A study has found that one in four NHS wards routinely operates with staffing levels that threaten patient safety. Researchers at the University of Southampton said that lessons learnt from the Mid Staffordshire scandal have been somewhat lost because of a lack of investment in staffing and a chronic shortage of nurses. They also said that healthcare assistants were being used to shore up staffing numbers on NHS wards.
News Archive
An unannounced mental health inspection of the Ablett Unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital was carried out earlier this year and recorded that the mental health unit has made improvements. Dinas – Adult acute mental health admission ward, Tegid – older person functional mental health ward and Cynnydd, male locked rehabilitation ward, were all visited during the inspection. Staff were praised for interacting and engaging with patients respectfully.
The Express reports that the latest NHS England figures show there are 39,148 nursing vacancies and 8,953 unfilled medical staff jobs including doctors, oncologists and paediatricians resulting in a critical NHS staffing crisis, campaigners reveal. Experts warn that failure to recruit enough frontline workers will see the health service placed “on life support” with patients waiting longer in A&E, for routine operations and to see their GP. The crisis is most acute in nursing, which is missing 40,000, and linked to a higher chance of dying on hospital wards. But the problem runs deeper as there are also 7,000 too few family GPs. Unless urgent action is taken it is feared that figures could jump to 250,000 by 2035.
A team dedicated to a new mums’ mental health helped a woman prepare for the arrival of her second baby after being left traumatised and suffering panic attacks by the delivery of her first child. North Wales health board’s ‘Rewind’ therapy programme assisted with coping with flashbacks and other traumatic memories. According to the World Health organisation, about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. A range of conditions have been linked to pregnancy and childbirth, such as perinatal depression, perinatal anxiety, postpartum psychosis and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder.
Maternity services provided by Cwm Taf University Health Board have been put into special measures. An investigation into maternity units at two hospitals in South Wales, raised “significant concerns” around staffing, processes and culture which it says have compromised care. There have been 43 potentially serious incidents which included eight stillbirths and five deaths shortly after birth between January 2016 and September 2018.
Tommy’s charity announce the result of ground breaking new research on preclampsia known as The PARROT trial using placental growth factor to tell if women are at high risk of pre-eclampsia.
Initially published earlier this year, Tommy’s reported on research, part funded by them, that has found a better way to measure the risk of stillbirth for women with a common liver disorder through a simple blood test. The researchers estimate that implementing the test could prevent hundreds of women having unnecessary early deliveries.
Dementia UK have a huge volume of advice on their website to aid people who have, or know someone with Dementia. There are articles which cover such topics as how to get a diagnosis, what support there is available, and tips for communicating with someone with dementia.
Mama Academy provides excellent information for all stages of pregnancy. For example; it is not true that babies move less towards the end of pregnancy or in labour. You can start keeping track of your baby’s movement pattern from 24 weeks. Your midwife will ask about your baby’s movements at every appointment from 25 weeks onwards. If you think your baby’s movements have changed, don’t wait until your next appointment to report it.
The NHS could be forced to pay out hundreds of millions of pounds in negligence claims because waiting times are getting longer, according to a report by the National Audit Office. It also says too many beds may have been cut and the report links the longer waits to a lack of beds, warning that the NHS has lost 8,000 since 2010.
The Sue Moreton Foundation has donated tablet computers to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s (BCUHB) Perinatal Mental Health Service. These devices are planned to help new mums who initially struggle with their mental health. The equipment will enable specialist staff to use an innovative therapy to help new mums overcome mental health problems and forge a better bond with their baby. The equipment has been donated by a charity set up in memory of a health visitor and midwife.
New guidance for midwives to support women who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless has been published by the Royal College of Midwives. The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) came into force in England on 3rd April 2018 to prevent and stop homelessness by offering early support to those at risk of becoming homeless or who are homeless. It also places a new duty on health services, including maternity, to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.