Tuesday 28 April 2015

Northampton mum has parking appeals turned down after leaving car to rush baby with meningitis to hospital

Northampton mum has parking appeals turned down after leaving car to rush baby with meningitis to hospital A mum from Northamptonshire got a £90 parking fine after leaving her car at a GP surgery so she could rush her son to hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Person-centred care and support presents a moment of opportunity – Martin Routledge

Person-centred care and support presents a moment of opportunity – Martin Routledge In the first of a two-part blog on person-centred care and support the Director of Coalition for Collaborative Care examines opportunities coming from the Five Year Forward View. NHS England

Alcohol detox centre 'saves NHS millions'

Alcohol detox centre 'saves NHS millions' The unit pioneering a different way of dealing with alcoholics. BBC News

Nurse jailed for attacks on patients

Nurse jailed for attacks on patients A former nurse is jailed for 18 years for raping unconscious women at a hospital in Oxfordshire. BBC News

Parents 'may pass anxiety on to their children'

Parents 'may pass anxiety on to their children' The Mail Online has given stressed-out parents one more thing to worry about, saying: "Anxiety is 'catching' and can be passed on to children", adding that, "Attitudes of over-anxious parents can severely affect children's behaviour".

The study that prompted these headlines used an interesting "children of twins" study design intended to filter out the influence of genetics, which is known to have an effect on anxiety.

To do this, researchers studied patterns of anxiety in families of identical twins, who are genetically identical, and in families of non-identical twins.

They found there was some link between anxiety and neuroticism (a tendency to have negative thought patterns) in parents and their adolescent children.

There was no evidence that genetics was playing a significant role, but modest evidence that non-genetic factors were. This suggested that anxiety, far from being hardwired into DNA, might be passed on in other ways, such as through learned or mimicked behaviour.

In the Mail Online, journal editor Dr Robert Freedman said: "Parents who are anxious can now be counselled and educated on ways to minimise the impact of their anxiety on the child's development."

This suggestion seems a touch premature – as noted by the researchers, there is a chicken and egg situation here that has not been resolved. Do children worry because they sense their parents are worried, or do parents worry because they see their children are worried about something?

NHS England may trial equipping patients with wearable tech

NHS England may trial equipping patients with wearable tech NHS England is looking for up to six population test beds in the country which could be used to trial new technologies, digital services and other innovations. GP Online

Physician associates as good as GPs, only cheaper

Physician associates as good as GPs, only cheaper Health outcomes the same for same day appointment patients, study shows. OnMedica

See also:

Only genuine understanding from politicians can save the NHS

Only genuine understanding from politicians can save the NHS The health service is a fiercely debated issue in the election. Those seeking responsibility for it must show better understanding of its realities Continue reading... The Guardian

Cumbrian hospital midwife admits mistakes contributed to babies' deaths

Cumbrian hospital midwife admits mistakes contributed to babies' deaths Former midwife at Furness general hospital will not dispute 77 allegations regarding her treatment of 14 patients, a tribunal has been told.

A former midwife is not going to fight claims that her actions contributed to the deaths of two babies, a misconduct tribunal has been told.

Marie Teresa Ratcliffe, who worked at Cumbria’s Furness general hospital, did not attend her hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in Stratford, east London, and did not send a lawyer to represent her. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Ovarian cancer: we need better access to BRCA testing

Ovarian cancer: we need better access to BRCA testing There is innovative work being done to combat ovarian cancer, which women have a one in 50 chance of developing, but as yet there is no accurate test for early diagnosis. The Daily Telegraph