Over a third of local areas in England reduce real terms spending on low level children’s mental health services

Over a third of local areas in England reduce real terms spending on low level children’s mental health services Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published a report looking at the amount spent on “low-level” mental health support for children in England.

The Children’s Commissioner’s research is the first time any organisation has collected data to show how much is being spent by areas in England on low level mental health. It reveals that local areas, which included both local authorities and NHS spending, allocated a total of £226 million for low-level mental health services in 2018/19, just over £14 per child.

The report shows there were wide variations between areas in how much funding is available: the top 25% of local areas spent at least £1.1 million or more, while the bottom 25% spent £180,000 or less. This postcode lottery comes at a time when the Government has made more funding available for children’s mental health nationally as the number of children in need of support and treatment from children’s mental health services has increased over the last decade.

See also:

• Early access to mental health support (report) Children’s Commissioner for England
• Children's mental health services 'postcode lottery' BBC News
• Teenagers with mental health conditions are being turned away by the NHS, officials warn The Daily Mail
• Children who need help with mental health face postcode lottery – study The Guardian
• Child 'drank bleach after being denied help' as mental health services see spending cut across England The Independent

Research and analysis: Child sexual exploitation: prevention and intervention

Research and analysis: Child sexual exploitation: prevention and intervention This report summarises the emerging evidence from the UK on the issue of child sexual exploitation. It provides practice examples to support local public health leaders to establish a public health framework for prevention and intervention.

The literature search is a summary of the latest international research about effective interventions to prevent child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation. Public Health England

Guidance on planning of better MSK services

Guidance on planning of better MSK services The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance has published guidance for commissioners and providers on provision of better musculoskeletal (MSK) services. Better MSK services are a priority of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Averting the AMR crisis: what are the avenues for policy action for countries in Europe?

Averting the AMR crisis: what are the avenues for policy action for countries in Europe? This policy briefing summarises some of the key policy avenues for tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Following the widely accepted ‘One Health’ approach to combating AMR, the brief aims to support the implementation of national action plans on AMR, drawing on numerous examples of effective policies implemented by European Union member states and involving the human, animal and environmental health sectors. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Independent hospitals must report same patient safety and outcomes data as NHS to prevent another Ian Paterson, warns RCS

Independent hospitals must report same patient safety and outcomes data as NHS to prevent another Ian Paterson, warns RCS The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) is calling for independent hospitals to collect and publish equivalent data to that which the NHS routinely provides on patient safety and clinical audits. The RCS has published a position statement today (10 April) setting out the changes to standards in the independent sector it believes are required to prevent a repeat of the harm caused by rogue breast surgeon, Ian Paterson.

While progress has undoubtedly been made to improve the collection and publication of data in the independent sector, key issues remain. Further regulatory alignment is needed to bring independent sector hospitals’ reporting requirements for patient safety and outcomes data in line with the NHS.

See also:

• Private hospitals 'must do more to keep patients safe' BBC News
• Private hospitals must share more data with NHS, says top surgeon The Guardian

Epilepsy and cancer drugs on record-high shortage list amid Brexit uncertainty

Epilepsy and cancer drugs on record-high shortage list amid Brexit uncertainty Medicines vital for managing epilepsy, cancer and life-threatening asthma attacks are among a record number of products which are currently facing shortages made worse by Brexit uncertainty.

The number of drugs which the government is having to subsidise through the “concession” pricing list for short supply medicines has more than doubled since October. The Independent

See also:

• 'Steep rise' in patients struggling to get epilepsy drugs BBC News

Doctor struck off over boy's death allowed to return to work

Doctor struck off over boy's death allowed to return to work Hadiza Bawa-Garba, convicted over death of Jack Adcock, will be supervised for two years.

A doctor who was struck off the medical register after the death of a child and then reinstated after a battle through the courts has been told she can return to work under supervision.

Hadiza Bawa-Garba has not worked since November 2015 when a jury convicted her of gross negligence manslaughter over her treatment of six-year-old Jack Adcock, who developed sepsis and died of cardiac arrest at Leicester Royal Infirmary in February 2011. The Guardian

See also:

• Dr Hadiza BAWA-GARBA Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
• Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba: Struck-off doctor can return to work BBC News
• Parents of six-year-old boy who died of sepsis exasperated as doctor responsible cleared to practise again The Daily Telegraph
• Blaming Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba won't protect other patients | Dolin Bhagawati The Guardian
• Where does the blame lie when something goes wrong at hospital? The Guardian
• Hadiza Bawa-Garba: Doctor guilty of child's manslaughter by negligence to return to work The Independent

Biggest volunteer recruitment drive since WW2 to help boost mental health in same way as exercise

Biggest volunteer recruitment drive since WW2 to help boost mental health in same way as exercise The nation’s biggest volunteer recruitment drive since the Second World War has been launched by a charity with the aim of boosting people’s mental health and giving them a “high”.

The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) said that challenges facing the UK are "acute" with “unprecedented” pressure on public services. However today it has launched a major call up for the public to volunteer in a bid to boost people's' mental health. The Daily Telegraph

Health chiefs to tell hospitals how to treat a deadly fungus amid fears it is spreading globally

Health chiefs to tell hospitals how to treat a deadly fungus amid fears it is spreading globally Public health bosses will advise hospitals on how to cope with a deadly fungus that has become resistant to most drugs.

Candida auris was first identified in 2009 and has since struck hundreds in Britain and the US, among other countries.

Hospitals are now struggling to deal with the little-known fungus, prompting health officials in England and Wales to step in. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The scariest superbug on the CDC's radar is sweeping the US with hundreds infected The Daily Mail

Government's plan to ban junk food adverts before 9pm 'will cut just TWO calories a day'

Government's plan to ban junk food adverts before 9pm 'will cut just TWO calories a day' Banning junk food adverts before the watershed will only cut two calories from a child's diet a day, research shows.

The Government revealed plans in March to restrict advertising of foods high in salt, fat and sugar on television and social media until after 9pm.

They hoped the strict rules would curb soaring childhood obesity rates, which are already at a record high in Britain. The Daily Mail