There’s no longer a catch: a new way to measure how children and young people are treated

There’s no longer a catch: a new way to measure how children and young people are treated With it historically difficult to measure how health care for children and young people varies across the country, Ronny Cheung takes a look at what’s hampered progress in the past and how we might now have a breakthrough. Nuffield Trust

Community services: our time

Community services: our time NHS Providers has published the fourth edition of its publication series Provider Voices, which promotes the views of trust leaders and other parts of the system on some of the key issues facing health and care services today.

In January this year the NHS long term plan was published. This outlined a vision to shift care away from hospitals and closer to people’s homes and communities.

Community Services: Our time explores the opportunities and risks for the sector as a result of the NHS long term plan. National NHS leaders have often promised to give greater emphasis to community services, making them more central and allocating greater investment. Will this now happen?

Measles: 500,000 UK children missed jab

Measles: 500,000 UK children missed jab More than half a million children in the UK were not given a crucial measles jab between 2010 and 2017, an analysis by children's charity Unicef reveals.

It comes as NHS chief Simon Stevens warned measles cases had almost quadrupled in England in just one year and urged families to get the vaccine.

He said people rejecting vaccines was a "growing public health time bomb".

Globally, the report shows, 169 million children were not given a first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017. BBC News

See also:

• PHE offers support to UK vaccine heroes Public Health England
• Fears of measles 'timebomb' as half a MILLION British children have not been vaccinated The Daily Mail
• Millions of children do not receive the life-saving measles jab each year The Daily Mail
• Measles: more than half a million UK children unvaccinated The Daily Telegraph
• Half a million UK children at risk of measles after missing vaccination, Unicef warns The Independent
• Vaccine rejection 'public health timebomb', NHS head warns ITV News

New campaign to raise awareness of organ donation law change

New campaign to raise awareness of organ donation law change A new campaign has been launched to increase awareness of the upcoming change to organ donation law.

The opt-out system, which will come into force in England from spring 2020, will mean adults are presumed to be organ donors unless they have recorded their decision not to be.

Families will still be involved before organ donation goes ahead. ITV News

Free personal care would be fairer and cut NHS pressures

Free personal care would be fairer and cut NHS pressures Free personal care is a fairer, more transparent system that is affordable, would benefit far more older people than the current system does, and can eliminate “catastrophic costs” for all older people receiving care – as well as reducing pressures on the NHS – according to Independent Age. The charity reported that various proposals to cap the costs of care would leave the majority of older people still at risk of “catastrophic costs”, while costing not much less than free personal care. OnMedica

Under-twos should not have screen time, World Health Organisation says

Under-twos should not have screen time, World Health Organisation says Toddlers and young children should have no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day, according to new advice from the World Health Organisation.

The guidelines suggest a 60-minute limit for those aged between two and five-years-old.

It also recommends babies and toddlers avoid any sedentary screen time, including watching TV or sitting still playing games on devices, until the age of two. The Independent

See also:

• To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more World Health Organization 
• No sedentary screen time for babies, WHO says BBC News
• How much screen time should children be allowed? BBC News

NHS must close gender gaps and prioritise staff wellbeing - Hancock

NHS must close gender gaps and prioritise staff wellbeing - Hancock Matt Hancock has said the NHS must end the gender pay gap and overhaul its working culture to free doctors from punishing shift uncertainty, in a speech that will burnish the Conservative leadership hopeful’s liberal credentials.

The health secretary called for the NHS to have “a more caring and compassionate culture” towards its own staff, speaking of his shock at the story of one doctor who worked long shifts while going through a severe and traumatic miscarriage. The Guardian

See also:

• The NHS is a huge employer of women – I want it to be one of the best as well | Matt Hancock The Guardian

Doctors will go part-time if pension rules are not changed, BMA warns

Doctors will go part-time if pension rules are not changed, BMA warns NHS consultants are better off working part-time under new Treasury pension rules, unions have warned.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised fears that the majority of senior doctors will end up opting to cut their hours or work part-time as a result.

A letter to the Chancellor warns that some consultants will see a significant drop in their pension - unless they go part-time. The Daily Telegraph

One in six cancer patients struggle to get their drugs

One in six cancer patients struggle to get their drugs The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London will today publish a 10-point manifesto calling for action to improve drugs access. The Daily Mail

See also:

• One in six cancer patients is being denied drugs recommended by doctors The Daily Telegraph
• One in 10 cancer patients denied drugs recommended by their doctor, study says The Independent