How arguments for change may inadvertently keep things the same

How arguments for change may inadvertently keep things the same I was having lunch with some friends recently, and the topic of racial privilege and historical injustices came up. One friend mentioned an argument being made in the USA advocating that these injustices might be redressed by the current-day beneficiaries giving (or returning) assets to those who had been previously wronged (see, for example, Ta-Nehisi Coates on the case for reparations in 2014 and 2019). As Harvard’s David Williams described to us at our Annual Conference this year, these injustices can have long-lasting consequences. The King's Fund

Future patient care at risk unless health research protected and boosted

Future patient care at risk unless health research protected and boosted Health research faces a crisis that could impact on patient care, says a new report led by 10 prominent figures in the NHS and academia.

The Academy of Medical Sciences’ report raises the alarm about the number of research active NHS staff who are finding it increasingly difficult to find time for research. Support for research is not helped by the widening gap between universities and the NHS.

See also:

• Transforming health through innovation: Integrating the NHS and academia The Academy of Medical Sciences
• NHS pressures 'put medical breakthroughs at risk' BBC News

Mental health policy in England

Mental health policy in England Around one in four people in the UK suffer from a mental health problem each year. The NHS has set out that it wants to achieve “parity of esteem” between mental and physical health, in terms of access to services, quality of care and allocation of resources. This briefing looks at the current mental health strategy, reform of the Mental Health Act, waiting times and the use of force in mental health settings. House of Commons Library

Connecting up the care: supporting London’s children exposed to domestic abuse, parental mental ill-health and parental substance abuse

Connecting up the care: supporting London’s children exposed to domestic abuse, parental mental ill-health and parental substance abuse Early neglect and trauma on children can have substantial negative outcomes later on in life. These potentially traumatic events are called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This report from the London Assembly Health Committee examines three ACEs which commonly co-occur (domestic violence and abuse, parental mental ill-health and parental alcohol and drug misuse) to assess how access to and support from services could be improved. London Assembly

Scottish project tackles pills' 'environmental impact'

Scottish project tackles pills' 'environmental impact' A new Scottish health project aims to tackle potential harm caused to the environment by pharmaceuticals.

An estimated 100 million treatments are prescribed every year in Scotland.

After a pill passes through a person's body, some of its compounds reach rivers, lochs and the sea because waste water plants cannot filter them out.

While the project team say there is no evidence of a risk to the public, they warn of possible threats to marine wildlife. BBC News

Virus from shrews linked to unexplained deaths in Europe

Virus from shrews linked to unexplained deaths in Europe A virus that can jump from shrews to humans could be to blame for previously unexplained deaths in Europe, scientists have found.

A study of brain tissue samples from more than 50 patients who died from encephalitis, or brain swelling, over 20 years has identified eight new cases of the Borna virus. The Independent

See also:

• Zoonotic spillover infections with Borna disease virus 1 leading to fatal human encephalitis, 1999–2019: an epidemiological investigation (abstract) Lancet Infectious Diseases

Yes, the NHS needs more nurses, but where is the action on social care?

Yes, the NHS needs more nurses, but where is the action on social care? | David Brindle The biggest challenge by far is the projected need for more care workers by 2035 to keep pace with the ageing population

Frantic efforts are being made to boost applications for nursing degree courses before next week’s annual Ucas deadline, following the partial U-turn just before Christmas on the scrapping of training bursaries. At a cost of more than £2bn, students are being offered new grants worth between £5,000 and £8,000 a year – although they must still pay tuition fees – in tacit recognition that the abolition of bursaries in 2016 was a big mistake. The Guardian

More than 1,000 sex assaults on mixed sex wards, investigation finds

More than 1,000 sex assaults on mixed sex wards, investigation finds More than 1,000 sexual assaults have been reported on NHS mixed-sex mental health wards since 2017, an investigation has found.

It follows calls for tighter rules to protect patients’ dignity and safety.

The figures show there were at least 1,019 reports of sexual assaults on mixed wards from April 2017 to October 2019. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Revealed: Hundreds of sexual assaults each year on mixed-gender wards HSJ
• Patients sexually abused on mixed-sex NHS mental health wards The Daily Mail
• Hundreds of vulnerable patients sexually assaulted on NHS wards, data reveals The Independent

Cancer breakthrough as scientists find how tumour-killing cells are activated

Cancer breakthrough as scientists find how tumour-killing cells are activated More effective cancer treatments could be on the horizon now that researchers have found out how tumour-killing cells are switched on.

Doctors have for years been using CAR T-cell therapy to make some immune cells directly target tumour cells in blood cancer patients.

They knew CD4+ T cells, known as 'helpers' because they transport vital nutrients, start to aggressively fight cancers after the treatment. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Regulatory T Cells Restrain Interleukin-2- and Blimp-1-Dependent Acquisition of Cytotoxic Function by CD4+ T Cells (abstract) Immunity