Investing in the NHS long term plan

Investing in the NHS long term plan This briefing analyses the challenges now facing health and social care and looks at the implications of the plan for activity levels and workforce in the NHS in England. It sets out funding scenarios for areas of health spending outside NHS England’s budget (including NHS workforce, capital investment, the prevention agenda and adult social care) and examine the potential impact on wider public spending. The findings of this analysis are supported by a separate survey of NHS front-line leaders carried out by NHS Confederation. The Health Foundation

See also:

• NHS needs extra £8bn or long-term plan will fail, say hospital bosses The Guardian
• Theresa May's flagship NHS plan set to fail because of dithering on social care, NHS bosses say The Independent

Vive la révolution in population health management

Vive la révolution in population health management In a guest blog, Andi Orlowski of Imperial College Health Partners explains why population health management has become so important for health systems all over the world – and why it is different from the previous approaches we have taken in public health or within the NHS. Nuffield Trust

Lives 'destroyed by NHS eating disorder failures'

Lives 'destroyed by NHS eating disorder failures' Lives are being lost and destroyed by the failure of the NHS in England to provide care for people with eating disorders, MPs and campaigners say.

They say more than a million people have an eating disorder, but specialist help is often difficult to access.

It leaves patients relying on GPs who lack the skills and training to help.

The warnings have been made in two separate reports - by charity Beat and the cross-party Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. BBC News

See also:

• Serious lack of training for doctors on eating disorders, Committee report finds Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
• Postcode lottery of adult eating disorder services putting lives at risk Beat Eating Disorders
• Patients with eating disorders are dying because doctors have a 'serious lack of training' The Daily Mail
• Doctors with almost no training in eating disorders leave anorexics feeling under pressure to get thinner The Daily Telegraph
• Doctors’ failings on eating disorders ‘are costing lives’ The Guardian
• Lack of eating disorder training ‘causing preventable deaths’ as patients feel they have to be dangerously underweight to get help The Independent

District nurses are the hidden heroes of the NHS – so why are they being cut?

District nurses are the hidden heroes of the NHS – so why are they being cut? District nurses treat patients and tend to the dying in their own homes. They save the NHS billions by helping keep patients out of hospital. But cuts means their numbers have fallen by almost half in 10 years. iNews

Infant mortality rates rise for third consecutive year, hitting poorest communities hardest

Infant mortality rates rise for third consecutive year, hitting poorest communities hardest Infant mortality rates in England and Wales have risen for the third year in a row with families in the poorest communities worst affected, official data shows.

Between 2016 and 2017 the infant mortality rate rose from 3.8 deaths per 1,000 births, to 3.9 per 1,000, data from the Office for National Statistics shows. The Independent

Women are unaware of alcohol’s link to breast cancer risk

Women are unaware of alcohol’s link to breast cancer risk Women’s awareness of alcohol’s role in boosting breast cancer risk is poor, indicates research published in the online journal BMJ Open.
Alcohol consumption is estimated to be responsible for between 5% and 11% of cases of breast cancer, with the risk increasing in tandem with the amount consumed, but only one in five women attending breast clinics and screening appointments and only half of the staff questioned at one NHS UK centre knew that alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer, the study found. OnMedica

Telling people to eat fewer burgers won't solve shocking health inequality

Telling people to eat fewer burgers won't solve shocking health inequality | Richard Vize Lifestyle advice helps, but the government must tackle the root causes of poor health to improve life expectancy

Media coverage of the relentless advice to eat less, eat better, and do more gives the impression that the growing problem of health inequalities could largely be solved simply by badgering enough people into laying off fried chicken.

The excitement around the Henry programme (Health, Exercise, Nutrition for the Really Young) in Leeds, which claimed to have reduced childhood obesity by helping parents give children choices while maintaining boundaries, shows how seductive this narrative can be (and it should be noted that there is a lively debate in the British Medical Journal about exactly what the programme achieved). The Guardian

NHS forced to prioritise staff wellbeing to tackle escalating crisis

NHS forced to prioritise staff wellbeing to tackle escalating crisis With 100,000 vacancies across trusts in England, trusts hope new initiatives will help them retain employees

What do ice lollies, Zumba classes, improvised comedy and tea trolleys have to do with saving the NHS? They are all being used to improve the workforce’s wellbeing, stress levels and work-life balance – and so, their employers hope, mitigate the health service’s escalating staffing crisis.

Across the NHS, employers are finally doing more to help staff deal with the stresses and strains of their jobs, such as long hours and shift patterns that disrupt family life and sleeping routines, and the increasingly intense demands of giving patients high-quality care. The Guardian

Trust for vaccines higher in UK than most of Europe, major survey finds

Trust for vaccines higher in UK than most of Europe, major survey finds People in the UK trust vaccines more than European neighbours, with the French the most sceptical in the world, according to new research.

A first-of-its-kind survey of more than 140,000 people in more than 140 countries found 79 per cent of the world's population think vaccines are safe with 92 per cent of parents saying their children have been vaccinated.

The report, conducted by biomedical research charity Wellcome, found there is less certainty about the safety of vaccines in high-income regions, with 72 per cent of people in Northern America and 59 per cent in Western Europe agreeing they are safe. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• World survey reveals people trust experts but want to know more about science Wellcome
• Low trust in vaccines 'a global crisis' BBC News
• What are vaccines, how do they work and why are people sceptical? BBC News
• Immunisation: Why we do it and how 'herd immunity' works BBC News
• ‘I got lockjaw thanks to my mum’ BBC News
• Social media fuelling anti-vaxxer movement with Europeans the most sceptical in the world, global poll shows The Independent

Eight NHS hospitals hit by listeria outbreaks as Hancock signals plans to bring catering in-house

Eight NHS hospitals hit by listeria outbreaks as Hancock signals plans to bring catering in-house Eight NHS hospitals have been hit by the listeria outbreak which has killed five patients, the Health Secretary has revealed.

Matt Hancock made the disclosures as he said he was keen to see the health service take NHS catering back in-house, in a bid to improve safety.

The Health Secretary on Monday named six NHS hospitals which have been hit by the outbreak, linked to pre-packed sandwiches and salads, as he vowed to “take the necessary steps” to restore trust in hospital food.

They include two - Leicester Royal Infirmary, and Royal Derby Hospital - in which patients have died. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Listeria outbreak: More affected hospitals named BBC News

The NHS fast-track the introduction of 'game changing' new cancer drugs

The NHS fast-track the introduction of 'game changing' new cancer drugs The NHS is to fast-track the introduction of 'game changing' new cancer drugs that target tumours according to their genetic make-up.

Tumour agnostic drugs can treat a wide range of cancers regardless of where they originate, such as the breast or lungs.

They work by blocking an enzyme which helps the tumour to grow. In trials, 75 per cent of tumours responded.

Children are expected to benefit the most, as well as those with rare cancers who don't have many treatment options. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Game-changing cancer drugs which can attack all tumours will be fast-tracked by NHS The Daily Telegraph

Cybercriminals could hack into medical devices used in NHS hospitals

Cybercriminals could hack into medical devices used in NHS hospitals Cybercriminals could hack into medical devices used in NHS hospitals, security specialists have warned.

The US-based cybersecurity firm CyberMDX lifted the lid on security flaws in hospital wards' workstations which are connected to the internet.

NHS trusts have been warned hackers could gain access to medical software that would enable them to control and cut off IV pumps.

This could lead to 'catastrophic' consequences if they were to block the delivery of chemotherapy drugs or tamper with insulin doses, one expert said. The Daily Mail