Hospitals are letting doctors QUIT an official NHS pension scheme

Hospitals are letting doctors QUIT an official NHS pension scheme Hospitals are allowing doctors to quit an official NHS pension scheme which is causing consultants to cut their hours.

Several NHS trusts are putting their own schemes in place amid mounting frustration over government inaction to reform a punitive tax on pensions.

Controversial pension reforms introduced in 2016 mean top consultants and GPs are cutting their hours to avoid a tax bill on their pensions that can run into tens of thousands. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Pension crisis: trusts take matters in their own hands The BMJ
• Pension tax reform needs to be swift to tackle doctors’ sense of injustice The BMJ
• NHS hospitals offer doctors cash in bid to tackle growing pensions crisis The Daily Telegraph

Concerns over bed blocking for mental health patients in Northamptonshire

Concerns over bed blocking for mental health patients in Northamptonshire Bed blocking caused mental health patients to spend more than 2,000 extra days stuck in hospital at the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last year.

A leading charity has called for more investment in community care, to help vulnerable patients return to their homes safely.

Figures from NHS Digital show the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust lost 2,330 bed days in 2018-19 because of delays discharging mental health patients who were fit to leave hospital – the equivalent of more than six years. Daventry Express

Will a digital NHS reap the rewards policy-makers are aiming for?

Will a digital NHS reap the rewards policy-makers are aiming for? Sarah Scobie looks at the track record of digital developments in the health service and wonders whether we are overestimating the benefits of a digital NHS. Nuffield Trust

Towards equality for mental health: developing a cross-government approach.

Towards equality for mental health: developing a cross-government approach This report considers the steps that must be taken if the ambition of ‘parity of esteem’ for mental health is to be achieved in England. Its starting point is the belief that improving the nation’s mental health cannot be achieved through a focus on health services alone and that a more ambitious, cross-government approach to mental health is also required. Mental Health Foundation

New NHS plan to help patients avoid long hospital stays

New NHS plan to help patients avoid long hospital stays Action to help tens of thousands more people avoid lengthy spells in hospital is being rolled out nationwide as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

NHS doctors, nurses and other staff are being encouraged to ask themselves ‘Why not home? Why not today?’ when planning care for patients recovering from an operation or illness, as part of a campaign – called ‘Where Best Next?’ – which aims to see around 140,000 people every year spared a hospital stay of three weeks or more. NHS England

Ageing confidently: supporting an ageing workforce

Ageing confidently: supporting an ageing workforce It is estimated that by 2035, over half of all adults in the UK will be over 50 years of age. This report proposes several recommendations to provide older people and employers with the support needed to unlock the potential of this demographic and enable older people to access the benefits of work. It states that without a concerted effort to increase the opportunities for older workers, individuals, businesses and the economy will suffer. Among the recommendations are enhanced healthcare support through improvements in occupational health, training in mental health first aid and further support for those aged 55 and over from the Work and Health Programme from the Department of Work and Pensions. Centre for Social Justice

Professionalism and Cultural Transformation (PACT) toolkit

Professionalism and Cultural Transformation (PACT) toolkit This toolkit aims to educate and empower staff to improve professionalism within their workplace, helping organisations move towards making the NHS the best place to work. The toolkit is based on tried and tested work undertaken by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and is designed to help staff embed the PACT programme in their organisation. It contains practical information, advice and solutions to equip staff to deal with unprofessional attitudes and behaviours in the workplace. NHS Employers

New drug for people who can bleed uncontrollably

New drug for people who can bleed uncontrollably Christopher Stephens has haemophilia A - his body lacks a protein that makes blood clot. A simple graze can mean the two-year-old bleeds uncontrollably.

To avoid this he needs treatment every few days with a drug put into his bloodstream via a tube in his chest.

But now, NHS England has agreed to fund a new therapy for patients like him. BBC News

More schoolchildren 'rejecting cigarettes'

More schoolchildren 'rejecting cigarettes' Secondary-school pupils in England appear to be rejecting cigarettes in greater numbers than ever before.

The most recent survey in a series that began in the 1980s indicates just 16% of the pupils have ever smoked tobacco, down from 19% in 2016 and 49% in 1996.

However, a quarter of the 13,000 pupils surveyed, from 193 schools across England, have tried drugs. BBC News

Over fifty NHS leaders sign letter urging PM to address 'crisis in social care'

Over fifty NHS leaders sign letter urging PM to address 'crisis in social care' More than 150,000 members of the public have signed a petition and over 50 health leaders have put their signatures to an open letter - calling on the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to urgently address the escalating crisis in care.

The petition, believed to be the largest of its kind, urges the Prime Minister to end social care cuts which have left many older people in England unable to access the care and support they need.

Both the petition and signed letter were organised by the NHS Confederation which leads the Health for Care coalition of 15 national health organisations who have joined forces to make the case for social care. carehome.co.uk

‘Nothing less than offensive’: Fury after NHS region denies IVF to single women

‘Nothing less than offensive’: Fury after NHS region denies IVF to single women An NHS region has barred single women from receiving IVF treatment - a policy that has been condemned as discriminatory by a Labour MP.

NHS South East London’s guidelines state that women who seek fertility treatment should be in a “stable relationship”.

“Because of the known disadvantage that providing assisted conception to a single woman would cause both the child and the mother, funding of assisted conception for single women is not available,” the policy reads. The Independent

Air pollution linked to mental health issues, research suggests

Air pollution linked to mental health issues, research suggests People who grow up in areas with poor air quality are more likely to develop depression and bipolar disorder in later life, a new study has suggested.

Analysis of health data from millions of patients found a “significant link” between mental health disorders and exposure to air pollution, especially in childhood.

The research, based on population data from the US and Denmark, is the latest of a number of studies to link air quality to ill health. The Independent

See also:

• Environmental pollution is associated with increased risk of psychiatric disorders in the US and Denmark (open access) PLOS Biology

What’s the best remedy against anti-vaxxers? Reverse public health cuts

What’s the best remedy against anti-vaxxers? Reverse public health cuts | Doug Brown Fragmented NHS services and a lack of specialist knowledge are behind the rise in measles cases – not social media

The UK is a world leader in vaccine research and provision and an early adopter of many new vaccines. This has had a profoundly positive effect on the nation’s health, affording protection to our children and decreasing rates of infectious disease. Unfortunately, immunisation has been prominent in the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. The Guardian

You can’t replace the GP with an algorithm – so don’t try to, Matt Hancock

You can’t replace the GP with an algorithm – so don’t try to, Matt Hancock | Eleanor Morgan The government wants to replace NHS health screening with AI. But for many people, face-to-face consultations are a lifeline

The health secretary has announced a proposed overhaul of NHS health screening that could scrap GP consultations for millions of people, replacing them with online programmes and AI. The idea is that the one-size-fits-all system for routine health MOTs offered to those over 40 has become old hat. The Guardian

Children are growing up in shipping containers due to lack of council housing, report finds

Children are growing up in shipping containers due to lack of council housing, report finds Children are being raised in shipping containers and office blocks because councils do not have enough accommodation to house, an official report has found.

Almost a quarter-of-a-million children could be without a permanent home in England and are instead living in “unfit” accommodation - including the likes of office blocks, shipping containers and B&Bs. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Thousands of children growing up in shipping containers, office blocks and B&Bs Children's Commissioner
• Bleak houses: Tackling the crisis of family homelessness in England Children's Commissioner
• Thousands of children forced to grow up in shipping containers and offices because of government’s ‘catastrophic failure’ to address homelessness The Independent

Improved NHS care neurological conditions to save 2,500 hospital trips

Improved NHS care neurological conditions to save 2,500 hospital trips People living with brain and nerve conditions like Parkinson’s could benefit from quicker diagnosis and better coordinated care as part of a new NHS initiative, which is also set to free up millions of pounds to reinvest in patient care.

NHS experts have joined forces with seven leading charities to produce a toolkit that will help local health groups improve services for people with conditions including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Parkinson’s, including rolling out fast-tracked blood tests and and consultant appointments over Skype for those who want them.

Up to 2,500 emergency admissions to hospital a year could be avoided for patients with these conditions as a result, with up to £10 million freed up to fund improved services. NHS England

Journals retract more than a dozen studies from China that may have used executed prisoners’ organ

Journals retract more than a dozen studies from China that may have used executed prisoners’ organ In the past month, PLOS ONE and Transplantation have retracted fifteen studies by authors in China because of suspicions that the authors may have used organs from executed prisoners.

All of the original studies — seven in Transplantation, and eight in PLOS ONE — were published between 2008 and 2014. Two involved kidney transplants, and the rest involved liver transplants. Two other journals, the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and Kidney International, have recently issued expressions of concern for the same reason. Retraction Watch

See also:

• Two medical journals retract 15 Chinese studies amid fears they used organs from executed prisoners The Daily Mail

Why is the UK seeing a rise in measles cases?

Why is the UK seeing a rise in measles cases? The UK has lost its measles-free status three years after the virus was eliminated in the country.

Cases of the potentially deadly infection have been going up, with too few people being vaccinated.

Measles can be prevented through two doses of the MMR vaccine - something that is offered free by the NHS to all young children in the UK. BBC News

See also:

• An estimated 1 in 7 five years olds are not immunised against MMR Public Health England
• System-wide approach to tackling falling childhood vaccination rates welcome, says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• Boris Johnson orders action to stop measles spread BBC News
• Quarter of children in some parts of country have not had measles jab The Daily Telegraph
• NHS England to look at offering childhood vaccinations in healthcare settings other than general practice The Pharmaceutical Journal

The little-known spinal injury 'costing the NHS millions'

The little-known spinal injury 'costing the NHS millions' Failure to identify and treat a little-known spinal condition probably costs the NHS hundreds of millions a year, according to a leading consultant.

Cauda equina syndrome requires surgery within hours to avoid damage to the bowel, bladder, sexual organs and legs.

And it can be triggered by the most seemingly innocuous of body movements. BBC News

Part of £1.8bn NHS cash boost 'is money already saved up', leaked letter claims

Part of £1.8bn NHS cash boost 'is money already saved up', leaked letter claims A £1.8bn cash boost for the NHS announced by Boris Johnson will largely be paid for with money that hospitals already have, a leaked letter has said.

The prime minister said earlier this month: "Don't forget that this is £1.8 billion of new money. It wasn't there 10 days ago."

But a letter - obtained by Health Service Journal and also seen by Sky News - says £1bn of the total will be funded by raising the Department for Health and Social Care's spending limit.

See also:

• Confirmed: NHS cash reserves will fund PM's capital spending promise Health Service Journal