Men's Health Week 10 - 16 June 2013

Men's Health Week 10 - 16 June 2013: It's Men's Health Week and the theme this year is 'Let's Talk About It', encouraging men to talk about their feelings and their health. 72% of people who get help for depression... NHFT News

Hospital 'killed' child, says mother

Hospital 'killed' child, says mother: A woman plans legal action against a hospital she says "completely failed" her toddler, resulting in the child's death. BBC Northamptonshire

Designing improvement around the people we care for

Designing improvement around the people we care for: The more we involve patients, the more we make their experience of care better. We can identify the places where the system isn’t working and fix it, says Jan Davies from 1000 Lives Plus. The Health Foundation

Call to ban sales on maternity wards

Call to ban sales on maternity wards: Reps who sell to new mothers on hospital wards should be banned, the online parenting forum Mumsnet has urged. BBC News

Child heart surgery report due

Child heart surgery report due: The results of a review of plans to stop children's heart surgery at three hospitals in England will be published later. BBC News

See also:

• Leeds campaigners hope Jeremy Hunt will save children's heart unit The Guardian

NHS 'must do more to prevent falls'

NHS 'must do more to prevent falls': The NHS needs to do more to prevent falls in hospitals, warns a health watchdog. BBC News

See also:

• Action needed to reduce hospital falls: a "one size fits all" approach will not work, warns NICE NICE
• Not enough done to prevent hospital falls Public Service
• 90 patients die from falls in hospital in one year The Daily Telegraph
• Hospitals should assess patients for risk of falling, experts say The Guardian

The lost boy

The lost boy: Do suicidal adolescents receive enough support? BBC News

Primary care faces 'radical change' in next two years, says Nicholson

Primary care faces 'radical change' in next two years, says Nicholson: Outgoing NHS England chief executive Sir David Nicholson has hit out at media attacks on GPs, but called for 'radical change' to primary care over the next two or three years. GP Online

Prepared to care? Exploring the impact of caring on people's lives

Prepared to care? Exploring the impact of caring on people's lives: The findings from this report show that support is not being made available to new carers with often devastating consequences. It outlines the emotional, physical and financial effects that caring can have as people are not prepared for the impact of the role. The report highlights the need for greater support for carers including better access to information; flexible working practices; and financial support in a fair and easy to navigate welfare system.

• Report
• Key recommendations
• Infographic
• Carers Trust - news

CCG outcomes interactive tool

CCG outcomes interactive tool: In December 2012, NHS England published a set of information packs for CCGs and local authorities that set out key data to inform the local position on outcomes. Following feedback, this tool has been produced which allows users to view maps, charts and tables of individual outcome indicators across CCGs.The CCG outcomes explorer tool allows users to explore the relationships between two outcomes or between demographic information and outcomes.CCG outcomes tool

Decision over e-cigarettes and 'vaping' imminent

Decision over e-cigarettes and 'vaping' imminent: An announcement is expected soon about whether electronic cigarettes are to be licensed and regulated as an aid to quit smoking.

Medical experts and trading standards officials have urged the government to classify e-cigarettes – battery-operated devices that mimic cigarettes – as a form of nicotine-replacement therapy, which would mean stringent checks by medicine regulator the MHRA.
At the moment, e-cigarettes are only covered by general product safety legislation, meaning they can legally be promoted and sold to children, and we cannot be sure of their ingredients or how much nicotine they contain.

Breast cancer screening 'may not reduce deaths'

Breast cancer screening 'may not reduce deaths': The findings of a study examining 39 years of breast cancer death rates have hit the headlines, with The Guardian reporting that, 'Breast cancer screening not shown to reduce deaths.' The value of breast cancer screening has been the subject of debate for many years. Every time it seems the question has been settled – as some presumed was the case after the publication of a 2012 review into screening – new evidence emerges that reignites the debate.

The lessons Japan has for the UK on dementia

The lessons Japan has for the UK on dementia: As the UK population ages, our politicians are looking at the policies of a country where one in four people is over 65.
Jeremy Hunt's recent visit to Japan passed almost unnoticed in Britain. Yet the issues he discussed with Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, and the health minister, Norihisa Tamura, touched on a problem that is likely to dominate social policy in the next decade: dementia care.

Cancer database could save thousands of lives

Cancer database could save thousands of lives: A "game-changing" new cancer database that could save thousands of lives a year will be announced today. The Daily Telegraph

Fitness not age is what matters on the operating table

Fitness not age is what matters on the operating table: A patient's fitness - not their age - should be the key factor in deciding whether they have an operation, a major study has concluded. The Daily Telegraph

NHS hospitals spend £2m on gagging orders preventing staff speaking out

NHS hospitals spend £2m on gagging orders preventing staff speaking out:
Hospitals have spent £2 million on more than 50 gagging orders preventing staff speaking out, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed. The Independent

See also:

• Hospitals have spent £2m on gagging orders for staff, figures show The Guardian
• NHS trusts spend £2m to stop staff speaking out The Daily Telegraph