Sunday 17 September 2023:
Autumn has arrived after the record-breaking September heatwave which caused dangerous heat-stroke. The NHS Summer Stresses have been indistinguishable from Winter Pressures:
- The Junior doctors’ 11-15 August strike put services at tipping point.
- Consultant Doctors struck from 24-26 August.
- We now face joint strikes: this coming week Consultant Doctors on 19-20 September + Junior Doctors on 20–23 September, and then all Consultants and Junior Doctors from 2–5 October. This madness reflects the extreme frustration of the Doctors, some of whom we’re losing. Patients and carers are the victims; why is the patient and public voice about this is being ignored? These disputes must be settled by immediate negotiations.
- NHSE continues planning for industrial action throughout Winter 2023, in constant discussions to maintain lifesaving services. We reported public guidance in our article in the Focus Issue 1058, our online lead article of 13 August.
- Patients’ waiting lists grow and lengthen. Gaps in staffing and services are increasing. NHS staff endure ever-more stress.
News about living-with-Covid, future preparedness, and arrangements for 2023/24 Flu & Covid vaccinations were in our report in Focus Issue 1058 of 18 August and online.
As a precautionary measure due to the new BA.2.86 variant, Flu & Covid vaccinations have been brought forward and started on 11 September.
Low risk ‘Eris’ Covid variant cases have increased steadily since February. Hospitalisations are increasing, particularly for 85+ year-olds, without more people needing intensive care. The 7 September English Dashboard reports increases to 107 Deaths with Covid on death certificates and 2,515 Covid patients admitted to hospital in the last weeks. Latest SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.2.86, identified in August. is now spreading in England with 34 confirmed cases as of 4 September, 28 in a Norfolk care home outbreak. Five of these have needed hospital treatment. These are described as “unusually high numbers”. UKHSA is monitoring this closely and will publish analytical results when available. PLEASE GET VACCINATED IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE. IT’S AS NECESSARY AS EVER.
The ZOE Health Study run at King’s College London, @ https://health-study.zoe.com/data estimates there were 97,904 new UK symptomatic Covid cases on 15 September with 1,285,247 people with Covid. UKHSA says it has plans underway to restart COVID surveillance for the coming Winter but has yet to announce what it will look like. There won’t be any ramping up of routine testing.
Channel 4 documentary series “Emergency”, available at https://www.channel4.com/programmes/emergency , shows the work of London’s Major Trauma Network (MTN). This mirrors the East of England (EoE) Major Trauma Network’s workings. Our Chair leads the EoE MTN’s patient & public engagement group and sits on a national major trauma research organisation. Major trauma patients in incidents North of the River Crouch are usually treated by EoE’s MTN, whose centre is Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Major trauma patients in incidents South of the Crouch are normally treated by the London MTN, at the Royal London Hospital. Many more lives are saved with much better recoveries and qualities of life since MTNs were introduced around ten years ago. Everyday hundreds of specialists treat the most traumatically injured patients with miraculous results in so many cases. This series is a seriously informative watch.
As students go to Universities and Colleges, around 1 in 8 aren’t protected from Meningitis, a common illness for them. Students are urged to be vaccinated against Meningitis and other diseases. Meningitis can cause long-term disability, serious health complications and takes lives. Read about this at: Around 1 in 8 new students unprotected against meningitis – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .
Freshers and all students are being urged to use a condom if having sex to protect against record levels of Gonorrhoea and all sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Diagnoses of STIs have soared recently and 15-24-year-olds are most likely to suffer. Students are advised to get a free test before having sex with a new partner. Gonorrhoea cases increased by over 20% to more than 82,500 in 2022, with the largest rise for 19 & 20-year-olds. Among 15-24-year-olds in 2022 400 STIs were diagnosed every day.
New guidelines from the International Society of Hypertension (high blood pressure) recommend people with high blood pressure should try to meditate for around 45 minutes a day. This has been found to cut stress-related high blood pressure. Our recent independent academic study of the SWF and Dengie Primary Care Network showed that Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the highest conditions in our area. Public health news items are on our website and in weekly e-newsletters. SWF Library provides online services and help with internet access. For welfare information and subscription to our newsletter contact uson swfhealthsocial@outlook.com , or leave voicemails on 01245 322079
https://swfhealthsocial.co.uk/
SWF Health & Social Care Group 