Friday 1 March 2019

Race equality in the NHS workforce

Race equality in the NHS workforce (podcast) What can be done about race inequality in the NHS workforce? How can we ensure representative leadership happens? Helen McKenna talks with Yvonne Coghill, Director at NHS England Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES); Dionne Daniel, Project Lead, Nursing Workforce Remodelling Research Project; and Ben Morrin, Director of Workforce at University College London Hospitals. The King's Fund

New training for health visitors to boost early language skills

New training for health visitors to boost early language skills 1,000 health visitors to be trained to support children's early language and communication needs during routine home visits. Public Health England

People with a mental health problem can pay a premium of over £1000 every year

People with a mental health problem can pay a premium of over £1000 every year A lack of support means people with a mental health condition can pay between £1,100 to £1,550 a year more for essential services, new research from Citizens Advice shows.

This problem exists across energy, telecoms, current accounts and unsecured personal credit such as credit cards and overdrafts.

The charity has found that many companies are failing people with mental health problems. Citizens Advice

Shropshire baby deaths: Families could pull out of inquiry

Shropshire baby deaths: Families could pull out of inquiry Families who have alleged failings at an NHS trust could pull out of an inquiry into their babies' deaths.

Some object to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists being part of the overseeing review panel.

Rhiannon Davies, whose baby Kate died in 2009, said its role in the review of Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, the biggest inquiry into claims of maternity failure, was "inappropriate".

NHS Improvement (NHSI) defended the inquiry as "independent". BBC News

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Scrap laws driving privatisation of health service, say NHS bosses

Scrap laws driving privatisation of health service, say NHS bosses NHS England calls for end to rules under which firms have won £10.5bn of contracts

NHS bosses have urged ministers to scrap controversial legislation that has led to the widespread privatisation of healthcare as part of a major revamp of the health service. The Guardian

Meet my patients who've been left out of the mental health conversation

Meet my patients who've been left out of the mental health conversation Vinny has been violent, Leanne hears voices, and Harry is paranoid. How does the vogue for wellbeing help them?

Mental health is everywhere. The phrase reverberates from nurseries to nursing homes, and hushed conversations once held out of the earshot of children and polite company are giving way to a more open dialogue about psychological wellbeing. But are we seeing the full picture? And does the vogue for wellbeing distract us from a long-overdue conversation about individuals with serious mental illness?

I work as a consultant psychiatrist in assertive outreach, a specialty that aims to help those who have struggled to engage with psychiatric services. While they too have mental health problems, you don’t hear a lot about some of the people I meet. The Guardian

Breast cancer screening sinks to lowest rate in 10 years

Breast cancer screening sinks to lowest rate in 10 years The proportion of women taking up breast cancer screening has sunk to its lowest level for a decade, new NHS figures show.

Experts have warned the “extremely worrying” trend risks worsening until health chiefs improve their methods of encouraging the public to take up the potentially life-saving tests.

Under the NHS Breast Screening Programme, women normally receive their first routine invitation for screening between the ages of 50 and 53, and are thereafter invited back every three years until their 71st birthday. The Daily Telegraph

Two pharmaceutical firms face fines for 'illegally inflating drug prices'

Two pharmaceutical firms face fines for 'illegally inflating drug prices' The Government has accused two English pharmaceutical firms of trying to illegally make millions of pounds from the NHS.

Medicine suppliers Auden Mckenzie and Waymade allegedly set up an agreement to inflate the price of a life-saving steroid.

The Competition and Markets Authority today claimed Auden Mckenzie paid Waymade to not sell certain tablets so it could demand a higher price from the NHS.

As a result, the cost to the health service for 20mg hydrocortisone tablets reportedly almost doubled from £46 to £90 for a single pack of 30. The Daily Mail

Build houses away from polluting roads, NHS watchdog warns councils

Build houses away from polluting roads, NHS watchdog warns councils New homes should be built away from main roads, the NHS watchdog has said.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has recommended houses, flats, schools, nurseries and care homes be protected from pollution.

It said properties should be built in way which reduces the need to use cars to get there, as one charity warns dirty air is killing thousands of people each year.

Vehicles churn out polluting gases including nitrogen dioxide, which can cause lung problems and trigger asthma attacks in both adults and children. The Daily Mail

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