NHS fighting back against rising tide of gambling ill health

NHS fighting back against rising tide of gambling ill health The NHS is facing a rising tide of gambling related ill health as more betting addicts than ever before are being taken to hospital. New data released today (28th December) show a record number of admissions last year related to gambling addiction, including care for severe mental ill health conditions like psychosis. The number of gambling related hospital admissions has more than doubled in the last six years from 150 to 321. NHS England

See Also:

• UK gambling-related hospital admissions up to more than one a day The Guardian

Not enough NHS staff for people with cancer, charity warns

Not enough NHS staff for people with cancer, charity warns There are not enough NHS staff to meet the needs of growing numbers of people with cancer, a charity is warning.

Macmillan Cancer Support says patients are calling its helpline "at breaking point", feeling they cannot ask questions of the overstretched doctors and nurses caring for them.

Key targets for cancer care are being missed as pressure on the NHS rises. The NHS said patient satisfaction levels and survival rates were both at record highs. BBC News - Health

See Also:

• More cancer patients turning away from NHS for advice – Macmillan The Guardian
• Thousands of cancer patients feel like they cannot ask questions to their doctor Mail Online

App helps parents of premature babies stay in touch

App helps parents of premature babies stay in touch An app has been developed to help parents stay in touch with their premature baby in hospital. To help reduce the separation anxiety, a third of neonatal units in the UK have signed up to an app that helps parents stay in touch with their premature babies 24 hours a day. BBC News

See Also:

• Baby video messages 'amazing' for new parents BBC News

KGH not treating 20 per cent of eye patients in time

KGH not treating 20 per cent of eye patients in time The hospital says it is now outsourcing some appointments to the private sector and is putting on additional eye clinics in an attempt to reduce the backlog with just over 500 patients currently waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment after being referred to the hospital. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Slip-ups at otherwise 'caring' Northampton medical centre lead to sub-par inspection

Slip-ups at otherwise 'caring' Northampton medical centre lead to sub-par inspection Slip-ups in key areas of care have led to a Northampton medical centre earning a sub-par rating by the healthcare watchdog.

The CQC has rated the Brook Medical Centre in Ecton Brook Road 'requires improvement' after finding faults in its systems that keep patients safe.  In the newest report, published on December 11, inspectors say staff seemed unclear about who to speak to about safeguarding or how to spot when a patient was acutely unwell as they arrive at the practice.

However, the watchdog praised the centre's kindness towards patients and how patients could cuickly get care if they needed it. Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Improved NHS Migraine Care To Save Thousands Of Hospital Stays

Improved NHS Migraine Care To Save Thousands Of Hospital Stays Headache and migraine sufferers will benefit from better diagnosis and care as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve local health services, avoiding up to 16,500 emergency hospital admissions every year. Health chiefs and other experts believe that the greater use of ‘headache diaries’ and fast access to specialist advice for family doctors will improve the quality of life of millions and reduce pressure on frontline services. NHS England

See Also:

• NHS aims to prevent 16,500 hospital stays for headaches The Guardian

Scrap 'quick-fix diets and tea-toxes' this New Year

Scrap 'quick-fix diets and tea-toxes' this New Year If your New Year resolution is to lose some weight, avoid fad diets, because they don't work and can be harmful, says NHS England's top doctor.

Diet pills, "tea-toxes" and appetite suppressant products are no quick fix, says Prof Stephen Powis, NHS medical director.

Products making this claim can have side-effects, including diarrhoea and heart issues, he warns. Getting in shape safely takes time and requires eating sensibly, and exercise. BBC News - Health

See Also:

• ‘Slim Chance Of Success’ With Quick-Fix Diets, Warns England’s Top Doctor  NHS England
• Make a resolution to avoid 'quick-fix' diets, says top NHS doctor The Guardain
• NHS slimming classes see 90,000 Britons lose average of five pounds  The Telegraph
• 'Don't buy harmful detox teas and pills to shift Christmas weight' warns NHS chief Mail Online

NHS 'prehab' fitness plan aims to cut recovery time for cancer patients

NHS 'prehab' fitness plan aims to cut recovery time for cancer patients Exercise can help reduce side-effects of chemotherapy and amount of time spent in hospital, say doctors

The NHS is hoping a new pre-treatment fitness programme will lead to better odds of survival for thousands of cancer patients.

People who have been diagnosed with the disease are being given the option of entering into a “prehab” regime of three fitness sessions a week, including a mix of high-intensity cardio workouts and strength-based training. The Guardian

Free NHS hospital parking for thousands in 'greatest need'

Free NHS hospital parking for thousands in 'greatest need' Thousands more NHS patients and visitors will be able to access free hospital car parking, the government says.

From April, all 206 hospital trusts in England will be expected to begin offering the concession in line with the government's manifesto promise.

Those with the "greatest need" will benefit. That includes groups such as people with disabilities and NHS staff working night shifts. BBC News - Health

See Also:

• Free hospital parking for some patients, staff and carers NHS Networks
• Hospitals in England to provide some free parking from April The Guardain

Nurse shortage forces NHS hospital to shut critical-care beds

Nurse shortage forces NHS hospital to shut critical-care beds Decision taken at Norwich high dependency unit despite increased winter pressure. An NHS hospital in Norwich has had to close four beds in its high dependency unit because it does not have enough nurses to staff them. Norfolk and Norwich university hospital (NNUH) decided on Monday to temporarily shut the beds in the Gissing ward of its critical care complex. The Guardian

AI system outperforms experts in spotting breast cancer

AI system outperforms experts in spotting breast cancer Program developed by Google Health tested on mammograms of UK and US women. An artificial intelligence program has been developed that is better at spotting breast cancer in mammograms than expert radiologists.

The AI outperformed the specialists by detecting cancers that the radiologists missed in the images, while ignoring features they falsely flagged as possible tumours. The Guardian

See Also:

• AI 'outperforms' doctors diagnosing breast cancer BBC News - Health
• New artificial intelligence finds breast tumours that doctors miss Mail Online
• Artificial intelligence programme detects breast cancer better than experts, study finds The Telegraph

'Breaking point': fears over lack of intensive care beds for children

'Breaking point': fears over lack of intensive care beds for children Critically ill children are being rushed from one part of England to another because NHS hospitals are running short of intensive care beds in which to treat them, the Guardian can reveal.

An increase in severe breathing problems in children driven by winter viruses and infections, including flu, means some are having to be transferred sometimes many miles from their home area because there are not enough paediatric intensive care (PICU) beds locally. The Guardian

Take this IQ test: How clever are you?

Take this IQ test: How clever are you? Scientists are exploring the limits of brain power and they want your help.

When I was at medical school we were taught that we were born with all the brain cells we would ever have, and that after middle age it was downhill from then on. But we now know this isn't true.

Brain-scan technology means that we can now peer inside the living brain and take a look at how it functions. Research is shedding light on something that scientists call 'neuroplasticity' - the idea that our brains keep on changing as we age. BBC News

Eating disorder hospital admissions rise sharply

Eating disorder hospital admissions rise sharply Hospital admissions for eating disorders have risen by more than a third (37%) across all age groups over the last two years, figures show.  Experts described the figures as "worrying" and urged the government to promote early intervention.

There were 19,040 admissions for eating disorders in 2018/19, up from 16,558 the year before and 13,885 in 2016/17.  The NHS Digital data for England found the most common age last year for patients with anorexia was 13 to 15. BBC News 

See Also:

• Experts blame social media as hospital admissions for under-19s suffering eating disorders DOUBLE Mail Online
• Sharp rise in NHS hospital admissions for eating disorders The Guardian
• Eating disorders soaring amid warnings over impact of social media  The Telegraph