NICE produces new draft guidelines on caring for the dying

NICE produces new draft guidelines on caring for the dying "England's health watchdog has put forward new draft guidance to improve the care of adults in their last few days of life," BBC News reports.

The guidelines, produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), have been proposed as an alternative to the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway, which was phased out in 2014.

A good death: Can guidelines help?

A good death: Can guidelines help? Can guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence improve our final moments, asks Smitha Mundasad. BBC News

Do the latest wave of health apps really improve patient care?

Do the latest wave of health apps really improve patient care? There are tens of thousands of health apps on the market but healthcare professionals remain cautious about the benefits they can offer

At the offer of a play on the iPad in the anaesthetics nurse’s hand, five-year-old William Deans instantly forgot his panic triggered by the sight of the operating theatre at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, calmly climbed onto the table and within a minute was being anaesthetised as he played a game chosen for him by the Relax anaesthetics app.

The effect of the electronic tablet loaded with personalised games was, according to his mother Rachel, “like magic” – in less than a minute the situation went from a question mark over whether William’s operation could proceed, to peaceful cooperation and a happy boy with an exciting story to tell at school about the successful operation on his trapped finger. Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS treatments such as vasectomies and hip operations to be rationed due to cost-cutting

NHS treatments such as vasectomies and hip operations to be rationed due to cost-cutting More patients could be denied NHS treatments as a result of cost-cutting by health authorities, with hearing aids, vasectomies and knee and hip operations among services set to be rationed in some areas. The Independent

Manchester NHS devolution plans fatally flawed as voluntary organisations not involved, say charity leaders

Manchester NHS devolution plans fatally flawed as voluntary organisations not involved, say charity leaders Charity leaders are warning that the Government’s moves to give Greater Manchester power over health and social care spending could be fatally flawed because voluntary organisations appear to have been forgotten in the plans. The Independent

Pensioner from Northamptonshire had NHS treatment withdrawn after cutbacks saw criteria change

Pensioner from Northamptonshire had NHS treatment withdrawn after cutbacks saw criteria change A diabetic man who had been receiving essential NHS foot treatment for three years has had it withdrawn because of changes in the criteria in Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A new way of measuring hospital productivity: what does it add?

A new way of measuring hospital productivity: what does it add?Following a barrage of policy announcements in recent weeks from the Department of Health and national bodies, it is clear that the focus is firmly on creating an NHS that uses its money more wisely.

Lord Carter’s interim report on the productivity of NHS providers was one of these announcements, aiming to set out how £5 billion worth of savings can be made by the NHS. The report includes a new method of comparing operating costs: the Adjusted Treatment Index (ATI). This will be an important tool for identifying opportunities to improve productivity and, according to the report, bring the NHS into line with best practice in other countries. So how will it work? The King's Fund

National audit of children’s X-ray services indicates UK hospitals failing to meet recommended standards

National audit of children’s X-ray services indicates UK hospitals failing to meet recommended standards An audit of children’s X-ray services conducted by The Royal College of Radiologists has revealed the extent to which UK hospitals are failing to meet recommendations to reduce the risk of missed or mistaken diagnoses of illness, disease or child abuse.

See also:

• Shortage of X ray expertise putting children at risk The Daily Telegraph

New draft guidelines to help transform the care of people with learning disabilities

New draft guidelines to help transform the care of people with learning disabilities NHS England, the Local Government Association (LGA), and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Sevices (ADASS) have today published a new draft national framework designed to improve the care of people with learning disabilities, shifting services away from hospital care and towards community-based settings.

The new draft service model is the latest piece of work to emerge from the Transforming Care for People with Learning Disabilities programme, which is a joint piece of work between the NHS England, the LGA, ADASS, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Health Education England (HEE) and the Department of Health (DH).

Dementia: statistics on prevalence and improving diagnosis, care and research

Dementia: statistics on prevalence and improving diagnosis, care and research This briefing outlines government, NHS and other statutory bodies’ work to improve dementia diagnosis, care and support and research. It also provides statistics on rates and expected rises of dementia prevalence, including prevalence rates for each English parliamentary constituency. House of Commons Library

The association between patient and family engagement practices and patient experience

The association between patient and family engagement practices and patient experience This slide presentation covers the findings of a 2013-2014 survey conducted by the Health Research & Educational Trust and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The survey examined patient and family engagement practices and their association with patient experiences. Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence

Dying care: New guidelines proposed

Dying care: New guidelines proposed England's health watchdog puts forward new draft guidance to improve the care of adults in their last few days of life. BBC News

See also:

• Care of the dying adult (draft guideline) NICE
• RCGP response to NICE draft guidance on End of Life Care Royal College of General Practitioners
• NHS is forced to tell doctors: Give water to the dying as watchdog fears banned care pathway is still in use  The Daily Mail
• Drugs to prevent 'death rattle' of dying patients not justifiable if intention is only to reduce distress of relatives, says new guidelines The Independent

Manchester patients test negative for Mers virus

Manchester patients test negative for Mers virusA&E unit at Manchester Royal infirmary was closed for more than two hours on Monday over fears two patients could be infected with respiratory disease

Tests on two patients suspected of having the Middle East respiratory virus syndrome (Mers) have proved negative, Public Health England has said.

The A&E department at Manchester Royal infirmary was closed for more than two hours on Monday due to fears of a possible outbreak of the disease, which has killed at least 449 people globally since it was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Continue reading... The Guardian

GPs so overworked they risk causing harm, says head of profession

GPs so overworked they risk causing harm, says head of profession Dr Maureen Baker, chair of Royal College of GPs, recommends measures to relieve strain on NHS family doctors, whom she compares to overtired pilots

Britain’s GPs are so tired and overloaded that they are at risk of harming patients’ health by misdiagnosing illness or giving them the wrong drugs, the head of the profession has warned.

In a stark description of the potential consequences to patients’ safety of “GP fatigue”, Dr Maureen Baker says that “persistent and excessive workload” faced by family doctors puts them at the same risk of inadvertently causing harm or even death as overtired pilots or lorry drivers.

We have no strategies in place to reduce the risk of patient harm that might arise from having tired, overworked doctors Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• GP fatigue a 'risk' to patient safety, warns RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• GP workloads 'put patients at risk' BBC News
• Tired GPs 'pose threat to patients' health' says Medical Chief Maureen Baker The Daily Mail
• Awkward patients aren't to blame for GP workloads, we really are getting sicker The Guardian

Cost of obesity, drug abuse and alcoholism to be revealed

Cost of obesity, drug abuse and alcoholism to be revealed Drain on the economy of obese people, drug addicts and alcoholics will be calculated under plans to be announced by David Cameron. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• David Cameron says obese people must get treatment or lose benefits The Daily Mail
• Obese people and drug users who refuse treatment could have benefits cut The Guardian

NGH to bring back doctors’ white coats after patients did not realise they had seen a consultant

NGH to bring back doctors’ white coats after patients did not realise they had seen a consultant Some doctors at Northampton General Hospital will be asked to don their white coats again after worries that they cause infections were dismissed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

£35M cut from children and young people's mental health services

£35M cut from children and young people's mental health services Research undertaken by YoungMinds into the responses of 165 Clinical Commissioning Groups, 97 local authorities and 37 Mental Health Trusts from Freedom of Information requests has revealed that there has been an actual cut of £35 million across the board for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

See also:

• Cuts to UK mental health services are destroying young lives and families The Guardian
• Revealed: Tens of millions slashed from mental health budgets ITV News
• In numbers: How mental health is suffering from budget cuts ITV News
• Key statistics: What you need to know about mental health ITV News

Crunch time: annual report on hospital waiting times

Crunch time: annual report on hospital waiting times This report is the fifth in a series of annual reviews of hospital waiting times for elective surgical procedures in England. It finds that NHS patients are waiting longer than ever for surgical procedures such as hip replacements and cataracts. The report looks at seven key surgical procedures and finds that the mean average waiting time for all is 13 weeks. Patients Association

• Report
• Press release

See also:

• Hospital waits for planned surgery getting longer and longer OnMedica

RCN responds to NHS £1.8bn redundancy bill

RCN responds to NHS £1.8bn redundancy bill Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN yesterday responded to figures which show the NHS has spent £1.8bn on redundancy payments. Royal College of Nursing

See also:

• NHS spends £1.8bn on staff redundancy pay-offs following Government restructuring The Independent

Recruiting foreign nurses 'expensive'

Recruiting foreign nurses 'expensive' It is "distracting, frustrating and expensive" to have to recruit large numbers of nurses from overseas, the head of a leading NHS hospital says. BBC News

A&E unit closed over virus outbreak

A&E unit closed over virus outbreak Manchester Royal Infirmary temporarily shuts its A&E unit after a suspected outbreak of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. BBC News

See also:

• Manchester Royal Infirmary closed after an outbreak of deadly breathing illness MERS The Daily Mail
• Manchester Royal Infirmary closes A&E due to suspected Mers cases The Guardian

The GMC responds to The Guardian’s article about language testing for European doctors

The GMC responds to The Guardian’s article about language testing for European doctors A response to The Guardian’s article about European doctors being prevented from obtaining a licence due to language checks. General Medical Council

Cost of national living wage could trigger 'catastrophic failure' in homecare

Cost of national living wage could trigger 'catastrophic failure' in homecare UK HomeCare Association, representing firms supporting 880,000 older and disabled people, says increases in staff costs could see businesses go bust

Firms supporting 880,000 older and disabled people have warned that the costs of introducing a “national living wage” could trigger “catastrophic failure” in the homecare market.

Without increased funding to meet the increased staff costs of the national living wage (NLW), businesses caring for people in their own homes could go bust, the UK HomeCare Association(UKHCA) warns in a letter to the chancellor George Osborne. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Living Wage 'could cripple home care' BBC News
• Life as a care worker: my time is worth less than £5 an hour The Guardian
• Why do so few care homes pay staff the living wage? The Guardian

'Anti-abortion protesters are holding the NHS hostage. The government must act now'

'Anti-abortion protesters are holding the NHS hostage. The government must act now' Open letter: A letter signed by MPs has called on health secretary Jeremy Hunt to take action after protesters forced a British abortion clinic to shut. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Protect abortion clinics from harassment, Jeremy Hunt urged The Guardian

Policy paper: 7-day NHS services: a factsheet

Policy paper: 7-day NHS services: a factsheet Hospitals and community services are already working together to create a better service 7 days a week. This factsheet describes the further action the government wants to take to make NHS services safer during this Parliament. Department of Health

The impact of primary care quality on inpatient length of stay for people with dementia: an analysis by discharge destination

The impact of primary care quality on inpatient length of stay for people with dementia: an analysis by discharge destination This paper examines whether the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) dementia review helps to achieve timely hospital discharge for dementia patients. It found that on average the length of stay in hospital for dementia patients is 18 days and that QOF dementia review had little effect on the length of stay. Centre for Health Economics

Assaults: new figures released on A&E attendances and hospital admissions

Assaults: new figures released on A&E attendances and hospital admissions New figures on NHS A&E attendances and hospital admissions due to assaults are released today by the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Is there really a middle-class drinking 'epidemic' in over-50s?

Is there really a middle-class drinking 'epidemic' in over-50s? "Middle-class over-50s have become a generation of problem drinkers," the Mail Online reports – a headline that actually has little basis in fact.

This follows the analysis of more than 9,000 adults aged over 50 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. It found that over-50s falling into a "higher-risk drinking" category were more likely to have middle-class traits such as high educational achievement, better self-rated health, and being socially active.

Higher-risk drinking was defined as drinking more than 50 alcohol units per week (equivalent to five or more bottles of wine) for men, and over 35 units per week (three-and-half bottles of wine) for women.

The Mail's headline got the wrong idea though, because only 3-7% of over-50s drank at these "higher-risk" levels. While an obvious issue of concern, it a stretch to say this is a generation of problem drinkers.

There were also significantly different patterns between men and women. For example, higher-risk drinking was linked to higher income, but only in women.

These uncertainties aside, the study does reinforce the fact that alcohol misuse and the risks of drinking too much do not respect class boundaries. You can do just as much damage by drinking champagne to excess as you can by drinking cheap cider.

'I had to starve for treatment'

'I had to starve for treatment' People with eating disorders losing weight to get treatment. BBC News

See also:

• VIDEO: Body mass index 'encourages anorexia' BBC News

Massive leaked NHS privatisation plan could shut 29 centres and make 800 staff redundant

Massive leaked NHS privatisation plan could shut 29 centres and make 800 staff redundant

Hundreds of workers are threatened at the Primary Care Support centres, which are being handed over to private firm Capita. The Daily Mirror

New 'vanguard' areas to link GP out-of-hours with other urgent and emergency care

New 'vanguard' areas to link GP out-of-hours with other urgent and emergency care The first eight urgent and emergency care vanguards have been announced by NHS England to spearhead new integrated models of delivery. GP Online

Surgeon's picture of himself mopping the floor of his operating theatre at 10pm - after he was called back into work - is shared nearly 80,000 times on Facebook

Surgeon's picture of himself mopping the floor of his operating theatre at 10pm - after he was called back into work - is shared nearly 80,000 times on Facebook Stuart Gould, a consultant surgeon at North West London NHS Trust, dedicated his post to his trainees, some of whom worked 17 hour days. The Daily Mail

See also:

• NHS 7 day week row grows as weekend hospitals have 66% less top doctors The Daily Mail
• #ImInWorkJeremy: Watch tearful message to Jeremy Hunt from exhausted NHS nurse drawing on fortune cookie for hope The Daily Mirror

Almost half of EU doctors seeking work in UK failed to prove English skills

Almost half of EU doctors seeking work in UK failed to prove English skills General Medical Council says 45% of those who applied in the past year did not give evidence of their language skills and were refused a licence to practise

Nearly half of all EU doctors who sought work in the UK in the past year were turned away because they failed to prove their English was good enough, the medical regulator has revealed.

In all, 779 doctors – 45% of those who applied – did not give evidence of their language skills to the General Medical Council (GMC), and were therefore refused a licence to practice, between 25 June 2014 and 6 July this year.

The fact that we can now check on doctors coming to the UK from elsewhere in Europe is proving effective

If you can’t communicate with your patients, you can’t function as a doctor Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS's financial problems need one solution, not many

NHS's financial problems need one solution, not many A collaborative approach is needed between local and national systems to ensure the NHS stays within its 2015-16 budget

The latest evidence, such as the King’s Fund Quarterly Monitoring Report (QMR) published last week, shows that the NHS faces a significantly more difficult challenge to stay within its budget this year than it did last year.

There are a number of possible responses from NHS frontline leaders to this problem. One would be, “The only way we can manage 2015-16 without the system crashing is for the government to inject more money and admit the current challenge is undeliverable”. Another might be, “Making the NHS numbers add up is a system level responsibility of the department of health and the arm’s length bodies, not ours”. A third would be, “We can only deliver by forgetting about everyone else and sorting out our own problems”.Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Jeremy Hunt's seven-day plan for GP surgeries could cost NHS £3bn a year The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt’s U-turn on social care ‘cost taxpayer £100m’

Jeremy Hunt’s U-turn on social care ‘cost taxpayer £100m’ Health secretary faces tough questions from MPs amid growing anger at policy fiasco over cap on care costs for the elderly

The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, faces a growing backlash after quietly shelving a key Tory manifesto commitment to cap care costs for the elderly, as experts claimed that the policy fiasco has cost taxpayers up to £100m.

Hunt has announced that the plan to limit care bills from next year to £72,000 for the over-65s and for younger adults with disabilities has been delayed until 2020 – despite the fact it was trumpeted by the Conservatives in the runup to the general election. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Is the cap on care costs doomed? BBC News

Tens of thousands of under-age girls given long-acting NHS contraceptives

Tens of thousands of under-age girls given long-acting NHS contraceptives More than 5,000 girls, aged 15 and under, are being given 'long-acting' contraceptive implants every year on the NHS without the need for parental consent. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Contraceptive implants and injections for girls under 16 has nearly TRIPLED in the past decade  The Daily Mail

NHS waste: efficiency and good care go hand in hand

NHS waste: efficiency and good care go hand in hand Telegraph View: The health service must not take the lazy view that bigger budgets always mean better care. The Daily Telegraph

English people with rare eye condition may be forced to move to Scotland to 'save their sight', says charity

English people with rare eye condition may be forced to move to Scotland to 'save their sight', says charity English people living with a rare eye condition may be forced to move to Scotland or Wales to “save their sight”, the country’s leading charity for the blind has said, after the NHS refused to fund routine access to treatments. The Independent

The NHS in 2030: A vision of a people-powered knowledge-powered health system

The NHS in 2030: A vision of a people-powered knowledge-powered health system "The changes to healthcare imagined in this paper would add up to a fundamental shift in how people understand health and who is responsible for managing it. By 2030, there may be new kinds of knowledge, new ways of using it and new kinds of people involved in health support and services." Nesta

Powerful people: reinforcing the power of citizens and communities in health and care

Powerful people: reinforcing the power of citizens and communities in health and care This report argues for giving citizens greater control over their own health and care, so that services are redesigned around their needs and aspirations, to improve health outcomes, and to save money by supporting people better to manage their conditions themselves. Institute for Public Policy Research

NHS launches next step of urgent care review

NHS launches next step of urgent care review NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens and the NHS Five Year Forward View partners today (Friday) announced eight new vanguards that will launch the transformation of urgent and emergency care for more than nine million people.

This comes as NHS England also revealed the success of Regional Major Trauma Networks which, after they were set up just three years ago, have seen a remarkable 50 per cent increase in the odds of survival for trauma patients revealed in a new independent audit by the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN).

More than a fifth of young people have tried e-cigarettes

More than a fifth of young people have tried e-cigarettes School pupil survey asks about use of new smoking products and legal highs for the first time. Health and Social Care Information Centre

See also:

• More pupils try 'vaping' than smoking BBC News

Malaria vaccine one step closer

Malaria vaccine one step closer The world's first malaria vaccine has cleared one of the final regulatory hurdles prior to being used to immunise children in sub-Saharan Africa. BBC News

See also:

• Malaria vaccine: How good is good enough? BBC News
• VIDEO: Malaria vaccine close to roll-out BBC News
• World's first malaria vaccination approved after 30 years of trials

Paramedics and medical assistants can ease GP workload, finds workforce commission

Paramedics and medical assistants can ease GP workload, finds workforce commission Paramedics could 'substitute for GPs' in some cases, while use of pharmacists and other staff in primary care must be widened to help tackle the workforce crisis, a landmark GP workforce commission has found. GP Online

See also:

• The future of primary care: Creating teams for tomorrow  Primary Care Workforce Commission
• GP workforce commission: Full response from RCGP chairwoman Dr Maureen Baker GP Online

GP funding may be pooled with wider NHS budgets under new care models

GP funding may be pooled with wider NHS budgets under new care models General practice funding could be merged with other providers' budgets under new care model plans in 'vanguard' areas to be discussed by NHS England. GP Online

Timely patient discharge will ensure hospitals don't become frailty factories

Timely patient discharge will ensure hospitals don't become frailty factories Commission to gather evidence of how hospitals have tackled bottlenecks, long waits and delayed care transfers

Let me let you in on a secret: winter is coming. Sure as night follows day the NHS will be in the headlines as A&Es and hospital wards fill up and valiant staff struggle to deliver the right care to people in the right place at the right time.

Last winter ministers established a weekly emergency meeting to manage the pressures in the system. The intention may have been a good one but it is no way to run our NHS – it tends to focus on the immediate presenting issues often treating symptoms rather than causes. Continue reading... The Guardian

Why on earth do some doctors still think they can 'cure' gay people?

Why on earth do some doctors still think they can 'cure' gay people? A shocking new report from lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality charity Stonewall has shown 'unhealthy attitudes' among health and social work staff. Here, its CEO Ruth Hunt sets out what needs to be done to tackle them. The Daily Telegraph

NHS bosses paid by drug firms

NHS bosses paid by drug firms Senior NHS staff are being paid thousands of pounds and taken on expensive trips by drug companies lobbying to get their products used by the health service, the Daily Telegraph can reveal. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Probe into claims NHS chiefs are paid thousands by drugs firms to use their products: NHS fraud watchdog launches investigation into 'serious allegations' The Daily Mail
• Lavish trips laid on by drugs firms to 'sway' NHS staff  The Daily Telegraph
• Investigation launched over drug company payments to senior NHS staff The Independent

Huge donation by cancer charity sees fund for Northampton General Hospital chemo suite top £250k

Huge donation by cancer charity sees fund for Northampton General Hospital chemo suite top £250k A fundraising appeal to refurbish the chemotherapy suite at Northampton General Hospital has reached quarter of a million pounds after a donation by cancer charity Crazy Hats. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Unhealthy Attitudes: the treatment of LGBT people within health and social care

Unhealthy Attitudes: the treatment of LGBT people within health and social care YouGov research conducted for Stonewall reveals that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people are facing unhealthy attitudes from health and social care professionals. Stonewall

See also:

• Britain still has health workers who believe gay people can be 'cured' The Daily Telegraph
• One in 10 UK health and social care workers believe in a 'gay cure', survey finds The Independent

A Better Understanding: Psychiatry's Social Contract

A Better Understanding: Psychiatry's Social Contract In this report two key questions are considered: what is the nature of the "contract" between psychiatry and society, and what responsibilities and expectations are there on both sides to enable high quality NHS psychiatric care to be provided across the UK? The Mental Health Foundation

See also:

• Independent report calls for more 'balanced' and 'truthful' reporting of mental health issues The Mirror

Independent report: Challenges to finding treatments for dementia

Independent report: Challenges to finding treatments for dementia This report by Raj Long, Senior Regulatory Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, sets out what and where hurdles exist in the development of treatments for dementia.

The report forms part of the ambition to help drive towards the G8 dementia summit’s goal of a cure or disease modifying therapy for dementia by 2025. Department of Health

The NHS in numbers

The NHS in numbers Find out how many people make up the NHS workforce in the latest figures compiled by NHS Confederation. NHS Employers

Capacity and capability to regulate the quality and safety of health and adult social care

Capacity and capability to regulate the quality and safety of health and adult social care According to this report, the Care Quality Commission has made substantial progress as it seeks to address public concerns about its regulatory approach, but significant challenges lie ahead if it is to demonstrate effectiveness and value for money. National Audit Office

• Full report
• Executive summary
• National Audit Office - press release

New organisational models of primary care to meet the future needs of the NHS: a brief overview of recent reports

New organisational models of primary care to meet the future needs of the NHS: a brief overview of recent reports This research presents a brief overview of reports from professional bodies and policy-focused organisations, from England and internationally, that describe new models for delivering primary care. It gives some examples of communication/information technology used in primary care and discuss recruitment and retention challenges facing health professionals in general practice. The Rand Corporation

New figures released on NHS sickness absence rates

New figures released on NHS sickness absence rates  New figures on NHS sickness absence rates are released today by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Sugary drinks linked to 8,000 new UK diabetes cases a year

Sugary drinks linked to 8,000 new UK diabetes cases a year "Are sugary drinks causing 8,000 cases of diabetes every year?," the Daily Mirror asks, as a new study estimates they could cause thousands of type 2 diabetes cases in the UK, and millions in the US.

Researchers pooled the results of previous studies to estimate the public health impact of type 2 diabetes associated with sugary drinks consumption, as well as artificially sweetened drinks and fruit juice.

Researchers found that consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks may be linked to 1.8 million cases of type 2 diabetes in the US and 79,000 in the UK over 10 years. They also adjusted their results to take account of body fat (adiposity) and their results suggest that people of a healthy weight may still be vulnerable.

Artificially sweetened drinks and fruit juice also showed a positive association; however, there is thought to be bias associated with this outcome.

As the researchers themselves make clear, this type of study is unable to prove cause and effect.

A government report from July 2015 has recommended that sugar should make up no more than 5% of a person’s calorie intake. Therefore, cutting out sugary drinks entirely could be a good way of doing this.

Hospital tries to cut staff sickness

Hospital tries to cut staff sickness How a hospital cut sick leave through exercise. BBC News

Third round of GP trainee recruitment as uptake of posts remains low

Third round of GP trainee recruitment as uptake of posts remains low Health Education England (HEE) will hold a third round of GP trainee recruitment for the second year running in an attempt to boost uptake of available posts across the country. GP Online

Older people in care homes are still at risk from abuse

Older people in care homes are still at risk from abuse The Care Quality Comission will not complete inspections of care homes until late next year after failing to recruit enough staff. The Daily Telegraph

NHS consultant writes open letter to Jeremy Hunt to prove he's getting the minimum wage for weekend work

NHS consultant writes open letter to Jeremy Hunt to prove he's getting the minimum wage for weekend work A consultant angered by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's claims that a "Monday to Friday" culture exists within the NHS has published an honest account of exactly how much he earns at weekends. The Independent

See also:

• Now doctor reveals he gets paid LESS than the minimum wage for extra work: Angry consultant blasts Health Secretary about being paid £2.61 an hour The Daily Mail

Medics with 14 weeks’ training sent alone to life-threatening emergencies in Northamptonshire, report reveals

Medics with 14 weeks’ training sent alone to life-threatening emergencies in Northamptonshire, report reveals Ambulance medics who should be supported by a paramedic had no back-up for life-threatening emergencies 868 times in 12 months, according to figures for Northamptonshire. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Making change possible: a Transformation Fund for the NHS

Making change possible: a Transformation Fund for the NHS  This report draws on analysis conducted by the two organisations, in particular six case studies of funding transformation, in the health sector and beyond, along with examples of local NHS initiatives. We also captured the experience of NHS leaders and some of those organisations across the NHS that have been at the forefront of efforts to implement changes in the delivery of care. The King's Fund and the Health Foundation

See also:

• 'More investment needed' in NHS BBC News

No local authority area in England and Wales free from FGM

No local authority area in England and Wales free from FGM A new report from City University London and Equality Now shows that:

• Women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) do not only live in urban centres in England and Wales. While many affected women live in large cities where migrant populations tend to be clustered, others are scattered in rural areas.
• Southwark in London has the highest national prevalence with an estimated 4.7% of women affected by FGM and also the highest percentage of girls born to mothers who had undergone FGM, at 10.4%.
• Outside London, highest estimates were for Manchester, Slough, Bristol, Leicester and Birmingham.
• Other authorities, including Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Coventry, Sheffield, Reading, Thurrock, Northampton and Oxford had rates of over 0.7%.
• The report provides figures for local areas to enable professionals to plan services to support affected women and – where necessary – to safeguard their daughters.
• No local authority area is likely to be free from FGM entirely.

See also:

• Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation in England and Wales: National and local estimates City University London and Equality Now
• FGM victims 'in every part of England and Wales' BBC News
• One in 20 women in one London borough have fallen victim to female genital mutilation says shock new report  The Daily Mail
• FGM affects females in every local authority in England and Wales - study The Guardian
• Nowhere in England and Wales is "free from FGM", finds new report New Statesman

National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness

National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness The annual report 2015 from the University of Manchester, which presents findings from 2003 to 2013, highlights areas of healthcare where safety should be strengthened. Key messages include:

• The rise in suicide among male mental health patients appears to be greater than in the general population - suicide prevention in middle aged males should be seen as a suicide prevention priority.
• It is in the safety of crisis resolution/home treatment that current bed pressures are being felt – the safe use of these services should be monitored; providers and commissioners (England) should review their acute care services. 
• Opiates are now the most common substance used in overdose – clinicians should be aware of the potential risks from opiate-containing painkillers and patients’ access to these drugs.
• Families and carers are a vital but under-used resource in mental health care – with the agreement of service users, closer working with families would have safety benefits.
• Good physical health care may help reduce risk in mental health patients – patients’ physical and mental health care needs should be addressed by mental health teams together with patients’ GPs.
• Sudden death among younger in-patients continues to occur, with no fall – these deaths should always be investigated; physical health should be assessed on admission and polypharmacy avoided.

• Report
• Press release
• Infographics
• Service user information sheet

See also:

• Suicide rate for middle-age men with mental health issues up 73%, report says The Guardian

Supporting staff who are experiencing mental health problems

Supporting staff who are experiencing mental health problems A new guide from NHS Employers aims to improve the support managers give to staff experiencing mental health issues.

Reasons why people with dementia are admitted to a general hospital in an emergency

Reasons why people with dementia are admitted to a general hospital in an emergency This study finds the proportion of people with dementia being admitted to hospital in an emergency increased by 48% between 2008 to 2009 and 2012 to 2013. It focuses on the reasons why people with dementia are admitted to a general hospital in an emergency and considers ways in which some of these could be prevented. It recommends that although strategies to improve care for people with dementia have progressed and there is greater awareness of the symptoms, there is room for improvement. Public Health England

• Report
• Dataset

Rethinking the public health workforce

Rethinking the public health workforce With only 40,000 people estimated to be part of the core public health workforce, and in light of the crisis in lifestyle health issues, this report calls for anyone who has “the opportunity or ability to positively impact health and wellbeing through their work” to join the wider public health workforce. It identifies a number of services, such as the fire service, hairdressing and the postal service, which has the capacity to support public health work. Royal Society of Public Health

See also:

• Understanding the wider public health workforce in England Centre for Workforce Intelligence

Dementia drug data set to be revealed

Dementia drug data set to be revealed Data from tests on the most promising drug used in treating people with Alzheimer's disease will be presented at a conference later. BBC News

New heart surgery proposals published

New heart surgery proposals published New proposals have been put forward in an effort to resolve a long-running row about the congenital heart surgery in England. BBC News

See also:

• New Congenital Heart Disease Review: Final Report 2015 NHS England

Ambulance speeding fines unveiled

Ambulance speeding fines unveiled Ambulance trusts in England are paying staff to appeal against thousands of speeding fines, despite 98% being blue light emergencies. BBC News

Government considers inquiry to decide on how NHS is funded in the future

Government considers inquiry to decide on how NHS is funded in the future Inquiry would consider the merits of patient charges and insurance schemes. OnMedica

PM plans patient data grab in proposals for seven-day NHS

PM plans patient data grab in proposals for seven-day NHS Privacy campaigners raise concerns over NHS official’s letter to IT companies asking for confidential data for patients who get a ‘seven-day’ service

The government is proposing to build a database that would identify 18 million patients and store records of their GP appointments without their consent, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.

By the end of this year, the prime minister has pledged that millions of patients will have access to a GP in the evening and at the weekend.

GPs are the data controllers. They are the people who can decide whether this should be released or not Continue reading... The Guardian

Learning disability: positive behaviour support offers an alternative to antipsychotics

Learning disability: positive behaviour support offers an alternative to antipsychotics Challenging behaviours can be traumatic, but sedation is not the answer. Positive behaviour support can help people express themselves in different ways

Last week, NHS England called for an end to over-medicating people with learning disabilities (pdf). This follows a report by Public Health England that estimates up to 35,000 people with learning disabilities are being prescribed strong antipsychotic medications, without clinical justification. This problem has been known about for some time, but the research highlights the scale of the issue.

There are no medications that “treat” challenging behaviour, learning disability or autism. Antipsychotic medications are largely used for their sedative side effects to chemically restrain people when their behaviours are described as challenging by others. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Over-medication of people with learning disabilities infringes human rights The Guardian
• Why might someone behave in a challenging way? The Guardian

Running the NHS is harder than selling underwear: head of health service hits out at M&S boss

Running the NHS is harder than selling underwear: head of health service hits out at M&S boss Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS, accuses Lord Rose of "denigrating" the health service after damning critique of management culture. The Daily Telegraph

NHS pay must match private sector to stop hospital staff leaving, says health chief

NHS pay must match private sector to stop hospital staff leaving, says health chief The chief executive of the NHS in England has warned that health service pay will have to keep up with private sector salaries if hospitals are to retain the staff they need. The Independent

Text reminder service to curb £1 million of wasted appointments at Northampton General Hospital

Text reminder service to curb £1 million of wasted appointments at Northampton General Hospital Patients missing appointments cost Northampton General Hospital more than £1 million last year.

Now, health chiefs are introducing a new text message service to remind patients of their outpatient appointment.

The system will text patients with details of the date and time of their appointments, for both new and follow-up appointments. Northants Herald and Post

See also:

• Texting service to remind patients of hospital appointments Northampton General Hospital

Northamptonshire A&E departments seeing busiest summer ever, says NHS

Northamptonshire A&E departments seeing busiest summer ever, says NHS Hospitals in Northamptonshire are seeing up to 520 patients a day as the NHS warns against unwarranted hospital visits. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Visitors to Northampton General Hospital hit by increase in car park costs on same day cheaper alternative closes for revamp

Visitors to Northampton General Hospital hit by increase in car park costs on same day cheaper alternative closes for revamp Patients and visitors parking at Northampton General Hospital have been hit by a price increase...on the day a nearby public car park closed for renovations. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Paying for care: back to square one?

Paying for care: back to square one? The need to address the financial consequences of the success story that is our ageing population is universally acknowledged. But the government’s decision to breach an explicit manifesto commitment by delaying reforms to social care funding (phase 2 of the Care Act 2014) until 2020 again demonstrates the apparent inability of successive governments to make headway on this issue.

The fact that there have been at least four independent reviews or commissions, four consultations, and five white and green papers over the past 17 years pays testimony to how much effort has been expended to so little effect.

Safely home: What happens when people leave hospital and care settings?

Safely home: What happens when people leave hospital and care settings? When discharge goes wrong, it comes at significant cost, both to individuals and to the health and social care system.

Whilst the financial cost of this problem is recognised, not enough is known about the human cost. We undertook this inquiry to bring the true emotional and physical impact of this persisting problem to light. With the help of 101 local Healthwatch, we heard from over 3,000 people who shared their stories with us about their experiences of the discharge process. Healthwatch England

See also:

• RCN responds to Healthwatch England report on hospital discharge Royal College of Nursing
• Hospital discharges 'fail patients' BBC News
• Scandal of patients sent home too early The Daily Telegraph
• Hospitals show 'shocking' lack of care discharging vulnerable patients The Guardian
• Many patients get more sick because hospitals send them home too soon, patient safety group claims  The Independent

Accident and emergency statistics

Accident and emergency statistics This briefing provides summaries and visualisations of a wide range of NHS A&E trends, including: levels of attendance over time; attendance by age, and various measures of waiting times. House of Commons Library

The local health service?

The local health service? This report examines how to balance local control and national standards in access to health care. It also considers how greater control for services users, employees and local leaders can be delivered alongside higher performance and value for money. Fabian Society

• Report
• Blog

Teenager 'in 12-year HIV remission'

Teenager 'in 12-year HIV remission' An 18-year-old French woman is in remission from HIV - despite not having taken any drugs against the virus for 12 years. BBC News

NHS wheelchair services 'need major revamp'

NHS wheelchair services 'need major revamp' Campaigners, including Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, slam bad design and poor availability. OnMedica

See also:

• Wheelchair services 'are failing' BBC News
• VIDEO: Wheelchair services in England 'chaotic' BBC News

NHS official demands details of millions of confidential GP appointments

NHS official demands details of millions of confidential GP appointments  A top NHS official has ordered the firm in charge of bookings at most English surgeries to hand over the date, time and duration of appointments as well as the reason for the consultation. The Daily Mail

Rationing of weight management services undermines health efforts

Rationing of weight management services undermines health efforts Access is being restricted to exercise programmes, NHS health checks and mental health services, according to research by Royal Society for Public Health.

People who are dangerously overweight are being denied vital help because weight management services are being rationed to save money, despite rising obesity, public health experts have revealed.
Continue reading... The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt asked to explain why Government has 'chosen to ignore' results of lung cancer awareness campaign

Jeremy Hunt asked to explain why Government has 'chosen to ignore' results of lung cancer awareness campaign Doctors and nurses have written an open letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt asking why the Government has “chosen to ignore” the positive results of a lung cancer awareness campaign and not announce a follow-up. The Independent

Hospital patients in Northamptonshire waiting up to 12 hours for transport following private firm’s redundancies

Hospital patients in Northamptonshire waiting up to 12 hours for transport following private firm’s redundancies Hospital patients in Northamptonshire have been left waiting up to 12 hours by a private transport service that took over a contract from the NHS. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

No more inner Stalin: can Jeremy Hunt deliver his vision for the NHS?

No more inner Stalin: can Jeremy Hunt deliver his vision for the NHS? The headlines that preceded Jeremy Hunt’s speech at the Fund yesterday may have focused on seven-day working, but what he had to say about his approach to reform is likely to be of greater interest to leaders within the NHS.

The Health Secretary’s central message was that in future reform will rely less on top-down controls and more on what he called ‘self-directed improvement’. This will go hand-in-hand with greater transparency about NHS performance and an aspiration that the NHS should become ‘the world’s largest learning organisation’.

The ambition is for the NHS to develop a ‘culture of continuous improvement’ supported by buddying with high-performing organisations such as the Virginia Mason Medical Centre in Seattle. In Hunt’s own words, ‘I want these changes to create a profound change in culture in the NHS’, moving away from targets and money as the main ways of delivering improvements in care.

Sugar intake should be drastically reduced, says report

Sugar intake should be drastically reduced, says report "Sugar intake 'should be halved'," BBC News reports. The headline is prompted by a government report that recommends no more than 5% of our calorie intake should come from "free sugars". The previous recommendation was 10%.

The new advice says children aged 11 or over and adults should consume no more than seven teaspoons of added sugar a day – 30g, equal to less than a single can of Coca-Cola, which contains 39g.

Children should consume much less than that. The report recommends no more than 19g for children aged four to six (around the amount of sugar in a pouch of Capri Sun) and no more than 24g for children aged seven to 10 (around the amount of sugar in a Snickers bar).

The BBC tells us "all age groups in the UK consume twice as much as this limit", so the gulf between what is good for our health and what we actually do is now wider than ever. The main sources of free sugars are sugar-sweetened drinks, cereal, chocolate, sweets, fruit juice and added sugar at the table.

Heads 'fear for pupil mental health'

Heads 'fear for pupil mental health' Head teachers are more concerned with pupils' mental health than any other issue related to well-being, a survey suggests. BBC News

See also:

• Headteachers say mental health issues among children are a growing problem in schools The Guardian

Mental health callouts 'at 15 a day'

Mental health callouts 'at 15 a day' Devon and Cornwall police attends the equivalent of almost 15 mental health incidents a day, figures show. BBC News

Plan for 'world class' cancer care

Plan for 'world class' cancer care NHS patients in England should get results for cancer tests within four weeks of being referred by a GP by 2020 under new plans to provide "world class care". BBC News

See also:

• Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020 Independent Cancer Taskforce
• Taskforce report aims to boost cancer survival and transform patient experience NHS England
• RCGP response to the Independent Cancer Taskforce report Royal College of General Practitioners 
• Cancer: The challenge facing the NHS BBC News
• NHS chief: Cancer reforms will save 30,000 lives yearly The Daily Telegraph
• This cancer care lottery is unacceptable (editorial) The Daily Telegraph
• Cancer taskforce tells NHS: get up to date and save 30,000 lives a year The Guardian

Why Are We Failing to Fund Mental Health Research?

Why Are We Failing to Fund Mental Health Research? Sam Crossman looks at the funding gap that exists in mental health research. The Huffington Post UK

NHS ‘will fall well short of £22bn savings target’

NHS ‘will fall well short of £22bn savings target’ Health service leaders warn they will need almost double the £8bn boost promised by ministers because delivering target is ‘pie in the sky’

NHS leaders fear they will need almost double the £8bn boost ministers have pledged for the health service because the chances of delivering £22bn of promised savings are “pie in the sky”.

They believe it is unlikely more than £15bn of efficiencies can be achieved to help close the £30bn hole expected to appear in NHS finances by 2020. Continue reading... The Guardian

The PFI hospitals costing NHS £2bn every year

The PFI hospitals costing NHS £2bn every year The NHS is spending more than £3,700 every minute to pay for privately financed hospitals, The Telegraph can disclose. The Daily Telegraph

Jeremy Hunt 'breached patient confidentiality' by Tweeting hospital picture

Jeremy Hunt 'breached patient confidentiality' by Tweeting hospital picture The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been accused of breaching patient confidentiality by tweeting a photo from a hospital visit. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Jeremy Hunt provokes anger on Twitter for 'breaking patient confidentiality' The Guardian

224 fewer people received an organ transplants over 2014/15 period as number of donations has fallen for the first time in a decade

224 fewer people received an organ transplants over 2014/15 period as number of donations has fallen for the first time in a decade The number of people donating organs has fallen for the first time in a decade, leading to a call for more donors. The Independent

See also:

• Organ donation crisis threatens hundreds of lives The Daily Telegraph
• Obesity and old age causes fall in donor organs The Daily Telegraph
• Number of people donating organs after death falls for first time in 11 years The Guardian

#ImInWorkJeremy: Doctors send Jeremy Hunt photos of themselves working over the weekend

#ImInWorkJeremy: Doctors send Jeremy Hunt photos of themselves working over the weekend Doctors, nurses and hospital workers across the country are sending photos of themselves to Jeremy Hunt to prove they work over the weekend as he pushes for seven-day services. The Independent

See also:

• NHS staff post #ImInWorkJeremy photos BBC News
• #ImInWorkJeremy: NHS staff post weekend working pictures on Twitter The Daily Telegraph
• Hundreds of doctors sign GP's petition over Hunt seven-day NHS comments GP Online
• Don't lecture us Jeremy Hunt, we doctors already work 24/7 in the NHS The Guardian
• The Guardian view on free time: too valuable not to share fairly | Editorial The Guardian
• Dear Mr Cameron... junior doctor's furious open letter over plans to overhaul NHS The Independent
• 'Dear Mr Cameron': Junior doctor's angry letter to PM over NHS plans wins support of thousands ITV News