Monday 4 December 2017

Five practical ways for housing services to address health needs

Five practical ways for housing services to address health needs Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. We campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. However, we estimate that 65,000 families will be homeless this Christmas.

Bad housing and overcrowding lead to physical health problems like asthma, respiratory illnesses and heart disease. The stress of bad housing, and the uncertainty and instability within the housing market, lead to mental health problems. Indeed, in research Shelter commissioned earlier this year, we found that one in 20 adults have visited a GP in the last year with a mental health issue related to their housing. GPs said that housing issues were both a primary cause and also an exacerbating factor in their patients’ mental health problems. The Health Foundation

Policy paper: Government response to report on Brexit and health and social care

Policy paper: Government response to report on Brexit and health and social care This command paper sets out the government’s response to the report on the impact of Brexit on health and social care published by the House of Commons Health Committee in April 2017. Department of Health

The Fifteen Steps Challenge – Quality from a patient’s perspective: A toolkit for clinics and outpatient settings

The Fifteen Steps Challenge – Quality from a patient’s perspective: A toolkit for clinics and outpatient settings NHS England has published a document aimed at improving the experience of patients in clinics and outpatient settings.

The investigation of stillbirth

The investigation of stillbirth This briefing discusses the way that stillbirth is investigated at present and the government announcement about independent investigations in future. House of Commons Library

Meeting the quality challenge: sharing examples of best practice from clinical leaders in emergency departments

Meeting the quality challenge: sharing examples of best practice from clinical leaders in emergency departments This report provides practical examples of positive action that some trusts are taking to help meet the challenges of managing capacity and demand. The examples cover a range of areas including ambulance arrivals, initial patient assessments, staffing, managing deteriorating patients and specialist referrals. Care Quality Commission 

Pledge to boost mental health support in schools

Pledge to boost mental health support in schools Children and young people in England are to be able to access mental health support at school or college under government plans to improve services.

The proposals include introducing a four-week waiting time for youngsters needing specialist support and new mental health support teams in schools.

It is hoped around one in four schools in England will have this provision in place by 2022.

Campaigners say it was welcome, but overdue and "only a start".

The issue of young people's mental health has long been of concern, with parents, charities and healthcare professionals warning that families are not getting the support they need. BBC News

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Cost of NHS negligence claims soars as staff fear speaking out on safety | Richard Vize

Cost of NHS negligence claims soars as staff fear speaking out on safety | Richard Vize Health service’s bill for costs has quadrupled in a decade as patients and families turn to court to find out whether mistakes were made

This week I met a man about to launch a legal action for negligence against the hospital where his wife and son almost died during childbirth. Two years later, she is still recovering and waiting for answers as to what went wrong. Exhausted by months of obstruction and denial, they believe going to court is the only way they will get an admission that mistakes were made. They don’t want money, just an apology and assurance that no one else will have to suffer as they did.

This entirely avoidable melodrama is being played out across the NHS. Friday’s report by the public accounts committee into the cost of clinical negligence in hospital trusts reveals that the bill has quadrupled in 10 years to £1.6bn and is expected to double again by 2021. Continue reading... The Guardian

Near-record number of nurses start training despite drop in applicants

Near-record number of nurses start training despite drop in applicants A near-record number of aspiring nurses were accepted onto training courses this year despite falls in applications, suggesting entry requirements have eased, it has emerged.

Figures from the university admissions service Ucas revealed 2017 saw the second highest number of trainees accepted ever - 28,620 - however there was an 18 per cent drop in the applications from 18 and 19-year-olds in England.

The Government promised in October to create an extra 5,000 nursing places, part of a wider drive to cope with soaring patient numbers, however an end to bursaries in favour of student loans have been blamed for deterring people from the profession. The Daily Telegraph

Life expectancy has dropped because of antibiotic resistance, says ONS

Life expectancy has dropped because of antibiotic resistance, says ONS Antibiotic resistance has caused a fall in life expectancy for the first time, the Office for National Statistics has said.

Life expectancy in future years has been revised down after the statistics authority said that "less optimistic views" about the future had to be taken into account.

Opinions on "improvements in medical science" had declined, it said, and fears of the "re-emergence of existing diseases and increases in anti-microbial resistance" meant people would not live as long as was previously expected.

The ONS uses predictions about how medicine and science will improve to model how life expectancy will change. The Daily Telegraph

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One in 10 catch an STI from a colleague at Christmas party

One in 10 catch an STI from a colleague at Christmas party The office Christmas party is a chance to let your hair down but there's a danger of waking up with something a lot nastier than a hangover the next day.

One in five say they've had a sexual encounter with a co-worker at the annual bash, according to a new survey.

And one in ten admit they've caught a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Worryingly, the fun could turn into a nightmare and result in your colleagues filing a complaint with managers or even land you with a law suit, the research also suggests. The Daily Mail

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