1. Smoking during pregnancy - Action plan

    News -

    Our smoking in pregnancy action plan ‘accelerates’ the move to appoint new stop-smoking advisor

  2. Health problems more common in babies with older fathers

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    A study of more than 40 million births in the US found babies born to men aged 45 or older were more likely to be born prematurely, have a low birth weight and need intensive care after birth than babies with younger fathers.

  3. Study shows a gap between pregnancies is beneficial

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    The NHS say that women should leave at least year between pregnancies

  4. Having a baby and the effect on your mental health

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    We want to hear about your experiences - whether having a baby had any effect on your mental health.

  5. Temporary closure of Cossham Birth Cenre

    News -

    Cossham Birth Centre temporary closure – letter from North Bristol Trust

  6. Discussion event on preventing cerebral palsy

    News -

    The Academic Health Science Network invite you to the following event: Wednesday 9th May 2018 from 11am - 2pm.

  7. Open letter shows progress in reopening health services ahead of winter

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    An open letter outlining plans to get services back to their pre-pandemic levels but still ensure everyone’s safety has been released.

  8. "This is another scandal where it’s clear that lessons from past tragedies haven’t been learnt" - Healthwatch England's response to the Ockenden review

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    Healthwatch England has responded to the Independent Review of Maternity Services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, led by Donna Ockenden. The review examined almost 1,600 clinical incidents and found repeated failures in care.

  9. 'The barriers to accessing timely care can put people’s lives at risk' - Healthwatch England's response to the Care Quality Commission's 'State of Care' report

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    The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. Their latest report sets out the challenges the NHS and social care sector face: 'the health and care system is gridlocked, unable to operate effectively.'

  10. Share your experience: maternal mental health

    News -

    Have you given birth since April 2020? Did you experience any mental health issues or emotional challenges such as low mood before getting pregnant? We'd like to hear your story and find out if you got the support you needed from the NHS.

  11. Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers, Healthwatch England warns

    News -

    Many women are struggling to access the support they need for their mental health during and after pregnancy. Only 1 in 5 were satisfied with the time their GP spent talking to them about their mental health at their six-week postnatal check.

  12. Continuity of care is crucial to addressing perinatal mental health

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    Research shows that continuity of care - receiving care from the same midwife or team of midwives - is best practice in maternity care. But we spoke to new mothers whose experiences show that services don’t always implement it.

  13. Our statement following the conviction of Lucy Letby

    News -

    Lucy Letby was found guilty on the 21st August 2023 of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016, while working as a nurse. She was also convicted of trying to kill six other infants.

  14. CQC again rates maternity services at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust as good

    News -

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report following an inspection of the maternity services at both Weston General Hospital and UHBW Bristol Main Site (St Michael’s Hospital), both run by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, in December.

  15. Prescriptions unavailable

    News -

    Why can’t I get a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine?

  16. Lloyds pharmacies in the South West to close

    News -

    Please see the attached letter from Lloyds advising of the pharmacies that are due to close in the South West.

  17. NHS England launches first leadership training programme

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    Hundreds of community pharmacists and technicians working across the NHS are being offered the opportunity to develop leadership and management skills on a training programme.

  18. Guidance on low value prescription items

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    NHS England will be leading a review of low value prescription items from April 2017 and introducing new guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), with a view to substantially saving NHS expenditure in this area.

  19. Cost of wasted medications

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    Healthcare leaders in the district are urging people to reduce medication waste. Repeat prescriptions which are no longer needed and people taking their medication incorrectly contribute to the hefty £1.2million annual spend on medication waste

  20. Stop medicine waste in North Somerset

    News -

    It’s predicted that wasting medicines costs £1.2 million a year in North Somerset, that’s equivalent to 75,000 GP appointments every year.

  21. Community pharmacy flu vaccines

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    NHS England announced it will recommission the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination programme in 2016, after nearly a quarter of a million more people benefited from vaccinations in a community pharmacy setting during the previous year

  22. Healthwatch North Somerset pop up shop

    News -

    Our pop up shop opens on Monday 23rd February at 10am. We will be in Unit 17 Collier’s Walk, Nailsea (opposite Burchill’s fruit and shop)

  23. A third of people in England lack confidence they can access critical NHS services

    News -

    Healthwatch England has warned that people need more confidence that the NHS can provide timely care as the winter period approaches. A third of adults in England lack confidence that they can access timely care, including GP services, mental health support and hospital care.

  24. Think Pharmacy First for common health conditions

    News -

    People can now get treatment for seven common health conditions directly from their local pharmacist, without needing a GP appointment.