Wednesday 6 August 2014

Aspirin should be taken by all over 50s to cut thousands of cancer deaths: study

Aspirin should be taken by all over 50s to cut thousands of cancer deaths: study

Every middle aged person should take aspirin daily for ten years, experts have said, as a comprehensive study has found it could save 6,000 lives a year by preventing cancer and heart disease. Telegraph

Blood app 'can detect diseases'

Blood app 'can detect diseases'

A team has developed an app and small lens add-on that allows blood-cell analysis via your smartphone, which it says can detect diseases such as malaria in seconds. BBC News

Guidance: Adult social care efficiency tool

Guidance: Adult social care efficiency tool

The adult social care efficiency tool identifies similar areas (or ‘statistical neighbours’) for adult social care delivery for older people and working age adults with learning disabilities. These are the two largest groups who receive adult social care. The comparable indicators include spending per head, quality of services and access to services.

The tool provides a basis for comparing spending and outcomes between councils and helps directors of adult social services and local authority financial leads to find new opportunities for improving adult social care efficiency.

It is for use by councils to assess their own performance, and to identify where different approaches in comparable local authorities may provide examples to learn from. It cannot be used to make judgements about the relative performance of councils in delivering adult social care services, nor can it provide answers as to what the ‘correct’ price is for care.

This tool is designed to work best with Excel version 2010 or later. If you need a version optimised for Excel 97-2003 please email panos.zerdevas@dh.gsi.gov.uk Department of Health

Special measures: one year on

Special measures: one year on

This document gives an update on progress made at 11 NHS trusts and foundation trusts that were put into special measures in July 2013. Practical measures that have led to significant changes at some of the trusts include: recruiting extra staff, using better systems to manage the way patients are moved throughout their stay from admission to discharge (known as ‘patient flow’), better managing patients with life threatening conditions and placing renewed emphasis on the quality of care provided. Monitor
Report
Monitor news

Centralised stroke care saves more lives, says study

Centralised stroke care saves more lives, says study

Radical reorganisation of stroke care in London compares favourably with compromise arrangement in Manchester

The centralisation of stroke services in London, which involved the controversial closure of five hospital units, saves nearly 100 lives a year, according to research.

A study published in the British Medical Journal contrasts the radical reorganisation of stroke care which took place in London with a compromise arrangement in Manchester, where there were no unpopular hospital closures. There was also no reduction in mortality. Guardian

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Focus on historical sexual abuse ignores today's harsh mental health cuts | Clare Allan

Focus on historical sexual abuse ignores today's harsh mental health cuts | Clare Allan

Survivors of abuse need good mental health services now, otherwise they are simply being failed all over again

There is a sense of national outrage at the seemingly endless stream of revelations concerning thesexual abuse of children by people in the public eye. While such outrage is understandable, I can't help being struck by the simultaneous lack of concern about the cuts to the services and support many survivors of sexual abuse depend on.

Mental health problems are a very common consequence of sexual abuse. An overview of research in this area, conducted by Anne Lazenbatt for the NSPCC suggests that as many as 80% of young adults who have been sexually or physically abused, or both, are found to meet the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder by the time they are 21. By the time they reach their late 20s, they are twice as likely to have attempted suicide as someone who has never been abused. Guardian

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Black men face inequalities in cancer care

Black men face inequalities in cancer care

Report highlights that black men are more likely to get cancer at a younger age and calls for action to improve screening and detection
What 12 Years a Slave tells us about 21st century black mental health

I recently had a PSA test, a blood test that can detect the early signs of prostate cancer. It came back negative and I felt relieved. It led me, however, to discuss with my GP the merits and validity of the test, especially for African and Caribbean men.

The report Hear Me Now launched by David Lammy in parliament earlier this year highlights the issue of prostate cancer and black men. It provides analysis along with case studies and a number of key recommendations for GPs, primary care professionals and commissioners. There is now a growing body of evidence of inequality and disparity between black men and the rest of the population that shows they are more likely to get cancer at a younger age. Guardian

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Supporting NHS providers considering transactions and mergers

Supporting NHS providers considering transactions and mergers

NHS providers considering a merger are urged to contact Monitor early in their planning to ensure proposals work well for patients. These guidance documents will help NHS providers navigate their way through a transaction such as a merger or acquisition. Monitor
Guidance
Monitor news

Could HIV drugs help treat multiple sclerosis?

Could HIV drugs help treat multiple sclerosis?

"Could MS patients be treated with HIV drugs?" ask the Mail Online and The Independent, after a new study discovered people with HIV were almost two-thirds less likely (62%) to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than those who did not have the virus.
The study was prompted by the case of a patient who had HIV and MS, but stayed clear of any MS symptoms for more than 12 years.
Data from the medical records of about 21,000 people with HIV in the UK was analysed to see how many developed the condition, which affects the brain and spinal cord.
Researchers suggest the HIV infection itself and the antiretroviral drugs used to treat it may protect the body's immune system from developing MS.
Their two theories are:
immunodeficiency caused by HIV may stop the body attacking itself
antiretroviral therapy may suppress other viruses in the body, such as those suggested as being responsible for causing MS
This is a well-conducted study, with a large sample size and very large number of controls. But as it is a cohort study, it can only show an association and cannot prove cause and effect.
The authors acknowledge their findings "should be regarded as speculative rather than definitive".
Overall, this interesting study paves the way for clinical trials to be conducted on the use of antiretroviral medication for people with MS.

The no fault compensation model needs a radical overhaul

The no fault compensation model needs a radical overhaul

The model used for clinical negligence may not deliver the cost savings anticipated by the NHS. Fundamental changes to how costs are calculated will ensure they are effectively shouldered by society. HSJ

Sir Anthony Hooper to undertake GMC whistleblowers review

Sir Anthony Hooper to undertake GMC whistleblowers review

The General Medical Council has commissioned the Right Honourable Sir Anthony Hooper to undertake a review of how it deals with doctors who raise concerns in the public interest. GMC

Say cheese: saturated fat in dairy may protect against diabetes

Say cheese: saturated fat in dairy may protect against diabetes

Scientists at Cambridge University and the Medical Research Council found that saturated fat in cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products may protect against type 2 diabetes.  Telegraph