Friday 9 September 2016

NSPCC ‘concerned’ about rise in number of FGM cases in Northamptonshire

NSPCC ‘concerned’ about rise in number of FGM cases in Northamptonshire The NSPCC has highlighted a “concerning” rise in the number of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) cases in Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The value of community pharmacy

The value of community pharmacy This report commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, found that community pharmacies contributed a net value of £3 billion to the NHS, public sector, patients and wider society in England in 2015 through just twelve services. PricewaterhouseCoopers

New NHS cyber security services to be rolled out to health and care

New NHS cyber security services to be rolled out to health and care  NHS Digital is set to start expanding the NHS cyber security service, Innovation minister Nicola Blackwood announced today at the Health and Care Innovation Expo.

CareCERT (Care Computer Emergency Response Team), launched in November last year, and is a national service that helps health and care organisations to improve their cyber security defences by providing proactive advice and guidance about digital threats and cyber security best practice.

The service currently sends out broadcasts about known cyber threats and resolutions, and will now be expanded to include three new services, which will start being tested from September.

Obesity link to cancer 'not well known by public'

Obesity link to cancer 'not well known by public' Three-quarters of people are unaware being overweight increases the risk of developing 10 different types of cancer, Cancer Research UK says. BBC News

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Statins review says benefits 'underestimated'

Statins review says benefits 'underestimated' The benefits of the cholesterol-reducing drug statins are underestimated and the harms exaggerated, a major review suggests.

Published in the Lancet and backed by a number of major health organisations, it says statins lower heart attack and stroke risk.

The review also suggests side effects such as muscle pain do occur, although in relatively few people.

But critics say healthy people are unnecessarily taking medication. BBC News

Still working nurse, 83: 'I love my job'

Still working nurse, 83: 'I love my job' An 83-year-old nurse who still works 15 to 20 hours a week says she has "no plans" to retire.

Monica Bulman, who works at Torbay Hospital, began her career in the NHS aged 19 in 1952.

When she's not working, the grandmother, who turned 83 on 1 September, is a gym-bunny and attends regular spinning classes.

Mrs Bulman said she still loves her job but misses the 1950s uniform because it was "much more glamorous". BBC News

GP trainee recruitment improving but parts of England continue to struggle

GP trainee recruitment improving but parts of England continue to struggle Nationally, the number of GP trainee posts filled after the first recruitment round for 2016 surpassed the total number filled in 2015, according to data published earlier this year.

But with one recruitment round now remaining for 2016, wide variations in uptake of GP training posts between English regions have continued.

Many areas have already recruited numbers of GP trainees close to or greater than their total for 2016, interim data suggest.

In London, 99% of GP trainee posts have been filled and in Thames Valley no vacancies remain - matching their uptake for 2015. The East Midlands, which was left with nearly a third of its available GP training posts vacant after recruitment finished last year, has seen a sharp turnaround in 2016 with 87% of posts now filled. GP Online

Tell women IUD more effective for emergency contraception

Tell women IUD more effective for emergency contraception GPs and other health professionals should tell women who need emergency contraception that a copper intrauterine device (IUD or ‘coil’) is more effective than oral pills in preventing pregnancy after sex, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said. NICE also said doctors and nurses should inform women requesting ongoing contraception about long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC), including the coil, as well oral contraceptives and other methods. OnMedica

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CCGs facing huge challenges in balancing books

CCGs facing huge challenges in balancing books Clinical commissioning groups are facing enormous and increasing challenges in balancing their books, The King’s Fund reported this morning. It warned in its latest Quarterly Monitoring Report that CCGs’ pessimism over meeting their savings targets has soared over the past year. OnMedica

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NHS 'in perpetual winter of Narnia' as waiting list reaches record 3.9m

NHS 'in perpetual winter of Narnia' as waiting list reaches record 3.9m Waiting time targets missed, bed blocking at record levels, and medical leaders say system is close to breaking down

The NHS is missing so many of its key performance targets that it has entered “the perpetual winter of Narnia”, a medical leader has said, after figures revealed the highest ever number of patients on waiting lists.

Claire Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, criticised the NHS’s failure to give patients planned care in hospital within the required 18 weeks, such as surgery for cataract removals, hernia repairs and hip and knee replacements. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Another reason why breast is best: Improving breastfeeding rates could save the NHS £40 million a year

Another reason why breast is best: Improving breastfeeding rates could save the NHS £40 million a year Swansea University professor Amy Brown said improving uptake by two thirds would save the NHS millions in excess appointments for babies fed on formula milk who are more prone to illness. The Daily Mail

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Cases of PTSD on the rise as more veterans seek help for mental health problems 

Cases of PTSD on the rise as more veterans seek help for mental health problems The number of veterans needing help for mental health problems such as PTSD has jumped by 71 per cent in the past five years in the aftermath of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, a major military charity has warned.

Combat Stress said it had received nearly 10,000 referrals in the past five years as it rejected as “unhelpful” recent suggestions that the toll of PTSD has been exaggerated by some charities.

The charity said it was currently treating more than 1,300 veterans of Afghanistan for illnesses including PTSD, depression and anxiety, up 34 per cent from a year earlier. The Daily Telegraph