
Picnics to promote breastfeeding in Hull and Bridlington
Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show only 46.2% of mothers in Hull continue to breastfeed their newborn babies after six to eight weeks, which is lower than the England average of 56.2%.However, in East Yorkshire the figure is 55.9%.The Bridlington Spa picnic is due to take place on 1 August between 10:00 and 12:00 BST, while the Hull event is to be held at the same time on 8 August.The trust said the events are open to mothers, children, family and friends.Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Huge 22-inch rat found in home
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The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Great Ormond Street Hospital surgeons forced to use mobile phone torches during surgery after power cut
Surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for children were forced to use mobile phone torches during an operation due to a power outage, the NHS's safety watchdog has found. The leading children's hospital has faced ongoing concerns over the maintenance of its estate and operating theatres, which have led to water leaks and power outages, according to a report by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC warned of 'recurrent' problems, including a power outage during spinal surgery and ventilation failures. The watchdog's inspection came after GOSH faced scrutiny over the care of hundreds of children by orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabber. In its report, the CQC said it found concerns around 'surgical accountability and oversight' at the trust. The news comes as the NHS in England faces a £14 billion backlog in estate maintenance spending, meaning hospital buildings are facing issues which can impact patient safety and lead to the cancellation of operations. Earlier this year, the National Audit Office warned that around 5,400 clinical service incidents occur in the NHS each year due to building or infrastructure failures. The CQC report's findings into building failures, first revealed by The Sunday Times, said: 'Concerns were raised about the maintenance of operating theatres and equipment safety. A recent power outage during a spinal surgery procedure required staff to use mobile phone torches to complete wound closure. 'This incident, alongside reports of water leaks affecting electrical systems and theatre closures due to filtration failures, indicated ongoing issues with estates and facilities management.' The CQC report said the trust took actions to address the problems; however, it warned there were 'recurrent theatre maintenance failures that had resulted in delayed or cancelled surgical procedures, impacting patient safety and access to timely care.' A spokeswoman for the trust said the incident was caused by an electrical system power failure and that an external review had been commissioned. The trust told The Sunday Times the surgical lights immediately over the patient remained during the power cut, but that theatre staff moving around the operating theatre had to use a phone torch to avoid cables and find the equipment needed. The Independent has approached GOSH over the use of physician associates to fill doctor rota gaps. According to the think tank, The Health Foundation, the NHS needs its capital spending to grow by 10.2 per cent a year between 2024-25 and 2029-30 to address its maintenance backlog, to invest in technology, buildings and equipment to improve services. Following the government's spending review, the capital budget for the Department for Health and Social Care is expected to grow by £2.3 billion from £10.9 billion in 2023-24 to £13.2 billion in 2025-26. Hospitals across the country report incidents due to poor infrastructure or building issues. Last month, Gloucester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust experienced an issue with its servers, which forced it to rely on paper ahead of a five-day junior doctor strike. According to the Sunday Times, in June, the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford was forced to close several wards and divert ambulances due to a burst pipe. St Helier Hospital in Sutton, which had to cancel urgent tests due to flooding, told the paper 'Our ageing hospitals are deteriorating faster than we can fix them — with issues such as floods, leaking roofs, and broken-down lifts, as well as buildings that have had to be demolished because the foundations are sinking'. Last year, the government identified more hospitals which had been impacted by a long-running issue of having reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) across its estates – a total of 47 hospitals have been identified.


The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Beloved grandma who ‘knew everyone' choked to death when care home staff gave her the wrong meal, inquest told
A BELOVED grandmother choked to death after being fed the wrong food in a care home. Joan Whitworth died at the Oaks Care Home in Northumberland after staff prepared her meal in a way which "did not comply with her diet plan". 3 3 3 An inquest heard the 88-year-old had lived with her daughter Gillian but moved into the facility when her dementia progressed. When eating a meal on March 3, 2023, Joan began to display signs of choking. But the inquest heard how a care assistant did not intervene and had to ask another staff member for help to deliver back slaps and abdominal thrusts. And, CPR was not performed due to the "inaccurate understanding of a registered nurse". Following the hearing, Northumberland's senior coroner Andrew Hetherington has written a "prevention of future deaths" report. The care home and NHS trust have 56 days to respond. The coroner concluded Joan died "in a care home as a result of choking". And in his written report, he outlined a total of six "matters of concern". Of these, one was regarding the NHS trust and five were directed to the care home's operator Hillcare. The first issue was found with the speech and language team. Joan's assessment had not been written down in a formal report, meaning observations of her eating had only been passed on verbally. The coroner also concluded that a nurse and care assistant at the home "were not in date with their training in Basic Life Support and First Aid at Work". The coroner added: "I am concerned that a chef in evidence at the inquest was not aware that breaded fish was not a suitable food stuff in the diet identified for the deceased. "I am concerned that other residents could be fed inappropriate food stuffs that are not in line with their identified diet plans." Bryan Smith, Joan's son-in-law, told ChronicleLive: "Right from the start, we knew what had happened - that they hadn't given her the right food. "We knew she hadn't been looked after. "The reason we have pursued this is that we knew what had happened." Bryan added how the family had been "shocked and astounded by the quantity and severity of the mistakes" that were highlighted in the inquest. He told how many families have shared similar "painful and shocking experiences". In a statement on behalf of the family read in court, they paid tribute: "Joan was a well loved character in Blyth. She was manager of Robson's shoe shop and then moved to the Water Board. "When we used to go shopping with Joan, it would take you an hour to get past the car park - as she knew everyone in Blyth with a tap or a pair of shoes!" A Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: 'All referrals to our speech and language therapy service are robustly triaged using a risk and evidence-based approach to inform the most appropriate care for that individual. This includes information on the referral form and discussion with the patient and / or those who care for them daily to gather the most up-to-date information. "We cannot comment further on this case due to patient confidentiality, but would like to offer our sincere condolences to Mrs Whitworth's family and loved ones." A spokesperson for The Oaks Care Home said: "We acknowledge the Coroner's report relating to the death of Joan Whitworth at our home in March 2023. Our thoughts remain with her family and loved ones. "Following the incident, we carried out a full review and made all necessary changes to our practices and procedures. These have been in place for some time and will be reflected in our formal response to the Coroner's report. The safety, dignity, and wellbeing of those in our care remain our highest priorities."