Friday 22 December 2017

Health news over the Christmas week

We will be producing a single bumper edition of our health news service over the Christmas week. The service will return to normal on Tuesday the 2nd of January.

Wishing all our readers a very happy Christmas.

The Mental health of young women and girls: how to prevent a growing crisis

The Mental health of young women and girls: how to prevent a growing crisis The mental health of young women and girls is deteriorating, and the gap between men and women has widened over recent years. As the evidence section in this paper will show, the last 15 years have seen an unprecedented rise in reported mental health problems amongst young women and girls. We now see their needs reaching crisis levels. Mental Health Foundation

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Briefing on hospital pharmacy in England

Briefing on hospital pharmacy in England There are approximately 7,000 pharmacists in hospitals and 16,000 pharmacy staff whose practice is being transformed by the outcomes of the Carter review on hospital efficiencies and other NHS initiatives. Royal Pharmaceutical Society

NHS senior midwife says 2018 is year of opportunity to drive new continuity of carer standards for mums-to-be across England

NHS senior midwife says 2018 is year of opportunity to drive new continuity of carer standards for mums-to-be across England The NHS’s most senior midwife says 2018 will be a year of opportunity for promoting continuity of carer maternity standards for mums-to-be across England. NHS England has today published new guidance to help local areas to provide women with more consistent care and support, including a named midwife, before, during and after birth. NHS England

International recruitment quick guides updated

International recruitment quick guides updated NHS Employers has updated its range of quick guides on the subject of international recruitment.

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Making obesity everybody's business: a whole systems approach to obesity

Making obesity everybody's business: a whole systems approach to obesity This briefing, written in partnership with Public Health England and the Association of Directors of Public Health, focuses on the Whole Systems Obesity programme which will provide local authorities with a different approach to tackling obesity. The programme is exploring the evidence and local practice to develop guidance and tools to help councils set up a whole systems approach to obesity in their local area. Local Government Association

Health and care sectoral analyses

Health and care sectoral analyses The Exiting the European Union Committee has published 39 sectoral reports that contain analysis of the impact of Brexit on business and service sectors in the UK. House of Commons Exiting the European Union Committee

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Hospitals to cancel ops to cope with winter surge

Hospitals to cancel ops to cope with winter surge Hospitals across England have been told to cancel non-emergency operations in the new year to prepare for a post-Christmas surge in patients.

The first weeks of January are often the busiest of the year with winter illnesses peaking, combined with the growing day-to-day demand in A&E.

So an emergency panel of NHS bosses is urging hospitals to cut back on their routine work, such as knee and hip ops.

They hope it will give hospitals some breathing space to cope. BBC News

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Shingles vaccine 'has cut cases by a third' in England

Shingles vaccine 'has cut cases by a third' in England Cases of shingles have reduced by 35% in England since a vaccine was offered to 70-year-olds, Public Health England says.

But it is urging more people in their 70s to get their free injection against the painful condition.

They are most at risk of shingles and more likely to develop complications, such as severe nerve pain.

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chicken pox virus and results in a nasty skin rash and fever.

The vaccine programme started in England in 2013 and 5.5m people were eligible for the free single injection over the first three years. BBC News

Gaming disorder is going to be named a mental health condition for the first time - The Independent

Gaming disorder is going to be named a mental health condition for the first time Gaming disorder is soon to be classified as a mental health condition for the very first time.

The International Classification of Diseases is a diagnostic manual that’s published by the World Health Organisation. It was last updated 27 years ago, in 1990.

The eleventh edition of the manual is due to be published in 2018, and will include gaming disorder as a serious health condition to be monitored. The Independent

NHS figures show sharp rise in patients waiting for A&E care

NHS figures show sharp rise in patients waiting for A&E care In week to 17 December 14,323 patients arriving by ambulance waited at least half an hour before they were handed over

Growing numbers of patients taken to hospital by ambulance are having to wait an hour or more before they are handed over to A&E staff for treatment, NHS England figures show.

In the week to last Sunday, 17 December, one in seven such patients faced a delay of at least 30 minutes in the back of an ambulance or an area of the hospital where the crew look after them, up from one in eight the week beforeContinue reading... The Guardian

Cases of the winter vomiting bug jump by 14% in one week

Cases of the winter vomiting bug jump by 14% in one week Cases of the winter vomiting bug are continuing to soar - causing 'mayhem' on the NHS, official statistics reveal.

Government figures show 1,887 people have been struck down with norovirus since July, compared to 1,649 last week - a 14 per cent jump.

Concerns have been raised that the 'nightmare situation' will only escalate further - with the winter pressures having only just begun.

It comes at time when the health service is already bracing itself for the dreaded 'Aussie flu', expected to be the 'worst outbreak in 50 years'.

They are expecting an aggressive strain of the virus to begin circulating within the next few weeks which mostly affects the elderly and young children. The Daily Mail

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