Wednesday 17 May 2023
Unpicking the inequalities in the elective backlogs in England
Unpicking the inequalities in the elective backlogs in England As part of new research project that explores how NHS providers and integrated care systems (ICSs) are approaching inclusive recovery, we have found that, in 2022, people in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to be waiting more than a year for elective care compared to people in the least deprived areas. This paper explores three big questions health and care leaders should be asking themselves and their teams about inequalities in their elective backlog: how are we measuring inequalities and why, do we know why inequalities exist, and how will we know if things are improving? The King's Fund
Active and healthy counties: encouraging, supporting and enabling residents to live healthy lives
Active and healthy counties: encouraging, supporting and enabling residents to live healthy lives This report finds that the number of adults in England’s county areas who are overweight or obese has increased by 1.1m in county and rural areas since 2015. It sets out the scale of the challenge for county councils and unitary councils in counties and also highlights what those local authorities are doing to encourage healthier and more active lives from their residents across 16 best practice case studies. It is released ten years since public health functions were transferred from the NHS to local government. It says that as providers of public health services, as well as being responsible for leisure centres and active travel infrastructure such as cycle lanes, councils are best placed to engage with communities to support and enable residents to live healthier lives. County Councils Network
Avian flu detected in 2 individuals taking part in testing programme
Avian flu detected in 2 individuals taking part in testing programme UKHSA has detected influenza A (H5) virus in 2 poultry workers, following the introduction of an asymptomatic testing programme for people who have been in contact with infected birds.
The 2 people returning positive tests are known to have recently worked on an infected poultry farm in England. Neither has experienced any symptoms of avian influenza and both have since tested negative. UK Health Security Agency
See also:
- Two poultry workers test positive for bird flu BBC News
- Health chiefs are tracking bird flu outbreak 'very carefully' after two workers test positive The Daily Mail
- Bird flu could become the next human pandemic – and politicians aren't paying attention | Devi Sridhar The Guardian
- Bird flu detected in workers at poultry farm The Independent
- Bird flu: What are the symptoms and how common is the virus among humans The Independent
- Bird flu detected in two poultry workers in England - but no signs of human-to-human transmission ITV News
- Two poultry workers test positive for bird flu after contact on infected farm Sky News
Health secretary attends Japan summit with health tech at top of the agenda
Health secretary attends Japan summit with health tech at top of the agenda Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, concluded a visit to Japan for the G7 health ministers’ meeting, where he led discussions with international counterparts on how technology can be used to improve patient care, reduce pressure on health and social care staff and cut waiting times for patients. Department of Health and Social Care
Building work pending for many of 40 promised hospitals
Building work pending for many of 40 promised hospitals Building work is yet to start for 33 of the government's 40 promised new hospitals in England, the BBC has found.
Most are still waiting to hear what their final budget will be for the projects with a 2030 deadline. Only two are finished and open.
Ministers aimed to have six ready for 2025 - but none of this group has full planning permission or funding yet.
The government insists it remains committed to meeting the targets.
Health leaders say they need urgent clarity. BBC News
Nurses strike because patients are dying - RCN union boss Pat Cullen
Nurses strike because patients are dying - RCN union boss Pat Cullen Patients are not dying because nurses are striking, nurses are striking because patients are dying, the head of the Royal College of Nursing says.
Speaking at the union's annual conference, Pat Cullen praised nurses' protests over pay and safe staffing.
She told delegates she has been invited to have more discussions with Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
The government confirmed the meeting but said a deal recently reached with other unions would "not be reopened". BBC News
See also:
Teachers and nurses dragged into higher taxes, warns think tank
Teachers and nurses dragged into higher taxes, warns think tank Millions more people, including teachers and nurses, will pay a higher rate of income tax, a leading think tank has warned.
A freeze on income tax thresholds from April means more people will pay a 40% rate, in what the Institute for Fiscal Studies described as the biggest tax raising drive since the late 1970s.
It claimed this will contribute to a sharp fall in household finances.
And if inflation remains high, more people will be affected. BBC News
See also:
- A deepening freeze: more adults than ever are paying higher-rate tax Institute for Fiscal Studies
Needle-free Covid vaccination trials taking place in Cambridge
Needle-free Covid vaccination trials taking place in Cambridge Trials are taking place of a new needle-free Covid vaccine in Cambridge, where the technology was developed.
The vaccine, administered through a jet of air, was developed by Prof Jonathan Heeney of Cambridge University and chief executive of DIOSynVax.
Volunteers recruited last month are being vaccinated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in the city.
Safety trials have already been conducted at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility. BBC News
Do not resuscitate: Man choked to death after paramedics stood down
Do not resuscitate: Man choked to death after paramedics stood down Experts are calling for "do not resuscitate" orders to be scrapped, saying they are being misused and putting people's lives at risk. One woman told BBC News that her elderly father might still be alive if the DNR in his medical file had been properly checked.
Cardio exercise can help reduce risk of dying from flu, study suggests
Cardio exercise can help reduce risk of dying from flu, study suggests People who are at a higher risk of dying from flu could benefit from upping their cardio exercise levels, a new study suggests.
Even exercising below the nationally recommended standards could help reduce a person’s risk of dying from flu or pneumonia, scientists said. The Independent
See also:
- Leisure-time physical activity and mortality from influenza and pneumonia: a cohort study of 577 909 US adults (open access) British Journal of Sports Medicine
Quarter of people with dementia symptoms delay seeing doctor
Quarter of people with dementia symptoms delay seeing doctor Almost a quarter of people with dementia symptoms waited more than six months before seeing a doctor, new research shows.
A new survey for the Alzheimer’s Society to mark Dementia Action Week also found one in three people who notice they or a loved one has symptoms keep their fears to themselves or dismiss them as old age.
Just 15 per cent of the 1,137 people surveyed raised the issue straight away and 11 per cent said they hadn’t raised concerns after first spotting symptoms. The Independent
Second patient with 'natural immunity' against Alzheimer's warded off disease for 20 years
Second patient with 'natural immunity' against Alzheimer's warded off disease for 20 years A man managed to ward off Alzheimer's disease thanks to his natural immunity, despite having a gene that made him more susceptible - making him the second known case.
A team of international scientists found the Colombian man, who was predicted to have dementia in his 40s, also carried a rare genetic variation that helped protect him from the debilitating memory condition. The Daily Mail
See also:
- Resilience to autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease in a Reelin-COLBOS heterozygous man (open access) Nature Medicine
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