In the news w/e 15 February

Your media headlines roundup, week ending 15 February…

Patients at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow respond to claims of ‘sewage flowing through the operating theatres’
Essex Live – 08 Feb 2019
Tory MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, started a discussion about the hospital’s cleanliness, in which he claimed that there was “sewage coming into the operating theatres.” Read the full story.

MP Dame Eleanor Laing attends World Cancer Day event
Epping Forest Guardian – 09 Feb 2019
Every year, 1,700 people in Epping Forest are diagnosed with cancer. Read the full story.

Is young people’s mental health getting worse?
BBC Health – 11 Feb 2019
Poor mental health among children and young people has been described as an epidemic and an “escalating crisis”. Read the full story.

Breast cancer: Scan younger women at risk, charity says
BBC Health – 11 Feb 2019
Younger women with a family history of breast cancer should receive annual screenings to pick up the disease earlier, a charity says. Read the full story.

CQC quits central IT plans after Hancock’s Google intervention
HSJ – 11 Feb 2019
The Care Quality Commission has pulled out of a joint plan to replace central IT systems after Matt Hancock intervened and suggested switching to Google. Email for the full story.

Alexa-like bots will listen out for suicidal patients under NHS technology revolution
The Telegraph – 11 Feb 2019
Smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Siri are to be used by the NHS to analyse patient conversations and spot if they suicidal, it has emerged. Read the full story.

Concerns over birthing options as NHS shuts midwife-led centres
The Guardian – 11 Feb 2019
They are places where birth balls, water pools and attentive midwives help women have their baby in a calm atmosphere without doctors intervening medically in the process of delivery. Read the full story.

Crucial Air Crisis Summit in London to tackle pollution in England – GP patients breathing increasingly unsafe levels
Epping Forest Guardian – 11 Feb 2019
Almost 80 per cent of people who are registered at GP surgeries in the district are living in unsafe levels of pollution according to a new study published today. Read the full story.

Young people told – become a care worker
BBC Health – 12 Feb 2019
Young people in England are being targeted by the government in a bid to recruit thousands of more care workers. Read the full story.

Fire safety instructions
AskHUE – 12 Feb 2019
In the event of a fire the alarm will operate as a continuous ringing sound. On hearing this, you must: Read the full story.

Lyme disease can be diagnosed by ‘bull’s eye’ rash alone
BBC Health – 12 Feb 2019
Lyme disease can be diagnosed by the rash alone, new advice for the NHS says. Read the full story.

Thousands of X-rays reviewed amid surgical error fears
HSJ – 13 Feb 2019
NHS Improvement has issued a national patient safety alert warning trusts to review the X-rays of any patient who had surgery with a metal plate for a long bone fracture since February 2018. Email for the full story.

CQC given green light for more local system reviews
HSJ – 13 Feb 2019
The CQC has carried out 23 local system reviews, which examine how well NHS bodies, local authorities and other partners collaborate on caring for vulnerable patients using multiple services. Email for the full story.

NHS GPs get go-ahead for online Skype appointments
The Telegraph – 13 Feb 2019
GP appointments by Skype will be made available across swathes of the country after health officials dropped their opposition to the plans. Read the full story.

Harlow Hospital outsourcing cleaning services
Heart – 13 Feb 2019
A union says it’s ‘breathtaking’ that private companies are being invited to run cleaning services at Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital. Read the full story.

Stansted Airport bosses trim growth predictions for a no-deal Brexit
Bishop’s Stortford – 13 Feb 2019
Stansted Airport bosses have downgraded their growth prediction if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal next month. Read the full story.

Send patients email not letters, GPs told
BBC Health – 13 Feb 2019
GPs in England must start routinely using email instead of sending letters to communicate with patients, the health secretary says. Read the full story.

‘Know your cholesterol like you know your Pin code’
BBC Health – 13 Feb 2019
People are being encouraged to know their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers as well as they know their bank Pin code – because it could save their life. Read the full story.

Trailblazing new Mental Health Support pilot being rolled out in Hertfordshire schools
Hertfordshire County Council (press release) (blog) – 14 Feb 2019
Thousands of children and young people in Hertfordshire are set to benefit from vital early specialist mental health intervention as part of a national pilot. Read the full story.

Care home plan unveiled for Homebase site in Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden Reporter – 14 Feb 2019
Plans to demolish Homebase in Saffron Walden and build a 68-bedroom care home on the site have been unveiled. Read the full story.

Brain function of night owls and larks differ, study suggests
BBC Health – 15 Feb 2019
The brain function of very late risers and “morning larks” during the hours of the working day is different, according to a study. Read the full story.

Most hip and knee replacements ‘last longer than thought’
BBC Health – 15 Feb 2019
Eight out of 10 knee replacements and six out of 10 hip replacements last as long as 25 years, says a large study from the University of Bristol. Read the full story.

A&E performance hits lowest level
HSJ – 14 Feb 2019
NHS performance against the four-hour accident and emergency target hit a record low in January on both the overall and type 1 category for major emergency departments. Email for the full story.

New chair announced for ICS
HSJ – 14 Feb 2019
An integrated care system in the south west of England has appointed Nick Relph as interim chair. Email for the full story.

Public health charity to close as DHSC cuts funds
HSJ – 15 Feb 2019
A public health charity providing “vital” services has been forced to close this year after losing most of its government funding. Email for the full story.