Tuesday 5 June 2018

Employees at Northampton General Hospital to benefit from free cervical cancer screening clinics

Employees at Northampton General Hospital to benefit from free cervical cancer screening clinics ‘Don’t fear your smear’ is the message from Northampton General Hospital to employees during cervical screening awareness week, as preparations are made a series of drop-in cervical screening clinics for staff.

The move comes after Public Health England revealed only 62 per cent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 took up their invitation for a test last year. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Lifetime NHS mental health care for sexual assault victims

Lifetime NHS mental health care for sexual assault victims Victims of sexual abuse will receive a lifetime of mental health care to help cope with the trauma, NHS England has announced. As part of a five year strategy delivering a new package of sexual abuse and assault care across England. NHS England

Making money work in the health and care system

Making money work in the health and care system This report explores how financial flows could be redesigned to find a better way to make money work in the health and care system. It sets out why change is necessary and proposes a number of radical financial reforms so that benefits to patients are maximised and resources are put to their most effective use. Healthcare Financial Management Association and PwC

RCGP calls for 'common sense' overhaul of visa rules for GPs

RCGP calls for 'common sense' overhaul of visa rules for GPs The Royal College of GPs is calling for Home Secretary Sajid Javid to act rapidly in overhauling immigration rules to allow appropriately-trained doctors to work as UK GPs in the NHS.

In a letter sent to the Home Secretary before the weekend, College Chair Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard outlines the intense resource pressures facing general practice and the barriers preventing the recruitment of overseas GPs - warning that his own Government's target of attracting 5,000 more GPs by 2020 is looking "increasingly difficult to achieve."

She urges Mr Javid to put 'human beings and common sense over policy and process'.

Prof Stokes-Lampard highlights the restrictive policies which are preventing appropriately trained doctors from practising in the UK at a time of severe GP shortages. Royal College of General Practitioners

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World Cup fans advised to get MMR jab

World Cup fans advised to get MMR jab Football fans travelling to Russia for the World Cup should ensure they are up-to-date with their MMR jab, Public Health England has advised.

It follows ongoing large measles outbreaks in Europe.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be fatal. The Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine is given in two doses, typically in childhood.

In 2017, measles outbreaks affected more than 20,000 people in Europe, leading to 35 deaths. BBC News

NHS 'in mortal danger' says former PM

NHS 'in mortal danger' says former PM The National Health Service “is in mortal danger” in its 70th birthday year and needs investment to survive, former prime minister Gordon Brown has said.

Mr Brown said the NHS was the “greatest British institution we’ve created” but was under threat from a period of investment rising “slower than any other decade” since its 1948 launch. ITV News

Woman cured of advanced breast cancer using own immune cells in ‘exciting’ global first

Woman cured of advanced breast cancer using own immune cells in ‘exciting’ global first A woman has been completely cured of breast cancer after doctors tweaked her immune system, enabling it to destroy the tumours that had spread through her body.

The treatment, which succeeded after all other conventional treatments had failed, marks the first successful application of T-cell immunotherapy for late-stage breast cancer.

While the technique is still in its early days, scientists have welcomed its potential as a future treatment for cancers that have resisted all other forms of therapy. The Independent

Breast screening errors may have led to 74 premature deaths

Breast screening errors may have led to 74 premature deaths Mistakes in the breast screening process had a “devastating impact” on the lives of a large number of women and may have led to the premature deaths of as many as 74, the health secretary has admitted.

While the estimate – initially feared to be in the hundreds – was lowered on Monday, Jeremy Hunt nevertheless acknowledged the harm caused to tens of thousands of people by IT failings that persisted for nearly a decade. Continue reading... The Guardian

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CPR rarely works – why do people have so much faith in it?

CPR rarely works – why do people have so much faith in it? Misconception about this brutal, usually unsuccessful procedure abounds. It’s up to doctors like me to tell the truth

Death is the only certainty in life and most people will die in a hospital. For such an inevitability, few people consider how it will happen. Dying is a subject that carries great emotional weight, which might be why people are so reluctant to talk about itContinue reading... The Guardian

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France starts work on revolutionary 'Alzheimer's village' where patients roam almost free

France starts work on revolutionary 'Alzheimer's village' where patients roam almost free Work has begun on France’s first "Alzheimer's village” where patients will be given free rein without medication in a purpose-built medieval-style citadel designed to increase their freedom and reduce anxiety.

Residents of the village in Dax, southwestern France, will be able to shop in a small supermarket, go to the hairdressers, local brasserie, library, gym and even a little farm.

They will live in small shared houses designed to reflect their personal tastes and in four districts reminiscent of the southwestern French region between forests and the seashore. The Daily Telegraph

Global shortage of lifesaving drugs fuels rise in superbugs

Global shortage of lifesaving drugs fuels rise in superbugs A crisis in the global antibiotics market is fuelling the rise in antimicrobial resistance, as shortages of the vital drugs are leading to patients being given poor quality alternatives or even left untreated.

A new report warns that antibiotic supply chains are on the “brink of collapse”, with many countries experiencing shortages of key drugs such as penicillin. Doctors are either forced to treat patients with inferior second choice treatments, switch to a lower dose or delay treatment – all of which can fuel the rise in antibiotic resistance. The Daily Telegraph

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Sex change expansion on the NHS

Sex change expansion on the NHS There has been an ‘explosion’ in the number of children seeking a sex swap which may ‘accelerate’, NHS England’s medical director for specialised services said. The Daily Mail

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Furious medics flock to Twitter to blast Jeremy Hunt

Furious medics flock to Twitter to blast Jeremy Hunt Scores of furious medics have taken to Twitter to blast Jeremy Hunt on the day he has become the longest-serving health secretary in history.

Hunt has now overtaken fellow Tory Norman Fowler, who served from 1981 to 1987, having already passed NHS founder Aneurin Bevan in February.

However, Mr Hunt's five year and 274 day-reign has seen him weather a series of political storms and also some of the worst performance statistics on record. The Daily Mail

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Britain's army of unpaid carers will be offered flexible working today

Britain's army of unpaid carers will be offered flexible working today Millions of adults who care for sick or ageing relatives will be offered flexible work hours under a landmark Government pledge announced today.

They could start later, finish earlier or have an extended lunch break to help them look after a loved one.

As part of a package of measures, carers will also be entitled to paid ‘carers’ leave’ so they can attend hospital appointments or look round care homes. The Daily Mail