Excl: London paramedics and ambulance staff experienced more than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse last year, new figures have revealed.
Incidents included paramedics being attacked with weapons, sexually assaulted and targeted with verbal abuse.
Big thanks to
@HelpforHeroes
and Russell Hunt for this chat in the Standard ahead of the Invictus Games this Sat. We spoke about representing Team UK, overcoming PTSD and the value of the Games after two years of cancellations
Bit of job news: from next Wednesday I will be starting as the Evening Standard's health reporter, taking over from the great
@RossLydall
. Keen to hear from NHS staff & patients on the most important health issues facing the capital. DMs open!
New: A team at
@GSTTnhs
completed a week's worth of prostate ops in one day as part of a 'high intensity list'.
Pleasure to chat to
@dr_imranahmad
and
@benchallacombe
. An amazing achievement by their team and sign of what a well-staffed NHS can achieve.
London institution
@NHSBartsHealth
has now been treating patients for an astonishing 900 years.
To mark the anniversary,
@Barts_Charity
has launched a fundraising campaign for a new breast cancer centre which could save lives in east London.
The son and daughter of Anoosheh Ashoori, who was today released from Iranian detention, told me of their immense relief that their father would be coming home. They thanked the civil service for their “tireless” work to bring him back
Spent a morning with staff on the frontline at Northwick Park, in Harrow, for this longer piece exploring some of the issues no doubt facing every London hospital.
A huge thanks to
@LNWH_NHS
for having me.
Dozens of patients were forced to queue outside a south London GP surgery this morning after struggling to get an appointment online.
“You dread someone in the family becoming ill as it is so stressful trying to get an appointment," said one patient.
Thank you
@DanPKeane
for covering the plight of
#forgotten500k
and
#immunocompromised
and their hopes for more covid protection by Christmas 🎄🤶. The entire global literature has been reviewed. Patients, clinicians and charities are glad that he's covered it so well! Thanks. 🙏
Friends said Dr Halim was ‘a gift of a man’ who gave everything for his patients. He died of Covid after working in the ICU at Swindon Hospital. A day to remember him and all of the NHS workers who have given so much in this pandemic.
Pleasure to visit
@JamesPlaceUK
in Moorgate to see the work they are doing to combat male suicide - the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50.
The centre provide free, life-saving treatment to men in a suicidal crisis.
Letters written by people bereaved by suicide will be shared on billboards over the next 2wks as part of a campaign to address mental health stigma. They were compiled by
@suicideandco
following a social media callout - full details in our piece today
Just in: London Ambulance Service confirm strikes will be going ahead from midday to midnight on Weds. Will involve members of UNISON who staff ambulances & other response vehicles but not 999 or 111 call handlers.
A teenage girl who survived a rare form of childhood cancer has revealed that she has dreams of becoming a paediatric nurse, inspired by the team of
@StGeorgesTrust
medics who saved her life.
#journorequest
On the lookout in the next 3-4 weeks for health stories relating to the cost-of-living crisis in London. Very much in the brainstorming stage so happy to chat ideas! Can be data or case study-led. DMs open.
Great to chat to
@Daltmann10
and
@gezmedinger
about their fascinating new book on long Covid, published yesterday.
Prof Altmann warns that the condition, which 2.3m Britons say they are affected by, could become a burden on the NHS in the long-term.
First attempt at a column: how London's housing crisis and the exorbitant cost of childcare is forcing young couples out of the city, and what this could mean in the long run.
✍️
@DanPKeane
: The simple, inarguable truth is that most couples will shun having a child until they can own their own home. For anyone without well-off parents, this is now a pipe dream
Read here:
NEW: Surgeons at
@ChelwestFT
performed a record 24 endometriosis operations in two days using a High Intensity Theatre list, amid a backlog of treatment for women suffering from the condition.
Big thanks to
@jeffreyahmed
&
@DoctorAmerRaza
for sharing!
Likely my last ever byline in the daily Evening Standard, which will become a weekly title next week after nearly 200 years.
A lovely heartwarming story to go out on, exceptional work by
@DrOJeelani
and his team👇
Spoke to Health Sec Therese Coffey yday, who appeared not to be backing down one bit on nursing strikes.
She claimed Govt 'already intervened' to help nurses struggling with cost of living.
Most of the nurses I have spoken to in London would disagree..
In today’s Standard:
@Ldn_Ambulance
paramedic Charlotte Miller bravely speaks out about her sexual assault experience in the hope it will encourage others to seek justice.
In 2022 there were 49 sexual assaults on LAS staff or volunteers & a further 516 physical assaults.
One in 5 people with multiple sclerosis don’t have enough money to pay for the vital medication they need, according to new data from the MS Society.
One in 20 had used a food bank in the last year, while 40% said they had borrowed money to make ends meet.
More patients are stuck in London hospitals waiting to be discharged than when the Government announced a £750m package of funding in the winter to speed up discharges six months ago, it has emerged.
Some positive news: London has recorded no weekly monkeypox cases for the first time in over four months.
There were no new or suspected infections in the week up to November 7.
In today's Standard: Ambulance staff in London will receive panic buttons & recording devices to help secure prosecutions against people who assault frontline medics.
Over 260 staff & volunteers reported physical assaults & 429 non-physical assaults in the first 6 months of 2022.
As nurses take to picket line again today, the
@RCNLondon
's Mark Farmer tells the Standard that members are "stretched beyond belief" by NHS crisis.
Wait times for union's counselling service, which offers mental health support, are “off the charts”.
Excl: A Ukrainian Orchestra set to play at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival could face a £18k visa bill.
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, comprised of refugees & top musicians, face a battle to secure funds to play in the UK.
Pleasure to chat to
@mykolska
whose team is doing amazing work creating an open source database to record some of the worst atrocities being committed in Ukraine.
In today's Standard: The life expectancy in the poorest & richest quintile of London is as high as 17 years.
@SoniaAdesara
says poverty is impacting Londoners' "ability to have a decent life", with poor access to good housing & nutrition affecting health outcomes.
Excl: The gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas of London has increased as house prices rise in a study showing how polarised the capital has become.
Fascinating research led by
@imperialcollege
scientists.
A London teenager has become one of the first patients in the world to receive pioneering neurosurgery that will allow doctors to access real-time data from the brain.
Great news from
@EvelinaLondon
Today’s splash: London’s birth rate has fallen by a fifth in a decade amid soaring cost of housing, IVF & childcare.
London now by far has the lowest overall birth rate in the UK, with fears that more schools could close or be forced to cut teachers.
Elizabeth Line is a dream: As the capital’s biggest ever transport project prepares to open in 11 days time, Daniel Keane hops on for the journey from Paddington to Whitechapel 🚆
@charlinebm
@keaano
As part of our investigation into hunger in schools I spoke to
@DrMikeMckean
and
@Dr_A_Creedon
about how poor diets & food insecurity are jeopardising the health of a generation of children.
“Children's health has got dramatically worse in the past 20 years," Dr McKean says. 🧵
Some positive news for asthma sufferers in London today as Royal Brompton begins rollout of Tezepelumab.
Clinical trials have found patients have 79% lower risk of being admitted to hospital or A&E than those not on the treatment.
@GSTTnhs
A London academic is working with doctors in Gaza to help design the world’s first treatment manual for children suffering from blast injuries.
Pleasure to chat with Imperial’s Dr Emily Mayhew about her work 👇
People living in poorer areas of London are far more likely to be admitted to hospital & die with a lung condition.
Analysis by
@asthmalunguk
finds Tower Hamlets, Greenwich, Barking & Dagenham, Bexley & Newham have highest rates of serious disease.
@rugbyrat1
@SeanMcLoughlin
@British_Airways
Hi Natalie, my names Daniel and I’m a reporter from the evening standard. I’m covering the events in Heathrow this evening and I noticed your tweet, would you be happy to speak to me briefly more about what happened with your baggage?
Tatiana Bland, a Ukrainian woman living in London, has told of her agony after Vladimir Putin’s forces shelled her childhood home in Mykolayiv last month. Her mum narrowly escaped the missile.
New: The first trial of its kind in the UK has found that mental health care could be key to reducing admissions & hospital stays from severe diabetes.
Really interesting work from
@psychdiab
&
@NHSBartsHealth
highlighting need for joined up physical/mental health care.
More than 1,000 child health professionals have written to PM Liz Truss urging her to speed up the publication of the white paper on health disparities. Our story today 👇
“The fact that hundreds of paediatricians have signed this open letter is a clear signal to governments that change is crucial."
@RCPCHPresident
Read more on letters to UK Governments to
#ShiftTheDial
on child health inequalities. 👇
i never thought anything would top finals for stress, but editing this magazine genuinely did. congrats to everyone at
@DecodeMag
for getting it over the line. now to wait til June 14th for the print copies !
Two years on from the UK's first known Covid death, I spoke to Elaine Manderson, the lead critical care nurse at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, to reflect on the first few months of the pandemic and the incredible efforts of NHS staff.
Absolute pleasure to chat to Tim Campbell ahead of this evening’s Apprentice final about his childhood in Forest Gate and why mentorship is so important for young people
Urgent call for return of acute mental health beds in Westminster after the closure of the Gordon Hospital in March 2020.
There is currently not a single mental health bed in Westminster borough, despite a sevenfold increase in the number of referrals.
A Russian group of cyber criminals named Qilin has been blamed for the attack on pathology services affecting several London hospitals.
Worth noting this is the second attack on provider Synlab in 2 months, with labs in Italy hacked in April.
Children living in London’s most deprived boroughs are at greater risk of an asthma attack when they return to school, a charity has warned.
Important piece of data analysis by
@asthmalunguk
showing the link between poverty, pollution and lung conditions.
Me for the ES podcast on Boris Johnson's performance at the Covid inquiry today, and why the real learning from the inquiry will take place behind closed doors in the NHS and UKHSA.👇
🎙️The Standard Podcast
🗣️ "I don't think some of his answers have been convincing"
@DanPKeane
tells
@Jonweeks5
what he thinks Boris Johnson's appearance at the Covid Inquiry 🔍
🎧Listen 👇
Protesters to gather at Royal Free today over plans to close the hospital's maternity unit.
@TulipSiddiq
warns the changes could see "vulnerable mothers lose out the most".
But NHS claims the move is needed due to falling birth rate and staff shortages.
Spoke to Lewisham mayor
@damienegan
this week about how a diversion scheme for young Londoners caught with cannabis could help fix a “broken system”. Comes as a poll for the Standard found the majority of Londoners backed the scheme
Exc: Doctors will cycle around London & treat homeless people using the UK’s first “fold out health clinic” attached to a tricycle.
@uclh
“Find & Treat” team to screen thousands of homeless people in the capital each year for tuberculosis, HIV & Covid.
Excl: Finland's ambassador to the UK has said the country is "committed" to Nato for the long haul in the face of the Kremlin's threats of 'consequences'.
Jukka Siukosaari said joining the alliance would help Finland "maximise" its security.
As part of the Standard's
#OnTheBreadLine
campaign I've been speaking to Londoners whose health has been impacted by living in mouldy, damp properties.
The conditions that far too many people are living in in this city are unacceptable. 🧵
London paramedics are spending their entire shift with patients waiting in A&E, says chief paramedic of the London Ambulance Service.
Latest figs show crews had to wait more than 30 mins in 29 per cent of arrivals to London hospitals in week up to Dec 11.
New: Healthcare leaders have written to the Government demanding the "urgent" expansion of the Free School Meals scheme to all households on Universal Credit.
The letter, co-ordinated by The
@Food_Foundation
, warns ministers to 'protect children's health'.
Thousands of pensioners have been forced to sell their homes to pay for social care in the past decade - a process described by families as agonising. In pg10 of The Times today
One of London’s busiest A&Es urgently needs more beds to cope with future winters, an NHS trust leader tells the Standard.
Pippa Nightingale, CEO of London North West University NHS Trust, said that Northwick Park hospital ‘simply doesn’t have enough beds’.
Our full chat below👇
The world is facing a very serious hunger crisis as the war in Ukraine drags on.
👇A thread on the situation & some of the short & long-term issues facing governments from my latest
@standardnews
piece.
Brilliant story by
@nicholascecil
on the 10th anniversary of Ella Kissi-Debrah's tragic death.
London continues to suffer the worst fatality rate from air pollution in England.
“We cannot afford to have another generation of children breathing toxic air, it is morally indefensible,” Dr
@CamillaKingdon
, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, tells
@DanPKeane
health expert of
@EveningStandard
This past week I've been speaking to nurses and
@RCNLondon
members about the cost of living crisis and the state of the NHS. Many in London are struggling with bills, rent hikes & relentless working hours.
Our long read from today 👇
Today’s Standard front page with
@nicholascecil
&
@RachaelBurford
. More than 22,000 Londoners waiting more than 12 hours in A&E in Feb - illustrating the scale of the emergency care crisis before BMA strikes.
Fears over patient safety in the strike-hit NHS grew on Monday as official figures showed more than 22,000 Londoners waited over 12 hours to be seen in A&E in one month alone
#frontpage
🗞️
Prof Kevin Fong has just delivered some of the most powerful testimony of the Covid Inquiry so far.
He described a visit to a hospital in Dec 2020 as “a scene from hell”.
“There were so few staff that some nurses wore adult diapers as they could not take a toilet break”.
NEW: Junior doctors will stage a 72-hour walkout in March if they vote for strikes, the BMA have announced.
A ballot of 45,000 junior docs will open on Monday. No emergency or A&E care will be provided if action does take place, BMA says, setting it apart from nursing union.
In pg12 of the Standard today. Hundreds of students in London will boycott nightclubs this evening after a horrific spate of spiking incidents.
Students are urging clubs and universities to improve safeguarding policies for women.
Great to chat to
@jamesjohnson252
,
@ReicherStephen
&
@robertjwest
to get their thoughts on the future of the pandemic response. Imposing any stringent measures are likely to be far more difficult for ministers given this week's revelations about the Downing St Xmas party...
With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly across the UK just as Christmas approaches,
@DanPKeane
investigates whether a British public that has readjusted to near-normality would be as willing to stay at home once again if asked
Urge everyone to watch
@BBCOne
‘s brilliant Coping In Construction set to air this eve.
An average of two construction workers take their own lives a day, according to the ONS. There is v little/no support in place for most workers.
Today's front page: Londoners urged to only call 999 in an emergency tomorrow during ambulance strikes.
Unison & LAS confident that strict contingencies in place to assure patient safety, but no movement on pay after talks with Govt who are yet to make "tangible" offer.
Ambulance chief urges London not to call 999 during tomorrow's strike unless it is life or limb-threatening to “help fellow Londoners in their time of need”
#frontpage
🗞️
Today, I have waived the visa fees for two Ukrainian orchestras coming to the UK to perform at classical music events this summer, including the
@BBCProms
and
@EdIntFest
. The UK welcomes you and we continue in our unwavering support for Ukraine.
#WeStandWithUkraine
🇬🇧🇺🇦
Excl: Scientists on Wednesday hailed a “milestone” in mental health research as the world’s largest trial into whether magic mushrooms can treat depression was launched at a south London hospital.
On today’s front page with
@nicholascecil
. Chief of
@Ldn_Ambulance
’s plea to only call 999 in a “life or limb” emergency during ambulance strike. Unison head of health Sara Gorton says workers ‘torn with guilt when they can’t get to patients on time’
In today’s Standard: A fascinating & vital piece of research by
@joannalewisnews
and
@DrBede
into how east London’s Somali community was devastated by Covid-19.
Studies like this are so important in tackling London’s deeply rooted health inequalities.
Sunday: A nation unites for Her Majesty's Jubilee🥰
Monday: pissing rain, cramming onto a packed bus as the Tube is on strike and the Government is falling apart again.
A London mum whose baby developed meningitis after contracting Group B Strep has called for greater awareness of the disease and backed an NHS trial seeking to increase early detection and diagnosis.
'We had strikes...that is the reason waiting lists are going up.'
@NickFerrariLBC
asks Rishi Sunak why 7.9 million people are currently waiting for NHS treatment.
Senior doctors warn measles outbreak could be 'disastrous' for NHS as London cases rise.
V important intervention from
@RCPCHtweets
on measles today, as paediatricians urged to check for vaccination status and look out for symptoms.
Central Middlesex Hospital will investigate the impact of sickle cell disease on eyesight loss. Positive news as funding for research into the condition is low.