Report of the survey of liaison psychiatry in England

Report of the survey of liaison psychiatry in England This is the fourth Liaison Psychiatry survey of England. It concerns the Liaison Psychiatry services in acute hospitals with Emergency Departments in England. NHS England

Enhancing the experience of doctors - new reports from HEE

Enhancing the experience of doctors - new reports from HEE Health Education England (HEE) has published two new reports setting out their commitment to improve the experience of doctors across the NHS through enhanced supervision and better support for transition in and out of foundation training.

We encourage employers to review both reports and understand the impact this will have on how they deliver training and support supervision. NHS Employers

Driving improvement through technology

Driving improvement through technology Technology in health and care services is growing in importance. Digitally-enabled care can offer significant benefits to people who use services and those who run and deliver them. These case studies illustrate some of the developments in use and testing. Care Quality Commission

Child mental health unit referrals 'up nearly 50%'

Child mental health unit referrals 'up nearly 50%' Referrals to child mental health units from UK primary schools for pupils aged 11 and under have risen by nearly 50% in three years, the BBC has learned.

Replies to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from 46 health trusts indicate they rose from 21,125 to 31,531.

Seven trusts said they had rejected an individual pupil for treatment at least five times over the last four years.

The government says it is "determined to improve mental health support". BBC News

Children with gender identity issues 'need help from all sides'

Children with gender identity issues 'need help from all sides' Solving gender identity issues in children is complicated, and is not always going to be the answer to everything, says NHS England's gender identity development service.

They need help "from all sides", say experts from the London clinic, because many of the under-18s are also dealing with mental health problems.

Referrals to the service have more than tripled since 2014-15 - to 2,590.

Fewer than half decided to have any physical treatments. BBC News

Trieste’s mental health revolution: 'It’s the best place to get sick'

Trieste’s mental health revolution: 'It’s the best place to get sick' Sara has struggled with her mental health since she was a child.

She lives in Trieste, where ideas from a mental health 'revolution' in the 1970s are helping her recover today. BBC News

Safety concerns raised about software used to triage NHS 111 calls

Safety concerns raised about software used to triage NHS 111 calls Coroners have linked 11 patient deaths with safety concerns about NHS Pathways, the clinical software used to triage patients calls to the NHS 111 and 999 services.

An investigation by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) revealed that coroners have issued ‘regulation 28’ reports calling on the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care, to take action to prevent future fatalities. Healthcare IT News

One in 20 patients exposed to preventable harm in medical care

One in 20 patients exposed to preventable harm in medical care Around one in 20 patients are exposed to preventable harm in medical care – and one in eight of these cases are severe or led to death – even though early detection and prevention of patient harm in healthcare is an international policy priority, UK-led research published today in The BMJ has revealed. The researchers behind the study called for mitigation of major sources of preventable patient harm such as drug incidents, for evidence to be properly recorded across specialties including primary care and psychiatry, and for better assessment and reporting standards. OnMedica

Cheap flights blamed as skin cancer rates soar by 45 per cent in a decade

Cheap flights blamed as skin cancer rates soar by 45 per cent in a decade Rates of melanoma skin cancers have soared by 45 per cent in the past decade as cheap international flights have fuelled a new generation of sun chasers, charities have warned.

Melanomas are rarer but more serious than non-melanoma skin cancers and rates have risen most steeply among men and the under-50s, a Cancer Research UK analysis found. The Independent

See also:

• Skin cancer risk 'not just from holiday sun' BBC News

Cuts to study of killings by mental health patients ‘put people at risk’

Cuts to study of killings by mental health patients ‘put people at risk’ NHS England decision is risky and reckless, experts and victims’ families say

People have been put at risk because the NHS has stopped funding the automatic investigation of all killings by mental health patients, according to psychiatrists and victims’ families.

Experts who had looked into every such homicide for 20 years had to stop doing so last year after NHS England stopped paying the £100,000-a-year cost involved, the Guardian has learned. The Guardian

Obesity should be classed as a disease to remove the stigma it is 'self-inflicted' medics say

Obesity should be classed as a disease to remove the stigma it is 'self-inflicted' medics say Obesity should be classed as a disease to remove the stigma that it is "self-inflicted" and encourage those with weight problems to get help, medics have said.

Writing in the BMJ, they said that up to 70 per cent of weight variability was inherited, with 200 genes linked to it.

And they said the rise in obesity was due to “an altered environment” which meant cheap food was readily available. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Should obesity be recognised as a disease? (abstract) The BMJ
• Obesity should be classified as a DISEASE because it is 'not always patients' fault', scientists say The Daily Mail 
• Soaring obesity rates fuel doubling in the number of organs which cannot be transplanted The Daily Telegraph
• Obesity and old age blamed as organ transplants fall despite record number of donors The Independent

'Anti-vaxxer' parents face £2,000 fines as Germany makes measles vaccinations compulsory

'Anti-vaxxer' parents face £2,000 fines as Germany makes measles vaccinations compulsory Germany is to make measles vaccinations compulsory for all children from next year amid concern at the rise in infections.

Angela Merkel’s cabinet agreed on Wednesday to make vaccinations mandatory at all schools and kindergartens. As school is compulsory in Germany and home schooling is not permitted, parents will be obliged to vaccinate their children. The Daily Telegraph