Delivering health and care for people who sleep rough: going above and beyond

Delivering health and care for people who sleep rough: going above and beyond The number of people sleeping rough in England has risen substantially over the past decade. People who are homeless have some of the worst health outcomes in England, and are more likely to experience and die from preventable and treatable medical conditions and to have multiple and complex health needs. Many people who sleep rough experience a combination of physical and mental ill health and drug or alcohol dependency. The King's Fund

See also:

• Rough sleeping and health: Dena Pursell's story The King's Fund
• Number of homeless people admitted to hospital surges 130% in five years The Incependent

National recruitment campaign for paramedics, radiographers and nurses begins

National recruitment campaign for paramedics, radiographers and nurses begins The campaign will help get 50,000 more nurses and 26,000 more primary care professionals working in the NHS in the next 5 years. Department of Health and Social Care

Unleashing the digital premium

Unleashing the digital premium Legrand Assisted Living & Health Care commissioned the Good Governance Institute to develop a national white paper exploring the digital premium in health, care and housing. The digital premium is defined as the benefit gained through proper implementation of digital technology to the individual, locality and system. Legrand Assisted Living & Health Care commissioned the GII to develop a national white paper exploring the digital premium in health, care and housing. The digital premium is defined as the benefit gained through proper implementation of digital technology to the individual, locality and system. Good Governance Institute

Race inequality in the workforce: exploring connections between work, ethnicity and mental health

Race inequality in the workforce: exploring connections between work, ethnicity and mental health This report, a joint initiative with Operation Black Vote and UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, presents new data from Next Steps, a longitudinal study of the ‘millennial generation’ in England. The work reveals persistent issues around the relationships between employment, ethnicity and mental health and underlines that there are enduring inequalities in the workplace between ethnic groups. The report presents recommendations for actions – for government, for mental health services and for employers. Carnegie UK Trust

The 2020 Budget: A 'decade of renewal' for health?

The 2020 Budget: A 'decade of renewal' for health? The Budget is the opportunity for the government to follow through on its promises to turn the page on austerity and begin a ‘decade of renewal’ across the country. For the health sector, such ‘renewal’ is badly needed, especially for the NHS estate. While revenue funding for the NHS has already been put in place until 2023-24, this alone is not enough to meet the ambitions of the Long Term Plan set out in January 2019. A year on, clarity on funding for the interdependent areas of social care and public health remain unresolved and a clear multi-year capital settlement for the NHS is still elusive. National Health Executive

Coronavirus: School closures and travel curbs in UK plans

Coronavirus: School closures and travel curbs in UK plans Plans to contain coronavirus if it spreads, involving possible school closures, cancelling events and bringing NHS staff out of retirement, are to be set out by the UK government.

Unnecessary travel could be curbed and people urged to work from home.

Legislation will be introduced to ensure ministers have the powers to prepare for a widespread outbreak. BBC News

See also:

• CMO for England announces 4 new cases of novel coronavirus Department of Health and Social Care
• Detailed guide: Coronavirus (COVID-19): latest information and advice Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS 111 Online To Help People With Coronavirus NHS England
• Coronavirus: Spread of virus in UK 'likely' says Boris Johnson BBC News
• Coronavirus: Do face masks work? And other questions answered BBC News
• Coronavirus: World in 'uncharted territory' BBC News
• 'How I survived coronavirus and isolation' BBC News
• Children with few symptoms could 'fuel the spread of coronavirus' The Daily Mail
• How does the coronavirus attack the human body? The Daily Mail
• Health worker at Hertfordshire cancer clinic is among 13 new coronavirus cases in UK The Daily Mail
• BMA warns against coronavirus 'complacency' as practices flag lack of PPE equipment GPonline
• Coronavirus: just eight out of 1,600 doctors in poll say NHS is ready The Guardian
• Coronavirus: three more cases in UK amid fears over strain on NHS The Guardian
• Any coronavirus 'lockdown' would initially be voluntary The Guardian
• Coronavirus: UK still 'months' from worst of outbreak, government experts admit The Independent
• Coronavirus: New European cases soar as China infections and deaths drop The Independent
• Less than 1% of doctors feel NHS is well prepared for coronavirus, poll shows The Independent
• EU warns coronavirus could cause 'huge economic and societal disruption' The Independent
• Coronavirus: Lack of sick pay and poor access to healthcare risks rapid spread of infections across US and UK, governments warned The Independent
• NHS to invest £1.7m in helpline to tackle coronavirus call surge ITV News

Women with endometriosis 'finally being believed'

Women with endometriosis 'finally being believed' A woman who had to change careers because of endometriosis has said an improvement in attitude towards women with the condition feels "incredible".

Endometriosis affects one in 10 UK women and can cause debilitating pain, very heavy periods and infertility.

MPs began an inquiry into the condition after BBC research, and will listen to the experiences of those living with it when hearings get under way later. BBC News

Faster access to cannabis medicines in UK

Faster access to cannabis medicines in UK Patients needing cannabis-based medicines should no longer face long delays in accessing their prescriptions, says the government.

Changes to importing restrictions mean UK companies can now order and hold more stocks from abroad.

That should make the treatments available to patients in days, rather than months. BBC News

I know you can recover from an eating disorder, but not in a system on its knees

I know you can recover from an eating disorder, but not in a system on its knees | Lorna Collins Although community-based treatment can improve outcomes, it must not be at the expense of vital inpatient services

No single treatment or approach works for every patient experiencing an eating disorder. I know from my own tortuous experiences, both with and without treatment, that it is extremely hard to get help, and there is too little money in the system to provide enough care.

But I also know it is possible to get help and to recover. Hope is crucial for those with eating disorders, as well as carers and health professionals. The aim of eating disorders awareness week, which runs from 2-8 March, is to break down stigma, help more people understand these disorders and bring hope about recovery. The Guardian

Health regulators seized 3.5million unlicensed erection pills last year

Health regulators seized 3.5million unlicensed erection pills last year Medical regulators seized 3.5million unlicensed erection pills worth more than £10million at UK borders last year.

Photos show thousands of packets of fake drugs piled high - and the blue diamond shaped pills look almost identical to the real deal.

Viagra has been available over the counter or from a registers online pharmacy without a prescription since 2017 for around £4 a dose. The Daily Mail

Simple blood test can swiftly detect Alzheimer's in people who visit their GP with worsening memory

Simple blood test can swiftly detect Alzheimer's in people who visit their GP with worsening memory A simple blood test can detect Alzheimer's disease early in people who visit their doctor with worsening memory.

Scientists in the US say the test could be used by practitioners within five years, and is more accurate and quicker than current methods.

The tool measures levels of a protein called tau in the blood, which is known to build-up in the brain and cause cell death. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Diagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (abstract) Nature Medicine
• A blood test to identify Alzheimer's could be available on the NHS within five years iNews

Whistleblower NHS nurse was unfairly sacked over workload warning

Whistleblower NHS nurse was unfairly sacked over workload warning A nurse with a spotless 38-year record was unfairly sacked after warning that the crippling workload on NHS staff had led to a patient's death, a tribunal has ruled.

Linda Fairhall, an NHS nurse since 1979, claimed district nurses were being put under an unfair strain due to new duties placed upon them in 2013. The Daily Mail

Air pollution is reducing global life expectancy by three years, scientists find

Air pollution is reducing global life expectancy by three years, scientists find Air pollution is reducing global life expectancy by three years, killing 8.8million people a year, a study shows.

More people are dying early from breathing toxic air than some of the largest killers, including malaria, HIV, war and smoking.

Scientists led by Germany fear the world is facing an air pollution 'pandemic' after analysing deaths in every country. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Loss of life expectancy from air pollution compared to other risk factors: a worldwide perspective (open access) Cardiovascular Research