Baby death East Kent NHS trust reaches 'turning point'
Kaye Wilson, chief midwife for the South East at NHS England, said: "This report marks a turning point for services at East Kent and is the result of the commitment, determination and sheer hard work of midwives, obstetricians and the whole maternity team."Only one maternity unit in south-east England received a better CQC rating, Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford, Surrey, which was outstanding.The changes to the classification of the two Kent units came after an unannounced inspection in December.Serena Coleman, CQC's deputy director of operations in Kent, said: "We found significant improvements and a better quality service for women, people using the service and their babies."This turnaround in ratings across both services demonstrates what can be achieved with strong and capable leaders who focus on an inclusive and positive culture."
The CQC report said concerns remained about the size of labour rooms, which were not always big enough to include essential equipment like infant resuscitation devices.Sarah Hayes, chief nursing and midwifery officer at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said the improvements were "important for our families, staff and our communities".The trust's overall rating and the overall rating for both hospitals remain unchanged, and rated as requires improvement.It said it planned to start a rebuild of the maternity unit in Margate later this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
7 minutes ago
- The Sun
Health officials warn of ‘serious' virus ‘twice as contagious as a cold' – good hygiene isn't enough to slow the spread
HEALTH officials in the UK have warned of a virus "nearly twice as contagious" as the common cold and "far more serious" amid ongoing outbreaks. Getting vaccinated can help people avoid catching and spreading it, they add. 2 The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging Brits to catch up on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as fears grow over the spread of measles. Earlier this month, a child who was ill with measles, as well as other health problems, died at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. It was the first measles death in the UK in nearly a decade, since 2006. In a statement, the hospital said it was "concerned about the increasing number of children and young people who are contracting measles". It added it had treated 17 children for effects and complications of measles since June. It's not known whether the child who died had received the MMR vaccine, but the jab has been found to be 97 per cent effective against measles and rubella after two doses. The UKHSA has issued a reminder to those who have missed one or both doses of the MMR vaccine to contact their GP to get vaccinated as soon as possible. In a post on X, it warned: "Think the common cold spreads fast? Measles is nearly twice as contagious, and far more serious. "Unlike a common cold, simple hygiene measures aren't enough to slow its spread. "The MMR vaccine is your best protection." It also posted a GIF which read: "Measles is one of the most infectious diseases in the world. It can be passed very easily from person to person. "The 'R number' for measles is 15. This means that one person with measles would infect 15 others. "Compared to five other key respiratory infections (R number): 1st Measles - R15; 2nd Common Cold - R8; 3rd Mumps - R7; 4th Norovirus - R4; 5th Covid-19 - R3; 6th Influenza - R1.7. "The MMR vaccine is the best and safest way to avoid catching and spreading measles. "When most people are protected by vaccination, it's harder for the disease to spread. If you or your child missed one or both doses of the MMR, contact your GP practice to arrange your free vaccination." Cases of measles have been rising in the UK and around the world, with more than 500 reported since January in England alone. The majority of cases have been reported in children aged 10 and under, but young people and adults have also been diagnosed with the virus. A rise in cases has been attribute to a fall in vaccine uptake. Measles is spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. You're infectious from when you first have symptoms (around four days before the rash appears) until four days after you get the rash. 2 The main symptoms of measles MEASLES is highly contagious and can cause serious problems in some people. The infection usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. The first signs include: A high temperature A runny or blocked nose Sneezing A cough Red, sore, watery eyes Small white spots may then appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips. A rash tends to come next. This usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. The spots are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They are not normally itchy. The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on darker skin. Complications are rare, but measles can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, blindness, seizures, and sometimes death. Source: NHS The best way to avoid spreading or catching measles, according to the NHS, is to washing your hands often with soap and warm water, use tissues when you cough or sneeze, and to throw used tissues in the bin,. You should also avoid sharing cutlery, cups, towels, clothes, or bedding. Latest figures reveal MMR vaccination rates in England have fallen below the recommended 95 per cent threshold for both the first and second doses. The threshold needs to be met to achieve herd immunity, says the World Health Organisation (WHO). Getting the vaccine not only protect yourself against three serious infections, but helps to protect others who can't have the vaccine. This includes unborn babies, infants who are too young to have the vaccine and children or adults who can't have the vaccine because they have weakened immune systems. The UKHSA advises: "This will help to prevent large outbreaks of disease. "You should also have the vaccine if you work with young children or care for people as part of your work." Expert answers MMR questions TO help deal with parental concerns, Professor Helen Bedford, a specialist in child public health at University College London, tells you all you need to know about the MMR vaccine. When is the vaccine given? The MMR vaccine is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme. It's typically given via a single shot into the muscle of the thigh or the upper arm. The first dose is offered to children at the age of one (babies younger than this may have some protection from antibodies passed on from their mother, which start to wear off at about 12 months.) The second dose is then offered to children aged three years and four months before they start school. To check to see if you or your child have had the recommended two doses of MMR, you can look at their/your Personal Child Health Record, also known as the red book. If you can't find the red book, call your GP and ask them for your vaccine records. You are never too old to catch up with your MMR vaccine. If you see from your vaccination records that you did not receive two doses as a child, you can book a vaccination appointment. Is the vaccine safe? The MMR vaccine is safe and effective at preventing measles, mumps and rubella. In the UK, we started using the jab in 1988, so we have decades of experience using it. The jab is made from much-weakened live versions of the three viruses. This triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that are protective in the face of future exposure. It takes up to three weeks after having the vaccine to be fully protected. Like any vaccine, the MMR jab can cause side-effects, which are usually mild and go away very quickly. This includes rash, high temperature, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell for about two or three days. There is also a very small chance children can have a severe allergic reaction. But compared to the complications of measles, there is no contest that vaccination is by far the safest and most effective route to take. Why was it linked with autism? In 1998, Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues published a now-discredited paper in medical journal The Lancet. The paper suggested that the MMR vaccine might be associated with autism and a form of bowel disease. It led to a sharp decline in vaccination rates. Even at the time, the research was considered poor. The Lancet retracted the story in 2010 after Wakefield's article was found 'dishonest' by the General Medical Council. He was later struck off and subsequently, in 2011, the British Medical Journal declared the story fraudulent. Does it contain ingredients from pigs? There are two types of MMR jabs: One with gelatin (animal/pig collagen), and one without it. For some religious groups, the inclusion of pig products is not acceptable. Those people should ask for the vaccine without gelatin.
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NHS braced for MORE chaos as nurses 'vote to reject their pay deal' and could join junior doctors on strike
The NHS is braced for more chaos amid fears nurses will reject their pay deal and join junior doctors in taking strike action. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been holding a vote among its members on the 3.6 per cent pay rise, with the results to be announced later this week. The trade union has previously branded the pay offer as 'grotesque' as doctors, teachers, prison officers and the Armed Forces all received a bigger increase. They have claimed nursing staff will see the pay rise 'entirely swallowed up by inflation '. According to the BBC, the results of the RCN vote will show an 'overwhelming' rejection of the deal. Union bosses are expected to demand the Government negotiate over the summer to avoid a formal ballot for strike action in the autumn. It comes days after GMB health workers, including ambulance crews, rejected the Government's pay deal. The union said its members voted by 67 per cent against the 3.6 per cent pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. Thousands of resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, began a five-day walkout on Friday. Relations between the Government and British Medical Association (BMA) have soured amid their own dispute about pay. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the union will not be allowed to 'hold the country to ransom' after receiving a 28.9 per cent pay award over the last three years, the highest across the public sector. But the BMA has said, despite this uplift, pay for resident doctors has declined by a fifth since 2008 once inflation is taken into account. Mr Streeting is now braced for a separate dispute with nurses over pay, following the closure of the RCN vote. An RCN spokesman said: 'The results will be announced to our members later this week. 'As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the Government must urgently begin to turn that around.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said new full-time nurses would receive £30,000 in basic pay for the first time this year following previous pay rises. They added: 'This Government is clear we can't move any further on headline pay but will work with the RCN to improve their major concerns, including pay structure reform, concerns on career progression and wider working conditions.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to ban doctors' strikes if the Conservatives return to power. She vowed to introduce legislation to block medics from taking widespread industrial action, placing the same restrictions on them that apply to police officers and soldiers. The Tory plans would see minimum service level requirements - which were brought in for some sectors by the previous government and scrapped by Labour - introduced across the health service. The only people restricted from going on strike in the UK under existing laws are police officers and members of the Armed Forces.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Tynemouth teens tackle Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis in friend's memory
Two teenagers are about to complete a mountain challenge in memory of their friend who died nine weeks Adams had planned to do the Three Peaks Challenge with his friends but died from an extremely rare cancer which affects only two in a million his diagnosis in December 2022, the 18-year-old from Tynemouth took on many adventures in the hope of carrying on as normally as young air cadet finished the 84-mile (134km) Hadrian's Wall path last August, took part in long-distance bike rides, sat his GCSEs and finished his A-level studies. But the neuroendocrine cancer paraganglioma spread through his abdomen and his health declined rapidly in the Easter school holidays."He was somebody who always had a sense of humour, he was always there for you if you needed and he was very popular and reliable," says Matthew's mother Jane Hall."We are very proud of him." Ms Hall says she still feels like "he might walk through the door still and he hasn't really gone away". "I talk to him in my head all the time, I tell him what I am doing."Her son's close friends, Andrew Fairhurst and Max Whitelaw, both 18 and also from Tynemouth, decided to continue with Matthew's plan for the Three Peaks Challenge and hike the highest mountains in England, Scotland and have already scaled the 3,560ft (1,085m) of Snowdon in Wales and the 3,210ft (978m) of Scafell in Cumbria. Now they are taking on the might of Ben Nevis, the highest of the three at 4,413ft (1,345m). Ms Hall has helped organise the fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle."I am very proud of Andrew and Max taking on the Three Peaks," she says."It was something Matthew wanted to do. Right up until Easter he was still planning doing it."The hope is to raise awareness of paraganglioma, a rarity in someone of Matthew's age and with a genetic link. It presented as benign tumours in his abdomen - discovered when he went into hospital with a suspected burst appendix - but became untreatable once it began to spread. "It is quite unique not having him here with us," Andrew says."I am sure he would have loved it if he was and there would have been lots of laughing."Max says the whole plan was Matthew's idea."He was the one that came up with the massive trips and bike trips so it is a nice way to honour him."As they trek up the rocky paths, Andrew and Max are wearing special t-shirts bearing Matthew's picture."When they get to each peak, if they are wearing the t-shirts, there is a little bit of him there with them," Ms Hall says. On the friends' online fundraising page, Max says the death of a friend they have know since they were little "has left a massive hole in the lives of everyone who knew him".The teenagers have so far raised more than eight times their £1,000 target. Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
