Body cameras “significantly reduce” aggression on NHS mental health wards

Body cameras “significantly reduce” aggression on NHS mental health wards All mental health workers for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) claim to experience incidents of verbal or physical aggression at least once a week, and NHS staff surveys show that these incidents are increasing – a recent survey found that 15% of NHS workers have experienced violence in the past 12 months, which was the highest recorded figure in the past five years.
However, recent trials of body-worn cameras have shown that the technology can “significantly reduce” the severity of these incidents occurring, helping NHS workers to feel safer while on the job. The latest study, conducted independently by the West London Trust (WLT), saw nursing staff across seven mental health wards in West London provided with 50 cameras to wear during working hours over a four month period.
The study concluded that while the use of body worn cameras didn’t lead to a significant reduction in the number of incidents, it did help to reduce their seriousness when they did occur. Verdict

See also:

• Nurse body cameras ‘reduce serious incidents’ at London trust

Food binned at Northampton General Hospital costs NHS £70,000 over five years

Food binned at Northampton General Hospital costs NHS £70,000 over five years Almost 80,000 meals at Northampton General Hospital have been binned in five years but staff say tonnes of food waste has since been made into renewable energy.A Freedom of Information request submitted to Northampton General Hospital has revealed that 78,365 meals have been thrown away since 2014, which has cost the NHS £72,767.

The gross cost to provide each inpatient with three meals a day is £2.91 per patient, which NGH says, is below the national NHS benchmark value. Between August 2014 and August 2015 data showed Northampton General Hospital was throwing away the most food at 20,137 meals per year.
But a spokeswoman for NGH said the hospital has since made improvements to reduce waste by turning it into renewable energy. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Revealed: The trusts testing latest round of emergency targets

Revealed: The trusts testing latest round of emergency targets  New mental health emergency care targets will be trialled across 11 NHS organisations and one social enterprise, NHS England has confirmed.
The 12 organisations will pilot new clinical standards for urgent and emergency mental healthcare, which include:

• A one-hour response by liaison psychiatry teams for patients with emergency mental health needs;
• Assessments for emergency mental health referrals to be carried out “within hours”; and
• Patients accessing emergency mental health services in the community to be seen within 24 hours.

The organisations testing the standards include Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Health Service Journal

Public Health England launches new infectious disease strategy

Public Health England launches new infectious disease strategy  The new strategy addresses current and future threats to health, including antibiotic resistance and health inequalities. Public Health England

NICE wants tailored support for those affected by suicide

NICE wants tailored support for those affected by suicide People bereaved or affected by a suspected suicide should be given information and offered tailored support, NICE has said. On World Suicide Prevention Day 2019, NICE has published its quality standard on suicide prevention – covering five key ways to reduce suicide and help people bereaved or affected by suicide.
The Office for National Statistics published data which showed the suicide rate in the UK has risen for the first time since 2013, with 11.2 deaths recorded as suicide per 100,000 people in 2018 - up from 10.1 in 2017. Those who are bereaved or affected by a suspected suicide are themselves at increased risk of suicide.
Providing support after a suspected suicide can reduce this risk, especially when tailored to the person’s needs. It is important to identify people who may need support as soon as possible so that they can be given practical information and access support if, and when, they need to. NICE

NHS to open specialist FGM support clinics across England

NHS to open specialist FGM support clinics across England  The NHS is opening female genital mutilation support clinics across England that will allow survivors to access expert care and treatment earlier. More than 1,300 women are expected to benefit from the highly specialised FGM support being rolled out in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and five boroughs in London, according to NHS England.
Women who have had FGM often first come into contact with NHS services after they become pregnant. The eight new centres aim to reach a broader group of women, particularly those who are younger and not pregnant, to provide swift support and treatment.
The clinics will be led by specialist doctors, midwives and nurses, and provide access to specially trained counsellors for emotional support, as well as FGM health advocates for advice on accessing other services locally. The Guardian

Britain to use millions of NHS patients' histories to seek cures

Britain to use millions of NHS patients' histories to seek cures Britain is about to start using information about millions of NHS patients’ medical histories to boost the search for cures for ailments such as cancer, asthma and mental illness. Seven new “data hubs” are set to revolutionise medical research by giving doctors, scientists and academics access to unprecedented data about who gets ill in the first place and who responds best to treatment.
However, the move is likely to raise anxiety about possible breaches of patients’ privacy and also the commercialisation of patient records because drug companies are among those with whom the data will be shared. The Guardian

NHS hospital trusts to pay out further £55bn under PFI scheme

NHS hospital trusts to pay out further £55bn under PFI scheme Some spending one-sixth of entire budget on repaying debts from Blair-era policy. NHS hospital trusts are being crippled by the private finance initiative and will have to make another £55bn in payments by the time the last contract ends in 2050, a report reveals.
An initial £13bn of private sector-funded investment in new hospitals will end up costing the NHS in England a staggering £80bn by the time all contracts come to an end, the IPPR thinktank has found. The Guardian

See also:

• Hospitals need way out of 'toxic' NHS mortgages

Britain slumps to bottom of cancer survival league tables – and is two decades behind some countries

Britain slumps to bottom of cancer survival league tables – and is two decades behind some countries
Britain is bottom of international league tables for cancer survival – and is lagging two decades behind some countries for some types of disease – a global study shows. The research on almost four million patients by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows improvements have failed to keep pace with those in other comparable countries.
The 20 year study shows that patients in Britain have the lowest survival rates for five out of seven common cancers. Despite improvements across all countries, the UK’s relative position now is significantly worse than when the study started in the 90s, when it fared worst for three out of seven cancers. Britain is now bottom of the table for bowel, lung, stomach pancreatic and rectal cancer, second worst for oesophageal disease and in third worst position for ovarian cancer. The Telegraph

See also:

• Cancer survival in the UK improving, but lagging behind - study

Social media linked to increased risk of mental health problems

Social media linked to increased risk of mental health problems  Teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media may have double the risk of mental health problems as those who shun it, research suggests. The study of more than 6,000 children aged 12 to 15 found those who used social media more heavily were more likely to report issues such as depression, anxiety and loneliness, as well as aggression and anti-social behaviour, than teenagers who did not use social media.
The findings held true even when researchers took into account mental health problems experienced by any young person in the year before they were asked about social media use. The research, from a team at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland, was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The Telegraph

NHS agrees to fund drug for children with incurable disease, after High Court threat

NHS agrees to fund drug for children with incurable disease, after High Court threat   The NHS has agreed to fund a drug for children with a rare degenerative disease – weeks before families were due to go to court. Two sets of parents of children with Batten disease had been prepared to take their fight for the drug cerliponase alfa (Brineura) to the High Court.
NHS England announced on Wednesday that an agreement on price had been struck with the drug's manufacturer Biomarin. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) had previously said it could not be certain the drug was value for money.The Telegraph