102 young Northamptonshire people face future living in care homes

102 young Northamptonshire people face future living in care homes People with a learning disability and elderly parents may have to live in Northamptonshire care homes as their mums and dads struggle to cope. That is the situation facing 102 people in the county- all of whom are below the pensionable age - over the next five years if money is not allocated for them to live independently.

It comes as figures show 13 per cent of people with LD live in residential care, higher than the 10 per cent target. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Government is failing its duty of care towards prisoners

Government is failing its duty of care towards prisoners A prison sentence is a deprivation of someone's liberty, not a sentence to poorer health or healthcare, say the Health and Social Care Committee in its report on health and care in prison.

However, standards inside England's prison have deteriorated in recent years, following budget reductions and the loss of prison officers.

Many prisons are unsafe, with incidences of violence and self-harm at a record high.

Prisons, as a result of staff shortages and overcrowding, are limiting prisoners' access to healthcare and their ability lead healthy lives.

See also:

• Nuffield Trust comments on prison health report Nuffield Trust
• Maintaining and improving health in prisons ‘crucial’ to maintaining public health, says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• Government failing in duty of care to prisoners as jail sentences lead to poorer health, MPs warn The Independent

'Don't be taken in by anti-vaccine myths on social media'

'Don't be taken in by anti-vaccine myths on social media' People who believe the myths spread by anti-vaccine campaigners "are absolutely wrong", England's top doctor has said.

Prof Dame Sally Davies said the MMR vaccine was safe and had been given to millions of children worldwide but uptake was currently "not good enough".

In England, 87% of children receive two doses but the target is 95%.

The chief medical officer urged parents to get their children vaccinated and ignore "social media fake news".

Her comments come on the 30th anniversary of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine being introduced in the UK. BBC News

See also:

• 50 years of measles vaccination in the UK Public Health England
• 'Social media fake news' to blame for low MMR vaccine take up, says England's top doctor The Daily Telegraph

How antibiotic resistance could take us back to the 'dark ages'

How antibiotic resistance could take us back to the 'dark ages' Scientists are working on a new antibiotic that has produced promising results in early trials. Medicine will need more of these in coming years if increasing bacterial resistance is not to pose a very serious threat to human health.

When they were introduced, in the 1940s, antibiotics were hailed as a "wonder drug". But there are major concerns that over-prescription has led to increasing resistance to the drugs.

Last week, the Chief Medical Officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, went as far as to say we were "at risk of putting medicine back in the dark ages" - but why has this happened? BBC News

Epilepsy: Calls for 'critical' funding to save lives

Epilepsy: Calls for 'critical' funding to save lives Hundreds of people with epilepsy are dying every year because "critical" checks are not taking place, campaigners have warned.

GPs used to receive money for achieving specific targets based on managing patients' epilepsy care but this was stopped in 2014.

Charity Sudep Action wants the government to commit funding so annual risk check-ups take place properly.

NHS England said GPs already carried out checks under a standard service. BBC News

French babies born with missing limbs prompt inquiry

French babies born with missing limbs prompt inquiry France has launched a national investigation into the number of babies being born with missing arms or hands - weeks after an initial inquiry closed.

The first investigation began after it emerged more than a dozen children had been born with the condition in clusters in three French regions.

It ended after health authorities failed to identify a common cause.

But now another 11 cases have emerged in the eastern region of Ain, prompting officials to open a fresh inquiry. BBC News

Third of doctors say bullying is a problem in the NHS

Third of doctors say bullying is a problem in the NHS More than a third (39%) of doctors believe there is a problem with bullying and harassment at their work in the UK, according to a report from the British Medical Association (BMA) published today.

The report details a two-year study by the BMA looking at bullying, why it happens and what can be done to tackle it. OnMedica

See also:

• NHS needs #Metoo moment to stamp out sexual harassment, doctors' union says The Daily Telegraph

Paralysed patients able to walk again as 'breakthrough' implant restores nerves in spine

Paralysed patients able to walk again as 'breakthrough' implant restores nerves in spine Patients restricted to wheelchairs for years have been able to walk entirely unaided thanks to implants which help regenerate and remap nerves in their damaged spines.

The treatment, which has been hailed as a “significant breakthrough” for paralysis sufferers, uses a surgically implanted array of electrodes mapped precisely to the spinal cord, in combination with a unit that sends electrical pulses in response to patients’ intended leg movements.

All three paraplegic individuals who took part in the Swiss study recovered voluntary control of their leg muscles and were able to walk with some weight assistance, or a frame, while the electrical stimulation was active. The Independent

‘A wall built to keep people out’: the cruel, bureaucratic maze of children’s services

‘A wall built to keep people out’: the cruel, bureaucratic maze of children’s services In a system cut to the bone, gaining access to the support we had been promised for our daughter’s special educational needs was an exhausting, soul-sapping battle. By Jake Anderson

One morning back in May 2016, my wife and I had a visit from a nurse, who had come to the house to discuss our daughter, Alice. We made coffee, put biscuits on a plate and sat around the kitchen table.

“So,” said the woman, who was part of the local community learning disabilities team, “how can I help you?” The Guardian

Tax system overhaul will be needed to fund NHS, says thinktank

Tax system overhaul will be needed to fund NHS, says thinktank Chancellor told he is gambling with public finances and will be unable to balance books

Philip Hammond has been told Britain needs to overhaul the tax system to raise more money for the NHS after using the budget to hand tax cuts to the rich while raising public borrowing.

Urging the chancellor to conduct a formal review of taxation alongside the government’s planned spending review next year, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said Hammond would be unable to balance the books in future without finding extra tax revenue. The Guardian

Loneliness is a modern illness of the body, not just the mind

Loneliness is a modern illness of the body, not just the mind | Fay Bound Alberti Healthcare that is preventive rather than reactive is key if this epidemic is to be tackled effectively

Loneliness is thought to be a universal, inevitable, even psychological affliction. Not only the United Kingdom but also vast swaths of post-industrial populations across Europe, the United States and Japan report heightened levels of loneliness, with attendant implications for public health.

The findings of a recent BBC loneliness survey – that a third of respondents (55,000 in the UK) often felt lonely, that there was shame attached, that it could affect people of all life stages, that it was connected to social media use and linked with ill health – flesh out the detail behind discussion of a “loneliness epidemic”. But neither the physicality of loneliness, nor its origins, received much emphasis in the study. And as its history makes clear, loneliness is more complex than much of the current analysis suggests. The Guardian

Britain is “medicalising” children rather than bringing them up properly, the head of the health service has said

Britain is “medicalising” children rather than bringing them up properly, the head of the health service has said Britain is increasingly “medicalising” children instead of bringing them up properly, the head of the health service has warned.

Simon Stevens said the NHS will expand its mental health services in response to rising levels of anxiety and distress fuelled by social media.

But he said that far more needed to be done to protect children, by giving them an upbringing which shielded them from some of today's pressures. The Daily Telegraph

Patients left at risk of blindness amid NHS waiting list backlogs

Patients left at risk of blindness amid NHS waiting list backlogs Patients have been left at risk of going blind amid a failure to treat thousands of people with eye conditions.

Junior doctors at University Hospital Southampton blew the whistle amid concern that patients with serious eye conditions were not being given follow-up appointments amid staff shortages.

An investigation has so far identified 38 patients who have suffered a worsening of their condition due to the situation. The Daily Telegraph

40 people died in 'barbaric' secure hospitals the government pledged would close

40 people died in 'barbaric' secure hospitals the government pledged would close At least 40 people with a profound learning disability or autism have died while admitted to "barbaric" secure hospitals the government has promised to close since 2015, a Sky News investigation has found.

The deceased, nine of whom were under-35 when they died, were being held as in-patients in assessment and treatment units (ATUs), controversial hospitals considered inappropriate for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

See also:

• Scandal of ‘barbaric’ secure hospitals: At least 40 people under 35 have died while being treated The Daily Mail

Depression is rising faster than any other condition jumping

Depression is rising faster than any other condition jumping Rates of depression in England are soaring and are rising faster than any other condition, official statistics suggest.

NHS data collected from GP surgeries shows 9.9 per cent of patients are now considered to be battling the mental health disorder.

In contrast, the rate was 9.1 per cent last year. It means it has overtaken obesity as the second most common recorded condition in the country.

MailOnline has sifted through the NHS Digital figures to reveal the prevalence of depression is three times higher in certain parts of the country than others. The Daily Mail