East Midlands Ambulance Service: Trust makes 'significant improvements'

East Midlands Ambulance Service: Trust makes 'significant improvements' A previously-troubled ambulance service has made significant improvements, a regulator has found.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has been rated "good" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), after being told in 2017 changes were needed.

Inspectors found the service had new ways of call handling, which helped staff better deal with major incidents.

The trust was rated as outstanding for being "caring", one of the CQC's key grading areas. BBC Northampton

New campaign to fund Wellingborough A&E facility

New campaign to fund Wellingborough A&E facility 'Wellingborough needs its own A&E facility'.

That's the message from campaigners battling to bring urgent care provision to Northamptonshire's fourth biggest town.

Currently those in need of immediate medical attention in Wellingborough face a nine-mile trip to Kettering General Hospital, a 12-mile trip to Northampton General Hospital or, further afield, a 16-mile trip to Corby Urgent Care Centre. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Funding innovation in the NHS: Early observations of a Wave 2 Test Bed

Funding innovation in the NHS: Early observations of a Wave 2 Test Bed Since last September the Nuffield Trust has been evaluating Care City, a Test Bed based in north east London. Sophie Castle-Clarke describes what we’ve found so far.

Ensuring that the NHS can make the most of new, well-evidenced technologies is a policy priority. The Test Bed programme is an initiative that tries to do just that. It brings NHS organisations and industry partners together to test combinations of digital technologies with new ways of delivering services in real-world settings, and provides funding for them to do so. The ultimate ambition is to harness the potential of these technologies to improve the delivery of health care and the sustainability of services. Nuffield Trust

Can less be more? The new approach to social care in South Tyneside

Can less be more? The new approach to social care in South Tyneside As our new report on the Wigan Deal illustrates, local authorities are increasingly adopting approaches to social care that aim to minimise the need for formal support by focusing on the resources already available to people in their families and communities. It’s an approach that requires a closer, better understanding of the individual, their strengths, their resilience and the assets around them, and – as the report suggests – there is reason to believe it could improve not just community-based social care, but also areas such as hospital discharge. The King's Fund

Alzheimer's risk 'different in women and men'

Alzheimer's risk 'different in women and men' Scientists say they may have discovered why more women than men have Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

It has always been thought that women living longer than men was the reason.

But new research presented at an international conference suggests this may not be the whole story.

Differences in brain connectivity and sex-specific genes linked to risk could explain the numbers, the researchers say. BBC News

See also:

• Alzheimer's Risk, Progression, Resilience Differs by Sex Alzheimer's Association
• Women who return to work after having children slow their memory decline by 61 per cent The Daily Mail
• Older women who never worked far worse on memory tests, study finds The Daily Telegraph
• Protein clue may explain why women with Alzheimer’s tend to decline more quickly than men The Independent

Number of stroke doctors needs to rise by a third – report - ITV News

Number of stroke doctors needs to rise by a third – report Stroke survivors living with a disability will rise by a third by 2035, doctors have said as they warned the UK needs far more specialists in stroke medicine.

The British Association of Stroke Physicians (BASP) said there is a “significant and growing shortage of stroke consultants” in the UK, with around four in 10 hospitals providing stroke care having an unfilled consultant post – compared to less than three in 10 (26%) in 2014.

In its report, BASP said immediate access to procedures such as intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, which dissolve clots and restore blood flow to the brain, can significantly decrease the risk of long-term disability and save millions of pounds in long-term health and social care costs. ITV News

Conflicting healthy eating advice leaving public ‘clueless’, poll suggests

Conflicting healthy eating advice leaving public ‘clueless’, poll suggests Mixed messages over “healthy” diets are causing “significant” confusion among UK fitness fanatics, according to a study.

Conflicting expert reports over what is right and wrong means the vast majority of regular exercisers do not know if the food they eat is really doing them any good.

Eight in 10 admit they are “clueless” over the nutritional benefits of different food types – and have no idea what they should be consuming in order to bulk up or slim down. The Independent

No, Boris Johnson, working harder is not a solution for poor mental health

No, Boris Johnson, working harder is not a solution for poor mental health | Arwa Mahdawi Offering tax incentives to companies who support depressed employees sounds like a step towards privatising the NHS

Boris Johnson is quite the renaissance man. He builds buses! He writes columns! He dabbles in politics! And now, it would appear, he fancies himself a mental health expert. On Sunday, Johnson used his Telegraph column to share his brilliant solution to Britain’s mental health crisis: drown out your inner demons with work. Yep, according to the sentient shock of hair that will probably be Britain’s next prime minister, you can rid yourself of depression by working harder. The Guardian

English health index to paint detailed picture of nation’s wellbeing

English health index to paint detailed picture of nation’s wellbeing Database will be used to assess effect of policies as focus shifts to preventing illness

The government is to set up the most comprehensive database yet to measure the health of people in England as part of leaked plans to improve life expectancy and boost the fight against the biggest deadly diseases.

Ministers intend to create a “composite health index” which will track whether the population’s health is getting better or worse and the stark difference between rich and poor when it comes to illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The Guardian

People given financial rewards to quit smoking are '50 per cent more likely to kick the habit'

People given financial rewards to quit smoking are '50 per cent more likely to kick the habit' People are significantly more likely to quit smoking if they get money for doing so, a study has revealed.

Researchers found quitters who were motivated with financial rewards are 50 per cent more likely to have kicked the habit after six months.

They said the NHS could save billions of pounds by using these incentives, such as cash or vouchers, to halt people's deadly addictions.

Interestingly, the amount of money people were getting didn't seem to make a difference. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Incentives for smoking cessation Cochrane Library