Towns with 'unhealthy' high streets have lower life expectancy, report finds

Towns with 'unhealthy' high streets have lower life expectancy, report finds High streets stacked with betting shops, fast-food outlets and tanning salons could be significantly shortening the lives of locals, a report has warned.

Residents living in towns with lots of bookies and off-licences die younger than those with plenty of libraries and pharmacies, research by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found.

Its ranking of 70 high streets found those living in the top 10 healthy areas lived an average of two-and-a-half years longer than those with the 10 unhealthiest high streets, like Northampton, according to Health on the High Street: Running on Empty report, which was first run in 2015. The Independent

See also:

• Health on the High Street: Running on Empty 2018 Royal Society for Public Health
• UK's 'unhealthiest' High Streets revealed BBC News
• Could your high street take two and a half years off your life? The Daily Telegraph

'We are in an experimenting epidemic' says charity as poll finds two in five Northamptonshire teens knows someone who has tried solvents or gases

'We are in an experimenting epidemic' says charity as poll finds two in five Northamptonshire teens knows someone who has tried solvents or gases New figures have revealed 40 per cent of teenagers in Northamptonshire know someone who has tried sniffing solvents such as aerosols, gases and glues. 

The data, compiled by county-based charity Solve It following a poll of 1,376 youngsters aged between 15 and 17, highlights the extent of what's been called an "experimenting epidemic". 

Figures revealed that less than half of those surveyed (46 per cent) had received education around the dangers of solvent abuse, while 94 per cent believed education on the issue should be available in schools. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Health inequalities and the NHS

Health inequalities and the NHS Many speeches have been given to mark 70 years of the NHS. They have rightly celebrated the considerable achievements of this much-loved institution. Few though have mentioned the origins of the NHS in the Welsh valleys. It was the experiences of those here, unable to afford access to doctors and medicine, which shaped the vision for today’s NHS. The King's Fund

“Windrush Generation” guidance for NHS staff and other providers of NHS funded secondary and community care services

“Windrush Generation” guidance for NHS staff and other providers of NHS funded secondary and community care services Eligibility for NHS-funded secondary care is mainly based on lawful, settled residence in the UK. This document specifically considers the ‘Windrush generation’. That is, the Commonwealth citizens who settled in the UK before 1 January 1973 and those who arrived to live here between 1973 and 1988. Department of Health and Social Care

Making feedback easier for people with a learning disability or autism

Making feedback easier for people with a learning disability or autism NHS England has published tips for health, social care and education organisations and practitioners with the aim of making feedback, concerns and complaints easier for people with a learning disability or autism.

Menopause in the workplace

Menopause in the workplace Access information which will help HR colleagues, managers and employees to support women experiencing menopause whilst at work. NHS Employers

Maternal suicide the main cause of death in new mums

Maternal suicide the main cause of death in new mums In the UK and Ireland, maternal suicide is the leading cause of direct deaths occurring within a year after the end of pregnancy.

In 2018 a report by MBRRACE found around 20 out of 120 deaths of women between the periods of six weeks and one year after pregnancy was due to suicide. BBC News

Children and adolescents 'account for half of sports A&E attendances'

Children and adolescents 'account for half of sports A&E attendances' Children and adolescents account for nearly half of A&E attendances for sporting injuries, research suggests.

An analysis of A&E data at two hospitals between 2012 and 2014 found 47% of attendances for sport-related injuries were made by under-19s.

Football, rugby union and rugby league were linked to the most injuries in boys. For girls, it was trampolining, netball and horse-riding.

Fourteen-year-old boys and 12-year-old girls were most likely to be injured. BBC News

See also:

• Results on sports-related injuries in children from NHS emergency care dataset Oxfordshire pilot: an ecological study Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine

NHS Digital restructure will see 500 jobs axed across England

NHS Digital restructure will see 500 jobs axed across England About 500 jobs will be lost in a restructure of NHS Digital across England, according to the Secretary of State for Health.

It employs about 2,700 people in IT-related roles at centres across the country, with almost 2,000 of those jobs in Leeds.

The Unison union said most of the job cuts would have to be in Leeds as "80% of NHS Digital" was based in the city.

NHS Digital said it would be offering support to affected workers. BBC News

Number of people treated for crack cocaine problems rises 44% in two years

Number of people treated for crack cocaine problems rises 44% in two years Public Health England says treatment rise likely to be related to drug being more prevalent

The number of people being treated for problems related to crack cocaine use in England has increased by 44% in two years, official figures show.

There was also a small (3%) increase in people entering treatment for both crack cocaine and opiate use, statistics released by Public Health England (PHE) reveal. The rise was seen primarily in those aged 35 and over. The Guardian

See also:

• National Statistics: Substance misuse treatment for adults: statistics 2017 to 2018 Public Health England
• 'Desperate crisis' as addiction services reach fewer people The Guardian

Work-related stress and mental illness now accounts for over half of work absences

Work-related stress and mental illness now accounts for over half of work absences For the first time, work-related stress anxiety or depression accounts for over half of all working days lost due to ill health in Great Britain.

In total, 15.4 million working days were lost in 2017/18 as a result of the condition, up from 12.5 million last year. This equates to 57.3 per cent of the 26.8 million work days lost to ill health according to figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The Daily Telegraph

NHS hospitals will pay hundreds of thousands for visas to keep EU staff after Brexit

NHS hospitals will pay hundreds of thousands for visas to keep EU staff after Brexit NHS hospitals will pay for the visas of nearly 1,300 EU staff to keep them in London after Brexit, it has been revealed.

University College London hospitals, St George's Hospital, and Guy's and St Thomas' are among the trusts preparing to foot the bill to keep their foreign workers.

This is expected to cost UCLH alone, which has nine treatment centres in central London, more than £100,000.

More than one in ten of the capital's NHS staff are from other European countries, according to figures. The Daily Mail