Mental health and behavioural conditions account for nearly one-in-three known fit notes

Mental health and behavioural conditions account for nearly one-in-three known fit notes  Mental health and behavioural conditions have accounted for 31% of all fit notes, where the diagnosis was known, written in England between December 2014 and March 2017.

This was the most common known reason for issuing a fit note, new experimental figures from NHS Digital have revealed.

Anonymised information covering GP practices has been collected for the first time. These practices are responsible for around two-thirds of working age patients registered with a GP in England.

See also:

• Society-wide approach towards parity of esteem between mental and physical health needed, says College Royal College of General Practitioners 
• One in three sick notes are for mental health problems, 'alarming' report shows The Daily Telegraph
• One in three GP fit notes relate to mental health conditions GPonline

Flu vaccine 'very effective' in children

Flu vaccine 'very effective' in children Last winter's vaccine reduced the risk of flu by 66% in children, according to Public Health England, up 8% on last year.

It's the best result since 2013, when children first received flu vaccinations.

In adults aged 18-64 years, the vaccine reduced the risk of flu by about 40%.

The UK plans to offer the flu vaccine to all children aged two-11 years. This can have widespread benefits, as children "spread flu more than others".

The vaccine, however, did not work in those aged over 65. BBC News

See also:

• Research and analysis: Influenza vaccine effectiveness: 2016 to 2017 estimates Public Health England

Labour calls on Jeremy Hunt to take 'urgent' action over NHS cyber security after alarming leaked report

Labour calls on Jeremy Hunt to take 'urgent' action over NHS cyber security after alarming leaked report Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, has been told to take “urgent” action to prevent another devastating cyber attack on the NHSafter a leaked internal report revealed a string of digital security failings in the health service.

The report, by NHS Digital’s head of security operations, Chris Flynn, said there was a “false sense of security” among staff over cyber threats and highlighted a range of security failings, including weak passwords and poorly protected patient data.

Mr Flynn said many NHS trusts, GP practices and clinical commissioning groups had good security policies but that they were not being properly implemented. The Independent

As a GP, I’ve seen how vetting hospital referrals can help patients

As a GP, I’ve seen how vetting hospital referrals can help patients The NHS is rolling out a scheme that makes non-urgent hospital referrals subject to approval. With safeguards, it can make for a fairer, more efficient system

The latest scare story about the NHS suggests that GP referrals to hospital will be increasingly vetted by a panel of other doctors who will have the power to refuse or allow patients access to specialist services. The NHS is rolling out a scheme that requires all family doctors in England to seek approval from a medical panel for all non-urgent hospital referrals, including hip and knee surgery, cataract removals, X-rays and scans. The “peer review” scheme is being expanded nationwide from next week following a pilot in two regions in the north-east.

The referral management system represents an excellent way to ensure efficient and equitable use of specialist resources Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Secret NHS cost-cutting drive to reduce hospital referrals revealed The Guardian

NHS to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad

NHS to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad Recruiters will earn about £20,000 for each new GP as part of the NHS England initiative to alleviate cripping shortages

The NHS plans to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad to help alleviate serious shortages that have left surgeries struggling to run properly.

Recruitment agencies will earn about £20,000 for each GP they succeed in placing in a family doctor practice in England as part of the NHS England initiative. Continue reading... Recruiters will earn about £20,000 for each new GP as part of the NHS England initiative to alleviate cripping shortages

The NHS plans to spend £100m bringing in up to 3,000 GPs from abroad to help alleviate serious shortages that have left surgeries struggling to run properly.

Recruitment agencies will earn about £20,000 for each GP they succeed in placing in a family doctor practice in England as part of the NHS England initiative. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• International recruitment could make a real difference to GP workforce shortage Royal College of General Practitioners 
• NHS launches £100m drive to recruit foreign GPs BBC News
• NHS will pay £100 million to agencies to recruit GPs The Daily Mail
• NHS England offers £100m to firms to recruit 3,000 overseas GPs GPonline

UN panel criticises UK failure to uphold disabled people's rights

UN panel criticises UK failure to uphold disabled people's rights Charities say report is grim reality check and Labour says it highlights how disabled people are bearing brunt of austerity

The UK government is failing to uphold disabled people’s rights across a range of areas from education, work and housing to health, transport and social security, a UN inquiry has found.

The UN committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined the government’s progress in fulfilling its commitments to the UN convention on disabled people’s rights, to which the UK has been a signatory since 2007. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS rationing bodies refuse to fund treatment which stalls breast cancer

NHS rationing bodies refuse to fund treatment which stalls breast cancer A breast cancer drug which stalls disease by three months has been rejected by NHS rationing bodies.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence said there was a lack of evidence to prove that the drug called fulvestrant extended lives.

Some trials have suggested it could extend survival by more than five months, for women whose cancer has spread.

But Nice said there were weaknesses in such research. While trials showed the drug stalls the cancer’s growth by around three months, there was a lack of good evidence that this extended survival, they said.

The drug costs £500 a month, compared to costs of just pennies for anastrozole, and letrozole, which are currently prescribed for such cases. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Jab to halt breast cancer rejected by NHS watchdog The Daily Mail

NHS no longer uses post-it notes for heart transplants

NHS no longer uses post-it notes for heart transplants The NHS no longer uses post-it notes and whiteboards to arrange life-saving heart transplants for patients, it has emerged.

Instead of relying on the traditional methods, it has adopted new digital technology which can match donors and recipients in just six seconds.

The pioneering system is 300 times faster, experts claim, and has removed around 40 lengthy steps from the matching process.

Experts have hailed the 'groundbreaking' technology used by the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and said it will 'ultimately save more lives'.

The world first system has already helped at least one patient get a new heart. It is expected to be rolled out across the board in the coming years. The Daily Mail