LGA launches own green paper as adult social care reaches breaking point

LGA launches own green paper as adult social care reaches breaking point The Local Government Association has today launched a nationwide consultation to kick-start a desperately-needed debate on how to pay for adult social care and rescue the services caring for older and disabled people from collapse.

Years of significant underfunding of councils, coupled with rising demand and costs for care and support, have combined to push adult social care services to breaking point.

Since 2010 councils have had to bridge a £6 billion funding shortfall just to keep the adult social care system going. In addition the LGA estimates that adult social care services face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care, while latest figures show that councils in England receive 1.8 million new requests for adult social care a year – the equivalent of nearly 5,000 a day.

See also:

• The King's Fund comments on Local Government Association's social care Green Paper The King's Fund
• Local councils forced to publish own proposals on social care funding after losing patience with government delays The Independent

A picture of health: the NHS at 70 and its future

A picture of health: the NHS at 70 and its future This report, edited by the Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth MP, explores a comprehensive agenda for the future of the NHS looking at how it is funded, organised and reformed. It brings together analysis and policy recommendations from twelve leading experts on the NHS from both left-wing and non-party perspectives. These authors include Luciana Berger MP, Paul Williams MP, Lord Kerslake, Sara Gorton (head of health at UNISON), Tara Donnelly (chief executive at the Health Innovation Network), and Andrew Harrop (Fabian Society).

Inclusion health audit tool

Inclusion health audit tool This online tool hopes to help organisations to audit engagement with groups identified as experiencing the worst health inequalities in the UK. It aims to provide a tailored guide to help embed action on tackling health inequalities into everyday activities. VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance

Cheaper NHS drugs 'as safe and effective'

Cheaper NHS drugs 'as safe and effective ' NHS patients switched to cheaper medicines are being told the cost-saving exercise is not compromising care.

The "better value" treatments, for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers, are just as safe and effective, NHS Improvement says.

Hospitals that changed their prescribing saved the health service £324m last financial year.

More swaps and savings are expected.

Health charities welcomed the move. BBC News

Will the EHIC be valid after Brexit?

Will the EHIC be valid after Brexit? If you are getting ready to go on holiday to another EU country or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you are likely to be packing your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) along with your passport.

The EHIC entitles you to state-provided medical treatment should you need it while visiting one of those countries.

The UK has issued 27 million EHIC cards . BBC News

England abortion pill rules 'out of step'

England abortion pill rules 'out of step'  Women in England should be allowed to take abortion pills at home rather than in the clinic, as they already can in Scotland and Wales, experts say.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is calling on the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, to change legislation and create parity.

Current laws require women to take two doses of medication in a clinic to end a pregnancy.

This means some experience cramping and bleeds on their journey home. BBC News

Brexit will harm both NHS and public's health say doctors as BMA backs Final Say campaign

Brexit will harm both NHS and public's health say doctors as BMA backs Final Say campaign UK doctors believe Brexit will be devastating to the NHS and the nation’s health, a study has found, as the body representing more than 160,000 medics and students backed The Independent’s call for a Final Say on the deal.

A comprehensive poll of nearly 1,200 UK doctors published in the BMJ Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health on Monday found 83 per cent thought leaving the EU would hurt the NHS. The Independent

See also:

• Brexit is bad for the NHS, say surveyed doctors OnMedica

Thousands of mothers left to cope alone with mental illness

Thousands of mothers left to cope alone with mental illness NHS care too limited to meet needs of pregnant women or those who have given birth

Thousands of women are having to cope alone with mental health problems caused by pregnancy or giving birth because the NHS cannot provide the necessary help, a leaked report has revealed.

While up to one in five mothers have problems such as postnatal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder linked to childbirth, many are going untreated because specialist NHS care for them is so limited and the “gap” in help so wide, the research found. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Perinatal mental health: 'I wanted to abort my IVF baby' BBC News
• 'I got no help from the NHS': a new mother on facing mental illness The Guardian

'Motherhood penalty' stops women advancing their NHS careers

'Motherhood penalty' stops women advancing their NHS careers Expert panel at Guardian event calls for more opportunities for flexible and part-time working

Female NHS staff pay a “motherhood penalty” that stops them advancing in their careers, the president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned.

Cecilia Anim, who combines her RCN role with frontline work as a sexual health nurse, told a Guardian event that women who work part-time in the health service are being held back. Those without children were also affected, as they may have caring responsibilities for parents or other relatives, she said. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• As a part-time female doctor, I'm considered a danger to the NHS The Guardian

Midwives should check new mums are breastfeeding within an hour

Midwives should check new mums are breastfeeding within an hour Midwives should check whether new mothers are breastfeeding within an hour of birth, the World Health Organisation says.

The agency said women should be offered immediate breastfeeding support, because it was important to start as soon as possible.

Britain’s rates of breastfeeding are the lowest in the developed world, with just one per cent of new mothers feeding their children purely by breast by the age of six months. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Capture the moment - Early initiation of breastfeeding: the best start for every newborn World Health Organization

Deadly virus pandemic could kill 900m people if it started today

Deadly virus pandemic could kill 900m people if it started today Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health Security in Baltimore, Maryland, saw 150 million people die within 20 months in a made-up global disease outbreak scenario. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Clade X: A pandemic exercise Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health Security

Up to one in five millennials have no idea what STIs are, charity reveals

Up to one in five millennials have no idea what STIs are, charity reveals London-based charity The Mix found that 44 per cent of young people feel their is no need for them to have an STI test if they only ever have protected sex, with 20 per cent being too embarrassed. The Daily Mail