Tuesday 12 August 2014

Public invited to have their say on Northamptonshire hospital ahead of inspection

Public invited to have their say on Northamptonshire hospital ahead of inspection Patients are being asked to tell a watchdog their views on Kettering General Hospital ahead of an inspection. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Volunteer groups to get £2m for vulnerable patients this winter

Volunteer groups to get £2m for vulnerable patients this winter The groups, including Age UK, British Red Cross and Royal Voluntary Service, will run local projects that target those people most at risk of admission to hospital and who need extra support when they are discharged, such as older people living alone without a support network. More .... NHS England

Hooper inquiry into how the GMC treats whistleblowers

Hooper inquiry into how the GMC treats whistleblowers Information about the GMC's inquiry into whistleblowing lead by Sir Anthony Hooper NHS Employers

Liberia to receive Ebola trial drug

Liberia to receive Ebola trial drug Liberia will receive an untested experimental drug, Zmapp, to treat people infected with Ebola, the government says following a request to the US. BBC News

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Exercise may cut breast cancer risk, study finds

Exercise may cut breast cancer risk, study finds "Exercise lowers risk of breast cancer after menopause," reports The Independent. This and similar headlines were sparked by a large study of postmenopausal teachers that found increased recreational activity was associated with a 10% decrease in the risk of breast cancer.

The risk reduction eroded among some women who became less active over the years, suggesting keeping up a certain level of activity might be important in maintaining the benefits.

The study used questionnaires to estimate the levels of walking, cycling and sport the women did outside of work.

It found women who did the equivalent of walking at least four hours a week or doing sport for two hours a week had a reduced risk of breast cancer. Factors such as body mass index (BMI) did not change the results.

However, the majority of women in the study had a healthy BMI and were teachers, so the results may not be applicable to all postmenopausal women.

Lack of physical activity and excess body fat have been linked to an increased risk of many cancers, including breast, colon, endometrial (lining of the womb) and prostate cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

How technology could help monitor and treat mental health conditions

How technology could help monitor and treat mental health conditions Technology has the potential to make significant and cost-effective contributions to mental healthcare

Could digital treatments meet mental health service users' needs?

Mental health care is often described as the Cinderella of medicine overlooked, disparaged, and generally neglected. In the UK, mental healthcare is the single biggest item on the NHS budget (£12.16bn in 2010/11), but in practice this means that only about 11% of the overall spend is allocated to deal with 23% of the disease burden. Recent cuts have also hit mental health care significantly harder than acute hospitals, creating a combination of falling capacity and rising demand. Mental healthcare appears to suffer from the same stigma in policy circles as individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder experience in private life. And just as stigma leads to worse outcomes for individuals with mental health problems, the underfunding of mental health care leads to higher long-term costs for the NHS.

If things look bad at home, they're a lot worse elsewhere. High-income countries such as Britain and America spend an average of £26.71per capita on mental healthcare; by contrast, low-income countries manage only 12p, and spend most of that on inpatient beds rather than more effective community care. Wealthy nations have one psychiatrist for every 11,640 people; the poorest countries barely have one for every two million. Undertreatment of mental health problems is a problem everywhere, but it reaches epic proportions in the poorest countries, where as few as one in 10 sufferers receive treatment. Continue reading... The Guardian

Pay blow 'will hit nurse recruitment and retention'

Pay blow 'will hit nurse recruitment and retention' Nurses leader hits out a decision to deny cost of living pay rise next year. OnMedica

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Senior policeman calls for access to medical records without consent

Senior policeman calls for access to medical records without consent Police dealing with more people with dementia and those with mental health, drug or alcohol problems. OnMedica

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Is this GP showing how to solve the A&E crisis? Steffi's working in Casualty to weed out patients who don't need hospital care

Is this GP showing how to solve the A&E crisis? Steffi's working in Casualty to weed out patients who don't need hospital care Many emergency departments are so overwhelmed they've become like 'war zones', one of the country's most senior A&E doctors warned. Daily Mail

Drunks a problem at A&E but charging them isn't the answer, says BMA

Drunks a problem at A&E but charging them isn't the answer, says BMA Drunk people coming to A&E have made emergency departments “a hostile environment” for many patients – but charging people who have been drinking is not the answer to overcrowding, doctors have said. The Independent

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