Sunday 21 January 2024
Another week, more issues, has been very cold, another storm forecast and then warmer spell. Many people are ill. Strikes remain unresolved. The NHS experiences worse pressures. National measles incident declared, STIs soaring. St Peter’s, Maldon, to close? Local NHS under huge pressure. Whatever the issue, we’re told record amounts of money are being spent on things; but that isn’t enough to meet the much greater increase in demand.
We hope you heeded our forecast some months ago and have ensured your children are MMR vaccinated. Sadly, the predicted outbreak of measles is spreading rapidly and has been declared a national incident. Having nearly disappeared, lack of immunisation has allowed this horrible disease to rise up again. Measles symptoms are: high fever, sore red and watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, small white spots may appear inside mouths and a blotchy red or brown rash usually appears as few days after the initial symptoms, typically on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. The rash can be harder to see on darker skin. Measles is highly contagious and is spread by coughs and sneezes. Patients are infectious until at least 4 days after the rash appears. Complications include: pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures. Babies, young children and pregnant women are more at risk. Between 2020-2022 23 children and adults died from measles or related infections. 2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) vaccine should be given to children at 1 year old and 3 years & 4 months. Book jabs with your GP Practice and catching up can be done at any time.
Another issue we highlighted recently is that sexual health services in England are said to be ‘at breaking point’, according to local councils who are responsible for running the clinics. Since 2017 STIs (sexually transmitted infections) have soared. Gonorrhoea and syphilis are at record highs. Chlamydia is the most common diagnosis. Many new cases are younger gay, bisexual and heterosexual people. Condoms are “the best line of defence”.
On Thursday Mid & South Essex Integrated Care Board (MSE ICB) agreed to run a consultation exercise about it’s plan to close St Peter’s Hospital at Maldon as that site is no longer safe and fit for purpose. We are already lobbying to keep the investigative and outpatient services available in our area. When the consultation exercise opens we urge everyone to contribute as it appears this very long running saga reached its end stage.
When we stood outside in the pandemic to clap our NHS staff did we imagine so soon afterwards doctors, nurses and other essential health and care workers would remain so undervalued? Can we really afford not to pay them the respect they deserve?
MSE ICB’s meeting in public held on 18 January discussed our area’s hospitals, ambulance service, mental health service and primary care sector are under huge pressure and performance isn’t good enough. They’re constrained by the resources, funding and targets controlled by central government. Junior Doctors held their pre-Christmas and post-New Year strikes. Nurses are outraged again. Care workers continue to be worse off than if stacking supermarket shelves.
Government has lead responsibility for our health and welfare. Hold talks with the lower paid essential workers, residential and domiciliary care workers, nurses and junior doctors. Both sides must negotiate realistically. Both sides must negotiate without pre-conditions and be willing to compromise. They must stick with the negotiations until a settlement is reached.
Spirometry is a simple test that helps diagnose and monitor some lung conditions including asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cystic fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis. In December we heard that Spirometry is no longer available from SWF’s GPs as the specialist practice nurses have left. Recognising this is a speciality across the Town and area we’ve taken this up with our PCN in our regular meetings and they’re taking steps to restore this service.
In the present state of the NHS recruiting nurses and doctors isn’t easy. We hope this prompt action will restore Spirometry as quickly as possible. In the meantime the new PCN staff we listed last time are providing: new preventative health measures and advice to keep us healthy and avoid ills and ailments; much needed local physiotherapy to which we can self-refer and not have long waits; community paramedics and emergency care practitioners making home visits and taking time to be thorough with assessments, diagnostics and treatments. It’s good these long wanted services are now in place.
Cases of Covid, Flu, respiratory infections and Norovirus are increasing, are more virulent, last longer and take longer for recoveries. Hospitalisations for these causes are rising. If you’re ill please don’t spread your germs and follow the guidance about how to look after yourself at https://swfhealthsocial.co.uk/2024/01/03/nhs-services-are-under-severe-pressure-please-choose-wisely/ .
We’ve been asked what is the present guidance for people who test positive for Covid. The present national public health guidance about Covid is at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/covid-19-symptoms-and-what-to-do/ . Essentially you should: stay at home and avoid contact with other people. You can go back to your normal activities when you feel better and don’t have a temperature. If you’re worried about the seriousness, worsening or long lasting of your illness contact your GP or call 111. Public health news is on our website and in weekly e-newsletters. SWF Library provides online services and help with internet access. For health & welfare information and subscription to our newsletter, email swfhealthsocial@outlook.com , or leave voicemails on 01245 322079
https://swfhealthsocial.co.uk/
SWF Health & Social Care Group 