Thursday 14 May 2015

Corby Council leader vows to improve people’s health

Corby Council leader vows to improve people’s health Tom Beattie, who has retained his role as leader of Corby Council, has said he is keen to continue supporting regeneration and improving healthcare in the town. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Number of dementia sufferers in Northamptonshire expected to nearly double

Number of dementia sufferers in Northamptonshire expected to nearly double The number of people in Northamptonshire with dementia is expected to almost double in the next 15 years. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Survey to ask Northamptonshire people about their wellbeing services

Survey to ask Northamptonshire people about their wellbeing services An online survey has been launched to find out about the wellbeing services that Northamptonshire residents want.

The survey is being carried out by Northamptonshire County Council, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Northampton, who are all working together to form a new Wellbeing Community Interest Company. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

You can find the survey here:

Thousands of women confront mental health issues in thriving community perinatal scheme

Thousands of women confront mental health issues in thriving community perinatal scheme Thousands of pregnant women have confronted mental health issues before they become more serious thanks to a thriving perinatal mental health service in Devon.

Since it began five years ago the ten-strong Devon and Torbay Perinatal Health Team has identified, supported or signposted thousands of women who needed mental health support.

Now, all of the women who give birth every year in the three acute hospitals in Devon and Torbay are asked by midwives about their mental health and those who report concerns or are at risk are referred to the team.

In the last three years, 5,698 of the 22,715 women who gave birth needed the service. All of those women received evidence based advice, either in a letter, following a telephone conversation or in response to a face to face assessment. NHS England

Children's clinical research 'urged'

Children's clinical research 'urged' There must be a culture shift in medical research to make sure more children can take part, an expert panel at the Nuffield Council of Bioethics says. BBC News

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$2bn antibiotic research fund urged

$2bn antibiotic research fund urged The global pharmaceutical industry is being called on to pay for a $2bn innovation fund to revitalise research into antibiotics. BBC News

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How professional are medical students?

How professional are medical students? At the end of last year, we ran a survey to find out more about the professional values of the UK’s medical students. Over 2,500 students took part to tell us what they thought. General Medical Council

Hunt says his mission is ‘step-change’ in GP services

Hunt says his mission is ‘step-change’ in GP services General practice needs fair share of NHS budget and 8000 more GPs to meet demands. OnMedica

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Mindfulness: an effective mental health treatment but not a panacea

Mindfulness: an effective mental health treatment but not a panacea It’s cheap with a wide range of health benefits – but there’s a shortage of teachers and NHS provision is patchy

It may be an ancient Buddhist practice, co-opted and misrepresented by celebrity practitioners, but scientists and health practitioners have found that mindfulness has specific benefits for mental health patients. The medical profession, too, is beginning to take it seriously.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Florian Ruths explains why: “MBCT [mindfulness based cognitive therapy] is a powerful intervention –it isn’t fluffy or alternative. The MBCT course is based on solid scientific research, and Nice [the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] has recommended it since 2005 for keeping patients with recurrent depressive vulnerability depression-free.” Continue reading... The Guardian

Physiotherapists can relieve pressure on overstretched A&E departments

Physiotherapists can relieve pressure on overstretched A&E departments As well as seeing patients with musculoskeletal injuries, physiotherapists can treat elderly people who have had falls

When physiotherapist Annalisa Newson started working in Salford Royal hospital’s A&E department, little did she know she would leave a lasting legacy.

We free up doctors by allowing patients to see the right person at the right time Continue reading... The Guardian

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Mental health cuts are ‘driving people to the edge’

Mental health cuts are ‘driving people to the edge’ Mark Winstanley, head of the Rethink Mental Illness charity, urges the Conservative government to act on its funding promises and prioritise mental health

The day before last week’s election, leaked minutes from the meeting of a key mental health steering group, the Crisis Care Concordat, warned of an NHS “system failure” that was leading to large numbers of people in mental distress turning to A&E for help, due to inadequate community-based mental health services. Concerns were also raised about how many patients, especially young people, were being admitted to hospitals miles away from home because of mental health bed shortages. Continue reading... The Guardian

Many British men don't realise how fat they are

Many British men don't realise how fat they are A new survey has revealed that British men have a poor understanding of obesity compared to British women and men across Europe. The Daily Telegraph