REVEALED: Corby has the highest smoking rate in the UK

REVEALED: Corby has the highest smoking rate in the UK Corby has the country’s highest smoking rate, with one in three adults living there enjoying a regular cigarette, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The power of digital health: what can we learn from one million posts?

The power of digital health: what can we learn from one million posts? Digital health is sexy. Last year our take on the eight technologies that will change health and care was the most popular piece on our website and we continue to support the NHS to engage through our Digital Health and Care Congress and other means.

But there is far more to digital health than how it is used in the NHS. For example, early last year Public Health England’s ‘Sugar Smart’ app was leading app download charts and had been downloaded more than one million times. The King's Fund

Stroke patients in England set to receive revolutionary new treatment

Stroke patients in England set to receive revolutionary new treatment An estimated 8,000 stroke patients a year are set to benefit from an advanced emergency treatment which can significantly decrease the risk of long-term disability and also save millions of pounds in long term health and social care costs. NHS England

2017 local government elections: dos and don'ts for the NHS

2017 local government elections: dos and don'ts for the NHS Find out what the local government elections mean for your communications activities over the pre-election period. NHS Employers

Nurses consider whether to strike over low pay

Nurses consider whether to strike over low pay The Royal College of Nursing is assessing the mood for strike action in protest over pay.

The largest nursing union is asking 270,000 members across the UK whether they want to strike before deciding whether to issue a formal ballot.

It says a combination of pay freezes and caps on pay rises since 2010 have effectively led to a 14% pay cut due to the rising cost of living.

The Department of Health said "affordable" pay was protecting jobs.

There was a campaign of strike action over NHS pay in 2014. But while some nurses took part, the Royal College of Nursing did not.

Now the union says unprecedented pressure in the NHS means nurses have never worked harder, and for so little.

The latest review of public sector pay announced a 1% rise. BBC News

Jeremy Hunt orders investigation into baby death cluster

Jeremy Hunt orders investigation into baby death cluster A cluster of baby deaths at the same NHS trust will be investigated, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

BBC News has learned of at least seven deaths later deemed as avoidable in less than two years at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

A failure to properly monitor the baby's heart rate was a contributory factor in five of the deaths.

The trust said improvements have been made - and that their mortality rates were in line with the national average.

Mr Hunt has asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to review a series of deaths and other incidents at the trust, to ensure they were properly investigated.

He has also asked the trust to contact each family affected. BBC News

See also:

• Investigation launched into NHS trust after seven babies die in two years The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt orders investigation into baby deaths at NHS trust The Guardian
• Series of 'avoidable' baby deaths at NHS trust being investigated ITV News

6m more patients to have access to clinical pharmacists in GP practices

6m more patients to have access to clinical pharmacists in GP practices Over 700 more practices, covering up to 6m patients, are to have access to a clinical pharmacist through an NHS England initiative to expand the role in general practice. GPonline

See also:

• Pharmacists playing increasingly vital role within GP-led practice teams Royal College of General Practitioners

Seven trusts to drive digital mental health services with £35m investment

Seven trusts to drive digital mental health services with £35m investment Seven trusts will become Global Digital Exemplars for Mental Health and receive a share of £35m to develop and roll-out innovtive technology for patient treatment, NHS England have confirmed

The investment will also be matched by the trusts in the scheme to go towards digital schemes for self-care and other treatments for those suffering from mental health problems.

The money will go towards a variety of schemes, including for the first time creating a real-time system that will allow all healthcare professionals involved in treatment to access their patient’s record from triage and initial assessment to transfer between services and follow up care. National Health Executive

Lack of post-hospital care 'leaving mental health patients at risk'

Lack of post-hospital care 'leaving mental health patients at risk' NHS teams not checking up on thousands of patients after discharge, increasing suicide risks, Mind survey finds

Thousands of vulnerable people are being left at increased risk of suicide because NHS mental health teams in England and Wales are not checking up on them within a week of their discharge from hospital.

At least 11,000 people a year who have recently been in mental health inpatient care are not followed up within a week of coming home, despite guidelines requiring the NHS to contact them. Continue reading... The Guardian

Soaring numbers spending 12 hours in A&E, with 100,000 cases in three months

Soaring numbers spending 12 hours in A&E, with 100,000 cases in three months MORE than 100,000 patients have been left in Accident & Emergency departments for more than 12 hours in recent months, amid a five-fold increase in delays, NHS data reveals.

The disclosures triggered warnings of a “serious degradation in patient safety” as the NHS is braced for a surge in A&E pressures over the long Easter weekend.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said waiting times were “going through the roof” with warnings that “the elastic is close to snapping” in some parts of the health service. The Daily Telegraph

As medical decisions grow ever more complex, hope and trust must remain central to every doctor's toolkit

As medical decisions grow ever more complex, hope and trust must remain central to every doctor's toolkit Whether it’s resuscitation after a cardiac arrest in a railway station or chemotherapy for a patient with widespread cancer, knowing when to stop is the most difficult decision a doctor has to make. The terribly sad case of baby Charlie Gard highlights how modern technology brings new ethical and moral problems. But the High Court brings victory to no one.

My experience as a cancer specialist has taught me that managing expectations from the very beginning is an imperative component of care. The Daily Telegraph

Terminally ill man given permission to challenge law on assisted dying after Court of Appeal win

Terminally ill man given permission to challenge law on assisted dying after Court of Appeal win A man who is terminally ill with motor neurone disease has been given permission to challenge the law on assisted dying.

Retired college lecturer Noel Conway took his case to the Court of Appeal after he was refused permission to bring a judicial review over the blanket ban on providing a person with assistance to die.

Last month a panel of High Court judges rejected his bid to change the law, saying it would be "institutionally inappropriate" for the court to challenge the decision of Parliament. The Daily Telegraph