Wednesday 19 October 2016

Northamptonshire among training pilot sites for new nursing role

Northamptonshire among training pilot sites for new nursing role Healthcare leaders in Northamptonshire have welcomed news that the county has been selected as a test site for training the first wave of nursing associates in the UK. Over 1,000 nursing associates will begin training across the UK this December in a new role that will sit alongside existing nursing care support workers and fully-qualified registered nurses to deliver hands-on care for patients. Northampton General Hospital

Guided Care: A Structured Approach to Providing Comprehensive Primary Care for Complex Patients

Guided Care: A Structured Approach to Providing Comprehensive Primary Care for Complex Patients In the Guided Care model, specially trained nurses create care plans, educate and support high-need patients and their caregivers, and coordinate care among providers, using formal assessment and planning tools to set priorities for stabilizing health and achieving patients’ goals. The Commonwealth Fund

Children's mental health services in 'emergency state'

Children's mental health services in 'emergency state' Children's mental health services are in a state of emergency and must be prioritised, a leading doctor has said.

The government has vowed to invest £1.4bn to transform young people's mental health services.

But Dr Richard Vautrey, a Leeds GP and deputy chair of the British Medical Association (BMA), said the government needs to "turn rhetoric into reality".

Figures show one in 50 children under 18 are in contact with specialist mental health services in England. BBC News

Widespread Inequality Is At The Root Of The UK's Mental Health Crisis

Widespread Inequality Is At The Root Of The UK's Mental Health Crisis Setting out her One Nation agenda and making a clear break from the past, Theresa May used her first speech as Prime Minister to highlight the need to tackle social injustice. This rhetoric is welcome; but we must also be clear it can never translate into reality if the alarming situation in mental health is not resolved.

The high levels of health inequalities in the UK, especially within mental health, make this all the more urgent. Those in poverty are more likely to suffer from poor mental health than others, and at points in their life when we know people are vulnerable - infancy, childhood, and during poor physical health - they are not receiving enough support to prevent lasting mental health problems. Huffington Post UK

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Failing national drugs policy behind rising death toll, say experts

Failing national drugs policy behind rising death toll, say experts We must learn lessons from our failing drugs policy in England, experts have warned in The BMJ this morning. They argue in theireditorial* that the current situation is a public health and primary care emergency. They call for better support for GPs looking after an ageing cohort of opiate users, better commissioning of services and more coordinated work between the NHS and local authorities.

Office for National Statistics figures published last month showed that, between 2012 and 2015, total drug-related deaths in England and Wales increased by 65.7% and opioid-related deaths by 107%. Professor John Middleton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, and co-authors pointed out that actual mortality associated with drug use is even higher, as these figures exclude deaths from bloodborne viruses and other conditions related to use of illegal drugs. OnMedica

Digital health devices are great - but the people who really need them can't afford them, warns public health professor

Digital health devices are great - but the people who really need them can't afford them, warns public health professor These technologies, such as activity trackers and blood pressure and glucose monitors, empower patients with the necessary information to better manage their conditions. The Daily Mail

The parents in denial about their children being fat: Just 9% consider their offspring overweight while half reward good behaviour with unhealthy snacks 

The parents in denial about their children being fat: Just 9% consider their offspring overweight while half reward good behaviour with unhealthy snacks  Just 9 per cent of children are considered overweight by their family – even though NHS figures show almost a third of two- to 15-year-olds are. The Daily Mail