In the news w/e 6 September

Your media headlines roundup, week ending 6 September…

Patients left without vital IV nutrition threaten to drag the NHS to court
Herald Publicist – 30 August 2019
Sufferers hit by a scarcity of tube-feeding liquid are planning to take the NHS to courtroom, in accordance with their lawyer. Read the full story.

‘They hardly stop during a typical 12-hour shift. Towards the end, the stress and fatigue are readable on their faces, but still they plough on, with a cheerful smile and a bit of chat for the patients’
Bishop’s Stortford Independent – 31 August 2019
I’m writing this as an in-patient at the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) in Harlow. I’ve been here for six days* and it’s not over yet. Read the full story.

Police ‘dealing with more mental health incidents’
BBC Health – 2 September 2019
The number of mental health incidents dealt with by police has risen by more than a quarter in four years, figures obtained by BBC Radio 5 Live show. Read the full story.

Call for HPV vaccine to be offered to older boys
BBC Health – 2 September 2019
The Teenage Cancer Trust wants the HPV vaccine programme to be extended to older boys and young men. Read the full story.

DHSC tenders for centralised purchasing service
HSJ – 2 September 2019
NHS organisations will be given the chance to advertise and manage tenders on a new platform under government plans to create a centralised buying tool. Email for the full story.

Major trust proposes ‘referral only’ emergency care service for walk-in patients
HSJ – 2 September 2019
The plans put forward by East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, are part of a major reorganisation backed by £35m of capital funding. Email for the full story.

NHS urges more Essex organ donors to sign up
Epping Forest – 2 September 2019
NHS Blood and Transplant are keen to see numbers increase during Organ Donation Week starting next Monday (September 2 – September 8). Read the full story.

Essex man posthumously honoured for his work to improve cancer care
Itv News – 2 September 2019
A Chelmsford man has been posthumously recognised for his outstanding contribution to cancer services in Essex. Read the full story.

These are the top ten doctor’s surgeries in Essex according to the GP Patient Survey
Essex Live – 2 September 2019
The GP Patient Survey, which is taken by patients of GP surgeries, takes into account patient trust, waiting times and staff attitude. Read the full story.

PAH bosses respond to Sepsis death report
Your Harlow – 2 September 2019
Deaths from the silent killer at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow are 38 per cent higher than expected over the past six years. Read the full story.

Cancer ‘biggest middle-age killer in rich nations’
BBC Health – 3 September 2019
Cancer now causes more deaths among the middle-aged in higher-income countries than cardiovascular disease, a study suggests. Read the full story.

Gene therapy for rare eye disease set to be offered on NHS
BBC Health – 4 September 2019
Patients with a rare inherited eye disorder are set to be able to access a new gene therapy on the NHS which slows down sight loss. Read the full story.

Experienced chair appointed at East of England ICS
HSJ – 3 September 2019
William Pope will join Suffolk and North East Essex ICS as its independent chair, a part-time role, this month. Email for the full story.

NHSE to create ‘innovation greenhouse’
HSJ – 3 September 2019
Integrated care systems will have easier access to the latest technology under NHS England’s plans to refresh its flagship purchasing vehicle, which is used by trusts to buy technology services. Email for the full story.

NHS needs 5,000 trainee doctors a year, says GPs’ leader
The Guardian – 3 September 2019
The NHS’s lack of GPs is so acute that ministers must boost the number of medics who train to be family doctors to a record 5,000 a year, the head of the profession is demanding. Read the full story.

‘Miracle’ jab which cures rare form of child blindness to be offered by the NHS, Simon Stevens to announce
The Telegraph – 4 September 2019
A “miracle” jab which cures a rare form of child blindness will now be offered by the NHS, Simon Stevens will announce today. Read the full story.

NHSE confirms national primary care director
HSJ – 4 September 2019
Simon Stevens has confirmed a former GP commissioning leader will be NHS England’s permanent national director of primary care. Email for the full story.

GPs alarmed over NHS plans to allow chemists to dispense statins
The Guardian – 4 September 2019
Patients with high cholesterol could be diagnosed and given statins by pharmacists for the first time under NHS plans to cut the number of people dying from heart attacks and strokes. Read the full story.

Health firm expanding with new clinic opening soon
Braintree & Witham – 5 September 2019
Wrightway Health, independent Occupational Health provider, is opening its newest clinic at Fyfield Business Park in Ongar this week. Read the full story.

Left-handed DNA found – and it changes brain structure
BBC Health – 5 September 2019
Scientists have found the first genetic instructions hardwired into human DNA that are linked to being left-handed. Read the full story.

Vegans and vegetarians may have higher stroke risk
BBC Health – 5 September 2019
People who eat vegan and vegetarian diets have a lower risk of heart disease and a higher risk of stroke, a major study suggests. Read the full story.

The NHS needs more senior women in leadership
National Health Executive – 5 September 2019
The gender pay gap in the NHS remains a hotly debated topic, especially as the final report from the Gender Pay Gap in Medicine Review approaches. Read the full story.

MP says region’s ambulance service trust needs to be broken up
East Anglian Daily Times – 4 September 2019
An MP has renewed her call to break up the region’s ambulance service into two or three smaller organisations. Read the full story.

Enough talk about system leadership, time for action
HSJ – 5 September 2019
Sustained investment in place-based leadership, the creation of more boundary spanning leadership roles, and the development of a cadre of leaders committed to co-producing the solutions with citizens are needed to make system leadership real. By Paul Burstow Email for the full story.

North Weald Bassett Parish Council announcements and receives microgrant
Epping Forest Guardian – 5 September 2019
A new climbing frame, parish councillor and a microgrant has been announced by North Weald Basset Parish Council this week. Read the full story.

New Harlow secondary school set to welcome 120 pupils
Epping Forest Guardian – 5 September 2019
Finishing touches are being made to a secondary school which is due to open next week. Read the full story.

New officers to join Essex Police’s Rural Engagement Team
Epping Forest Guardian – 5 September 2019
This month will see the expansion of Essex Police’s The Rural Engagement Team. Read the full story.

Why Essex’s public health boss wants a Government department to move to Clacton
Essex Live – 5 September 2019
Mr Gogarty, the council’s director of wellbeing, public health and communities, said the district’s problems would require hefty public sector investment. Read the full story.

St Albans children with suspected autism face 800-strong waiting list for assessment
The Herts Advertiser – 5 September 2019
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) has revealed that as of August 20 this year, there were 794 children waiting for a Communication Disorder Assessment Clinic (CDAC) appointment with the West Herts Community Paediatrician team, and only six are seen each week. Read the full story.

Brexit: NHS books hotels for staff and extra ambulances in case of no-deal
BBC News – 5 September 2019
Hotel rooms are being booked for NHS staff in case they have difficulty getting to work in the event of traffic jams after a no-deal Brexit. Read the full story.

Stress in pregnancy ‘makes child personality disorder more likely’
BBC Health – 6 September 2019
The children of women who experience severe stress when pregnant are nearly 10 times more likely to develop a personality disorder by the age of 30, a study suggests. Read the full story.

NHS living in the ‘dark ages’, says digital chief
HSJ – 6 September 2019
The NHS is living “in the dark ages” when it comes to technology, while outpatient services “would still be recognised” by Victorian doctors, according to health tech leaders. Email for the full story.