Jorgie's family speaks: "We watched her failing. Nobody listened."

Jorgie's family speaks: "We watched her failing. Nobody listened." At the end of three days of complicated medical evidence looking at the death of little Jorgie Stanton-Watts, Zena Stanton was finally given the chance to address the people who said she holds responsible for her grandaughter's death.

Taking the stand, physically supported by her husband Bob. who kept his hand on her shoulder as she wept during her evidence, 68-year-old Zena spoke of how the loss of Jorgie, who died after she was neglected at Kettering General Hospital, had affected her ‘strong, united family’. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Primary care networks and the NHS long-term plan

Primary care networks and the NHS long-term plan With NHS England stating that around 88 per cent of GP practices are already part of some form of wider collaboration with other practices, it might be tempting to think that that the new-found importance of primary care networks – groups of GP practices covering populations of 30–50,000 – in the NHS long-term plan is really evolution not revolution (they got 25 mentions in the plan: I counted them). It might be equally tempting for many to ignore the changes as being all rather parochial to the world of GPs – after all, they are formally part of the GP contract. Don’t fall for either temptation – both represent a misunderstanding of just how important the new primary care networks are meant to be. The King's Fund

Leave no patient behind: lessons from genetics on the risks of biased data

Leave no patient behind: lessons from genetics on the risks of biased data In the last two months, my Dad has been shuttling between various GP surgeries and hospitals, trying to get the dosage right for his warfarin treatment. This has required 15 appointments so far, with frequent frustration when the test results show the dosage is still wrong. As Dad rearranges yet another day around a visit to the doctor, his experience seems far from the vision of personalised care enabled by new technology, genetic testing and big data, as promised by NHSX and the Topol Review. The Health Foundation

Research and analysis: Urgent dental care in England: evidence review

Research and analysis: Urgent dental care in England: evidence review In 2016 NHS England recommended that urgent dental care should be transformed in line with the transformation of urgent and emergency care services more generally, and that a commissioning standard was needed.

This rapid literature review on urgent dental care provides evidence to inform the development of the commissioning standard for urgent dental care services and identifies research gaps. Public Health England

Please procure responsibly: the state of public service commissioning

Please procure responsibly: the state of public service commissioning By examining the complex systems used by central government and local councils to procure public services, the report explains how public services are delivered and by who. It identifies several key areas where weak or underperforming elements in the commissioning cycle have led to failings in the procurement of public services and suggests potential solutions to some of these challenges. Reform

HPV vaccine linked to 'dramatic' cervical disease drop

HPV vaccine linked to 'dramatic' cervical disease drop The routine vaccination of girls with the HPV vaccine in Scotland has led to a "dramatic" drop in cervical disease in later life, new research suggests.

Human papilomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection and some types are linked to cervical cancer.

Researchers said the vaccine has nearly wiped out cases of cervical pre-cancer in young women since an immunisation programme was introduced 10 years ago.

They found the vaccine had led to a 90% cut in pre-cancerous cells. BBC News

See also:

• Prevalence of cervical disease at age 20 after immunisation with bivalent HPV vaccine at age 12-13 in Scotland: retrospective population study  (open access) The BMJ
• The remarkable impact of bivalent HPV vaccine in Scotland (editorial) The BMJ
• Bivalent HPV vaccine in Scotland is having a considerable and sustained effect The BMJ
• Vaccinating 12-to-13 year old girls against HPV reduces their risk of cervical cancer The Daily Mail

Sexism, bullying and the NHS

Sexism, bullying and the NHS Bullying, sexism, aggression and rudeness are commonplace among the medical profession, doctors say.

In two separate developments, two GPs and the doctors' regulator have spoken out about their concerns. BBC News

Oxford hospital trust faced defamation threat from NHS

Oxford hospital trust faced defamation threat from NHS NHS England aimed to stop hospital trust opposing local privatisation of cancer scans

NHS heads threatened to sue one of England’s most admired hospitals for libel, for raising concerns that privatising a key element of cancer treatment would endanger patients’ health.

In an extraordinary move NHS England tried to stop Oxford University hospitals (OUH) NHS trust opposing its controversial decision to let a private firm take charge of cancer scanning. The Guardian

Ministers accused of cover-up over migrant health reports

Ministers accused of cover-up over migrant health reports Doctors’ leaders call for suspension of hostile environment NHS charging regime

Ministers have been accused of a cover-up for refusing to release official reports into whether migrants’ health has been harmed since they began being charged upfront for NHS care before they can be treated.

The leaders of Britain’s doctors, nurses and midwives are demanding the release of three government reviews into how hostile environment immigration policies have affected access to NHS care. The Guardian

Molly Case, the NHS nurse who finds poetry on the wards

Molly Case, the NHS nurse who finds poetry on the wards An impassioned poem defending her profession thrust Case into the public eye. With a memoir about the joy and pain of the job out soon, she talks about how it continues to inspire her

Not so long ago, first-person accounts of what goes on in the operating theatre or the emergency ward – and in the hearts and minds of those who work there – were hard to find. Author William Boyd said recently that when writing his novel about a surgeon, The Blue Afternoon, some years ago, he failed to unearth any descriptions of surgery by surgeons at all. But no more. The medical memoir has become a publishing phenomenon. The Guardian

Poor diet causes one in seven deaths in Britain, Lancet finds

Poor diet causes one in seven deaths in Britain, Lancet finds Unhealthy diet causes one in seven deaths in Britain every year, a Lancet study suggests.

The research found lack of fruit and fibre is taking the heaviest toll, fuelling conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

The study by the University of Washington identified lack of wholegrain, nuts and fruits as the worst elements of the British diet.

Too much salt was the fourth biggest dietary risk factor, followed by too little vegetables. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (open access) The Lancet
• The diets cutting one-in-five lives short every year BBC News
• Poor diet kills more than smoking and hypertension, Bill Gates study reveals The Daily Mail
• Western diet now killing more than smoking and high blood pressure, study suggests The Independent

Four medics are arrested over mistreatment and neglect claims at NHS Blackpool Victoria Hospital

Four medics are arrested over mistreatment and neglect claims at NHS Blackpool Victoria Hospital Four healthcare professionals have been arrested over allegations of mistreatment and neglect at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Last November, Lancashire Police were asked by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to investigate alleged incidents in their stroke unit. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Blackpool Victoria Hospital: Four more arrests in poisoning probe BBC News