Thursday 15 February 2018

Corby pharmacies hire security guards after armed robberies

Corby pharmacies hire security guards after armed robberies Three pharmacies in Corby have been forced to take drastic measures after a series of armed incidents. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Hidden from the targets: how long are patients waiting for NHS care?

Hidden from the targets: how long are patients waiting for NHS care? The NHS is not short of waiting time targets. These targets may cover everything from ambulance services to psychological therapy, but they are all constructed in a broadly similar way – the aim is for the NHS to see a set proportion of patients in a set amount of time, and the target is either ‘hit’ or ‘missed’. For example, at least 95 per cent of patients should spend no more than four hours in A&E departments and at least 92 per cent of patients should wait no more than 18 weeks from referral by a GP to receiving routine consultant-led treatment such as hip or knee surgery. The King's Fund

Life expectancy gap between rich and poor widens

Life expectancy gap between rich and poor widens The life expectancy gap between England's richest and poorest neighbourhoods has widened since 2001, a report says.

On average, a boy born in one of the most affluent areas will outlive one born in one of the poorest by 8.4 years.

That was up from 7.2 years in 2001, the Longevity Science Panel (LSP) found.

The government said it was tackling the issue, and added cancer survival rates were "at an all-time high".

The LSP report said the results were concerning and required further investigation to understand the causes.

But its authors said income inequality was the biggest factor. BBC News

GMC confirms reflective entries could be used against doctors in court

GMC confirms reflective entries could be used against doctors in court GP leaders have demanded legal protection to stop reflective statements being used against doctors in court, as the GMC confirmed to MPs that no such protection currently exists. GPonline

UK employees back workplace wearables for mental health support

UK employees back workplace wearables for mental health support More than half of working adults in the UK would be would be prepared to wear devices designed to monitor their mental health and flag troubling symptoms, according to a new report.

The ‘AXA Health Tech & You State of the Nation survey’, conducted by YouGov, involved interviewing 2,000 adults about their attitudes towards mental health in the workplace.

It found that many workers feared raising mental wellbeing concerns because they were worried about being stigmatised by peers.

However, it revealed that workers are willing to adopt technology-driven strategies to help improve mental health in the workplace. Digital Health

Processed food, sugary cereals and sliced bread may contribute to cancer risk, study claims

Processed food, sugary cereals and sliced bread may contribute to cancer risk, study claims "Ultra-processed" foods including sugary breakfast cereals, chicken nuggets, pizza and pre-sliced bread may increase the risk of cancer, a study has claimed.

Fast foods and ready meals amount for 50 per cent of the average person’s diet in some developed countries and could be contributing to rising cancer levels, researchers working in Brazil and France found.

Teams from the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Sao Paulo found that a 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake was associated with a 12 per cent increased risk of overall cancer. The Independent

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Woman who died in A&E after overdose had 'inadequate care'

Woman who died in A&E after overdose had 'inadequate care' Coroner criticises ‘overwhelmed’ hospital but rules Bethany Shipsey intended to kill herself

A 21-year-old woman who died in an exceptionally busy A&E ward after taking an overdoseof diet pills intended to kill herself but received inadequate care, a coroner has found.

Bethany Shipsey died in Worcestershire Royal hospital on 15 February last year, a day described by hospital staff as overwhelming. She had swallowed tablets she bought online from eastern Europe that contained the industrial substance DNP. Continue reading... The Guardian

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NHS trusts transferring staff into subsidiary companies to cut VAT

NHS trusts transferring staff into subsidiary companies to cut VAT Labour warns of impact on staff and standards of ‘back-door privatisation’

Nineteen trusts have transferred non-clinical NHS staff into subsidiary companies, via a process previously described as akin to “back door privatisation”, and another 16 have plans to do so, an investigation has found.

The Health Service Journal research, published on Wednesday, suggests that almost 3,000 estates and facilities staff are already employed by eight trust-owned subsidiaries, with the majority having transferred from the parent trust. Continue reading... The Guardian

'Opt-out' organ donations won't solve waiting lists deaths, says NHS chief

'Opt-out' organ donations won't solve waiting lists deaths, says NHS chief Theresa May’s plans for an “opt-out” organ transplant system will not solve Britain’s long waiting lists for donations, the NHS chief responsible for transplants has said.

Claire Williment said there was “no magic formula” to cutting down the tally of three people a day who currently die while waiting for a donor organ, and predicted switching to a system of presumed consent may only yield 100 extra donors each year.

The Head of Transplant Development at NHS Blood and Transplant, she said boosting donor rates required a combination of measures including more specialist nurses trained to seek families’ permission as loved-ones die. The Daily Telegraph

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10,000 dementia patients a year 'left on hospital wards'

10,000 dementia patients a year 'left on hospital wards' Up To 10,000 Alzheimer’s patients a year have been left on hospital wards despite being cleared to leave.

Figures show the NHS has spent £15 million a month to keep people in hospital because of a lack of social care beds.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said vulnerable patients could die if they are not discharged at the right time. The Daily Mail

One in six post-operation infections resist antibiotics

One in six post-operation infections resist antibiotics Antibiotics are now failing to work in a fifth of patients who suffer an infection following hospital surgery, according to the first major study investigating the crisis.

The global research found that one in eight patients undergoing common procedures such as appendix removal developed an infection while recovering. Some 22 per cent of cases were found to be resistant to the antibiotics which should have protected them.

The study, published by the Lancet, tracked more than 13,000 patients in 66 countries, including those in the UK, who were undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. The Daily Mail

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