Mental ill-health among children of the new century

Mental ill-health among children of the new century New research shows a quarter of girls (24%) and one in 10 boys (9%) are depressed at age 14.

Researchers from the UCL Institute of Education and the University of Liverpool analysed information on more than 10,000 children born in 2000-01 who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study.

At ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14, parents reported on their children’s mental health. Then, when they reached 14, the children were themselves asked questions about their depressive symptoms. National Children's Bureau

See also:

• Schools fear impact of budget cuts amid girls' mental health crisis The Guardian
• Falling number of NHS child psychiatrists provokes 'deep concern' The Guardian
• Stress and social media fuel mental health crisis among girls The Guardian

Developing support and services for children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both

Developing support and services for children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both This document provides guidance for Transforming Care Partnerships (and their local CCG or local authority partners) in commissioning support and services for children and young people with learning disability, autism or both. NHS England

Prevention in action

Prevention in action This report argues that local authorities in England must do more in their areas to provide services that prevent, reduce or delay the need for care and support. The report analyses the impact of the Care Act on the provision of preventative services and finds that the act's vision for prevention is not being fully realised. The report provides a national picture of local developments and highlights areas of good practice alongside areas for improvement. British Red Cross

Making the economic case for investing in actions to prevent and/or tackle loneliness: a systematic review: a briefing paper

Making the economic case for investing in actions to prevent and/or tackle loneliness: a systematic review: a briefing paper This research, carried out by the London School of Economics, reviews the evidence on the economic impact of loneliness interventions. It finds that up to £3 of health care costs can be saved for every £1 spent on an effective intervention on loneliness. Campaign to End Loneliness

Person-centred care in 2017: evidence from service users

Person-centred care in 2017: evidence from service users This report attempts to create a snapshot of the extent of person-centred care in the English health and care system, based on how people report their experience of treatment, care and support. This data was found through surveys of patients and service users. It concludes that NHS services do not give people adequate control of their own health and care, and there is no reporting of whether people’s care is coordinated across health and social care. National Voices

Intensive Outpatient Care Program: A Care Model for the Medically Complex Piloted by Employers

Intensive Outpatient Care Program: A Care Model for the Medically Complex Piloted by Employers The Pacific Business Group on Health’s Intensive Outpatient Care Program (IOCP) is a multidisciplinary team-based model that addresses patients’ medical, behavioral, and social needs, with care coordinators at the heart of the program. IOCP has reduced costs among commercially insured, medically complex patients by up to 20 percent, and external analysis of a two-year IOCP study showed improvements in patient activation, mental health, and physical functioning. The Commonwealth Fund

Abortion should not be a crime, says doctors' body

Abortion should not be a crime, says doctors' body Abortions should be treated as a medical issue and not a crime, the UK's leading pregnancy doctors say.

Currently in England, Wales and Scotland it is illegal to have a termination without approval from two doctors and could mean a prison term.

Abortions should be regulated in line with other procedures without criminal sanctions, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said. BBC News

See also:

• RCOG backs decriminalisation of abortion Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
• Pregnancy doctors back abortion on demand with no criminal sanctions The Daily Telegraph

Alarm as 'super malaria' spreads in South East Asia

Alarm as 'super malaria' spreads in South East Asia The rapid spread of "super malaria" in South East Asia is an alarming global threat, scientists are warning.

This dangerous form of the malaria parasite cannot be killed with the main anti-malaria drugs.

It emerged in Cambodia but has since spread through parts of Thailand, Laos and has arrived in southern Vietnam.

The team at the Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok said there was a real danger of malaria becoming untreatable.

Prof Arjen Dondorp, the head of the unit, told the BBC News website: "We think it is a serious threat.

"It is alarming that this strain is spreading so quickly through the whole region and we fear it can spread further [and eventually] jump to Africa."

Exposed: ‘secretive’ NHS cost-cutting plans include children’s care

Exposed: ‘secretive’ NHS cost-cutting plans include children’s care Documents reveal £5m cuts in South Gloucestershire will include cancer diagnostics and treatment for children with complex needs

Cancer diagnostics and treatment for children with complex needs are among services earmarked for cost-cutting plans considered by the NHS to plug a funding gap, according to documents seen by campaigners.

The plans, by South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group and released under a freedom of information request, show that waiting targets for non-urgent operations are also due to be relaxed under the “capped expenditure process” (CEP) as the health service seeks to balance its books in the current financial year. Continue reading... The Guardian

Nurses who failed English test aimed at curbing immigration set for a reprieve

Nurses who failed English test aimed at curbing immigration set for a reprieve Hurdle that included correct use of tenses and essay structure led to dramatic fall in skilled staff registering

Language rules introduced to curb immigration are set to be relaxed after they prevented native English-speaking nurses from working in the NHS.

The NHS has a shortage of 40,000 nurses and recruiters and NHS employers have been lobbying for looser language requirements so that thousands of nurses from countries such as Australia, India and the Philippines can work in Britain. Continue reading... The Guardian

Pressures on the NHS are holding back progress on mental health

Pressures on the NHS are holding back progress on mental health Major advances in mental health care cannot be sustained without fixing problems in primary care and hospitals

Are mental health services getting better or worse? The government repeatedly claims it is pumping money into rapid improvements, while a number of stories in recent days reinforces the impression that services are unravelling in the face of unparalleled demand.

The Education Policy Institute has revealed that more than a quarter of children referred to specialist mental health services in 2016-17 – tens of thousands – were turned away (pdf). Continue reading... The Guardian

A&E trolley waits soar in five years

A&E trolley waits soar in five years The number of patients languishing on trolleys before being admitted to A&E has soared in the last five years, new data reveals.

Doctors’ leaders have branded as “unacceptable” new figures showing 1,597 people had to endure waits of 12 hours or more in the first three months of this year, a 10,546 per cent increase since 2012.

They warned the situation is likely to deteriorate even further this winter, with the NHS braced for what is predicted to be the worst flu season in history. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Overstretched hospitals face winter flu crisis, doctors warn The Guardian

Patients screened by receptionists under NHS scheme

Patients screened by receptionists under NHS scheme Patients trying to see a GP are being screened by receptionists in a controversial scheme designed to cut the number of appointments.

Under an NHS drive to free up doctors' time, clerical staff are being trained as 'care navigators'.

They are being sent on a half-day course and taught how to direct patients to other health professionals, including nurses, pharmacists or physiotherapists.

The scheme was devised to reduce 'avoidable' appointments and is gradually being adopted by surgeries across England.

GPs say up to a quarter of consultations are unnecessary and taken up by patients who could look after themselves at home or see another health professional. The Daily Mail