“Inspiring” photos expressing the hope felt by mental health patients to be displayed across Northampton

“Inspiring” photos expressing the hope felt by mental health patients to be displayed across Northampton People who had been on the brink of “giving up” on life due to their mental health have bravely shared their recovery stories as part of a brand new photography exhibition.

Launched to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, which starts on Monday May 15, the Hope Exhibition was commissioned by mental health charity St Andrew’s Healthcare to break the stigma of complex mental health and to demonstrate how hope can have a positive effect on a person’s life. Northants Life

See also:

• Mental Health Awareness Week: ‘The only good thing to come out of the pandemic is mental health is now taken more seriously’ Northampton Chronicle and Echo

In train? An update on mental health nurse education

In train? An update on mental health nurse education Despite some steps towards closing the gap between mental and physical health services, many people still cannot access services or face long waits for treatment. Addressing workforce challenges in mental health services will be crucial to improving this situation.

This report, commissioned and supported by the NHS Confederation's Mental Health Network and written by the Nuffield Trust, looks at the single largest profession within the mental health workforce: nurses. It starts by outlining the scale of the mental health nursing workforce, and highlights trends in recruitment and retention.

See also:

• Ministers told to set out plan for hiring mental health nurses in England The Guardian

Treatment in corridors and waiting rooms ‘degrading’ for patients, say A&E nurses

Treatment in corridors and waiting rooms ‘degrading’ for patients, say A&E nurses The treatment of patients in inappropriate areas such as corridors and waiting rooms is increasingly common and compromises patient safety and dignity, emergency nurses have told the RCN.

More than five hundred specialist A&E nurses shared their experiences of overcrowded hospitals ahead of RCN Congress. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• 2023 Corridor Care Survey Royal College of Nursing
• Nursing staff call for a complete abolishment of corridor care Royal College of Nursing
• NMC responds to RCN findings that emergency nurses fear being struck off Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Nurses fear being taken to court over treatment in corridors, RCN warns Evening Standard
• Nurses ‘fear being taken to court’ over degrading treatment of patients in corridors The Independent
• Nurses fear legal action over 'corridor care' of patients ITV News
• 'Broken' nurses fear being dragged to court by NHS patients Metro
• Majority of A&E nurses fear being struck off for ‘corridor care’ Nursing Notes

Saving Babies’ Lives 2023: A report on progress

Saving Babies’ Lives 2023: A report on progress pulls together data from different sources for the first time, to show the burden of pregnancy and baby loss across the UK. 

Overall, the report paints a concerning picture: progress in reducing baby loss has slowed and there is a risk of going backwards. Tommy's

See also:

• Babies are dying because of NHS failings, poverty and inequality, charities warn The Guardian

Six new community diagnostic centres to deliver more than 500,000 lifesaving checks a year

Six new community diagnostic centres to deliver more than 500,000 lifesaving checks a year Tens of thousands of patients across the country are set to benefit from 6 new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) opening this year - with the ‘one-stop shops’ due to deliver more than 500,000 additional tests, checks and scans a year. Department of Health and Social Care

Senior doctor strike ballot opens over pay dispute

Senior doctor strike ballot opens over pay dispute Senior doctors in England can start voting on whether to strike over a continuing dispute over pay.

Their union, the British Medical Association (BMA), said talks with the government ended on Saturday with an offer that was unacceptable.

Depending on experience, consultants' salaries can range from below £90,000 to £120,000, but the BMA said take-home pay had fallen by 35% since 2008.

The government urged the BMA to consider the impact on patients. BBC News

See also:

• Senior doctors in England begin ballot for industrial action as Government fails to make acceptable pay offer BMA
• Now the consultants could strike as Government rejects BMA's plea to address '35 PER CENT cut' The Daily Mail
• NHS consultants demand a 35 per cent increase in pay The Daily Telegraph
• Senior doctors in England to vote on industrial action The Guardian
• This government has cut the NHS to the bone, and left doctors holding the knife | Nesrine Malik The Guardian
• NHS strikes: Government says ‘negotiation is over’ after nurses call for double-digit pay rise ahead of ballot iNews
• Nurses' decision to seek double-digit pay rise 'confusing', cabinet minister says - as union leader hits out Sky News
• Senior doctors to start voting on whether to strike over pay dispute Sky News

Record numbers not working due to ill health

Record numbers not working due to ill health The number of people not working in the UK due to long-term sickness has risen to a new record, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said more than two and a half million were not working because of health problems.

There had been a rise in mental health issues in younger people, the ONS said, as well as in back and neck pain, possibly due to home working. BBC News

Online depression therapy given go-ahead in England

Online depression therapy given go-ahead in England Nine online talking-therapy treatments for anxiety or depression have been given the green light to be used by the NHS in England.

They offer faster access to help but less time with a therapist, which may not suit everyone, the health body recommending them said.

There is huge demand for face-to-face services, with people waiting several weeks to see a therapist.

Psychiatrists said digital therapies were not a long-term solution. BBC News

See also:

• Nine treatment options to be made available for adults with depression or an anxiety disorder NICE

ADHD: Private clinics exposed by BBC undercover investigation

ADHD: Private clinics exposed by BBC undercover investigation Patients are being offered powerful drugs and told they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after unreliable online assessments, a BBC investigation has discovered.

Three private clinics diagnosed an undercover reporter via video calls.

But a more detailed, in-person NHS assessment showed he didn't have the condition.

The clinics say they conduct thorough assessments and follow national guidelines. BBC News

See also:

• I don't have ADHD, but three private clinics say I do BBC News

Review into mental health deaths should become public inquiry, chair urges government

Review into mental health deaths should become public inquiry, chair urges government The chair of an independent review into the deaths of around 2,000 mental health patient in Essex has called for the government to grant a public inquiry into the scandal, to compel more staff to give evidence, it has emerged.

The Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry is gathering evidence about mental health inpatient deaths in the county over a 21-year period. The Independent

Plans for UK ‘genomics transformation’ aim to act on lessons of Covid

Plans for UK ‘genomics transformation’ aim to act on lessons of Covid Ten-year science strategy of UK Health Security Agency will use data to combat infectious diseases faster and more effectively

Health officials in the UK have drawn up plans for a “genomics transformation” that aims to detect and deal with outbreaks of infectious diseases faster and more effectively in the light of the Covid pandemic.

Information gleaned from the genetics of Covid proved crucial as the virus swept around the globe, revealing how the pathogen spread, evolved, and responded to a succession of vaccines and medicines developed to protect people. The Guardian

Warnings over NHS data privacy after ‘stalker’ doctor shares woman’s records

Warnings over NHS data privacy after ‘stalker’ doctor shares woman’s records The confidentiality of NHS medical records has been thrown into doubt after a “stalker” hospital doctor accessed and shared highly sensitive information about a woman who had started dating her ex-boyfriend, despite not being involved in her care.

The victim was left in “fear, shock and horror” when she learned that the doctor had used her hospital’s medical records system to look at the woman’s GP records and read – and share – intimate details, known only to a few people, about her and her children. The Guardian

See also:

• GMC to investigate ‘stalker’ doctor who shared patient’s records The Guardian
• ‘I felt anger, fear and horror that she had obtained my data and shared it’ The Guardian

Skin cancer charity calls for sunscreen tax to be cut so British children are protected in summer

Skin cancer charity calls for sunscreen tax to be cut so British children are protected in summer VAT should be slashed on sunscreen to protect people from skin cancer, according to a charity.

Charity Melanoma Focus commissioned a survey of 2,003 people on sunscreen, finding half think it is too expensive and around two-thirds would wear more sun cream if it were 20 per cent cheaper.

Some 10 per cent of people said they don't use sunscreen at all due to the cost. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Scrap tax on sunscreen, say cancer charities BBC News
• Charities call for scrapping of VAT on sunscreen amid skin cancer fears The Guardian
• Calls for sunscreen to be VAT-free as charity warns about link between poverty and skin cancer Sky News

Do not use sweeteners for weight control, World Health Organization says

Do not use sweeteners for weight control, World Health Organization says Swapping sugar for sweeteners will not help you lose weight and may cause health problems, new World Health Organization guidelines say.

The advice suggests people shouldn't turn to non-sugar sweeteners like aspartame, which is found in Diet Coke, in a bid to lose weight or prevent diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Other popular ones include saccharin and stevia. The Daily Mail

See also:

• WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly released guideline World Health Organization
• Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline World Health Organization