Tuesday 4 October 2016

Crime & disabled people: Measures of disability-related harassment – 2016 update

Crime & disabled people: Measures of disability-related harassment – 2016 update This report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission provides the latest data for England, Wales and Scotland against the following Manifesto for Change measures, with analysis of change over time:

  • number of victims of hate crimes
  • proportion of disability-related crime incidents reported to the police
  • satisfaction with police handling of crime incidents
  • experience of any crime in the previous 12 months
  • worry about being a victim of crime

Cosmetic surgery check-list for patients

Cosmetic surgery check-list for patients The Royal College of Surgeons is offering patients seeking cosmetic surgery practical advice about how to pick the right hospital and doctor. BBC News

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Seven in 10 nurses say young people's mental healthcare is inadequate

Seven in 10 nurses say young people's mental healthcare is inadequate Poll of specialist workers finds that 20% believe services are seriously lacking, with potentially dangerous consequences

Seven out of 10 specialist nurses caring for the growing number of young people struggling with mental health problems believe that NHS services are insufficient.

Half of all mental health nurses working with troubled young people say child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) are inadequate and another 20% say they are highly inadequate, according to a poll undertaken by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for the Guardian. Only 13% believe they are good or very good, while the rest say they are adequate. Continue reading...

Jeremy Hunt promises to end NHS reliance on overseas doctors after Brexit

Jeremy Hunt promises to end NHS reliance on overseas doctors after Brexit Health secretary to outline plans in Tory conference speech for up to 1,500 additional training places every year in UK medical schools

Jeremy Hunt is to pledge that the NHS in England will be “self sufficient” in doctors after Britain leaves the European Union as he sets out a package of measures aimed at reducing its reliance on foreign-trained medics.

The health secretary will use his speech to the Conservative party conference on Tuesday to promise that medical schools in the UK will be allowed to offer up to 1,500 extra training places a year, and released figures that said that one in four NHS doctors have been trained abroad. Continue reading... The Guardian

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Children's mental health in crisis – readers share their stories

Children's mental health in crisis – readers share their stories Despite the collective efforts of schools, social workers and hospitals, children and parents speak of reduced services unable to help patients until their condition becomes critical. Here, 20 readers talk about their experiences

New figures show in June that nearly a quarter of a million children and young people were in contact with mental health services for problems such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

The NHS data highlights the scale of the growing crisis in young people’s mental health. But what help is there for those who need it? Research shows 28% of children referred for support in England – including some who had attempted suicide – received no help in 2015.

Whether we like it or not, teachers will be in the frontline on the critical issue of children’s mental health. Continue reading... The Guardian

Can a digital revolution save the NHS?

Can a digital revolution save the NHS? Embracing advances in technology could be the answer to the health service’s financial crisis but things won’t magically change overnight

As the NHS sinks ever deeper into financial crisis, and the search for efficiencies intensifies, it is unsurprising that the idea of harnessing the digital revolution to the way healthcare is delivered is gathering policy steam. Notwithstanding the spectacular top-down failure of the NHS National Programme for IT and the disappointing results of the national Whole System Demonstrator programme, it is entirely reasonable to revisit the ways in which advances in technology might offer smart solutions.

Currently the policy landscape is littered with strategies, reports and evolving structures. The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, says the NHS must “go paperless” – by 2020 according to the Five Year Forward View; a national information board has been set up to deliver on this commitment; the air is thick with centrally-driven frameworks like the digital maturity index and local digital roadmaps; and a new digital delivery board has been set up by NHS England. Meanwhile, the influential Wachter Review along with weighty reports from the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund are all ratcheting up the pressure for change. Continue reading... The Guardian

Consultants sign letter expressing 'deep concerns' over Jeremy Hunt's plans

Consultants sign letter expressing 'deep concerns' over Jeremy Hunt's plans In the letter, organised by the Junior Doctors' Alliance, consultants said they were concerned by plans to create a 'truly seven-day NHS' - a phrase used by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The Daily Mail

Billions of farming subsidies could be diverted to NHS after Brexit, says Theresa May adviser

Billions of farming subsidies could be diverted to NHS after Brexit, says Theresa May adviser Some of the billions of pounds handed to farmers every year could be diverted to cash-strapped hospitals after Britain leaves the European Union, Theresa May’s top policy adviser has said.

George Freeman MP, who chairs the Prime Minister’s policy board, said once people realised how much cash was spent on farming subsidies they would want it to be diverted to hospitals, unless ministers made a strong case for how the money was spent. The Daily Telegraph

Cancer care 'inadequate' at eight in 10 NHS groups, inspections to show 

Cancer care 'inadequate' at eight in 10 NHS groups, inspections to show More than eight in 10 NHS bodies are letting down cancer patients through late diagnosis, poor survival rates and delayed treatment, official figures will reveal this week.

The first Ofsted-style ratings show that the vast majority of areas are providing substandard services, with just 14 per cent of areas receiving a positive report.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, ordered the inspections last year in an attempt to improve the country’s record on cancer, following figures showing that the UK has the worst cancer survival rate in western Europe. The Daily Telegraph