Cancer Drugs Fund gets £160m more for innovative treatments

Cancer Drugs Fund gets £160m more for innovative treatments

Fund that helps patients receive pioneering medicines not routinely funded by the NHS will be extended to 2016

Thousands more cancer patients in England will be offered vital treatments in a £160m boost to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), the Department of Health said today.

The fund, which has helped more than 55,000 cancer patients since it was set up four years ago, will be increased from £200m a year to £280m a year. Guardian
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• Press release: Thousands more patients to benefit from additional £160 million for cancer drugs  Department of Health

One in six hospital sites score 100 per cent on cleanliness in patient-led assessments

One in six hospital sites score 100 per cent on cleanliness in patient-led assessments


11 per cent increase in public involvement on 2013

*Regional data available from this report

218 hospital sites (16.1 per cent) scored 100 per cent for cleanliness3 in the latest Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE)4report. The report released today by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) saw 1,356 hospital sites assessed.

PLACE results for 2014 show that the national average score for cleanliness has increased by 1.5 per cent on 2013. This improvement was across all site types5 except treatment centres; the largest increase was in the Community sector at 1.9 per cent.

PLACE is now in its second year and aims to give the public a chance to assess a range of non-clinical services within the NHS and the independent and private healthcare sector in England.

The assessment criteria used within PLACE represents aspects of the care environment which patients and the public have identified as important6.

PLACE covers four specific areas: cleanliness; food and hydration; privacy, dignity and wellbeing; and condition, appearance and maintenance7. IQOF

Depression in cancer 'overlooked'

Depression in cancer 'overlooked'

Three-quarters of cancer patients who are depressed are not getting the psychological therapy they need, researchers say. BBC News

Tomatoes linked with fighting cancer

Tomatoes linked with fighting cancer

Eating tomatoes may lower the risk of prostate cancer, research suggests. BBC News

The relationship between delayed discharge and care home bed supply

The relationship between delayed discharge and care home bed supply


It aims to answer two questions: Does the supply of care home beds in a local authority (LA) affect hospital discharge delays and does the supply of care home beds in neighbouring LAs affect delayed discharges ie are there spillovers?

The report uses data that is only recently available on delays for hospital patients in 147 LAs between 2010-2012, distinguishing between those delays caused by social care and those due to hospitals. NHS Networks

Can giving addicts access to medical records aid recovery?

Can giving addicts access to medical records aid recovery?


Putting people with substance misuse problems in control could help with treatment and save NHS resources
Could bedside TVs be used to give patients access to medical records?

As a clinical psychologist whos spent many years helping people recover from drug and alcohol problems, I know that the substance misuse sector can be a minefield for both service users and practitioners.

While much has improved, someone recovering from a drug and alcohol addiction is still cared for by an often bewildering array of organisations. This is something that can cause stress in the individual and the system. I believe that giving individuals more control over their lives and treatment can lead to huge benefits all round.
Guardian

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Patient-led dosing for hypertension improves BP control

Patient-led dosing for hypertension improves BP control

Allowing hypertensive patients to monitor and adjust drug doses under a programme devised by their GP can improve BP control in high-risk patients, a study has found. GP Online

Motivational interviewing does not prevent alcohol misuse in young people

Motivational interviewing does not prevent alcohol misuse in young people

This new Cochrane systematic review finds that motivational interviewing has no effect on reducing alcohol-related problems or risky behaviours such as drunk driving in young people. Mental Elf

A national review of choices in end-of-life care

A national review of choices in end-of-life care

The review focuses on end-of-life care for adults of 18 years of age and over, and within the current legal framework. It does not look at assisted dying or anything that would involve changes to mental capacity legislation. The deadline for responses to the review is 30 September 2014. NHS Networks

Drug hope for Crohn's patients: New treatment is first to work in the gut to target symptoms on the disease

Drug hope for Crohn's patients: New treatment is first to work in the gut to target symptoms on the disease

Vedolizumab is the first to work directly in the gut lining, targeting the inflammation that causes chronic symptoms such as diarrhoea, bleeding and fatigue. Daily Mail

Will polystyrene cancer concerns prompt brands to change?

Will polystyrene cancer concerns prompt brands to change?


The National Research Council has affirmed that styrene, often used in food packaging and foam coffee cups, is linked to cancer. Whats the industrys reaction?

Polystyrene foam packaging has been a topic of environmental debate for decades, and several international brands have made moves to phase it out. This slow trend may have been accelerated last month when the National Research Council (NRC) affirmed the National Toxicology Programs 2011 finding that the organic compound styrene can reasonably be anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

In terms of consumer hazards, the biggest styrene concern is with food packaging, as studies have shown that this substance can leech out of polystyrene takeout food and drink containers, says Mike Schade of Safer Chemicals. If you drink coffee or soup or eat Chinese food from a polystyrene foam container you can potentially be exposed to this chemical, which government agencies consider reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

We remain committed to finding a long-term alternative to Dunkin Donuts foam cup that meets our guests expectations, is affordable for our franchisees and reduces our environmental impacts. Guardian

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Does weight loss surgery affect dementia risk?

Does weight loss surgery affect dementia risk?

"Weight loss surgery 'reduces chance of Alzheimer's disease'," reports The Daily Telegraph. This misleading headline reports on a small Brazilian study of severely obese women before and after weight loss surgery. None of the women had any signs or symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Seventeen women with an average body mass index (BMI) of 50kg/m² had neuropsychological tests, blood tests and a brain scan before surgery and again six months later, when their average BMI had reduced to 37kg/m². Their results were compared with those of 16 women of a normal weight – the "controls".

All of the women had normal neuropsychological tests. The obese women performed one of the tests more quickly after weight loss surgery, but it cannot be assumed this is a direct result of their weight loss. It could be they were faster simply because this was the second time they had done the test. The control group of women did not repeat the test, so we do not know if they also would have performed better.