Health

Queen Elizabeth Hospital asks new mums to provide their own pain relief

A hospital is asking new mums to take their own pain relief tablets in with them. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, says time will be saved by women taking in their own paracetamol and ibuprofen to use after giving birth. But it also points out that the painkillers cost around £1 to buy but can be 15 times as ...

Read More »

Cancer wait times cause for concern

More than 1,700 patients waited up to an hour to be transferred from an ambulance to the Pilgrim Hospital. The figures were revealed in a report to the South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group. Members were also told that, aside from the 1,731 people who waited up to an hour, there were 714 who waited more than an hour to be ...

Read More »

Cancer support team in Spalding next week

Free Macmillan cancer advice and support is coming to Spalding next week to provide advice and promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Wednesday, October 18, Macmillan Cancer Support’s mobile service will be at Hall Place, Spalding, from 10am till 4pm. Cancer information specialists will be on hand to answer questions and provide information. The team encourages anyone with worries relating ...

Read More »

Holbeach to host free Alzheimer’s carers support course

Free Alzheimer’s carers support courses will take place throughout Lincolnshire this autumn and winter. Organised by Alzheimer’s Society, the Carers Information and Support Programme courses are designed to offer the chance for attendees to learn more about the condition and how it affects people. The courses begin in September throughout Lincolnshire, with the South Holland course taking place in Holbeach, ...

Read More »

Special measures for Pilgrim Hospital NHS Trust

The trust which runs Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital has been put in financial special measures. The United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust is £30.7m in debt and a new director has been appointed by NHS. Improvement after the trust predicted a shortfall of £75m by the end of the year. The trust had already been put in clinical special measures by the ...

Read More »

LETTER: Stay safe in the water

The school holidays are now well under way, and Sea Cadets – a national youth charity with 400 units across the UK – is urging people to stay safe as it launches its Water Savvy campaign. More than 300 people drowned in the UK last year, and more suffered life-changing injuries through near-drowning. But many of these tragic incidents could ...

Read More »

Patients at King’s Lynn hospital help with medical studies

More than 800 hospital patients across South Lincolnshire, King’s Lynn and Cambridgeshire are assisting with medical studies. Medical research at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, has seen a 116 per cent increase in participants in the past 12 months. The increase in willing patients has resulted in Dr Antonia Hardcastle’s Research and Development Team setting up more studies to ...

Read More »

Getting South Holland walking for health

A scheme aimed at getting more people in South Holland walking has celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Walking for Health initiative held a special event at the South Holland Centre which was attended by 130 walk leaders and volunteers. New members are always welcome to join the club which has eight walking clubs across the district offering 13 walks. A ...

Read More »

Care company still needs to improve

A South Holland care company is continuing to breach legal requirements and has been issued with warning notices. Atlas Care Services was inspected last year and four breaches were revealed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors. A follow-up inspection was conducted in June to check the company had followed its plan to meet the requirements. This report has just ...

Read More »

Hive of activity for Capricorn Cottage

Work is well under way on a new purpose-built cafe in the grounds of Capricorn Cottages.   The new Hive Cafe will be officially opened later this month by Coun Rodney Grocock, chairman of South Holland District Council.   The 34-bed residential home for people with learning disabilities is providing the cafe for residents so they can enjoy a drink ...

Read More »

Sue shows a new pathway for mums to have homebirth

More expectant mothers in parts of South Holland will be now able to enjoy the ‘satisfying and precious’ experience of a home birth thanks to an extended midwife-led service.   Community team leader Sue Hasnip has more than three decades of experience in delivering babies and is part of the team providing the Midwife-Led Pathway introduced by the Queen Elizabeth ...

Read More »

ULHT fined £1 million plus £160,000 costs following death of patient from Spalding

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been fined £1 million and ordered to pay £160,000 prosecution costs following the death of a patient from Spalding at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital.   The Trust was found guilty by a jury following a trial earlier this year of failing to discharge a duty of care in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act ...

Read More »

Mourning family warn others over diabetes dangers

The family of a 33-year-old South Holland man who died as a result of complications from diabetes are warning people to take the condition extremely seriously.   Ashley Grimwood died last month after an eight-week spell in Peterborough hospital and his funeral is due to be held in Moulton today (Friday).   But his mum Susan Lowe, of May Blossom ...

Read More »

Third of care homes in South Holland are not up to scratch

Almost a third of residential care, retirement and nursing homes in South Holland are not up to scratch according to inspectors.   Of 30 homes in the postal areas of Spalding and Holbeach, whilst the majority are ranked “good,” nine have been rated “requires improvement” in their most recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.   Richard Barclay, of Age UK ...

Read More »

Lives can be saved with obesity action

More than 150 serious illnesses will be prevented and up to five lives saved if weight loss support programmes are rolled out in Lincolnshire, it has been suggested.     South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) told The Voice estimates are that £805,000 would be saved in reduced reliance on healthcare services relating to those individuals.   The estimates were ...

Read More »

New report shines light on future health needs of Lincolnshire

Population growth in South Holland has been higher than anywhere in Lincolnshire outside of Boston in recent years and will continue, a new report says. The Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) – which will help inform future health commissioning – highlights increased rates of domestic violence in the district, the lowest county figure for adult activity rates and some ...

Read More »

£39,200 to Holbeach Hospital to maintain help in community

Holbeach Hospital has been gifted £39,200 by Holbeach Nursing Association to enable it to continue to help the local community.   Holbeach Nursing Association (originally Holbeach Sick Poor Fund) was set up before the Health Service was established in order to provide help to the local community to cover the extras required when illness happened in a family. Over the ...

Read More »

Kieran’s specialist cancer treatment in USA gets under way

Specialist cancer treatment in America for Deeping St Nicholas lad Kieran Taylor got under way on Tuesday (June 20). The seven-year-old, who had a brain tumour removed last year, will have daily proton beam therapy for six weeks in Florida. The NHS-sponsored therapy, currently not available in the UK, deals with types of cancer in critical areas when it is ...

Read More »

Moulton Medical Centre improves to ‘good’ rating

Moulton Medical Centre has been given a “good” bill of health by the Care Quality Commission. A recent inspection was carried out with the purpose of ensuring “sufficient improvement” after a “requires improvement” rating in 2015. The latest report, published last month, gave a “good” rating in all assessed categories: safe, effective, caring, well led, responsive to people’s needs. Key ...

Read More »

More beds and 20 new jobs planned at Holbeach Hospital

Directors of Holbeach Hospital are hopeful of securing a second planning consent to increase its beds by a total 50 per cent and potentially create around 20 new caring roles. A few weeks ago, the hospital, which has a focus on nursing, residential and end-of-life care, got consent for an eight-bed expansion. Plans now awaiting determination are for an additional ...

Read More »