England, which has also told trusts to reduce unnecessary disciplinary action overall. Email for the full story.

Harlow heath bosses study on missed GP appointments:”Thanks for not standing us up!”
Your Harlow – 4 July 2019
A new study into why people miss GP appointments has been published by Stellar Healthcare. Read the full story.

NHS England pledges funding rise for children’s hospices to £25m a year
National Health Executive – 4 July 2019
Funding for children’s hospices is set to rise to £25m a year, NHS England has pledged as part of the Long Term Plan. Read the full story.

Bladder cancer ‘attacked and killed by common cold virus’
BBC Health – 5 July 2019
A strain of the common cold virus can infect and kill bladder cancer cells, a small study suggests. Read the full story.

‘Rewiring nerves’ reverses hand and arm paralysis
BBC Health – 5 July 2019
Nerves inside paralysed people’s bodies have been “rewired” to give movement to their arms and hands, say Australian surgeons. Read the full story.

New chairs for STP and ICS
HSJ – 4 July 2019
David Highton will chair Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, while Andrew Lloyd will chair Frimley Integrated Care System. Both appointments follow an application and selection process. Email for the full story.