Northampton learning disability homes to be 'transformed' for county council savings

Northampton learning disability homes to be 'transformed' for county council savings Residential homes for adults with learning difficulties are set to be 'transformed' to help save money for the county council.

The plans form part of Northamptonshire County Council’s draft budget proposals for 2019/20 and include developing and building new adult services accommodation and ‘transforming’ existing buildings. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Deconstructing the deal: what the Brexit agreement with the EU means for the NHS

Deconstructing the deal: what the Brexit agreement with the EU means for the NHS As Brexit continues to dominate the news, Mark Dayan gives his expert view on what the UK's withdrawal agreement with the European Union could mean for the health service. Nuffield Trust

Future health of the next generation at risk due to lack of opportunities in home towns

Future health of the next generation at risk due to lack of opportunities in home towns The Health Foundation is warning that the core building blocks for a healthy future - a place to call home, potential for secure and rewarding work, and supportive relationships with their friends, family, and community - are too often forgotten.

In their new report, A place to grow published today, part of its major UK-wide Young people’s future health inquiry, the Health Foundation investigates some of the key issues impacting young people’s successful transition into adulthood

UK-wide workforce planning needed to avert NHS staffing crisis

UK-wide workforce planning needed to avert NHS staffing crisis New research has laid bare a future workforce crisis that could be compounded by Brexit amid a fragmented approach to the recruitment and retention of doctors.

Research commissioned by the General Medical Council (GMC) for its 2018 The state of medical education and practice in the UK report paints a stark picture of unabated pressure on health services. The report also shines a light on steps that some doctors are feeling the need to take to cope with patient numbers, some of which may be piling more pressure on other parts of the system.

Among those measures are making referrals to other doctors that are not strictly necessary but happen due to limited time to address patient concerns, ordering blood tests when they may not always be needed, and bypassing clinical checklists in order to get through workload.

See also:

• Training environments 2018: key findings from the national training surveys General Medical Council
• More than half of doctors considering quitting NHS or cutting their hours, polling finds The Daily Telegraph
• Patients at risk with doctors at ‘breaking point’ and looking to quit in unprecedented numbers, GMC warns The Independent
• Doctors at brink of breaking point to ensure patient care, warns regulator ITV News
• GMC issues workforce warning in case of ‘no-deal’ Brexit Pulse

Never too busy to learn: how the modern team can learn together in the busy workplace

Never too busy to learn: how the modern team can learn together in the busy workplace This report, supported by Health Education England, helps healthcare teams make the most of daily learning opportunities in the workplace. It explores how ‘invitational’ learning environments can be created in clinical settings and, in doing so, poses two key questions: how do we create learning opportunities in the clinical workplace and how do we maximise the impact of these opportunities? Royal College of Physicians 

Nursing care for people experiencing homelessness: a survey of the QNI Homeless Health Network

Nursing care for people experiencing homelessness: a survey of the QNI Homeless Health Network This report gives a thematic analysis of comments from a survey of 206 homeless health nurses (HHNs) about issues facing their area of practice. Using this evidence, it explores the structural, contextual, environmental and practical changes needed to reduce, prevent and eliminate homelessness, and tackle the associated burden of disease. The Queen's Nursing Institute

Our data-driven future in healthcare: people and partnerships at the heart of health related technologies

Our data-driven future in healthcare: people and partnerships at the heart of health related technologies This report states that a radical culture change in the NHS, and across the health data and medical technology community, is needed to make sure that the NHS can deliver the benefits of new health technologies that use patient data for care, and to retain public trust. The Academy of Medical Sciences

First baby born after deceased womb transplant

First baby born after deceased womb transplant A healthy baby girl has been born using a womb transplanted from a dead body.

The 10-hour transplant operation - and later fertility treatment - took place in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2016. The mother, 32, was born without a womb.

There have been 39 womb transplants using a live donor, including mothers donating their womb to their daughter, resulting in 11 babies.

But the 10 previous transplants from a dead donor have failed or resulted in miscarriage. BBC News

See also:

• Livebirth after uterus transplantation from a deceased donor in a recipient with uterine infertility The Lancet

Missing special needs support 'a national scandal'

Missing special needs support 'a national scandal' Thousands of children missing out on support for diagnosed special educational needs in England is a "national scandal", Ofsted has said.

There are 2,060 children in 2018 who have education, health and care plans (EHCs) setting out their needs, but who receive no support at all.

Some parents said a child is only assessed when they are excluded.

Ofsted chief, Amanda Spielman, also raised the issue of children disappearing from education. BBC News

Four out of 10 cancer patients initially misdiagnosed, finds report warning of pressures in testing

Four out of 10 cancer patients initially misdiagnosed, finds report warning of pressures in testing Four out of ten people with cancer in the UK are misdiagnosed at least once before their disease is identified, according to a report calling for more investment in early testing.

The report, by the All.Can cancer initiative, warns that one in five (21 per cent) of UK patients surveyed said they waited more than six months to get the correct diagnosis.

This failure to provide a quick, accurate diagnosis is costing patients their lives and the NHS money, the group warns. The Independent

See also:

• First findings of All.Can patient survey revealed at UK Parliament event All.Can UK

‘I tried to take my own life. They told me I’d have to wait a month for help’

‘I tried to take my own life. They told me I’d have to wait a month for help’ | Mary O’Hara Despite government promises, mental health services are still failing young people. Here, some of those affected speak out

The word “crisis” comes up a lot whenever children and young people’s mental health is mentioned. Whether it’s youngsters in desperate need of acute care being sent hundreds of miles away for treatment due to local bed shortages, failure to receive help even after their GP has referred them for specialist care, or enduring problems with NHS child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs), patients under 18 find it increasingly difficult to access the support they need. The Guardian

5 million healthy Britons will be tracked in bid to detect disease sooner

5 million healthy Britons will be tracked in bid to detect disease sooner Five million healthy Britons will be tracked for years in attempt to develop artificial intelligence which spots signs of cancer and dementia far earlier.

Ministers said the measures - part of Britain’s industrial strategy - will form the largest ever study of its kind.

The programme to accelerate detection of disease will track detailed clinical information - such as genetic records, scans and samples - from 1 million volunteeers, while regularly questioning a further 4 million patients in order to build a detailed picture. The Daily Telegraph

Nine in 10 adults have unhealthy lifestyles, national survey finds

Nine in 10 adults have unhealthy lifestyles, national survey finds Nine in ten adults have unhealthy lifestyles, fuelling soaring diabetes levels, new figures show.

The survey of 10,000 adults found the vast majority are at risk of a premature death, because of their daily habits.

Excess weight was the biggest factor identified in the Health Survey for England, with two thirds of adults found to be overweight or obese. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Health Survey for England 2017 NHS Digital
• Most adults living unhealthy lifestyles BBC News

Record number of British women are dying because of alcohol as figures show drink-related deaths are up 15% since 2001

Record number of British women are dying because of alcohol as figures show drink-related deaths are up 15% since 2001 More British women than ever are dying from alcohol-related diseases, figures revealed today.

Eight women in every 100,000 across the UK die every year because of conditions caused by boozing.

This figure is the highest it has been since records began in 2001 but still lower than the average of 12.2 deaths, and fewer than half the 16.8 deaths among men.

Hard-drinking baby boomers are also dying young because of their habit. Death rates are highest among women in their late 50s and men in their early 60s. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2017 Office for National Statistics
• Funding to help improve the lives of those affected by alcohol Public Health England
• UK alcohol deaths approaching levels last seen in 2008 recession, ONS data shows The Independent