Failing to publish data from clinical trials presents risk to human health

Failing to publish data from clinical trials presents risk to human health The Science and Technology Committee has expressed concern that nearly half of clinical trials fail to publish their results. The Committee is calling for increased transparency today, as it releases a new Report.

During its inquiry into research integrity earlier this year, the Committee agreed to follow-up on work on ‘clinical trials transparency’ by its predecessor Committee in 2013.

The Research integrity: clinical trials transparency report highlights the work previously done by campaigners, which shows that a shocking 50% of clinical trials do not publish any results, presenting risks to human health and increasing research wastage.

The Committee is concerned that selective non-publication—‘or publication bias'—of results distorts the published evidence base and is a threat to research integrity.

See also:

• Unpublished medical research 'a threat to public health' BBC News

Better value and a better night's sleep

Better value and a better night's sleep At Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTHFT) we are supporting people to stay out of hospital wherever possible. And where patients do need an admission, we aim to reduce their length of stay. To support this, we have developed the concept of a ‘virtual hospital’ that adds value by both improving quality (using patient experience and outcomes as key indicators) and reducing costs. The King's Fund

Budget 2018

Budget 2018 A summary of the budget for the key points affecting the NHS and its workforce. NHS Employers

See also:

• Budget 2018 UK Government 
• The King's Fund responds to the 2018 Budget The King's Fund
• Commitments to mental health sends right message but more support for core services needed NHS Providers
• New money welcome but key services left hanging Nuffield Trust
• NHS funding boost: the need to manage expectations Nuffield Trust
• RCN responds to the Budget announcements Royal College of Nursing
• RCP calls Budget 2018 'one step forward, two steps back' for the NHS Royal College of Physicians  
• Our response to the Chancellor's Autumn Budget 2018 Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Summary of Budget 2018: Key points at-a-glance BBC News
• Budget row over ending austerity BBC News
• Budget 2018: Wages, mental health support and universal credit BBC News
• The Budget's big picture emerges BBC News
• All schools to get a dedicated mental health team as part of £2bn-a-year funding boost The Daily Telegraph
• Budget pledges on health and social care dismissed as 'sticking plaster' The Guardian
• Budget 2018: Extra £650m for social care a sticking plaster that 'only just staves off collapse', experts warn The Independent
• Budget 2018: Austerity to continue for five more years if Britain leaves EU with no deal, Philip Hammond warns The Independent
• Budget 2018: Mental health ambulances promised in drive for more dedicated treatment Sky News

New guidance on safety culture.

New guidance on safety culture Read the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Partnership Group guidance on establishing a good safety culture, and how you can support staff to create a safer culture. NHS Employers

A data-driven approach to personalised cancer care

A data-driven approach to personalised cancer care Cancer survival could significantly improve if the NHS collects and uses its data more intelligently. This report advocates that NHS leaders collect much more data on cancer patients including survival, treatment, patient experience and medical history. With better analysis there could be improvements in the prevention of cancer, earlier diagnosis and effectiveness of treatment. Reform

More students seek mental health support, analysis shows

More students seek mental health support, analysis shows The number of students seeking mental health support while studying at university has increased by more than 50% in five years, analysis suggests.

The BBC asked universities across the UK for the numbers of students seeking some form of support.

The National Union of Students said young people were under increasing pressure to perform

The Department for Education said universities needed to provide pastoral care for students. BBC News

See also:

• University students asking for mental health help up 50 per cent in five years, FOI shows, as minister says they must be 'supported not mollycoddled' The Daily Telegraph

Opt-out organ donation plan wins Commons backing

Opt-out organ donation plan wins Commons backing Hundreds of lives could be saved each year under a new opt-out system for organ donation approved by MPs.

Under the plans, passed by the Commons, adults in England will be presumed to be donors unless they have specifically recorded their decision not to be.

A high-profile media campaign to change the law was inspired by the case of 10-year-old Max Johnson, who was saved by a heart transplant.

If passed by the Lords, the measures would come into effect in spring 2020. BBC News

Government pledge to end mental health treatment gap by 2020 will actually take a 'generation' to achieve, health secretary admits

Government pledge to end mental health treatment gap by 2020 will actually take a 'generation' to achieve, health secretary admits Bringing mental health services in line with physical health services will take "a generation", the health secretary has admitted, despite the government having promised to achieve it by 2020.

Amid widespread concerns over the state of Britain's mental health services, Matt Hancock said it would take years to fulfil ministers' pledge to achieve "parity of esteem". The Independent

Build nurseries in NHS hospitals to allow elderly to mix with toddlers, health secretary Matt Hancock says

Build nurseries in NHS hospitals to allow elderly to mix with toddlers, health secretary Matt Hancock says Toddlers’ nurseries should be located at NHS hospitals caring for the older generation according to the health secretary, who says the schemes can benefit both groups.

Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock said campaigners looking to save their local hospitals should be lobbying to make them hubs where the young and old are cared for, alongside a range of other services.

Such intergenerational schemes have been pioneered with nursing homes hosting nurseries, such as Nightingale House in Wandsworth, London, which The Independent visited last year – but Mr Hancock is the first health secretary to suggest the NHS could host them. The Independent

Children's operations cancelled by NHS up 58 per cent since austerity began, new figures show

Children's operations cancelled by NHS up 58 per cent since austerity began, new figures show There has been a 58 per cent rise in the number of children’s operations cancelled by the NHS in the past seven years, according to figures which critics warn illustrate the “cruel toll” of pressures on the health service.

Last year, a record 18,647 under-18s had surgery cancelled or delayed, with cancer treatment, pregnancy terminations and broken bones among the procedures affected.

That compares with 11,821 cancellations since the Conservatives came to power in coalition with the Liberal democrats in 2011/2012, and the number has climbed steadily in a period where austerity policies have seen budgets fall behind rising demand. The Independent

Surgery students 'can't sew or cut' because they spend too much time on screens, warns Imperial College professor

Surgery students 'can't sew or cut' because they spend too much time on screens, warns Imperial College professor Surgery students have lost the ability to perform simple tasks like stitching and sewing up patients because they spend so little time using their hands and so much time staring at screens, a professor has warned.

Roger Kneebone, professor of surgical education at Imperial College, London, believes the quest for academic knowledge has come at the expense of physical dexterity. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Surgery students 'losing dexterity to stitch patients' BBC News

Over 90% of children breathe toxic air every day, putting health and development at serious risk

Over 90% of children breathe toxic air every day, putting health and development at serious risk The vast majority of the world’s children are breathing air so polluted that it puts their health and development at serious risk, a World Health Organization report has warned.

Over 90 per cent of all children - roughly 1.8 billion - live in places where pollution exceeds WHO guidelines. Ambient air pollution caused roughly 4.2 million premature deaths in 2016, while 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections due to dirty air. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• How air pollution is destroying our health World Health Organization
• 93% of world's children breathing toxic air which 'stunts brains' and causes deadly disease, WHO warns The Independent
• Air pollution is destroying our health and we can't just hold our breath and hope for action The Independent