One pill with a tiny camera inside could spot cancer and help cut waiting lists at Northampton General Hospital

One pill with a tiny camera inside could spot cancer and help cut waiting lists at Northampton General Hospital Doctors at Northampton General Hospital are using a tiny camera inside a 'pill' to help diagnose bowel problems.

Patients swallow a capsule only slightly bigger than a regular pain relief tablet, which then sends back up to 50,000 images of internal organs rather than needing to go through invasive procedures. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Chart of the week: How do ambulance handover delays vary across England?

Chart of the week: How do ambulance handover delays vary across England? Ambulance handover delays are when an ambulance has arrived at a hospital with a patient, but the transfer of their care to hospital staff is delayed. Handover delays of over 30 minutes have been more common across England this winter than in previous years, but how does the situation vary in different parts of the country? Nuffield Trust 

Young people are the future: how can recruiters encourage more of them to join the NHS workforce?

Young people are the future: how can recruiters encourage more of them to join the NHS workforce? Despite being one of the biggest employers in England, only 6 per cent of the NHS workforce is under 25. The average age of staff in the NHS tends to be towards the mid-40s, partly because the NHS has a larger proportion of jobs that require professional qualifications than some other sectors. The King's Fund 

Ethnic inequalities in healthcare: a rapid evidence review

Ethnic inequalities in healthcare: a rapid evidence review This review into ethnic inequalities in healthcare has revealed vast inequalities across a range of health services. Some of the largest inequalities were found for mental healthcare where treatment for Black groups was particularly poor. The review also found there was a lack of research into specific areas including how outcomes may differ for ethnic minority babies in neonatal healthcare settings, where just one study was found to investigate health disparities in the care of ethnic minority new-born babies. NHS Race and Health Observatory

See also: 

• Racism: time to deliver on change BMA
• Review reveals 'vast' ethnic inequalities in NHS services BBC News
• Call for action to tackle 'overwhelming' ethnic inequalities in NHS services Channel 4 News
• NHS race review should be cue to finally tackle health inequalities The Guardian

What do NHS managers contribute?

What do NHS managers contribute? This long read examines the contribution that NHS managers make and why investment in management and leadership is essential in securing productivity, quality and reform. NHS Confederation 

Elective recovery plan: what you need to know

Elective recovery plan: what you need to know A summary of the national elective recovery plan and analysis of what it means. NHS Confederation 

Pharmaceuticals in rivers threaten world health - study

Pharmaceuticals in rivers threaten world health - study Pollution of the world's rivers from medicines and pharmaceutical products poses a "threat to environmental and global health", a report says.

Paracetamol, nicotine, caffeine and epilepsy and diabetes drugs were widely detected in a University of York study.

The research is among the most extensive undertaken on a global scale. BBC News

See also: 

• Pharmaceutical pollution of the world’s rivers (open access) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 

UK ministers press ahead with plan to wind down Covid testing

UK ministers press ahead with plan to wind down Covid testing Ministers are pressing ahead with plans to start winding down Covid testing and payments for isolation from next week to save more than £10bn, despite health chiefs warning that this could hamper crucial research into antiviral treatments.

No 10, the Treasury and the health department will decide this week on a “living with Covid strategy” due to be unveiled on Monday, which will involve phasing out free Covid testing and all but ending the tracing system. The Guardian

See also:

• Covid: PPE waste could be recycled - health minister BBC News
• Covid UK: Daily cases fall for 13th day in a row to just 41,648 The Daily Mail
• What will ‘living with Covid’ actually mean? The Guardian
• Bereaved families call for PM to lose say over UK Covid inquiry topics The Guardian
• NHS long Covid mobile testing units could be rolled out in areas worst hit by pandemic iNews
• Fears over UK ability to tackle variants as Covid testing is scrapped The Independent
• Covid hospital admissions fall below 1,000 for first time in nearly two months as Omicron wave recedes The Independent

Two NHS staff are disciplined every day for mishandling files and snooping on patient records

Two NHS staff are disciplined every day for mishandling files and snooping on patient records More than two NHS workers are sanctioned every day for mishandling patient records, an investigation has revealed.

NHS staff employed by Acute and Mental Health Trusts were disciplined 652 times over two years for breaching patient privacy, with many incidents involving nosey employees looking up medical records of friends, family, colleagues and neighbours. The Daily Mail 

Depression may increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, major study warns

Depression may increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, major study warns Depression may increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes — even if someone leads an otherwise healthy lifestyle.

A study of more than 300,000 Britons found those who reported being happy often were a third less likely to develop the chronic conditions. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Low depression frequency is associated with decreased risk of cardiometabolic disease (open access) Nature Cardiovascular Disease