The need for action to improve the nation’s health

The need for action to improve the nation’s health Many people recognise that both the NHS and the health of the nation are in deep crisis. Whether we look at life expectancy, levels of long-term ill-health, inequalities, mental health or the drivers of poor health such as obesity, England’s recent record is poor and often compares badly to its neighbours. 

Therefore, it is timely that a group has come together to set out a possible path out of this mess, publishing A covenant for health that sets out priority areas for action, which, taken together, can make England a healthier place to live and work. If this all seems to make perfect sense, what stops us, as a country, from doing it? I think there are four common myths that have stood in the way. The King's Fund

See also: 

• A Covenant for Health: Policies and partnerships to improve our national health in 5 to 10 years (report) A Covenant for Health
• Sick note Britain: Country’s ‘sickness explosion’ costing economy £15bn every year, experts warn The Independent
• UK gripped by 'sickness explosion costing economy £15 billion a year' Sky News

The costs of obesity

The costs of obesity Policies that aim to reduce the prevalence of obesity have been high on the policy agenda for many years. Understanding the costs associated with obesity is important for informing policy. Bell and Deyes (2022) have recently produced what are, to date, the most detailed estimates of the costs of adult obesity in the UK. This report puts those estimates in context, discusses what costs are missing from their analysis, and which of the costs included are most relevant for policymaking. Institute for Fiscal Studies

PPE Medpro: Awarding of contracts during the pandemic

PPE Medpro: Awarding of contracts during the pandemic The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published its report on Medpro,

There are two related ongoing investigations which significantly limit what the PAC is able to comment on or publish at this stage. They are a National Crime Agency investigation into PPE Medpro, and a House of Lords Commissioners for Standards investigation into the conduct of Baroness Mone.

There is also a civil case initiated by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) against PPE Medpro in relation to a disputed contract.

See also:

• Report on PPE deal with firm linked to Tory peer criticises ‘panic-buying’ The Guardian

The public sector needs a real pay rise

The public sector needs a real pay rise Following pay offers which amounted to real terms income cuts, public sector workers have been taking industrial action to demand higher pay increases.

Rising prices are undercutting household incomes and pay for the average public sector worker has been declining in real terms since August 2021.

In this report, we argue that demands for higher pay settlements for public sector workers are justified. Even if the average public sector worker receives a 6 per cent pay rise, they will still be £1,400 worse off this year in real terms compared to before the pandemic.

A stronger pay settlement would help to address four problems facing the public sector: declining living standards, a workforce crisis, the decreasing quality of services and the reality that pay for the UK’s public sector workers lags behind our international peers. Institute for Public Policy Research

See also: 

• Report concludes double-digit pay rise for NHS staff would not drive inflation Nursing Notes

NHS senior-doctor strike disruption warning for patients

NHS senior-doctor strike disruption warning for patients Patients can expect severe disruption to services as senior hospital doctors in England prepare to strike for 48 hours, from 07:00 Thursday, over pay, NHS England warns.

Thousands of planned appointments are being postponed.

Consultants will stop seeing many patients and will not be around to supervise the work of junior doctors.

They will provide so-called Christmas Day cover, meaning emergency care and a small amount of routine work. BBC News

See also:

• NHS Confederation warns consultants strike is 'a step into the unknown' NHS Confederation
• NHS braced for severe disruption due to first consultant strikes in a decade NHS England
• Consultants’ strike will bring NHS routine care to ‘virtual standstill’ The Daily Telegraph
• Consultants’ strike to put NHS care in England ‘at a standstill’, says top doctor The Guardian
• NHS 'at a standstill' as consultants set to strike for two days Sky News

Children waiting years in pain for NHS tooth removal

Children waiting years in pain for NHS tooth removal Children in some areas of England are waiting up to 18 months on average for dental general-anaesthetic treatment and teeth extractions, an investigation reveals.

Some have been left with prolonged dental pain, according to information shared with BBC News.

The parents of one girl who has waited three years for extractions say the pain keeps her up at night.

Removing decayed teeth is the most common reason for needing the service.

See also:

• Thousands of children in England facing ‘heartbreaking’ waits for NHS dental care The Guardian

Woman jailed for taking abortion pills after legal cut-off to be freed from prison

Woman jailed for taking abortion pills after legal cut-off to be freed from prison A mother-of-three who was jailed for obtaining drugs to have an abortion after the legal cut-off will be released from prison after winning an appeal against her sentence.

Carla Foster, 45, was sentenced last month to 28 months in prison, after illegally procuring drugs to terminate her pregnancy during lockdown when she was between 32 to 34 weeks pregnant. The Independent

More than 28,000 convicted of Covid rule breaches in England and Wales

More than 28,000 convicted of Covid rule breaches in England and Wales More than 28,000 people in England and Wales have been convicted of breaches of Covid-19 regulations, despite the government’s insistence that it never intended to criminalise people for minor infractions during the pandemic.

The convictions are for Covid-related offences, such as attendance at gatherings during lockdowns or arriving at airports without the proper evidence of a coronavirus test. Almost 16,000 of the convictions – or 55% – involved people under 30. The Guardian

See also: 

• Covid Inquiry: Bereaved families received targeted abuse BBC News
• Bereaved families give heartbreaking evidence in Covid inquiry Channel 4 News
• People who died with Covid treated ‘like toxic waste’, families tell UK inquiry The Guardian
• Woman who lost her wife to hospital-acquired Covid tells inquiry of trauma The Independent
• Covid unpreparedness left doctors thinking 'they might die', inquiry told Pulse

Gambling White Paper a 'huge miss' that will not prevent harm, MPs told

Gambling White Paper a 'huge miss' that will not prevent harm, MPs told n NHS expert has described the Government’s gambling White Paper as a “huge miss”, telling MPs he does not believe it will prevent harm or lead to a drop in referrals.

Dr Matthew Gaskell, clinical lead for the NHS Northern Gambling Service, also told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that policy-making needs to be insulated from the influence of the gambling industry, adding: “And that’s a major concern for all of us.” Evening Standard

Breakthrough pill for Parkinson's could treat disease early and relieve symptoms without side-effects

Breakthrough pill for Parkinson's could treat disease early and relieve symptoms without side-effects A daily capsule could treat Parkinson's disease early and relieve symptoms - without the side-effects of standard treatments. It involves a combination of two Parkinson's drugs, pramipexole and rasagiline. The Daily Mail

AI could spare thousands of men with prostate cancer unnecessary treatment and side-effects

AI could spare thousands of men with prostate cancer unnecessary treatment and side-effects Advances in AI could spare thousands of men unnecessary treatment and side effects.

Men with prostate cancer which has an intermediate risk of spreading when they are given radiotherapy are currently offered six months to three years of hormone therapy at the same time.

But AI, which looks for biological patterns in the cancer cells taken from individual men's biopsies at the point of diagnosis, can identify those who would not benefit from hormone therapy. The Daily Mail

See also:

• ArteraAI Prostate Test ArteriaAI
• Could artificial intelligence help diagnose and detect prostate cancer? Prostate Cancer UK