In the news w/e 12 July

Your media headlines roundup, week ending 12 July…

Bishop’s Stortford tea party for Epping’s specialist breast cancer unit raises £1,500
Bishops Stortford Independent – 5 July 2019
Lynda, 55, organised it to raise money for the breast cancer unit at St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping – part of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust – which was established in 1980 and has progressed to a centre of excellence treating about 300 patients a year. Read the full story.

Welwyn Hatfield MP pokes holes in NHS data on proposed partial closure of Welwyn Garden City hospital
Welwyn Hatfield Times – 5 July 2019
Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps has questioned data provided by the NHS East and North Herts Clinical Comissioning Group (CCG), which justifes the proposed partial closure of Welwyn Garden City’s urgent care centre. Read the full story.

Former North Weald Bassett Parish and Epping Forest District Councillors officially retire
Epping Forest Guardian – 5 July 2019
Two district councillor’s bid farewell to their counselling careers by officially retiring yesterday. Read the full story.

UK plans £3m no-deal medicine transport
BBC Health – 7 July 2019
The Department of Health and Social Care plans to spend £3m on no-deal Brexit measures to transport medication. Read the full story .

NHS waiting lists surge due to pensions row
BBC Health – 8 July 2019
Waiting lists for routine surgery have risen by up to 50% in England because senior doctors say they cannot afford to work extra shifts. Read the full story.

Racist and homophobic communities must be challenged, say NHS chiefs
HSJ – 8 July 2019
East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust chief executive Nick Hulme was scathing about the views held by some in the area his organisation serves. Email for the full story.

Mental health study reveals young people feel ignored
Southend Standard – 8 July 2019
Healthwatch Essex is launching a unique report which reveals the experiences of young people in inpatient mental health units. Read the full story.

Roundtable: Top chief executives on driving diversity and their evolving purpose
HSJ – 8 July 2019
Some of HSJ’s top 50 chief executives explore both the pressing issues of diversity and inclusion, and how their own roles are changing in an environment of competing demands Email for the full story.

Hospice group will support carers with specialist advice
Dunmow Broadcast – 8 July 2019
The new Carers’ Group initiative, led by St Clare Hospice, will provide information, skills and support to carers as they look after a loved one with a life-limiting illness. Read the full story.

HPV vaccine for boys ‘will prevent thousands of cancers’
BBC Health – 9 July 2019
Health officials say the HPV vaccine for 12 to 13-year-old boys, starting after the summer, will prevent 29,000 cancers in UK men in the next 40 years. Read the full story.

‘Amazing’ gene-silencing drugs reach NHS
BBC Health – 9 July 2019
A new form of medicine called “gene-silencing” has been approved for use by the NHS in England. Read the full story.

NHS group hits back at Welwyn Hatfield MP ‘misleading’ data claims
Welwyn Hatfield Times – 9 July 2019
The NHS East and North Herts Clinical Comissioning Group (CCG) has denied that the data they have put forward as part of the consultation on the proposed partial closure of Welwyn Garden City’s urgent care centre is ‘misleading’. Read the full story.

Essex Police announces public meeting date for Epping Forest residents
Epping Forest Guardian – 9 July 2019
Essex Police has announced a public meeting to discuss community safety within the district. Read the full story.

CCG raises concerns over controversial patient records system
HSJ – 9 July 2019
Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group said problems with the Lorenzo system had impacted on Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust’s “ability to produce accurate and timely data and… meet local and national reporting requirements”. Email for the full story.

Vaginal bacteria linked to ovarian cancer
BBC Health – 10 July 2019
Having too few “friendly” vaginal bacteria may increase a woman’s chance of ovarian cancer, and swabs can be used to spot this, say researchers. Read the full story.

Amazon Alexa offering NHS health advice
BBC Health – 10 July 2019
People will be able to get expert health advice using Amazon Alexa devices, under a partnership with the NHS, the government has announced. Read the full story.

Taking an STP approach to improving the pharmacy workforce
The Pharmaceutical Journal – 10 July 2019
Hertfordshire and West Essex Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has a well established medicines optimisation group, comprising important pharmacy leaders in the area and focusing on integrated pharmaceutical care. Read the full story.

Are sugary drinks causing cancer?
BBC Health – 11 July 2019
Sugary drinks – including fruit juice and fizzy pop – may increase the risk of cancer, French scientists say. Read the full story.

NHS waiting list hits record high amid pensions row
BBC Health – 11 July 2019
The number of people waiting for hospital treatment in England has hit a record high of 4.39 million, NHS figures show. Read the full story.

£26m IT project written off
HSJ – 11 July 2019
A major IT project run by the Care Quality Commission’s current chief executive while at his previous employer racked up more than £26m in losses, the organisation has disclosed. Email for the full story.

NHS England hired consultancy to find out what it is responsible for
HSJ – 11 July 2019
NHS England paid external consultants more than £200,000 to ‘map’ its responsibilities ahead of the merger with NHS Improvement, HSJ has learned. Email for the full story.

More patients ‘struggling to reach GP on phone’
BBC Health – 11 July 2019
Growing numbers of people in England are struggling to get hold of their GP, a survey suggests. Read the full story.

London Stansted improves services to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility to achieve CAA ‘good’ rating
Essex Magazine – 11 July 2019
London Stansted has received a ‘good’ rating in the latest Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) accessibility report that annually reviews the accessibility at UK airports. Read the full story .

Revealed: The new CCG ratings
HSJ – 11 July 2019
Sixty-three clinical commissioning groups have seen their overall performance ratings change over the past year, according to NHS England’s latest assessment framework. Email for the full story.

Good gut bacteria ‘helps starving children’
BBC Health – 12 July 2019
A diet rich in bananas, chickpeas and peanuts improves gut bacteria in malnourished children, helping kick-start their growth, research suggests. Read the full story.

‘Farce’ as autistic man is stripped of parking badge despite upcoming law changes
Saffron Walden Reporter – 12 July 2019
On the eve of the law changing to allow people with “invisible” disabilities to have blue badges for disabled parking – a family with a severely autistic son has had their badge taken away by Essex County Council. Read the full story .

Art exhibition raises thousands for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance
Saffron Walden Reporter – 12 July 2019
A charity art exhibition has raised more than £2,500 for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance. Read the full story .