Concerns raised about health effects of Northamptonshire's high radon levels and air quality

Concerns raised about health effects of Northamptonshire's high radon levels and air quality Concerns have been raised about the poor quality of indoor air in Northamptonshire, particularly the effects on children who are on average spending just over an hour a day outside.

Respiratory problems among children may be exacerbated by indoor air pollution in homes, schools and nurseries, according to the study, published last month. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• The inside story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 
• UK maps of radon Public Health England

What are health inequalities?

What are health inequalities? Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people. There are many kinds of health inequality, and many ways in which the term is used. This means that when we talk about ‘health inequality’, it is useful to be clear on which measure is unequally distributed, and between which people. The King's Fund

What does the 2019 NHS Staff Survey truly tell us about how staff needs are being met?

What does the 2019 NHS Staff Survey truly tell us about how staff needs are being met? Chronic excessive workload in the NHS is causing staff stress and illness, and results in health care professionals quitting the service and patients not getting the quality of care they expect. Such workloads have become like the pattern in the wallpaper we no longer see. But we must acknowledge, address and continue to address this issue. It can’t be right that a sector focused on promoting the health and wellbeing of our population is putting at risk the health and wellbeing of 1 in 20 of its national workforce (increasing to 1 in 9 if we also include social care). The King's Fund

Improving health by tackling market failure

Improving health by tackling market failure This long read explores what market failure is, its relevance for health, and how the government might intervene to improve the population’s health.

We look at two examples: the success of reducing smoking and how we might use a market failure approach to tackle obesity. The Health Foundation

1 in 5 Mental Health Patients Don't Feel Safe in NHS Care

 1 in 5 Mental Health Patients Don't Feel Safe in NHS Care A new survey published today by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found that one in five people did not feel safe while in the care of the NHS mental health service that treated them.

Over half of people with mental health problems in England also said they experienced delays to their treatment, while four in ten (42%) said that they waited too long to be diagnosed.

Sharp rise in lung disease deaths over past 27 years

Sharp rise in lung disease deaths over past 27 years Numbers of people dying or experiencing disability due to chronic respiratory diseases over the past three decades have risen sharply, according to an analysis of data from 195 countries. OnMedica

See also:

• Trends and risk factors of mortality and disability adjusted life years for chronic respiratory diseases from 1990 to 2017: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (open access) The BMJ

Number of people with dementia in Europe to almost double by 2050

Number of people with dementia in Europe to almost double by 2050 The number of people with dementia in Europe is set to almost double by 2050, on the basis of current trends across the continent, concludes a report from Alzheimer Europe.

The report, which draws on recent studies and population trends data, charts changes in the prevalence of the disease for 37 countries. It shows that nearly 10 million people were living with dementia in 2018, a figure that is projected to rise to just under 19 million by 2050─equivalent to 3% of the total population of Europe OnMedica

Coronavirus: Britons on Diamond Princess cruise ship to be flown home

Coronavirus: Britons on Diamond Princess cruise ship to be flown home Britons stranded on a quarantined cruise ship in Japan will be able to board an evacuation flight home on Friday, the foreign secretary has said.

Only those who are showing no signs of illness will be able to travel, and they will be quarantined on their return to the UK, it is understood.

Those who have tested positive will remain in Japan for treatment. BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus: Two passengers dead from quarantined Diamond Princess BBC News
• Japan faces mounting criticism as expert blows whistle on coronavirus cruise failures The Daily Telegraph
• I work at a walk-in health centre. The coronavirus super-worriers are a problem The Guardian
• Experts fear false rumours could harm Chinese cooperation on coronavirus The Guardian
• Coronavirus: South Korean city faces 'unprecedented crisis' after spike in cases The Guardian
• Coronavirus may spread faster than WHO estimate Medical News Today

'I want Matt Hancock to look at this photograph': Mother releases picture of her cradling stillborn baby who died because of NHS maternity failings

'I want Matt Hancock to look at this photograph': Mother releases picture of her cradling stillborn baby who died because of NHS maternity failings A tear rolling down her cheek, Stephanie Broadley holds her baby son Beau for the first and final time.

Beau had been stillborn minutes before the photograph was taken, after avoidable mistakes by midwives at the hospital in Grimsby.

The 28-year-old from North East Lincolnshire has released the picture to highlight what she says is the failure to learn from mistakes in maternity services and she called on health secretary Matt Hancock to take urgent action. The Independent

Woman plays violin while undergoing brain surgery – video

Woman plays violin while undergoing brain surgery – video A musician played the violin while surgeons operated on her brain to remove a tumour at King’s College hospital in London. The medical team asked Dagmar Turner, 53, to play the instrument to ensure parts of the brain that control delicate hand movements and coordination were not damaged during the millimetre-precise surgery. Turner was diagnosed in 2013 with a brain tumour after suffering a seizure during a symphony. The Guardian

See also:

• Patient plays violin during her brain surgery BBC News

The facemask that can spot tuberculosis: Gadget being tested by the NHS

The facemask that can spot tuberculosis: Gadget being tested by the NHS Bacteria expelled from the patient's mouth is collected in the 'world-changing' mask, designed by researchers at the University of Leicester and the University of Pretoria. The Daily Mail