NHS England takes new steps to improve learning disability employment

NHS England takes new steps to improve learning disability employment As Mencap’s Learning Disability Work Experience Week kicks off, the number of NHS organisations pledging to employ more people with learning disabilities has hit 100, with NHS England calling on more trusts and hospitals to join the growing list.

The pledges have already led to ten new work experience placements which will begin this week across NHS trusts, hospitals and in the NHS England main London office, including in the Chief Executive’s and Chair’s office, with plans for more and longer term employment opportunities already in the pipeline. NHS England

How will the NHS cope this winter?

How will the NHS cope this winter? The headlines may be dominated by Washington politics and the Brexit debate, but NHS managers are focusing on one issue above others - the winter and what it will mean for already stretched services.

Temperatures have dropped this week, and the Met Office has warned of an increased risk of cold snaps between now and Christmas.

That has certainly been concentrating minds in the upper reaches of the NHS. BBC News

Medical training must give equal status to general practice, warns landmark report

Medical training must give equal status to general practice, warns landmark report The DH must urgently review medical school funding to improve training in primary care and tackle the perception of general practice being a 'less valued' career option, according to a landmark report. GP Online

See also:

• By choice – not by chance: Supporting medical students towards careers in general practice Health Education England
• New report shines spotlight on denigration of general practice in medical schools, says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners

Watchdog reports rise in medical radiation incidents

Watchdog reports rise in medical radiation incidents An increase in the number of medical-related radiation incidents have been reported in England, according to the health watchdog.

In its annual report on activity relating to the enforcement of The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) notes an increase of 16% (1,277 notification) during 2015, on the previous year’s total (1,103).

The CQC says the rise is partly due to an increase in activity taking place, and more clinicians recognising the importance of reporting incidents of over-exposure. OnMedica

NHS England proposes hospital ban on sugar-sweetened drinks

NHS England proposes hospital ban on sugar-sweetened drinks Chief executive calls for ban on sugar-sweetened drinks or vendor levy on sales to protect patients and staff

NHS England is proposing to ban sugar-sweetened drinks from hospital vending machines and restaurants, in a dramatic attempt to curb obesity that goes beyond the government’s plans for a sugar levy.

The chief executive, Simon Stevens, who has previously spoken out about junk food being sold in hospitals and the risk that health problems caused by weight gain could bankrupt the NHS, unveiled two radical proposals to cut obesity. The first is to reduce the amount of high-sugar soft drinks consumed in hospitals. The alternative to the outright ban is to impose a fee on vendors of sugar-sweetened drinks, which would amount to 20% of their sales. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• NHS in England ponders sugary drinks ban BBC News
• Hospitals face ban on selling sugary drinks from canteens and vending machines The Daily Mail
• NHS may ban sale of all sugary drinks The Daily Telegraph

Slipping Through the Cracks, Mental Health and Homelessness

Slipping Through the Cracks, Mental Health and Homelessness I remember, where I used to live, there was a homeless man who slept at night in an alcove opposite a Tesco Metro. Once he stopped me, randomly, and spent ten minutes talking about some recent trouble he had been involved in; he had been removed from a shelter and suffered abuse there and was looking to move to another. The reasons for his removal were clear. Alcoholism had done its work on him, and likely, many other things too. Perhaps he, like countless others who live in homeless shelters, or on the street, suffer with severe mental illnesses. Illnesses, that if untreated can chip away at a person’s life until there is little left. Huffington Post UK

Trainee midwife makes heartfelt plea with the Prime Minister to save student bursaries and not replace them with £50,000 loans

Trainee midwife makes heartfelt plea with the Prime Minister to save student bursaries and not replace them with £50,000 loans Alison Brindle, 38, from Bolton, wrote to Prime Minister Theresa May after working 50 hours in four days. Her message, which was posted on Facebook, has been shared more than 7,000 times. The Daily Mail

NHS discrimination warning as study finds those beyond screening age limits more likely to have cancer

NHS discrimination warning as study finds those beyond screening age limits more likely to have cancer Those at greatest risk for one of the most common cancers are being denied screening amid widespread age discrimination by the NHS, a major study suggests.

Research on more than 30,000 patients found that those over the age of 75 were 65 per cent more likely than younger patients to be suffering from bowel cancer.

Britain’s poor record on diagnosis has been blamed for its“shameful” place in international league tables, with one third of cancer sufferers dead within a year of disease being found.

Last night charities called for the NHS to review its practices, to improve the survival chances of thousands of elderly patients. The Daily Telegraph