Concerns after catering staff duties are handed over to care assistants at Northampton mental health hospitals

Concerns after catering staff duties are handed over to care assistants at Northampton mental health hospitals Workers at a mental health charity feel too much responsibility is being handed to ward staff in Northampton after 11 catering staff were made redundant.

St Andrew’s Healthcare’s catering team prepares about 900 meals for its patients every day.

But late last year the charity, which runs the large mental health hospital off Billing Road, put the jobs of 46 people in the team at risk as part of plans to hand some duties over to healthcare assistants.

The largely taxpayer-funded charity has now confirmed 11 staff have been made redundant in the restructure. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

International comparisons of health and wellbeing in early childhood

International comparisons of health and wellbeing in early childhood This report presents data on health and wellbeing for early childhood in the UK and 14 comparable countries, recognising the particular influence that a child’s development in this period can have on his or her future health and quality of life. We consider the benefits and challenges of comparing child health indicators between countries, to inform local and national policy and practice that improves the health of children and families in this country. Nuffield Trust

See also:

• Lagging behind: why we must do better on child health Nuffield Trust
• UK tops league of shame for unhealthy children The Daily Mail

MPs warn of 'poisonous air' emergency costing £20bn a year

MPs warn of 'poisonous air' emergency costing £20bn a year MPs have demanded an end to the UK's "poisonous air" in an unprecedented report from four Commons committees.

The Environment, Health, Transport and Environmental Audit committees want a new Clean Air Act, and a clean air fund financed by the motor industry.

They are also demanding a faster phase-out of petrol and diesel cars - currently set for 2040.

The government said air pollution had improved significantly since 2010 but there was "more to do".

MPs have been frustrated by the response from ministers, who have promised to publish a comprehensive clean air strategy later this year. BBC News 

See also:

• Committees call for a new Clean Air Act Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

'I was a suicidal teen - the NHS didn’t know what to do with me'

'I was a suicidal teen - the NHS didn’t know what to do with me' It was the ninth time in the space of 10 days that Sherry Denness had tried to kill herself. "It felt like checkmate - there were no open doors or other ways for my life to turn, I just wanted to die," she says.

Only just 18, Sherry has been diagnosed with a number of mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder (BPD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). BBC News

Hawking: Did he change views on disability?

Hawking: Did he change views on disability? Stephen Hawking was both one of the world's most famous scientists and most famous disabled people.

His life was a juxtaposition of sparkling intellect and failing body.

Prof Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease when he was 22.

The nerves that controlled his muscles were failing and he became trapped in his body, but his mind was still free.

He reached the height of his field while being wheelchair-bound and communicating through a synthetic voice.

So did he change society's perceptions of disability? BBC News

See also:

• 'I would not have survived': Stephen Hawking lived long life due to NHS The Guardian
• Stephen Hawking: a scientist who never forgot the value of the NHS The Guardian

Thousands more women with heavy periods to be offered test

Thousands more women with heavy periods to be offered test Women with heavy periods should be offered a hysteroscopy to find out the cause, says new guidance from health officials.

This could lead to 10,000 more women in England having the test, which examines the inside of the womb, each year, they said.

Around one in 20 women aged 30-49 sees a GP due to heavy menstrual bleeding.

The issue can seriously affect quality of life, both physically and emotionally. BBC News

NHS spending watchdog spends £500k asking management consultants to clarify its 'purpose'

NHS spending watchdog spends £500k asking management consultants to clarify its 'purpose' The health service’s financial watchdog will spend £500k on private management consultants to help define its “purpose”, just two years after spending £630k on a similar consultancy project when it was set up.

NHS Improvement is responsible for managing NHS hospitals spending, including taking action against those trusts that fail to hit increasingly tough spending targets.

It also monitors hospital spending on areas like consultancy services, with any deals over £50,000 needing its prior approval.

But in a message to its employees, sent last week, NHS Improvement said it has struck a deal with consultancy McKinsey for a sum 10 times this amount. The Independent

Theresa May promises to look into man's £54,000 NHS cancer bill

Theresa May promises to look into man's £54,000 NHS cancer bill Jeremy Corbyn raises case of Albert Thompson, denied treatment because he lacked proof of residency

Theresa May has promised to look into into the case of a Londoner asked to pay £54,000 for cancer treatment despite having lived in the UK for 44 years, after Jeremy Corbyn raised it at prime minister’s questions.

The difficulties faced by Albert Thompson, the 63-year-old man whose case was uncovered by the Guardian, were highlighted during a heated exchange on the state of the NHS. Thompson is not receiving the radiotherapy treatment he needs for prostate cancer after he was unable to provide the hospital with sufficient evidence of residency. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• The Guardian view on denying cancer care: unjust and uncaring | Editorial The Guardian

Life expectancy to fall one year, with middle classes among hardest hit

Life expectancy to fall one year, with middle classes among hardest hit Life expectancy is falling, Oxford University experts have warned, saying the trends could hit the middle class the hardest.

Writing in the BMJ, they revealed a 13 per cent rise in death rates in the first months of this year in England as Wales, as the NHS came under strain.

And they said “awful” increases in death rates in recent years had forced the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to revise its forecasts, reducing UK predicted life span by almost a full year.

Writing in the BMJ, they revealed an extra 10,000 deaths in the first seven weeks of this year, compared with average figures in the last five years. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Rise in mortality in England and Wales in first seven weeks of 2018 The BMJ
• Concern at rising infant mortality rate in England and Wales The Guardian

Hacker alert for hospitals as report warns devices could be hit

Hacker alert for hospitals as report warns devices could be hit HACKERS could turn off life-saving medical devices in hospital connected to the internet, a report warns.

Internet enabled devices in hospitals and the home are vulnerable to being hacked and could put people’s lives at risk, the report warns.

Now a report by the Royal Academy of Engineering warns that not enough is being done to protect the UK from a hostile cyber-strike. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Cyber safety and resilience: strengthening the digital systems that support the modern economy Royal Academy of Engineering