New guidance regarding homeless women whilst pregnant 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.
News Archive
A new research project, led by the University of Leicester and funded by Sands, is set to explore how websites and apps can provide better support to women during the perinatal stage of pregnancy. The study aims to make recommendations that will improve identification of at risk pregnancies and improve interventions.
Sands have funded research which has found that a simple blood test to measure bile acids in the blood can provide information about the risk of stillbirth for pregnant women with a common liver disorder called Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy or ICP. The research was carried out by teams based at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust. This discovery means that pregnant women can now be targeted to receive the right care to keep themselves and their baby safe.
Tommy’s have launched a new campaign #TogetherForChange encouraging conversation around talking openly and honestly about baby loss. In the UK, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth. Parents are left with so many unanswered questions and the emotional impact is devasting. The campaign is to raise greater awareness and more research to stop it happening.
Ovarian cancer is the biggest gynaecological killer of women in the UK, with survival rates among the worst in Europe. Three quarters of women are diagnosed once the cancer has already spread, making treatment more difficult. This is why awareness is so important, to drive forward improvements in diagnosis, treatment and survival.
During Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the ovarian cancer charities come together to reach as many people as possible with the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) is to remain in Special Measures despite some progress and a series of improvements across several areas. A written statement published by the Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething outlines the outcomes of a recent meeting between the Welsh Government, the Wales Audit Office and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.
Read the statement from Vaughan Gething | Read the media coverage
From the 1st of April 2019, the NMC will no longer allow people to revalidate by meeting a reduced set of requirements. This option was available when revalidation was launched but is now no longer required as the process is fully embedded. New guidance on health and character and revalidation is available on the NMC website.
Read the revalidation guidance booklet | Read more about health and character
The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales has written to the chair of the Public Account Committee of the National Assembly for Wales outlining their concerns regarding the progress being made by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in relation to the Ockenden Report.
The new Nursing and Midwifery Councils Chief Executive and Registrar, Andrea Sutcliffe writes regular blogs on the NMC website and her most recent one reflects on listening and responding to the voice of people involved in the procedures of the NMC.
Hospital admissions of children who have self-harmed have more than doubled in six years, according to NHS figures. In 2011 a total of 1,725 youngsters aged between nine and 17 were taken to hospital with self-harm injuries. The figure in 2018 was 3,988 and girls were five times as likely to be admitted as boys.
Donna Ockenden is leading an independent maternity review into cases of serious and potentially serious concern at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust and would like to hear from anyone who feels they have a potential case of concern or where they believe there are significant questions that remain unanswered.
Donna says: ‘My team and I will look into all potentially serious concerns around maternity care at the Trust that are brought to our attention. Every call and message is very important to us and one of the team will be in touch as soon as we can’.
To get in touch with the independent maternity review team please email Donna on:
[email protected]
The National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the proportion of eligible adults receiving health screening is inconsistent across different areas in England and that services are not operating to the ‘agreed standards’.
All the screening programmes investigated failed to meet the ’standard’ target for the percentage of eligible people attending screening appointments in 2017-18. The cervical screening programme achieved coverage of 72% against a standard target of 80%.