Healthcare leaders call for action on hearing loss

Healthcare leaders call for action on hearing loss A new ‘Action Plan on Hearing Loss’ to support services for deaf people and those with diminishing hearing has been produced by NHS England and the Department of Health.

The plan has been developed with a number of organisations including Public Health England, hearing loss charities and those whose hearing is directly affected.

Aimed at commissioners, Clinical Commissioning Groups, GPs and healthcare providers, the report identifies multiple health and social issues associated with hearing loss. It recommends ways that services for children, young people, working age and older adults living with hearing loss can be improved.

My life, my support, my choice: a vision for person centred coordinated care and support for children and young people with complex lives

My life, my support, my choice: a vision for person centred coordinated care and support for children and young people with complex lives This document sets out how good, coordinated – or integrated – support looks to children and young people. It offers a clear set of outcomes that commissioners and service providers should be working to. It covers children and young people up to the age of 25 and takes account of the transition into adulthood. National Voices

Letting go: how devolution could solve the NHS care and cash crisis

Letting go: how devolution could solve the NHS care and cash crisis This paper, authored by former Labour Health Minister Lord Warner and Jack O’Sullivan, explores the potential benefits of NHS devolution for the provision of health and care services. Reform

Tackling the myths about outcomes in health

Tackling the myths about outcomes in health Outcomes-based approaches to planning, organising and measuring the performance of healthcare offer new opportunities to tackle variation, improve cost-effectiveness and, most importantly, put patients first. Outcomes Based Healthcare

Hospital mental health absences rise

Hospital mental health absences rise Staff absences for mental health problems have doubled at hospital trusts across England in the last four years, new figures show. BBC News

ITV News poll finds more than half of Britons think NHS should be government's biggest priority

ITV News poll finds more than half of Britons think NHS should be government's biggest priority The NHS, immigration and the economy should be the three main priorities for the government ahead of the upcoming election, according to a new ITV News poll.

More than a half (53%) of the 2,011 people questioned in the ComRes/ITV News survey believed that managing the NHS should be the government's most important priority.

Climate change 'might bring rise in UK mosquito-borne diseases'

Climate change 'might bring rise in UK mosquito-borne diseases' "Mosquitoes heading for warmer UK," Sky News reports after a new review predicted climate change will make the UK a more hospitable environment for disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks, leading to an outbreak of conditions normally seen in more tropical climates.

In the review, two authors searched the literature to identify evidence looking at the effect climate change in Europe could have on diseases carried by mosquitoes or other insects, such as ticks.

Mosquitoes thrive in warm and wet environments, so a rise in the average temperature could make the UK a more attractive destination. This could then lead to an increase in three diseases –malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya (a viral infection with symptoms similar to malaria) – in the UK by as early as 2030.

A review of this kind can only provide an estimate and cannot predict the future with 100% accuracy. However, it does show the potential public health dangers that could arise from climate change: a rise in the average temperature by just a few degrees centigrade could have a range of unpredictable effects on our environment.

CQC's 9% fee hike is a 'financial blow' to GP practices

CQC's 9% fee hike is a 'financial blow' to GP practices Practices will be expected to pay a 9% increase in CQC fees from April as the regulator bumps up charges to help recover costs from implementing its divisive new inspection regime. GP Online

Cancer survival rates 10 years behind Europe: British figures still well below other countries despite billions being spent to improve...

Cancer survival rates 10 years behind Europe: British figures still well below other countries despite billions being spent to improve... Cancer survival rates in Britain lag more than ten years behind those in many other European countries including France, Sweden, and Italy despite billions being spent to improve survival. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Cancer survival rates in UK are a 'shameful' decade behind Europe The Daily Telegraph

A&E doctors paid up to £3,200 a shift, in spiralling crisis

A&E doctors paid up to £3,200 a shift, in spiralling crisis Agency nurses have been paid rates of almost £1,900 a shift, while doctors cost up to £3,200 each, as hospitals suffered the worst Accident & Emergency performance on record. The Daily Telegraph

Manchester's plans for NHS devolution hailed as a blueprint to rescue the service from cash crisis

Manchester's plans for NHS devolution hailed as a blueprint to rescue the service from cash crisis Manchester’s plans for devolved health and social care have been hailed as a blueprint that could rescue the NHS from its cash crisis. The Independent

See also:

• Manchester’s health revolution will be a beacon for the rest of the UK  The Guardian