Get mental health right and we can get the whole system right

Get mental health right and we can get the whole system right John Cleese famously asked 'What have the Romans ever done for us?’ and received in response a litany of suggestions – sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water and public health. The sketch came to mind recently as I listened to a group of health professionals talking about the many ways in which good mental health care can help other parts of the health system. So, what has mental health ever done for us? The King's Fund

Nurse and midwife revalidation a success says NMC

Nurse and midwife revalidation a success says NMC Revalidation has recently celebrated its one year anniversary and today the NMC has published its fourth quarterly report. The final quarter of the first year has continued to show how successful revalidation has been with 48,598 nurses and midwives renewing their registration during this period.

Throughout this quarter 93 percent of those who were due to revalidate have done so successfully and there is no sign that revalidation has had an adverse effect on the register. So far over 200,000 nurses and midwives have successfully revalidated with the NMC. Nursing and Midwifery Council

Adolescent obesity and related behaviours: trends and inequalities in the WHO European Region, 2002–2014

Adolescent obesity and related behaviours: trends and inequalities in the WHO European Region, 2002–2014 This report reveals that the number of obese adolescents is continuing to rise in many countries across the WHO European Region. It highlights persisting inequalities in obesity among young people and indicates that ongoing health promotion and disease prevention efforts aimed at reducing childhood obesity are failing to adequately reach these groups. World Health Organization

See also:

• Young Britons risk their health due to lack of exercise The Daily Mail

A creepy solution: Could ants tackle the 'antibiotic apocalypse'?

A creepy solution: Could ants tackle the 'antibiotic apocalypse'? I was born in India and, as a young child, I developed a serious gut infection that would have killed me if it hadn't been for antibiotics.

These days a young child in India, with the same condition, would be far more vulnerable because of the huge and rapid rise in antibiotic resistance in that part of the world.

The problem is not, of course, confined to India. It's estimated that antibiotic-resistant infections currently kill at least 700,000 people a year.

This is projected to rise to 10 million by 2050. What is particularly worrying is that as well as the emergence of antibiotic resistance and the threat it poses - there have been no new classes of antibiotics released in the past 30 years. BBC News

Artificial intelligence could cut GP workload and shorten appointments

Artificial intelligence could cut GP workload and shorten appointments Artificial intelligence apps could shave two to three minutes off GP appointments and filter out unnecessary appointments, GPs piloting the technology have said. GPonline

Swallowable gastric balloon could help the obese lose weight without surgery

Swallowable gastric balloon could help the obese lose weight without surgery Although not a replacement for bariatric surgery, temporary balloon could be used as early intervention or for those who do not want, or cannot have, surgery

A balloon that can be swallowed and then filled with water while in the stomach can help obese people to lose large amounts of weight without invasive surgery, a new study has shown.

Bariatric surgery to reduce the size of the stomach is highly effective, but anaesthesia for somebody who is very overweight can be risky. Those who want to undergo the surgery must also undergo a long period of preparation to ready them physically and psychologically. It is expensive, and there is a long waiting list in the UK, even though NHS guidance recommends it be considered. Continue reading... The Guardian

Dementia and cancer deaths set to soar in England and Wales

Dementia and cancer deaths set to soar in England and Wales Research says projected rise will put NHS under intense pressure with a 42% increase in number of people needing palliative care

Deaths from dementia and cancer will soar between now and 2040, putting NHS end-of-life services under intense pressure, research has found.

The number of people in England and Wales dying from dementia will almost quadruple, from 59,199 in 2014 to 219,409 in 2040, according to estimates published in the journal BMC Medicine. Continue reading... The Guardian