News story: Ebola contact tracing underway

News story: Ebola contact tracing underway

Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking contact tracing following the confirmed case of Ebola in a healthcare worker returning from Sierra Leone, and as of 6pm on 30 December 2014, has spoken to 63 passengers.

The person had left Sierra Leone on 28 December and had been a passenger on flight AT596 from Freetown to Casablanca, flight AT0800 from Casablanca to London, and transferred at Heathrow to flight BA1478 for onward travel to Glasgow.

Although the risk of infection to other passengers on the flights is considered extremely low, PHE is contacting 132 passengers, and the crew on the flight from Casablanca to Heathrow. Health Protection Scotland is carrying out a similar exercise for the 71 passengers on the Heathrow to Glasgow flight, speaking with 56 to date.

People contacted by Public Health England will be made aware that a person on their flight was confirmed with Ebola after they returned to the UK, although the person would have been in the very early stages of disease and extremely unlikely to be infectious.

First Ebola case linked to bat play

First Ebola case linked to bat play

The Ebola victim who triggered the current outbreak - a two year old boy from a small village in Guinea - may have been infected by playing in a hollow tree housing a colony of bats, say scientists. BBC News

Skin implant replaces the Pill: New chip lasts for 16 years and can be turned off by remote control when you want to conceive

Skin implant replaces the Pill: New chip lasts for 16 years and can be turned off by remote control when you want to conceive 

Scientists have invented an electronic chip that when slipped under the skin releases daily doses of contraceptive, freeing a woman from the need to remember to take the pill. Mail

David Cameron still more trusted on NHS than Ed Miliband, survey shows

David Cameron still more trusted on NHS than Ed Miliband, survey shows


Labour’s lead as most trusted party on issue falls to three points, while two-thirds of voters willing to pay more tax for NHS

Voters still trust David Cameron more than Ed Miliband on the NHS, despite Labour having made the health service the main focus of its campaigning since the summer, a survey shows.

The ComRes poll shows that 22% say the prime minister is the party leader they most trust to manage the NHS, while 20% name the Labour leader. Guardian

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Guidance: Mental Health Treatment - Supporting Integrated Delivery guidance

Guidance: Mental Health Treatment - Supporting Integrated Delivery guidance

The guidance reflects the changes to responsibility for probation services in England and Wales from 2014 resulting from the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms and the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014. Information on who to contact for further information is also included. Public Health England

Poulter announces DWP prescription check

Poulter announces DWP prescription check

The government is planning to give High Street pharmacists access to Department of Work and Pensions IT systems to check whether patients in England are entitled to free prescriptions. EHI News

Care & Support Public Information Campaign Materials

Care & Support Public Information Campaign Materials

The Department of Health and Public Health England are working to help raise public awareness of the Care and Support reforms being introduced in April 2015 and into 2016.

A public information campaign is underway to help ensure those who are affected by the reforms (existing care and support service users, people approaching the point of need and carers) are aware of the changes, and know where to go for further information.

This page has been developed to host a range of campaign materials for trusted partners to download and cascade through their individual networks.

Significant rise in call-outs for Northamptonshire’s ambulance service

Significant rise in call-outs for Northamptonshire’s ambulance service

The number of call-outs for the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) in December rose by more than 5,000 since the same month last year. Evening Telegraph

News story: Ebola case confirmed in Scotland

News story: Ebola case confirmed in Scotland

The Scottish government has confirmed a case of Ebola in an individual in Scotland, who travelled to Glasgow from Sierra Leone.

The patient will be transferred for treatment in isolation at the Royal Free hospital in London.

The UK has well established and practised infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease. These procedures will be strictly followed while the patient is in transit and when receiving treatment at the Royal Free hospital.

The UK government is working closely with the Scottish government to ensure the patient receives the best possible treatment.

The confirmed case of Ebola in Scotland was a healthcare worker returning from Sierra Leone. They had left Sierra Leone on 28 December and had been a passenger on flight AT596 from Freetown to Casablanca, flight AT0800 from Casablanca to London, and transferred at Heathrow to flight BA1478 for onward travel to Glasgow.

Are we too obsessed with NHS targets?

Are we too obsessed with NHS targets?

Are we too obsessed with NHS targets? BBC News

Tiny microscope can take agonising wait out of cancer tests

Tiny microscope can take agonising wait out of cancer tests 

Scientists have developed the world's smallest microscope which is inserted into the body, allowing doctors to 'see' cancer and make an instant, precise diagnosis. Mail

Red meat triggers toxic immune reaction which causes cancer, scientists find

Red meat triggers toxic immune reaction which causes cancer, scientists find

Scientists at the University of California discovered that the human body views red meat as a foreign invader and launches an immune response. Telegraph

Prescription fraud plan criticised

Prescription fraud plan criticised

Pharmacists strongly criticised plans to strengthen checks at the counter for entitlement to free prescriptions in England. BBC News

Many breast cancer patients struggle with aftermath of disease, finds charity

Many breast cancer patients struggle with aftermath of disease, finds charity


Debilitating side-effects and depression among most common issues raised by those calling helpline two years after diagnosis

One in six breast cancer patients are still struggling with the aftermath of the disease and its treatment more than two years on from diagnosis, a charity has found.

Breast Cancer Care said the results of a survey of 1,228 people, who had been diagnosed two or more years previously and had called its helpline, illustrate the importance of the phone line and the need for the public to help keep it going. Guardian

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Lying on Facebook causes paranoia and memory problems

Lying on Facebook causes paranoia and memory problems

Lying on Facebook is common — but doing so could cause paranoia and memory problems. Independent

Jab that can banish allergies in two months: Substance is injected directly into a lymph node in the groin rather than under the skin

Jab that can banish allergies in two months: Substance is injected directly into a lymph node in the groin rather than under the skin

The treatment involves injecting small amounts of an allergen - such as a protein from pet fur - into the patient's body over a period of time, so that the body slowly becomes accustomed. Mail

Diet advice from overweight GPs more likely to be ignored, finds survey

Diet advice from overweight GPs more likely to be ignored, finds survey


Poll suggests need for NHS staff to be role models to help convince public of importance of losing weight, says health body

Britons are much less likely to follow advice from health professionals such as GPs and nurses if the health professionals are overweight or obese, a new survey shows.

Polling commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that 41% of people would be less likely to take advice about adopting a healthy diet from an NHS member of staff who was carrying extra pounds, while just 17% said they would heed it. Guardian

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Press release: Stop the rot: new campaign highlights how cigarettes ‘rot’ the body from the inside

Press release: Stop the rot: new campaign highlights how cigarettes ‘rot’ the body from the inside

Today (29 December 2014), Public Health England (PHE) launches a powerful new campaign to highlight how smoking damages the body and causes a slow and steady decline in a process similar to rotting.

The campaign starts as a new expert review commissioned by Public Health England highlights the multiple impacts that toxic ingredients in cigarettes can have on your body. While many smokers know that smoking causes cancer and harms the lungs and heart, the new report highlights how it also damages:
bones and muscles: smoking has a negative impact on bone mineral density, and causes progressive harm to the musculoskeletal system, including:
25% increased risk of any fracture, and a 40% increase in the risk of hip fractures among men
slower healing after injury
increased risk of back and neck pain, leading to a 79% increase in chronic back pain, and a 114% increase in disabling lower back pain
rheumatoid arthritis, and a reduction in the impact of treatment

brain: current smokers are 53% more likely to develop cognitive impairment than non-smokers, and 59% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease

teeth: smoking increases the likelihood of tooth loss and decay
eyes: smoking damages sight by increasing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 78% to 358%, and increasing the risk of age-related cataracts

With New Year’s resolutions approaching and two-thirds of smokers saying they want to quit, new adverts are being used to graphically illustrate the degeneration that smoking causes.

England’s top dementia doctor says “Make cutting back on alcohol your New Year’s resolution”

England’s top dementia doctor says “Make cutting back on alcohol your New Year’s resolution”

NHS England’s top dementia doctor says cutting back on alcohol to protect your mental health is a good 2015 resolution.

Prevention is something everyone can help with as the NHS tackles the growing issue of dementia, says Professor Alistair Burns, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Dementia.

He said a number of research studies* showed significant relationships between alcohol and the onset of dementia.

Most studies suggest drinking large amounts of alcohol increases the risk of dementia.

And today he highlighted a guide to avoiding dementia and the signs and symptoms to look out for.

Cutting down on alcohol can reduce people’s chances of developing dementia.

“The New Year is the perfect chance for us all to consider our lifestyles and think if there is anything we can improve or change to increase our healthiness – both physical and mental,” he said.

“While stopping drinking altogether isn’t a reality for many people, cutting down can make a huge difference. However, it can be very easy for one glass to lead to two and then to a bottle and this can seriously increase you risk of developing dementia in later life along with many other health conditions.”

NHS guidelines state that men shouldn’t regularly drink more than three to four units per day and women shouldn’t regularly drink more than two to three units per day. One unit is roughly equivalent to half a beer or a small glass of wine.

Currently 375,000 people in England have a diagnosis of dementia out of the 683,000 estimated to have the condition.

NHS England, in parallel with the Prime Minister’s Challenge on dementia, has an ambition that two thirds of people with dementia will have a diagnosis and post diagnostic support by 2015.

Two thirds is 455,000 which leaves a gap of 80,000 people who need to be identified.

Being a Dementia Friend is not about volunteering or donating money – it is about finding out how to make life a bit better for somebody with dementia. NHS Commissioning

NHS England’s action on obesity

NHS England’s action on obesity

Commenting on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s data in its latest Health At A Glance Europe 2014 report, which shows 24.7 per cent of British adults are obese compared with an average of 16.7 per cent in the rest of Europe, Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive of NHS England, said: “The ghost of Christmases past reminds us that 20 years ago we didn’t have these problems as a nation. The ghost of Christmases future tells us that if we get our act together – as the NHS, as parents, as schools, the food industry – we can get back in shape.

“Rather than recent daft judgements by the European court practically pretending that obesity is inevitable, in England in 2015 we’re going to start proving that it isn’t.

“That’s why the NHS is going to be funding a new national programme, proven to work, that will offer tens of thousands of people at risk of diabetes proper support to get healthier, eat better and exercise more.

“We know that for people at risk, losing just 5-7% of your weight can cut your chance of diabetes by nearly 60%. If this was a pill we’d be popping it – instead its a well designed programme of exercise, eating well and making smart health choices, and we’re going to start making it available free on the NHS.”