Monday 1 October 2018

Raise prices and restrict alcohol to stop harmful drinking, says WHO

Raise prices and restrict alcohol to stop harmful drinking, says WHO Governments should raise the price of alcohol and restrict its availability in a bid to reduce harmful drinking, the World Health Organization has said.

The WHO's alcohol guidance for governments - called the Safer plan - released on Friday, outlines five strategies governments can implement to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by 10 per cent globally over the next seven years.

Restricting booze-related advertising, cracking down on drink driving and improving treatment are also advocated in the WHO guidance. The Telegraph

NHS must adopt 'plain English approach' to stop confusing MPs - iNews

NHS must adopt 'plain English approach' to stop confusing MPs - iNews The NHS must adopt a “plain English approach” as healthcare jargon leaves two-thirds of MPs baffled, according to new research which is leading to calls for the NHS to reduce its use of “special words”. Labour MPs claim to have a better understanding of terms such as “system approaches” and “holistic care” than their Conservative counterparts, but are more likely to want the language to be simplified and explained more clearly. Just 12 per cent of the MPs surveyed believe that the language used to describe the current changes in the structure of the NHS is simple and easy to understand. And only just over half (55 per cent) feel sufficiently well informed to scrutinise healthcare issues in Parliament. iNews

Ambulance service efficiencies 'could save NHS £500m' - Public Finance

Ambulance service efficiencies 'could save NHS £500m' - Public Finance Making ambulance services in England more efficient could save the NHS £500m by 2020-21, a major review has claimed.

An NHS Providers’ report, led by Lord Carter and published yesterday, found if more patients were treated at the scene by paramedics the acute health sector could save £300m in two year ’s time.

By eliminating differences in productivity and improvement between the 10 ambulance trusts could save £200m for the health services, it also found. Public Finance

NHS under severe strain with 12% drop in mental health nurses - Health Europa

NHS under severe strain with 12% drop in mental health nurses - Health Europa
The Mental Health Network reports evidence of the NHS under severe strain, with a drop in mental health nurses.
Workforce statistics for June 2018 show 35,674 registered nurses working in mental health NHS trusts in England, which is a drop of more than 12% on the 40,602 mental health nurses employed less than a decade ago in September 2009. Health Europa

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A Year Of Integrated Care Systems: Reviewing The Journey So Far

A Year Of Integrated Care Systems: Reviewing The Journey So Far The King’s Fund, September 2018
Integrated care systems represent a fundamental and far-reaching change in how the NHS works across different services and with external partners. This report is based on interviews with eight of the ‘first wave’ integrated care systems to understand how they are developing and to identify lessons for local systems and national policy-makers. Lancashire Care Library and Information Service

Chief medical officer to draw up social media guidelines for children

Chief medical officer to draw up social media guidelines for children Health secretary Matt Hancock has asked the UK’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dame Sally Davies, to draw up official guidelines setting out the maximum amount of time young people should spend on social media.

Mr Hancock made the announced in an interview with the Observer newspaper in which he revealed that he limits the social media use of his own children. It comes amid growing concerns that excessive use could be linked to mental health problems in children. OnMedica

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Call to reform pay-review process

Call to reform pay-review process The BMA has called for fundamental reform of the pay-review process for doctors and dentists.

In a joint statement to the health secretary Matthew Hancock, the BMA and British Dental Association warn that confidence in the independence and effectiveness of the DDRB (Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration) has been destroyed by the interference of successive governments, with the review process ‘no longer acceptable’ to doctors.

The letter follows a BMA survey of almost 13,000 doctors in England earlier this year which found that nearly three quarters described the Government's pay offer as highly unacceptable. BMA

NHS Improvement and NHS England face 20 per cent budget cuts - Health Service Journal (press release)

NHS Improvement and NHS England face 20 per cent budget cuts - Health Service Journal (press release) NHS England and NHS Improvement must cut their costs by 20 per cent through developing a new joint operating model, according to plans discussed by senior figures today.


The paper outlining how system leaders were approaching the development of the new single operating model was presented to a “meeting in common” of leaders from both organisations in Skipton House, London.

The paper, entitled Next steps on delivering a single operating model and shared culture, said: “Following the funding settlement and ambition for the long term plan, we must have a sharper focus on improving productivity and efficiency… HSJ

Mentally ill held without charge for lack of NHS beds

Mentally ill held without charge for lack of NHS beds Police are illegally detaining more than 4,000 vulnerable mentally ill people in custody a year because of a lack of NHS beds, an unpublished inquiry by the cabinet office reveals.

The 4,500 arrested people who are as young as 15 and need mental health care are being held for up six days without charge, mostly in police cells, because of NHS delays in finding a bed. The Telegraph

Schools braced for head lice invasion

Schools braced for head lice invasion Schools are facing a big rise in the number of head lice outbreaks this winter as a result of a “shortsighted” government policy that will hit children from low-income families hardest, teachers and head lice experts have warned.

A change in NHS England guidance, rolled out over the summer as a cost-cutting measure, means GPs are now routinely prevented from prescribing any treatment for the parasites. Head lice are likely to become increasingly prevalent in schools over the next six months as a result, the health charity Community Hygiene Concern predicts. The Guardian

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Nurses pass vote of no confidence in union over pay deal handling

Nurses pass vote of no confidence in union over pay deal handling Royal College of Nursing members angry with their union’s handling of changes to the NHS pay deal have voted to pass a motion of no confidence in the organisation in a unprecedented move amid accusations it had misrepresented expected pay increases.

It came after a protracted saga within the RCN after its former general secretary Janet Davies admitted it had wrongly told members they would all be in line for an immediate 3% pay increase this year following the end of the 1% pay cap. The Guardian

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NHS will offer free insomnia app to millions of poor sleepers 

NHS will offer free insomnia app to millions of poor sleepers The NHS is to offer free therapy via smartphones to millions of insomniacs.

Under the programme being piloted across the South East, patients will be able to download an app which has been dubbed “a digital sleeping pill”.

The strategy is the first NHS roll-out of “direct access” digital medicine - meaning that the health service is funding the app which anyone living in the area can download. The Telegraph

Children's lack of sleep is 'hidden health crisis', experts say

Children's lack of sleep is 'hidden health crisis', experts say Thousands of children and teenagers face a mounting sleeplessness crisis, with the number of admissions to hospital of young people with sleep disorders rising sharply in six years, the Guardian can reveal.

Experts have described the problem as a hidden public health disaster, putting the surge down to a combination of exploding obesity levels, excessive use of social media before bedtime and a mental health crisis engulfing young people. The Guardian

One in four evening and weekend GP appointments unused

One in four evening and weekend GP appointments unused Research suggesting that one in four evening and weekend GP appointments in England are going unfilled has been described as “shocking” by critics of the government’s controversial drive to guarantee access to family doctors at weekends.

Around half a million appointment slots have been left empty on evenings and weekends, according to data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) from 80 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The Guardian

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