Tens Of Thousand Of Patients Are Dying While Waiting For NHS Treatment

We Are Condemning Generations To A Poorer Future.
A report by the Academy of Medical Sciences revealed an ‘appalling decline’ in children’s health with the UK’s infant survival rate now worse than in 60% of similar countries.
Rising child poverty is partly to blame for the increase, experts found, while 2021 saw the first rise in perinatal mortality for seven years.
Latest figures show there are four deaths per 1,000 live births in the UK – more than double the 1.7 in Japan and 1.8 in Finland, Slovenia and Sweden.
This was up from 3.9 for every year between 2013 and 2018.
The wide-ranging study found more than a fifth of five-year-old children are overweight or obese, while demand for mental health services have soared.
It also said one-in-four children are affected by tooth decay, while vaccination rates have plummeted.

Dr Mike McKean, Vice President for Health Policy of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “This report provides alarming evidence that the UK is failing too many of its children. We are presiding over a crisis in child health that demands urgent action. As paediatricians, we witness daily the devastating consequences of these systemic failures. Without transformative intervention on child health, we condemn generations to a poorer future. The time for excuses is over – government must act decisively to address this crisis.”
( Dave Burke, 05.02.2024 )  ..  mirror.co.uk

Tens Of Thousand Of Patients Are Dying While Waiting For NHS Treatment.
An estimated 121,000 patients died while waiting for NHS treatment in England last year (2022).
Figures obtained through freedom of information requests suggest record numbers of people are “spending their final months in pain and agony” while in line for care.
Across the 35 acute trusts that responded with data, the total number of deaths stood at 30,611.
The Labour party has extrapolated this data out to 138 trusts across the country to reach an estimated figure of 120,695.

At the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, more than 3,500 patients died waiting for treatment in 2022.
Nearly 3,000 people died while on waiting lists at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust – 1,600 of which had been waiting longer than 18 weeks.
A similar extrapolation suggested that 117,000 patients died while waiting for treatment in 2021.

Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper said: “After the appalling scenes of people dying in the back of ambulances and being treated in corridors, you would have thought that ministers would have moved heaven and earth to massively increase bed capacity in hospitals this year. Instead, the Conservative government has continued to drive our NHS into the ground, leaving patients and NHS staff fearful that our health service is being set up for yet another difficult winter.”
( Nina Lloyd, 31.08.2023 )  ..  independent.co.uk

A Rise In Women And Girls Forced To Undergo FGM.
The number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) has increased by 15% in the past eight years.
Figures released by the UN children’s agency, Unicef, show that more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, compared with 200 million in 2016.
The trend is towards girls being cut at a younger age, said Unicef executive director Catherine Russell.
About 60% of FGM cases – 144million – happen in Africa, followed by 80million in Asia and 6million in the Middle East.
Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan and Mali have the highest prevalence rates.
( Caroline Kimeu, 08.03.2024 )  ..  theguardian.com

A Woman Died After Being Found Under A Coat In A&E.
A mum-of-two died after being found collapsed under a coat in an A&E department as she waited to see a doctor over a headache.
The 39-year-old had been suffering with a severe headache when she arrived at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, UK, on the evening of January 19, 2024.
She was observed three times by nurses.
Her case was escalated after she was triaged but when her name was called to see a doctor, she failed to respond multiple times.
It was assumed that she had left the department.
But was then found collapsed under a coat and rushed to intensive care where she sadly died on January 22, 2024.
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), which operates the hospital, has started an investigation into her care.
( Daily Mirror, 09.02.2024 )  ..  mirror.co.uk

The Massive Environmental Impact Of Eating Meat.
Biodiversity-conscious eaters could consider substituting potatoes for rice, cutting down on beef and lamb and asking where their beans, lentils and chickpeas are grown to reduce their impact on nature.
Scientists analysed 151 popular recipes around the world for their biodiversity impact.
They found meat dishes were the worst offenders: recipes including chilli con carne, salsa verde pork and a Spanish lamb dish called lechazo, all had high biodiversity damage scores compared with vegan and vegetarian ones.
The massive environmental impact of eating meat has been well established, and the study reinforced this, with meat dishes scoring more than vegetarian or vegan dishes across almost all locally and globally produced scenarios.
Brazilian-raised beef topped the charts.
( Sophie Kevany, 21.02.2024 )  ..  theguardian.com

Children With Mental Health Problems Waiting Months Or Even Years For A Consultant Appointment.
NHS England’s plan to move 40 000 children who are waiting for autism and ADHD consultations from its main waiting list to a separate community list will not help these children be seen quicker, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has said.
Spiralling waiting lists in child and adolescent mental health services mean that many children with autism, ADHD, and other conditions are waiting months or even years for appointments.
NHS England figures, analysed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, show that between July and September 2023, children with suspected autism spectrum conditions waited on average nine months from initial referral to consultation.
( British Medical Journal, 07.03.2024 )  ..  bmj.com

Popular Swimming Spots In England Are Polluted With Sewage.
“Conservative Ministers have let water firms rake in massive profits whilst letting them get away with environment vandalism”, said Liberal democratic MP Tim Farron.
400,000 hours of sewage water was pumped into designated bathing water sites in the past two years.
Only three rivers in England have sections designated for swimming, and all of them received a “poor” water quality rating from the Environment Agency in 2023.
Sewage spills and agricultural run-off mean that swimming sites can carry E coli and intestinal enterococci, which would make swimmers ill.
( Steph Spyro, 03.03.2024 )  ..  express.co.uk

Food In Restaurants Found To Be More Unhealthy In Deprived Areas.
Restaurants and takeaways with the unhealthiest menus are more likely to be found in deprived areas, while tourists hotspots such as Westminster in London have the healthiest food outlets, research suggests.
Researchers found an association between areas with high levels of deprivation, and food outlets with lower levels of healthiness.
The study found that the local authorities with the highest menu healthiness scores were Westminster, the City of London, and Kensington and Chelsea.
By contrast, the areas with the food outlets with the unhealthiest menus were North East Linconshire, Luton, and Kingston upon Hull.
( Tobi Thomas, 08.03.2024 )  ..  theguardian.com

Whooping Cough Cases In The UK Has Soared.
The number of whooping cough cases in the UK has soared – prompting health officials to raise concerns about vaccine uptake.
There were 553 new cases of the highly contagious infection in January 2024.
This compares with 858 cases for the whole of 2023.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes which can cause serious health problems.
Symptoms are similar to a cold at first but, after about a week, patients will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night.
Young babies may also make a distinctive “whoop” or have difficulty breathing after coughing.
The condition spreads very easily.
( Niamh Lynch, 07.03.2024 )  ..  news.sky.com