Thursday 5 April 2018

LISTED: The conditions you can’t get prescriptions for and the treatments banned by the NHS

LISTED: The conditions you can’t get prescriptions for and the treatments banned by the NHS Prescriptions for some ‘over the counter’ remedies such as paracetamol and cold treatments have been cut after NHS officials voted in favour of money-saving plans.

Cough mixture, paracetamol, eye drops, laxatives and sun creams are among the products that will no longer be routinely prescribed, following an NHS England board meeting on Thursday. Northamptonshire Telegraph

How can the NHS work effectively with patients and the public?

How can the NHS work effectively with patients and the public? In a guest blog for our NHS and the public project, Ceinwen Giles, Founding Director at Shine Cancer Support, asks what patient involvement could mean for the NHS. The King's Fund

The two billion pound question: is there an opportunity to move from meeting to managing demand?

The two billion pound question: is there an opportunity to move from meeting to managing demand? It is a year since the 2017 Spring Budget, when Chancellor Philip Hammond announced an additional £2 billion of funding for social care for English councils. With £1 billion of the funding almost spent, and another £1 billion to be invested by March 2020, this report assesses what has been achieved so far and to reflect on how the rest of the funding could best be used.The report argues that, whilst the funding has helped to meet demand within the system through reduced delayed transfers of care, sustainable change is only possible if more of the £2 billion is used to manage demand, not just meet it. iMPOWER

Obesity-related hospital admissions 'double in four years'

Obesity-related hospital admissions 'double in four years' Hospital admissions where obesity is a factor have more than doubled in England during the last four years, new figures from NHS Digital suggest.

There were almost 617,000 appointments in 2016-17 where obesity was either a primary or secondary diagnosis - up from 292,000 in 2012-13.

Primary diagnoses involve weight-loss treatment, while secondary ones include hip problems and heart attacks.

Public Health England said it showed obesity was a "significant challenge".

Obesity is linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. BBC News

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NHS England sets out plans to close 21% gender pay gap

NHS England sets out plans to close 21% gender pay gap NHS England has set out a strategy to reduce its gender pay gap, after identifying that men occupy a disproportionate number of senior roles.

Its first gender pay gap report showed that 85% of its national clinical directors are men, while women make up 80% of employees in the organisation’s lowest pay quartile.

According to the Government’s methodology for calculating gender pay gaps, NHS England had a mean gender pay gap of 21.2% on the snapshot date of 31 March 2017. This is calculated as the percentage difference between the average hourly salary for men and the average hourly salary for women. Pulse

NHS bodies told to boost mental health funds or face sanctions

NHS bodies told to boost mental health funds or face sanctions Commissioning groups in England must answer to officials if they miss investment standard

NHS bodies that put too little money into improving mental health care have been threatened with sanctions in a crackdown intended to ensure more cash reaches the frontline.

NHS England has written to all 207 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to warn that they must deliver on a key NHS-wide funding pledge in order to meet the rising demand for help. Continue reading... The Guardian

Young people struggle to cope with setbacks as happiness falls to lowest level in a decade 

Young people struggle to cope with setbacks as happiness falls to lowest level in a decade Today's youngsters are the unhappiest in almost a decade because they do not know how to cope with setbacks, research by the Prince's Trust has found.

The charity, founded by the Prince of Wales, said worries about the future, money, and "not being good enough" were "piling up" on young people aged 16-25.

Its research found that happiness and confidence in emotional health had dropped to their lowest levels since 2009. The Daily Telegraph

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'Sin taxes' can help to curb chronic disease

'Sin taxes' can help to curb chronic disease So-called 'sin taxes' on soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco, could be a powerful tool for combating rising rates of chronic disease worldwide, researchers claim.

A global study found taxes on soft drinks, snacks, alcohol and tobacco are more likely to change the lifestyle behaviour of vulnerable poorer consumers.

At the same time, most of the tax revenues would come from higher income households. The Daily Mail

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