Prevalence and economic burden of medication errors in the NHS in England: Rapid evidence synthesis and economic analysis of the prevalence and burden of medication error in the UK

Prevalence and economic burden of medication errors in the NHS in England: Rapid evidence synthesis and economic analysis of the prevalence and burden of medication error in the UK

University of Sheffield Policy Research Unit in Economic Evaluation of Health & Care Interventions, March 2018.
Report that estimates approximately 66 million potentially clinically significant errors occur per year, 71.0% of these in primary care. This is where most medicines in the NHS are prescribed and dispensed. Prescribing in primary care accounts for 33.9% of all potentially clinically significant errors. It estimates NHS costs of definitely avoidable Adverse Drug Reactions as £98.5 million per year, consuming 181,626 beddays, causing 712 deaths, and contributing to 1,708 deaths. Lancashire Care Library and Information Service

Tackling malnutrition in England

Tackling malnutrition in England A report from the British Specialist Nutrition Association reflects on the increasing number of cases of malnutrition in hospital and associated deaths.
It draws on malnutrition data for 2015/16 broken down by NHS trust and finds that more than half the hospital trusts in England are under-reporting malnutrition rates compared to accepted national estimates. NHS Networks

'Game changer' treatment for Multiple Sclerosis patients

'Game changer' treatment for Multiple Sclerosis patients MS sufferer Louise Willetts says she is completely well, two year on from treatment that was originally used on cancer patients.
Doctors say a stem cell transplant could be a "game changer" for many patients with multiple sclerosis.
Results from an international trial show that it was able to stop the disease and improve symptoms. BBC News

NHS homeopathy ending in London - BBC News

NHS homeopathy ending in London - BBC News A major centre of homeopathy will no longer be able to spend NHS money on the controversial practice.
The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine - formerly the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital - will stop providing NHS-funded homeopathic remedies in April.
Homeopathy is based on the idea that "like cures like", but scientists says patients are getting nothing but sugar.
Campaigners said the move was "hugely significant and long overdue". BBC News

See also:

• Curbs on hospital linked to Queen over rule breach - The Times The Times

Patient safety hit by lack of staff, warn 80% of NHS workers - The Guardian

Patient safety hit by lack of staff, warn 80% of NHS workers - The Guardian A huge majority of NHS workers say they are worried about staffing levels, according to new survey findings that suggest a dangerous level of under-resourcing in the health service.
Four-fifths (80%) of respondents – which included nurses, doctors and managers – have raised concerns about there not being enough staff on duty to give patients safe and high-quality care. More than half of those (59%) said no action was taken, despite their unease being voiced.
More than 1,000 NHS staff who belong to the Observer and Guardian’s healthcare network were surveyed. Almost half of respondents (48%) said care had been compromised on their last shift, while only 2% felt there were always enough people to provide safe care. More than half (53%) say they cannot provide the level of care they want to. The Guardian

See also:

• 'I had a breakdown and am homeless': the impact of NHS staff shortages The Guardian

Sport England grants funds for mental health scheme - Bike Biz

Sport England grants funds for mental health scheme - Bike Biz Up to 2.8 million people with mental health problems could potentially benefit from the expansion of a pilot scheme by Mind and Sport England to help more people with mental health problems access and benefit from physical activity such as cycling.
Sport England has awarded Mind £1.5 million in National Lottery funding to extend Get Set to Go, a scheme that has provided over 3,500 people with physical activities, combined with group and one on one peer support, and Mind’s safe and supportive online social network Elefriends. BikeBiz

See also:

• Millions Of People With Mental Health Issues Could Be Helped By This Fitness Scheme - HuffPost UK HuffPost UK

Sleep apnoea: surge in number of children admitted to hospital

Sleep apnoea: surge in number of children admitted to hospital Growing number of young people in UK with disorder may be linked to rising obesity levels
The number of admissions to hospital of children and teenagers with sleep apnoea has risen sharply over the past four years, with experts suggesting childhood obesity is to blame.
Data from NHS Digital, the national information and technology partner to the health and social care system, shows that admissions with a primary diagnosis of sleep apnoea, a serious disorder that occurs when breathing is interrupted at night, reached a peak of 7,557 in 2016-17, up from 5,675 in 2012-13. The Guardian

Mental health must promote itself in 'different way' to attract more staff, says trust chief - Nursing Times

Mental health must promote itself in 'different way' to attract more staff, says trust chief - Nursing Times Efforts to attract 19,000 extra people into the mental health workforce by 2021 must involve promoting the personal difference staff can make to service users while ensuring the reality of the job is not “disappointing”, a leader of a mental health NHS trust has urged healthcare bosses.
The “fundamentally stressful and traumatic” nature of clinical mental health work must also be talked about more to ensure time for staff supervision and reflection can be factored into decisions about how services are run, the chief executive added. Nursing Times

Male contraceptive pill is safe to use and does not harm sex drive, first clinical trial finds

Male contraceptive pill is safe to use and does not harm sex drive, first clinical trial finds
A male contraceptive pill has been developed which is effective, safe and does not harm sex drive, scientists have announced.
In what has been described as a “major step forward”, the drug was successfully tested on 83 men for a month for the first time.
So far efforts to create a once-daily pill to mimic the mainstream female contraceptive have stalled because men metabolise and clear out the hormones it delivers too quickly. The Telegraph

See also:

• Contraceptive pill for men is closer to development Mail Online

Million patients a year needlessly enduring major surgery as NHS hospitals are not adopting modern practices, research finds

Million patients a year needlessly enduring major surgery as NHS hospitals are not adopting modern practices, research finds
A million patients a year could be needlessly enduring major surgery because NHS hospitals are not adopting modern practices, research has found.
Up to three quarters of patients who could have keyhole procedures are forced to undergo open surgery, putting them at higher risk of blood loss, pain and infection. The Telegraph

UK anti-obesity drive at risk from new US trade deal, doctors warn

UK anti-obesity drive at risk from new US trade deal, doctors warn Post-Brexit pact could result in Britain importing foods high in fat and sugar, paediatricians say

Britain’s post-Brexit trade deal with the United States could lead to even higher rates of obesity through the import of American foods high in fat and sugar, children’s doctors have warned. The Guardian

Report finds some NHS mental health trusts screen all patients for radicalisation

Report finds some NHS mental health trusts screen all patients for radicalisation Study by Warwick University also found patients referred to Prevent programme for watching Arabic TV or going to Mecca

Four NHS mental health trusts are subjecting patients to blanket screening for radicalisation, with some referred to the Prevent programme for watching Arabic TV or going on pilgrimage to Mecca, a new report has revealed. The Guardian