Time to get tougher on the risk factors fraying our health?

Time to get tougher on the risk factors fraying our health? For the last decade, gains in life expectancy have been stalling. We’re living more years in poor health too, with a 20 year gap in healthy life expectancy between women living in the richest and poorest areas. 

The biggest risk factors driving the UK‘s high burden of ill health are smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use. All are socioeconomically patterned and contribute significantly to widening health inequalities. Podcast from The Health Foundation

Social prescribing standard

Social prescribing standard Social prescribing helps connect people to services that can improve their health and wellbeing, and sharing information is key to ensuring people get the support they need in the community. This standard is designed to help ensure the right information flows between services to support better care and outcomes for people using social prescribing. 

PRSB were asked by NHS England and NHS Improvement to develop an information standard to record an individual’s experience of social prescribing: to support people providing social prescribing services; to support individuals experiencing social prescribing; and to support the information needed for secondary purposes (local and national). Professional Records Standards Body

Inadvertent oral administration of potassium permanganate

Inadvertent oral administration of potassium permanganate A joint National Patient Safety Alert has been issued by the NHS England and NHS Improvement National Patient Safety Team and the British Association of Dermatologists on the risk of inadvertent oral administration of potassium permanganate.

Health and Social Care Levy to raise billions for NHS and social care

Health and Social Care Levy to raise billions for NHS and social care From Wednesday 6 April, the Health and Social Care Levy will come into effect and begin to raise billions to help tackle the Covid backlogs and reform the adult social care system.

Over the next three years, a record £39 billion will be invested in the health and social care system to ensure it has the long-term resource it needs to provide world-class care, while delivering the biggest catch up programme in the NHS’ history. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• £500 million to develop the adult social care workforce Department of Health and Social Care
• National Insurance rise starts to hit pay packets BBC News
• National Insurance: Sajid Javid defends tax hike choice for NHS funding BBC News
• Boris Johnson defends ‘necessary and fair’ National Insurance rise The Daily Telegraph
• Boris Johnson defends tax hike as national insurance rise comes into force The Independent
• When will National Insurance increase? Date the tax is rising and what it means for how much you will pay iNews
• Health and social care levy ‘will help clear NHS backlog’ ministers promise  iNews
• National insurance rise: How will it work and what will it mean for you? Sky News

Covid: React study finds latest wave 'may have peaked' in young

Covid: React study finds latest wave 'may have peaked' in young There are signs that the latest wave of Covid infections may have peaked in children and younger adults, according to scientists tracking the outbreak.

But rates in those older groups most vulnerable to severe disease are continuing to increase in England.

Overall infections in March rose to the highest level recorded in the pandemic, Imperial College's React study found. BBC News

See also: 

• Have I got Covid, a bad cold or something else? BBC News
• Shanghai Covid lockdown extended to entire city BBC News
• Why you DON'T need to panic about new Covid variant 'XE' The Daily Mail
• A NEW Covid variant, named XE, is detected in the UK The Daily Mail
• Thousands of recovered people can't get free test to prove they're negative as infections hit high The Daily Mail
• When should I do a Covid test in England and do I still have to isolate if positive? The Guardian
• Covid-related deaths rise in England with infections at record high The Guardian
• Scientists warn public health at risk as leading Covid surveillance programme ends The Independent

Women are 700% more likely than men to have ‘debilitating’ gut disease

Women are 700% more likely than men to have ‘debilitating’ gut disease Women are 700 per cent more likely than men to have a “debilitating” gut disease called microscopic colitis, new research has found.

The study, carried out by Guts UK, demanded more research is conducted to work out why the gender gap exists to ensure women are diagnosed more quickly and treatment for the illness improves. The Independent

Cancer patients seriously ill after struggle to access Covid drugs in England

Cancer patients seriously ill after struggle to access Covid drugs in England Cancer patients infected with coronavirus in England are becoming seriously ill after they were unable to access antibody or antiviral medicines on the NHS.

Ministers have promised to provide early treatment for 1.3 million people whose immune systems mean they are at higher risk of severe disease, hospitalisation or death. The treatments include the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab (Xevudy) and the antiviral medicines nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid), remdesivir (Veklury), and molnupiravir (Lagevrio). The Guardian