Flu revealed to be cause of death in one in 11 pregnant women in UK as Northamptonshire health experts issue warning

Flu revealed to be cause of death in one in 11 pregnant women in UK as Northamptonshire health experts issue warning Expectant mothers in Northamptonshire are being urged to get a flu jab after the virus was revealed to be the cause of death in one in 11 pregnant women across the UK. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Stroke treatment in England varies widely by location

Stroke treatment in England varies widely by location New figures released today show that the treatment of stroke patients in England varies widely depending on where patients live.

Of the 68,8003 patients admitted to hospital with stroke during 2013-14, 41,200 (60 per cent) were admitted to an acute stroke unit within four hours of arrival at hospital. This figure varied by clinical commissioning group (CCG). Health and Social Care Information Centre

See also:

• Postcode lottery in stroke care laid bare The Daily Telegraph

VIDEO: Visiting the doctor via the internet

VIDEO: Visiting the doctor via the internet A state-of-the-art clinic in Denmark is set to make dramatic changes to the relationship between doctor and patient. BBC News

Ill teenagers not to be held in cells

Ill teenagers not to be held in cells Teenagers experiencing mental health problems will no longer be detained in police cells as a "place of safety", Home Secretary Theresa May is to announce later. BBC News

Astonishing over-reliance on overseas nurses

Astonishing over-reliance on overseas nurses Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, responds to latest figures from the Health Service Journal showing the number of overseas nurses being recruited in the UK. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• VIDEO: Fewer or more nurses in NHS today? BBC News
• 80,000 UK students are told they can't train as a nurse The Daily Mail

E-cigarettes could help some smokers quit

E-cigarettes could help some smokers quit “E-cigarettes can help smokers quit or cut down heavily,” The Guardian reports. An international review of the evidence, carried out by the well-respected Cochrane Collaboration, found evidence that they can help some smokers quit.

However, the available body of evidence was slim – just two randomised controlled trials (RCTs), involving around 950 participants.

The two studies found that 9% of people using e-cigarettes with nicotine quit smoking for at least six months, compared to 4% of people using placebo e-cigarettes. However, the results on quitting were only significant when the trials were added together, because so few people managed to quit. The individual trials found no difference in the number of people who quit smoking by at least six months when using e-cigarettes with nicotine compared to placebo e-cigarettes or nicotine patches. The researchers say that the pooled results should therefore be treated with caution.

Doctor and two nurses charged with manslaughter after boy, six, with Down's Syndrome died in hospital

Doctor and two nurses charged with manslaughter after boy, six, with Down's Syndrome died in hospital Jack Adcock, who had Down’s syndrome and other pre-existing health problems, died of pneumonia at Leicester Royal Infirmary almost five years ago. The Daily Mail

Healthcare revolution must emphasise community care

Healthcare revolution must emphasise community care The future of the NHS depends on it taking a radical approach to health services. Can it shift away from a hospital-based model to focus on individual independence?

Our society’s dependence on acute-care hospitals, which are often not the best places for healthcare issues to be dealt with, must be reduced dramatically over the next few years. That was the general agreement at a recent Guardian roundtable, sponsored by Optum, that looked at the role community services will play in the future of the NHS. The direction for the NHS is towards devolved services, and there are a host of positive reasons for developing them in that way, experts from NHS England, healthcare providers and charities were told at the event.

The problem with hospitals is that they are geared up for acute care and tend to follow narrow pathways focusing in on a particular problem, the roundtable heard, when a more holistic approach to health is what is needed.

“For generations, we've gone to ask the doctor for the answers to our health problems,” said Madeleine Starr of Carers UK. Continue reading... The Guardian

Nick Clegg attempts to calm NHS worries over EU-US trade deal

Nick Clegg attempts to calm NHS worries over EU-US trade deal Deputy PM tells debate the TTIP agreement would not be endorsed without assuring sovereign right to run public services

Nick Clegg has moved to calm campaigners worried about the proposed EU-US trade deal – the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) – saying the government would secure written guarantees that it would not threaten the NHS.

The deputy prime minister said he would ensure the UK maintains its sovereign right to run the NHS, amid fears the deal could allow private US health corporations the ability to mount legal challenges over the right to bid for contracts. Continue reading... The Guardian

Smoking banned in cars when children are present

Smoking banned in cars when children are present From October 2015 anyone who smokes in a car where a child is present will be fined £50. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• News story: Protecting children from secondhand smoke and nicotine addiction Department of Health
• Car smoke ban 'to start in October' BBC News
• VIDEO: Smoking in cars 'harmful for children' BBC News

NHS services cut in Nottingham after doctors quit rather than work for private firm

NHS services cut in Nottingham after doctors quit rather than work for private firm An NHS hospital has been forced to scrap highly rated services for patients with severe skin conditions including skin cancer following an “exodus” of senior doctors reluctant to work for a private sector subcontractor. The Independent