Fears for the future of Northamptonshire's respite centres prompts 14,000-strong petition

Fears for the future of Northamptonshire's respite centres prompts 14,000-strong petition More than 14,000 people have now signed a petition calling on the county council to protect children with special educational needs and disabilities as a £70 million cut looms.

Users of respite centres across the county, such as the John Greenwood Shipman Centre in Northampton, feared the vital facilities would shut down in March when Nene and Corby Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) reduced their share of funding towards them by 32 per cent. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

MP won’t rule out asking for Northants County Council government bail-out

MP won’t rule out asking for Northants County Council government bail-out Corby’s MP has committed himself to helping the county steer away from its economic apocalypse.

Northamptonshire County Council is facing the most monumental crisis in its 129-year history after it stared down the barrel of bankruptcy twice in the past six months.

The county’s MPs have pulled no punches over the economic disaster - placing the blame squarely at the feet of those who have been in charge of the authority during the past few years. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Northants County Council CAN live within its means - commissioner Northamptonshire Telegraph

Council pledges support to new home bid for health and rehabilitation trust in Daventry

Council pledges support to new home bid for health and rehabilitation trust in Daventry A bid to find a new home for a health and rehabilitation trust has won the backing of councillors, after Daventry District Council pledged to help in any way it can.

Reach for Health, which is the operating name of Daventry Health Rehabilitation Trust, provides health rehabilitation for people who have suffered a major health trauma or are living with long-term or life-long illness. Daventry Express

UK National Screening Committee recommendations: annual report

UK National Screening Committee recommendations: annual report This report summarises the work of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) to review screening recommendations. Public Health England

ACAS framework for positive mental health at work

ACAS framework for positive mental health at work Have a look at the mental health framework from ACAS and see how it can help your organisation promote positive mental health. NHS Employers

Bowel screening to start earlier at age 50 in England

Bowel screening to start earlier at age 50 in England Bowel cancer screening in England is to start earlier, at age 50, Public Health England has announced.

It said evidence showed that screening people at a younger age would allow more bowel cancers to be picked up at an earlier stage.

Currently, men and women in England are first invited for screening at the age of 60 and sent a home testing kit.

The change brings England in line with Scotland where bowel screening is automatically offered from 50. BBC News

See also:

• Bowel screening to start at 50 Public Health England

Majority of GPs intend to retire before the age of 60

Majority of GPs intend to retire before the age of 60 The majority of GPs are intending to retire before the age of 60, Pulse can reveal.

The average GP will retire at the age of 59, according to a Pulse survey of 759 doctors.

GPs told Pulse that the work ‘burden’ has become too great, they were overwhelmed by ‘bureaucracy’ and their ‘standard of living has deteriorated rapidly’. GP leaders said the flux of doctors was a ‘genuine tragedy and waste’.

See also:

• GP crisis set to worsen as 51% of family doctors plan on retiring before the reach the age of 60 The Daily Mail

Norway to give hundreds of drug addicts free heroin to 'improve quality of life'

Norway to give hundreds of drug addicts free heroin to 'improve quality of life' Norway will trial an experimental scheme to provide drug addicts with free heroin in a bid to combat the country’s overdose epidemic.

The government announced that the Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs was asked to propose a program that would improve the quality of life for those struggling with substance abuse.

Health Minister Bente Hoie said in a statement posted to Facebook that they hoped the initiative would “provide a solution that will give... a better quality of life to some addicts who are today out of our reach and whom current programmes do not help enough”. The Independent

Court of appeal to rule on struck-off doctor Hadiza Bawa-Garba

Court of appeal to rule on struck-off doctor Hadiza Bawa-Garba The court of appeal is due to rule on whether a doctor who made errors that contributed to the death of a boy can remain in the profession.

The court’s decision on Monday will have implications for the medical profession, say doctors who have campaigned for trainee paediatrician Hadiza Bawa-Garba to be allowed to continue to work. They say she was working long hours under extreme pressure, covering too many wards without supervision and has been penalised for acknowledging that she made a misjudgment. Continue reading... The Guardian

Sex is the last taboo for health workers – and it's putting patients in danger

Sex is the last taboo for health workers – and it's putting patients in danger We’re good at talking about death and mental health, but sex is a conversational hurdle we have yet to overcome

As a junior doctor working in psychiatry, I’m always struck by the honest answers and insight my patients share with me, offering a glimpse into how their mental health affects every aspect of their lives – from their finances and their diets to their sleeping patterns, careers and even dog-walking routines. Continue reading... The Guardian

Numbers 'going private' for surgery soaring as NHS rationing deepens

Numbers 'going private' for surgery soaring as NHS rationing deepens The number of patients paying for operations privately is soaring amid rising waiting lists and deepening rationing across the NHS, new figures show.

Private companies have seen a 53 per cent rise in the “self-pay” market in four years, the data reveals.

Analysts said the market for operations such as hip surgery and cataract operations was being fuelled by “very high waits for NHS diagnosis and treatment”. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Desperate patients resort to paying privately for hip and eye surgery as NHS waiting times spiral The Daily Mail