Tuesday 27 August 2019

Looking ahead to the Spending Review

Looking ahead to the Spending Review Sally Warren considers the importance of the upcoming Spending Review for health and social care and outlines how the numbers are only part of the funding problem, as services are struggling to make joined-up and long-term plans. The King's Fund

“We’re made to feel invisible” Barriers to accessing cervical screening for women with physical disabilities

“We’re made to feel invisible” Barriers to accessing cervical screening for women with physical disabilities New research has found that women with physical disabilities are struggling to access potentially-life saving cervical screening.

A lack of equipment, clear policies and, in parts of the country, substandard care is putting this group at increased risk of cervical cancer. Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust

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HRT: Medical leaders demand government action over shortages

HRT: Medical leaders demand government action over shortages Medical profession leaders have called for an urgent meeting with government officials to discuss ongoing shortages of hormone replacement therapy.

Hundreds of thousands of women going through the menopause are on HRT either through tablets, patches or gels.

Many have suffered ill effects because their HRT product is out of stock. BBC News

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Opioid crisis: Johnson & Johnson hit by landmark ruling

Opioid crisis: Johnson & Johnson hit by landmark ruling Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson must pay $572m (£468m) for its part in fuelling Oklahoma's opioid addiction crisis, a judge in the US state has ruled.

The company said immediately after the judgement that it would appeal.

The case was the first to go to trial out of thousands of lawsuits filed against opioid makers and distributors.

Opioids were involved in almost 400,000 overdose deaths in the US from 1999 to 2017, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BBC News

Dutch doctor faces trial in landmark euthanasia case

Dutch doctor faces trial in landmark euthanasia case A Dutch doctor has appeared in court after performing euthanasia on a patient suffering with severe dementia.

Prosecutors say the doctor did not do enough to verify consent. It is the first such case since the Netherlands legalised euthanasia in 2002.

The 74-year-old patient was suffering from Alzheimer's disease when she died in 2016. BBC News

'There was no hope': Treatable disease often mistaken for Alzheimer's

'There was no hope': Treatable disease often mistaken for Alzheimer's When John Searle started to fall down and lose his memory, he thought it was the early signs of dementia. But it turns out he has a rare - and often undiagnosed - condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus. The good news is it's treatable. BBC News

Patients ‘at risk’ as NHS spends £92m on private ambulances and taxis

Patients ‘at risk’ as NHS spends £92m on private ambulances and taxis Major ambulance trusts are increasingly relying on private ambulances to attend 999 calls, an investigation has found.

England’s ambulance trusts spent more than £92 million in the last year on private ambulances and taxis to transport patients, Press Association (PA) research found.

Some trusts said they rely on private ambulances due to a chronic shortage of NHS staff and ongoing problems with recruitment. The Independent

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Public sector to launch 'mass legal battle' over pension reforms

Public sector to launch 'mass legal battle' over pension reforms Teachers and doctors claim changes to pensions in 2015 were ‘discriminatory’

Mass legal claims on behalf of teachers and doctors alleging that changes to their pensions in 2015 were discriminatory are being launched against the government.

After successfully winning a similar pension case on behalf of judges, the London law firm Leigh Day is preparing employment tribunal cases for public sector workers. The Guardian

Does Amazon have answers for the future of the NHS?

Does Amazon have answers for the future of the NHS? The technology behemoth is preparing a move into the healthcare market, but critics fear profit will come before patients and privacy

Enthusiasts predicted the plan would relieve the pressure on hard-pressed GPs. Critics saw it as a sign of creeping privatisation and a data-protection disaster in waiting. Reactions to news last month that Amazon’s voice-controlled digital assistant Alexa was to begin using NHS website information to answer health queries were many and varied.

US-based healthcare tech analysts say the deal is just the latest of a series of recent moves that together reveal an audacious, long-term strategy on the part of Amazon. From its entry into the lucrative prescription drugs market and development of AI tools to analyse patient records, to Alexa apps that manage diabetes and data-driven experiments on how to cut medical bills, the $900bn global giant’s determination to make the digital disruption of healthcare a central part of its future business model is becoming increasingly clear. The Guardian

Soaring numbers of pensioners left 'stranded' in hospital for weeks 

Soaring numbers of pensioners left 'stranded' in hospital for weeks Rising numbers of elderly patients are being left “stranded” in hospital for more than three weeks amid a growing social care crisis, an investigation reveals.

Last year Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, pledged to bring an end to the “long stay” culture on the wards, promising quicker assessments and more support at home for those who are well enough to be discharged.

Health officials warned that a 10-days in a hospital bed could mean pensioners “aged” by a decade, in terms of lost muscle mass. The Daily Telegraph

Hospital appointments cancelled 10 times in a row amid NHS chaos

Hospital appointments cancelled 10 times in a row amid NHS chaos Hospital patients are having vital appointments cancelled more than 10 times in a row, amid growing chaos across the NHS.

A Daily Telegraph investigation reveals soaring numbers of patients - many elderly - are suffering repeated cancellations, with notice only given in some cases the night before via letters dispatched by taxi.

In other cases, patients have been left waiting years to see a hospital doctor after their NHS slot was axed again and again.

Doctors pushing new drugs don't have to admit they are funded by the pill's makers

Doctors pushing new drugs don't have to admit they are funded by the pill's makers A bright hope has suddenly appeared in depression therapy: the 'party' drug, ketamine. Known best as a horse tranquilliser, it is also used as an anaesthetic in hospitals.

But ketamine can cause soaring highs and is used illegally, with potentially nightmarish results; the drug is addictive and can trigger psychosis.

Recently, leading depression experts lined up at a London briefing to explain how an engineered version of the drug, called esketamine, promises a breakthrough in providing fast-acting help to sufferers of treatment-resistant depression. The Daily Mail

NHS plans sex change advice in Skype calls for children as young as THREE at controversial clinic

NHS plans sex change advice in Skype calls for children as young as THREE at controversial clinic Children as young as three could be helped to change gender by doctors on the basis of just a Skype phone call under plans being considered by the NHS.

A controversial clinic, which helps thousands of children to change gender every year, says that it has become so overwhelmed by patients that it could be forced to set children on a path to a new sex on the basis of 'telemedical' appointments. The Daily Mail

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Scientists create 'Baxter' the robot who can assist the elderly amid a shortage of nurses

Scientists create 'Baxter' the robot who can assist the elderly amid a shortage of nurses Scientists have created a robot that may be able to help the elderly perform tasks amid a shortage of nurses in the UK.

Named Baxter, it has two arms and 3D printed 'fingers', allowing it to step in when a person is struggling with things such as getting dressed.

Artificial intelligence allows the robot to detect when assistance is needed and learn about the owners difficulties over time. The Daily Mail

Patients at risk in NHS after MailOnline investigation exposes cheating student doctors -

Patients at risk in NHS after MailOnline investigation exposes cheating student doctors Thousands of student doctors and nurses are paying other academics to write their university essays, a MailOnline investigation reveals.

Hundreds of shadowy websites peddle essays on all topics from asthma to cancer, allowing student medics to avoid writing essays themselves.

Dr Thomas Lancaster of Imperial College London said that this calls into question the integrity of NHS staff and raises concerns about other forms of malpractice. The Daily Mail