Doctors launch political party to challenge reforms

Doctors launch political party to challenge reforms:

Doctors will target 50 seats to push out mainstream MPs Related items from OnMedica Also in the press Doctors pledge NHS election fight Bill ‘spells the end of the NHS’ BMA demands Bill’s drastic revision or withdrawal Hundreds of GPs slam the health reforms NHS policy hampers integrated care commissioning

Schizophrenia care failings outlined

Schizophrenia care failings outlined: “Patient care of schizophrenics at all time low”, The Independent has reported, while Sky News called the treatment of schizophrenia patients “shameful”, and the BBC said care was falling “catastrophically short”.

The stories are based on a report from the Schizophrenia Commission, an independent group of experts that has conducted a year-long inquiry into schizophrenia care in England. The report says that 100 years since the term schizophrenia was first coined, it remains a stigmatised and misunderstood mental illness. The Commission says that, despite progress in some areas, it found “a broken and demoralised system that does not deliver the quality of treatment needed for recovery”.

NHS mandate dumps the targets to focus on improvements

NHS mandate dumps the targets to focus on improvements: Final document sets clear objectives, which reflect priorities managers are already pursuing, but fails on one crucial test
The first NHS mandate, which sets out the government's expectations of the health service to the NHS Commissioning Board, hardly represents freedom for managers and clinicians but it at least has the feel of moving to an open prison.

Depression in men 'regularly ignored'

Depression in men 'regularly ignored': Men are twice as likely as women to have their depression written off as nothing more than feeling a little low, according to a study of our attitudes to mental health. The Daily Telegraph

Number of people needing treatment for 'club drugs' rises

Number of people needing treatment for 'club drugs' rises:
The number of people needing treatment for “club drugs” such as ecstasy, ketamine and “meow meow” is creeping upwards, a new report has found. The Independent

A Survey of Primary Care Doctors in Ten Countries Shows Progress in Use of Health Information Technology, Less in Other Areas

A Survey of Primary Care Doctors in Ten Countries Shows Progress in Use of Health Information Technology, Less in Other Areas: More than two-thirds of U.S. primary care physicians were using electronic medical records in 2012, a substantial increase from 2009, when less than half had adopted the technology, a new Commonwealth Fund survey finds. But results also depict the U.S. as an outlier when it comes to affordability of health care. The Commonwealth Fund

Top ten facts about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance

Top ten facts about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance: To mark European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) on November 18 Professor David Livermore, an international expert on antibiotic resistance and the HPA’s lead in this key area has devised his top ten facts about antibiotic resistance and antibiotics. Health Protection Agency