Work, worklessness and health: local infographic tool

Work, worklessness and health: local infographic tool This tool includes a slide set with regional and local level data relating to work, worklessness and health for each county or unitary authority in England.
Infographic tool
Definitions, references and indicator sources
Public Health England - publications

King's Fund

Measles outbreaks across England

Measles outbreaks across England Public Health England is advising the public to ensure they have had two doses of the MMR vaccine after outbreaks of measles are confirmed across England. Gov.uk

Uptake of GP retainer scheme dwarfed by numbers quitting NHS each month

Uptake of GP retainer scheme dwarfed by numbers quitting NHS each month Fewer GPs are currently supported by the retainer scheme than quit the profession each month, analysis by GPonline has shown - as the BMA hit out at poor uptake and called for better promotion of the scheme. Just 286 GPs are currently being supported by the GP retention scheme, according to official data for March 2018.
But statistics from NHS Digital show that around 5,159 GPs left the profession in 2016/17, equivalent to around 430 a month. Numbers of doctors in NHS GP retention scheme have increased by 80% since September 2015, but the BMA's report The general practice forward view: two years on has criticised the programme's uptake as ‘relatively low’. GP Online

Joined-up approach needed to recruit overseas doctors

Joined-up approach needed to recruit overseas doctors The UK urgently needs a joined-up approach to recruitment of international doctors, according to experts. In an article* in The BMJ, James Buchan and Anita Charlesworth at The Health Foundation say the UK government’s decision to review the visa regime for international doctors is “a rare glimmer of common sense in an issue that has been more usually characterised by national policy incoherence.”

However, they warn that the “underlying problems of the UK approach to international recruitment of health professionals” remains to be “acknowledged and addressed.” OnMedica

Improved mental health support for children in care

Improved mental health support for children in care Up to 10 pilots across the country will trial new high quality mental health assessments, that ensure young people are assessed at the right time, with a focus on their individual needs as they enter care.
Statistics show that 62 per cent of looked after children are in care due to abuse or neglect, which can have a lasting impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. Currently half of all children in care meet the criteria for a possible mental health disorder, compared to one in ten children outside the care system. The pilots will identify a child’s mental health and broader wellbeing needs, including whether a referral to a more specialist service is needed. Department for Education on Gov.uk

Government to relax immigration rules on overseas doctors

Government to relax immigration rules on overseas doctors May heeds pleas from cabinet colleague to scrap ‘absolutely barmy’ caps on staff. Thousands more overseas doctors will be able to come and work in the NHS after Theresa May heeded pleas from cabinet colleagues to scrap limits that hospital bosses had criticised as “absolutely barmy”. The relaxation of immigration rules, which is due to be announced imminently, represents a victory for Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid and follows a vociferous campaign by NHS organisations and medical groups. The Guardian

NHS 'picking up the pieces' of mental illness epidemic caused by social media

NHS 'picking up the pieces' of mental illness epidemic caused by social media NHS is “picking up the pieces” of an epidemic of mental illness among children, fuelled by social media, the head of the service has warned. Simon Stevens urged companies like Google and Facebook to take more responsibility for the pressures they place on children.
It follows calls for social media and online gaming firms to have a statutory “duty of care” to protect children from mental ill health, abuse and addictive behaviour. Speaking at the NHS Confederation conference in Manchester, Mr Stevens said Britain’s children were hit by a “double epidemic” of mental illness and obesity. The Telegraph

NHS 'will need to build 80 more hospitals without fundamental reforms'

NHS 'will need to build 80 more hospitals without fundamental reforms' The NHS would need to build 80 hospitals in the next decade just to keep up with demand, unless it makes radical reforms, the head of its watchdog says. Ian Dalton, head of NHS Improvement, said fundamental changes in the way services are delivered were needed to ensure the survival of the NHS. And he said hospitals needed to do far more to ensure patients got the right care at home, warning of a 300 per cent variation in the average length of stay in hospital for some conditions. The Telegraph