Thursday 11 April 2019

What principles should underpin the funding system for social care?

What principles should underpin the funding system for social care? While there may not be one perfect way to fund social care, Camille Oung and Laura Schlepper describe four principles that should be central to any approach. Nuffield Trust

Health and wellbeing at work

Health and wellbeing at work This is the nineteenth annual survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) exploring trends and practices in health, well-being and absence management in UK workplaces. Overall, the findings reflect employers' growing recognition of their critical role in improving the health of the workforce. But the survey highlights some cause for concern, including an increase in stress-related absence and a lack of support for managers, who are increasingly expected to take responsibility for their team's well-being. The CIPD is calling on employers to invest in more training and development for managers and have published some top tips to support managers to minimise stress in their teams.

Spring brings no respite for NHS in England

Spring brings no respite for NHS in England The start of spring has brought little respite for the NHS in England, with A&E departments still struggling.

One in seven patients spent longer than the four-hour waiting target figure in A&E in March - only marginally better than the situation seen during winter.

It comes amid mounting concern about the pressure in cancer care. BBC News

'Dismantling cancer' reveals weak spots

'Dismantling cancer' reveals weak spots Scientists have taken cancer apart piece-by-piece to reveal its weaknesses, and come up with new ideas for treatment.

A team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute disabled every genetic instruction, one at a time, inside 30 types of cancer.

It has thrown up 600 new cancer vulnerabilities and each could be the target of a drug.

Cancer Research UK praised the sheer scale of the study. BBC News

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‘Three-person’ baby boy born in Greece

‘Three-person’ baby boy born in Greece Fertility doctors in Greece and Spain say they have produced a baby from three people in order to overcome a woman's infertility.

The baby boy was born weighing 2.9kg (6lbs) on Tuesday. The mother and child are said to be in good health.

The doctors say they are "making medical history" which could help infertile couples around the world.

But some experts in the UK say the procedure raises ethical questions and should not have taken place. BBC News

I'm an A&E doctor. It's not my job to report the victims of knife crime

I'm an A&E doctor. It's not my job to report the victims of knife crime I’m concerned about the impact this new legislation could have on victims seeking my care. We risk losing their trust

While working a night shift in A&E last New Year’s Eve, I looked after a 17-year-old stab wound victim, Ben. It had been a busy night, our usual winter pressures exacerbated by the flurry of drunken injuries and cocaine-induced panic attacks. Ben had been booked in by our reception team as a “wrist injury” and had been sitting in the waiting room for a long time before I saw him. He followed me into a cubicle, cradling his wrist in a tea towel under his T-shirt.

Based on his booking information I was expecting a sprain, a quick consultation, an x-ray, and then to give him painkillers to take away. Instead he unwrapped his arm to show me a 10cm gash from his wrist up his forearm. It was thankfully not too deep and I was able to stop the bleeding with a few stitches and a pressure dressing. He responded vaguely to my questions that it had been “a friend” at a party and was “no big deal”. The Guardian

Therapy over phone or online could help people with IBS – study

Therapy over phone or online could help people with IBS – study CBT recommended for condition with symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea

Talking therapies delivered remotely over the phone and internet could help people living with irritable bowel syndrome, research suggests.

About 10-20% of the UK population are thought to have IBS, a condition with symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating and problems with constipation and diarrhoea. The Guardian

30 per cent of child asthma cases due to pollution in parts of UK

30 per cent of child asthma cases due to pollution in parts of UK Three in ten child asthma cases in some parts of Britain are caused by traffic pollution, a major international study has found.

The new research reveals hundreds of thousands of cases of the potentially fatal respiratory condition could be avoided with cleaner air.

The study found that, overall, 19 per cent of new childhood asthma cases each year are attributable to nitrogen dioxide pollution. The Daily Telegraph

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