Friday 6 April 2018

Bedford prison doctor suspended for dishonesty

Bedford prison doctor suspended for dishonesty A prison doctor has been found guilty of misconduct and dishonesty for practising without a licence.

Dr Gabriel Okey had worked without a valid licence for six weeks, including a stint at HMP Bedford.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found he "knowingly" continued to work after his licence was revoked in April 2016 and "abused his position of trust".

He was suspended for a year by a tribunal.

The General Medical Council (GMC) said from January 2016 it had contacted him by mail to say it had not received a recommendation to revalidate his licence, and it was revoked three months later.

The tribunal heard Dr Okey's employment had transferred to the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) in April 2016 after it took over the prison contract.

The trust informed the GMC that Dr Okey had been practising without a licence. BBC Northampton

Reforming social care is about more than funding

Reforming social care is about more than funding Jeremy Hunt’s recent speech setting out his principles for social care reform was welcome, not least because it dashed fears that the upcoming Green Paper might focus purely on funding and ignore other systemic problems in social care. Of course there is need for more money – and this need is urgent –­ but for long-term policy there are seven other key areas that need to be tackled alongside funding reform. Jeremy Hunt touched on several, but not all, of these in his speech and the challenge for the Green Paper is now to combine them in a coherent, comprehensive plan. A tough ask but one that’s far from impossible. The King's Fund

NHS Innovation Accelerator Evaluation: Final Report

NHS Innovation Accelerator Evaluation: Final Report This report presents the evaluation of the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), led by IES in partnership with researchers from York Health Economics Consortium.

The NIA was created to help address the priorities of improving take-up of innovations in the NHS as expressed in the Five Year Forward View goals. It is intended to help create conditions and cultural change so that healthcare innovations are adopted faster and more systematically and deliver practical examples for patient and population benefit. Institute for Employment Studies

Every 10 minutes a child in England has a rotten tooth removed

Every 10 minutes a child in England has a rotten tooth removed A child in England has a tooth removed in hospital every 10 minutes due to preventable tooth decay, according to data published by Public Health England (PHE) today, Friday 6 April 2018.

With the government’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy coming into effect today, PHE’s Change4Life campaign is reminding parents that sugary drinks, including juice drinks, energy drinks, cola and other fizzy drinks, are one of the main sources of sugar in children’s diets.

Consuming too much sugar is one of the leading causes of tooth decay and childhood obesity. Tooth decay can be prevented by cutting down on sugar as well as brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.

Tooth extraction remains the most common reason for hospital admissions in 5 to 9 year olds. Figures show around 141 children a day – some just a year old – are having teeth removed. This means around 60,000 days are missed from school during the year, as well as causing problems with eating, sleeping and even smiling. Public Health England

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Research and analysis: Sexually transmitted infections: East Midlands data

Research and analysis: Sexually transmitted infections: East Midlands data These reports summarise the annual data for STIs in the East Midlands since 2015. Public Health England

Ensuring patient safety, enabling professionalism

Ensuring patient safety, enabling professionalism The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched a public consultation on changes to their fitness to practise function. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 12pm on 30 May.

Women in NHS paid 23% less than men

Women in NHS paid 23% less than men The data covers more than one million workers in England from doctors and managers to nurses and cleaners.

It showed that the average full-time female worker is paid £28,702 a year in basic salary. That compares to the £37,470 average pay for men - a gap of more than 23%.

The total excludes bonuses and overtime that are paid on top of basic pay. BBC News

Soft drink sugar tax starts, but will it work?

Soft drink sugar tax starts, but will it work? The "ground-breaking" sugar tax on soft drinks has come into force in the UK.

From Friday manufacturers have to pay a levy on the high-sugar drinks they sell.

Ministers and campaigners believe it has already proved to be a success with many firms reducing sugar content ahead of the change. But others say it is still too early to judge the impact.

Leading brands such as Fanta, Ribena and Lucozade have cut the sugar content of drinks, but Coca-Cola has not.

The introduction of the levy means the UK joins a small handful of nations, including Mexico, France and Norway, which have introduced similar taxes. BBC News

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Child mental health: When it feels like no one is listening

Child mental health: When it feels like no one is listening For some parents, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are a lifeline. But for Adele and her 15-year-old son it was a case of frustration, long waiting times and a lack of continuity. BBC News

Major breakthrough in cancer care as gene map paves way for new treatments

Major breakthrough in cancer care as gene map paves way for new treatments Atlas of 11,000 patient's tumours across 33 different cancer types will improve treatment and new research

Scientists have heralded a “breakthrough” in cancer treatment after deciphering the genetic code of thousands of tumours providing a road map for more effective treatment and new drug development.

A groundbreaking international collaboration has shown how tumours in different parts of the body, which have previously been treated as separate diseases, have molecular similarities which could render them vulnerable to drugs already on the market. The Independent

I've seen terrible things as a paramedic. The worst isn't what you'd expect

I've seen terrible things as a paramedic. The worst isn't what you'd expect Taking an elderly man to hospital while knowing his wife would probably never see him again is the job I’ve most agonised over

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen? Ask any paramedic and they will have been asked this question many times over in their careers. I’d never given myself time to properly think about the answer, until recently.

Is it having my fingers in the back of a teenage boy’s brain as my colleague and I lift his limp bloody body into a bag after he had flipped over his new car on a dark country road? Continue reading... The Guardian

Dedicated midwife plan under threat as applications drop 35 per cent

Dedicated midwife plan under threat as applications drop 35 per cent Jeremy Hunt’s promise to provide the same dedicated midwifeto all women throughout their pregnancy and birth are under threat as new data reveals a significant fall in applicants joining the profession.

Figures from UCAS, the university admissions service, show there were 35 per cent fewer applications over four years to become a midwife, with just 14,625 last year compared to 22,630 in 2013.

They follow a pledge by the Health and Social Care Secretary last month to provide an extra 3,000 midwives over the next four years, which would amount to a 25 per cent rise. The Daily Telegraph

Which region is being hit hardest by scarlet fever?

Which region is being hit hardest by scarlet fever? A map today highlighted the spread of scarlet fever across England and Wales amid the highest levels of cases since the 1960s.

Government data shows 15,549 have been struck down by the 'Victorian' infection so far this year.

This is almost double the 8,728 cases in the first 13 weeks of 2016, considered the worst year for scarlet fever in five decades.

Officials are unsure as to why it is continuing its rampage across Wales and England, but experts have blamed a fall in living standards. The Daily Mail

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