Friday 1 August 2014

‘Herstory’: the barriers facing women in health and care

‘Herstory’: the barriers facing women in health and care In 1929, Virginia Woolf created a tragic fictional character – Judith Shakespeare, the twin of William Shakespeare. In her essay ‘A room of one's own’, Woolf concluded that even had Judith had the same talent as William, she wouldn’t have been able to succeed as he had. She believed that the treatment of women by society prevented many female writers from achieving their potential.

Fast forward to 2014 and the announcement of the HSJ's ‘Inspirational women in health’ list. Two colleagues from The King’s Fund and I were included in this list, and at least one third of the women named have been coached by, or attended development programmes run by, me or my colleagues. This prompted me to revisit in my head the tale of Judith Shakespeare and to relate it to my 16 years’ experience of working with women in health.

UK to lead the world in the fight against cancer and rare diseases

UK to lead the world in the fight against cancer and rare diseases The UK is set to become the world leader in ground-breaking genetic research into cancer and rare diseases, which will transform how diseases are diagnosed and treated, thanks to£300 million of investment, the Prime Minister announced today (1 August).

The four year project will allow scientists to do pioneering new research to decode 100,000 human genomes – a patient’s personal DNA code. NHS England

See also:

WHO sounds alarm over W Africa Ebola

WHO sounds alarm over W Africa Ebola The World Health Organization and presidents of West African nations affected by the Ebola outbreak are to announce a joint $100m response plan. BBC News

See also:

Evaluating the Care Quality Commission's acute hospital regulatory model: final report

Evaluating the Care Quality Commission's acute hospital regulatory model: final report This report, by researchers from Manchester Business School and The King's Fund, evaluates the first two waves of new style hospital inspections, covering inspections carried out in 18 hospital trusts between September 2013 and April 2014. The authors found that the new approach commands strong credibility, in particular through the use of specialists to inform assessments, and the granular detail of ratings within services rather than at provider level.

The very public NHS privatisation debate

The very public NHS privatisation debate The debate over the NHS's use of the private sector. BBC News

Telecare "not magic bullet" - WSD study

Telecare "not magic bullet" - WSD study Policy makers have been warned to avoid describing telecare as a "magic bullet" in the latest study to cast serious doubt on the cost effectiveness of remote monitoring and intervention. E-Health Insider

The husky that came back to bite

The husky that came back to bite The architects of the NHS National Programme for IT were fond of boasting that they had negotiated eye-wateringly tough contracts with suppliers that would punish failure and reward success. E-Health Insider

Warning over waistline link to type 2 diabetes

Warning over waistline link to type 2 diabetes “Belly fat clearest sign of type 2 diabetes risk,” The Guardian reports. This comes as Public Health England publishes a report highlighting the links between bulging waistlines, obesity and type 2 diabetes risk.

According to a new report, men whose waist size is over 102cm (40.2 inches) are five times more likely to develop diabetes than those with a smaller waist size. Women with a waist over 88cm (34.7 inches) are three times more likely to develop the condition.

The report says that being overweight or obese is the main avoidable risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

The condition is now a major public health issue, with all types of diabetes projected to rise to 4.6 million – nearly 10% of the adult population – by 2030.

Some people may have the misconception that type 2 diabetes is an inconvenience, like back pain or arthritis, but not especially serious. This is not the case.

Type 2 diabetes can lead to blindness (diabetic retinopathy), heart problems and even reduce blood supply to the limbs, which can lead to the affected limb being amputated. People with type 2 diabetes are 15 times more likely to require an amputation than the population at large.

Can health checks be revived?

Can health checks be revived? The validity of NHS health checks has long been viewed as doubtful, but Public Health England is now determined to revive the scheme. David Millett reports. GP Online

See also:

40 million people now have a summary care record

40 million people now have a summary care record Plans to roll out records to GP out-of-hours services and A&E OnMedica

See also:

General practice is not the only alternative to hospital care

General practice is not the only alternative to hospital care Community pharmacies and other providers should work together to identify where collaboration can deliver better care.

From a public health perspective, primary care providers, working together with social care, community and voluntary groups, have far greater potential for preventing ill health and improving health and wellbeing, than working apart.The World Health Organisation states that around 80% of deaths from major diseases, such as cancer or heart disease, are attributable to lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, excess alcohol and inappropriate diet, and are often linked to health and social inequalities. Continue reading... The Guardian

Medicines shortages force family doctors to prescribe second-choice alternatives putting patients at risk, GPs warn

Medicines shortages force family doctors to prescribe second-choice alternatives putting patients at risk, GPs warn Medicines shortages are putting patient safety at risk and piling “almost daily” pressures on family doctors to find second-choice alternatives to commonly-prescribed drugs, GPs have warned. The Independent

See also: