Tuesday 5 July 2016

NHS finances outside the EU: analysis of the impact on NHS finances of the UK leaving the European Union

NHS finances outside the EU: analysis of the impact on NHS finances of the UK leaving the European Union In this briefing we explore what the UK leaving the EU might mean for funding of the NHS in England. We then outline the current state of finances for NHS providers in 2015/16, what this implies for the total Department of Health budget, and the scale of the financial challenge facing the health service for the near future.

Our analysis builds on the work of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), and finds that there are significant risks to NHS funding. The Health Foundation

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News story: Health advice for people travelling to a Zika affected area

News story: Health advice for people travelling to a Zika affected area With a month to go before the Rio Olympic Games start, Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies sets out the official health advice regarding the Zika virus.

Zika is an illness transmitted by mosquitoes. Eighty per cent of people infected with Zika virus will not experience any symptoms - for those who do, the symptoms are mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue. However, Zika poses a greater risk if you are pregnant or planning to have a baby and can have very serious consequences for the unborn child, potentially resulting in deformities and stunted growth of the head. Department of Health

Over 55 million patients in England set to benefit from accessing their GP record online

Over 55 million patients in England set to benefit from accessing their GP record online Patients in England will be able to view test results as they come in and keep track of their glucose levels and cholesterol on their smart phones, enabling them to take greater control of their care and better manage their health. NHS England

Disclosure UK database

Disclosure UK database This database brings together and makes publicly available the details of payments or benefits in kind - made to doctors, nurses and pharmacists, as well as other health professionals and healthcare organisations in the UK. Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry

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Making staff experts in delivering end-of-life-care

Making staff experts in delivering end-of-life-care This case study outlines the benefits of empowering staff to deliver end of life care through greater education and training. The case study outlines outcomes that were achieved by Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust including being awarded an outstanding rating by CQC for end of life care services; improved patient care and staff communication; and excellent feedback from patient families. NHS Employers

Junk food advertising is too tempting for children

Junk food advertising is too tempting for children Children describe junk food advertising as ‘tempting’ and ‘addictive’, and say they could ‘lick the screen’, according to a new report.

Researchers talked to children aged between 8 and 12 years old at six schools. Each group was shown two TV adverts for junk food, followed by a discussion. The study looked at how junk food advertising can influence children’s eating habits and food choices. Cancer Research UK

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Hundreds of babies born drug-dependent

Hundreds of babies born drug-dependent Almost one in 500 babies in hospitals in England is born dependent on substances their mother took while pregnant, a BBC investigation finds.

Fungal infection 'threat' to human health

Fungal infection 'threat' to human health Fungal infections kill more people than malaria or breast cancer, but are not considered a priority warn scientists. BBC News

'Uncertainty' in NHS over Brexit

'Uncertainty' in NHS over Brexit The likely impact of Brexit is also being closely examined by senior figures in the NHS, who warn that recruitment could suffer. BBC News

Councils must play a more pivotal role in health and care integration

Councils must play a more pivotal role in health and care integration Integration should be an equal partnership between the NHS and local authorities – these eight solutions will help

The number of people in the UK with complex needs who require both health and social care is increasing rapidly. In the south-east of England, for example, our population of over 75-year-olds (already the largest in England) is expected to nearly double to 1.5m in the next 20 years.

Health and social care provision looks increasingly unsustainable financially and local government fears the sustainability and transformation plan (STP) process won’t solve the problem. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS finance chiefs warn of poorer care and longer waiting times

NHS finance chiefs warn of poorer care and longer waiting times Rationing of services likely as hospital chiefs say they can’t make savings vital for reform

NHS finance managers warn today that patients are set to experience poorer care, longer waiting times for treatment and greater rationing.

A grim outlook for the NHS’s finances is also likely to see many hospitals fail to make savings that ministers have said are vital and put plans for the service to reform how it operates in serious doubt. Continue reading... The Guardian

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NHS child mental health services are failing the next generation, say GPs

NHS child mental health services are failing the next generation, say GPs Six in 10 children and young people across England do not get treatment for problems such as anxiety and depression, data shows

Up to four in five children with mental health problems are being denied access to treatment they urgently need in some parts of England, NHS figures show.

Overall six in 10 children and young people across England do not receive treatment for problems such as anxiety and depression, despite the risk of them coming to harm as their condition worsens. Continue reading... The Guardian

Millions of women to be offered new cervical cancer test

Millions of women to be offered new cervical cancer test A new test for cervical cancer to be offered to millions of women should prevent hundreds of cases each year.

From tomorrow, the Government will begin rolling out the test in surgeries and clinics and it should be available nationwide in two years’ time.

The new test is far more accurate than the current smears and works by identifying the HPV virus which triggers nearly all tumours. The Daily Mail

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Health watchdog resigns following handling of sexual abuse cover-up scandal

Health watchdog resigns following handling of sexual abuse cover-up scandal The embattled head of the NHS watchdog has resigned following revelations that her deputy was involved in a sexual harassment cover-up scandal.

Dame Julie Mellor, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) admitted that she "made a mistake in handling correspondence" about former deputy PHSO Mick Martin.

She handed in her notice ahead of the publication of a review commissioned after the incident came to light earlier this year. The Daily Telegraph