Monday 17 June 2019

Theresa May calls for mental health to be priority

Theresa May calls for mental health to be priority Every new teacher in England will be trained in how to spot early warning signs of mental illness, under a plan being unveiled by Theresa May later.

Mrs May, using some of her remaining political authority before leaving office, has called for improvements in preventing problems.

"Too many of us have seen first-hand the devastating consequences of mental illness," says Mrs May.

Labour's Barbara Keeley said the prime minister only offered "warm words".

The shadow minister for mental health said the "reality" was support services being "stretched to breaking point". BBC News

BAME doctors more likely to be investigated than white ones

BAME doctors more likely to be investigated than white ones Nine years ago, a patient died under the care of surgeon David Sellu. He was jailed but his conviction was quashed on appeal.

Mr Sellu believes his race had an impact on how his case was handled, and he has raised concerns about how the General Medical Council (GMC) treats black and ethnic minority doctors.

Figures obtained by a BBC Freedom of Information request suggest the GMC is more likely to investigate complaints against BAME doctors than those who are white. BBC News

Listeria outbreak: Health secretary orders NHS food review

Listeria outbreak: Health secretary orders NHS food review A "root and branch" review of hospital food has been ordered by the health secretary after two more deaths were linked to an outbreak of listeria.

The number of deaths related to pre-packed sandwiches and salads at hospitals had risen from three to five, Public Health England said on Friday.

It said evidence suggested the deceased ate the products before 25 May.

Products from the Good Food Chain, which supplied to 43 NHS trusts, have been withdrawn and production halted. BBC News

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End-of-life care not 'culturally competent'

End-of-life care not 'culturally competent' A study has been launched to try to boost the number of black and Asian people using end-of-life care services.

Figures suggest black and Asian patients are 20% less likely to seek palliative help than their white counterparts.

There is concern they feel excluded by the way the services are currently set up.

The researchers, from Leicester, plan to use their results to develop national guidance to improve access. BBC News

Opiate addiction in UK in the over-40s triples in 12 years

Opiate addiction in UK in the over-40s triples in 12 years The number of people over 40 receiving treatment for opiate addiction has tripled in just 12 years, a report has found.

In 2018, 75,000 people over the age of 40 were in treatment for dependence on illegal opiates such as heroin – compared to 25,000 in 2006, a report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) found.

Over the same period, those in treatment for opioid addiction under the age of 30 fell from 60,000 to 13,000. The Independent

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NHS care providers left autistic children at risk of self-harm

NHS care providers left autistic children at risk of self-harm Inquiry finds needs of highly troubled under-18s in Staffordshire were neglected

Potentially suicidal autistic children with mental health problems in Staffordshire have been left at risk of self-harm after receiving inadequate and unsafe care, according to a damning leaked internal NHS report.

An inquiry, sparked by parents’ serious concerns, found that the needs of highly troubled under-18s in the county were neglected as a result of significant failings in care provision by the two NHS-funded providers in the area. The Guardian

How thousands of British patients may have taken tainted NHS drugs sold by the mafia

How thousands of British patients may have taken tainted NHS drugs sold by the mafia Thousands of NHS patients may have taken pills that were tampered with or damaged by criminal gangs linked to the Italian Mafia, a shocking investigation has revealed.

Commonly prescribed drugs were stolen in Italy and then sold to British pharmacists and hospitals, exposing patients to potentially lethal consequences.

Stockpiles of medications deemed unsafe, as they may have been handled or stored improperly, are now known to have landed in Britain five years ago, and health chiefs admit they have no record of who they were prescribed to. The Daily Mail

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