Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK may be unnecessarily taking drugs

Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK may be unnecessarily taking drugs Hundreds of thousands of patients with underactive thyroids are being prescribed a drug that offers no benefit, research suggests.

The drug levothyroxine is offered to people with thyroid problems to treat symptoms such as depression, feeling cold, tired and having muscle aches.

More than 32 million prescriptions for the hormone replacement drug were issued by NHS England last year, but experts have now said it is unnecessary and does not help relieve symptoms. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Thyroid hormones treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism: a clinical practice guideline The BMJ
• Thyroid disease 'being over-treated' BBC News

Mental health 'must be considered more' as part of diabetes care

Mental health 'must be considered more' as part of diabetes care Two diabetes specialists are encouraging healthcare professionals to become “facilitators, not fixers”, as a way of empowering people with long-term conditions.

Dr Charles Fox and Dr Anne Kilvert, consultants from Northampton General Hospital, run a specialist diabetes counselling and empowerment course for healthcare professionals, which focuses on training participants to work with people to identify ways of improving their own diabetes care. The Diabetes Times

Consultation outcome: The proposed reorganisation of local government in Northamptonshire

Consultation outcome: The proposed reorganisation of local government in Northamptonshire The Secretary of State has carefully considered the responses to this statutory consultation and other relevant information.

He has now made a decision on implementing the locally-led proposal from Northamptonshire councils to abolish the 8 existing councils in Northamptonshire and replace them with 2 new councils of North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

See also:

• Northamptonshire: Unitary authorities plan approved BBC Northampton
• Northamptonshire's eight councils will be replaced with two super authorities by April 2021 Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS figures reveal mental health spending postcode lottery

NHS figures reveal mental health spending postcode lottery NHS data showing how much local areas across England are planning to spend on mental health services over the next year has revealed significant variation, according to analysis by the mental health charity Mind.

Mental health services have been underfunded for decades, resulting in poor quality services and long waiting times for treatments. In 2016, the NHS committed to investing £1.6bn in these services by 2020/21, and a further £2.3bn a year by 2023/24 as part of its Long Term Plan.

See also:

• Mental health spending varies widely across England BBC News
• Vulnerable patients in some parts of the country get HALF the NHS funding of others, Mind reveals The Daily Mail

Active ageing

Active ageing This report, written in conjunction with care home provider Anchor Hanover, highlights the costs of physical inactivity in older people to the NHS and estimates that by 2030, this could be as much as £1.3bn. It also outlines the human cost of inactivity in later life, illustrating how inactivity not only contributes to poorer physical health, but also cognitive decline, reduced emotional wellbeing and loneliness. Demos

Frail elderly 'failed by care deserts'

Frail elderly 'failed by care deserts' The system for looking after frail older people in England is falling apart, with what are being dubbed "care deserts" emerging, a charity says.

An analysis carried out for Age UK indicates about 30% of areas now have no residential care beds.

The situation is even worse for nursing homes - needed for the most frail - with more than 60% having no places.

Recruiting staff and keeping services running were proving a real challenge some areas, the charity said. BBC News

See also:

• At least 1.3 million pensioners have no free care home beds in their area The Daily Telegraph

Doctors used as 'guinea pigs' in opioid painkiller promotion

Doctors used as 'guinea pigs' in opioid painkiller promotion "Everybody said, 'It's fantastic going to New York. It's like being on a film set.' So, that was very exciting for me."

Dr Cathy Stannard was one of a group of UK pain specialists flown to New York in the early 2000s.

They had stayed in a smart hotel, eaten in upscale restaurants and attended Broadway shows, she told BBC Radio 4's File on Four programme - all courtesy of a pharmaceutical company.

The trip had been presented as an educational package, an opportunity to meet "international thought leaders" from the world of pain management, she said.

She had known the company footing the bill manufactured opioid painkillers.

But she had not known that, around that time, some pharmaceutical companies would monitor the prescribing rates of the individual doctors who attended such paid-for trips, deliberately targeting those they thought they could influence. BBC News

What do patients really think about NHS staff?

What do patients really think about NHS staff? What do patients really think of the NHS – and those who work for it? As language experts, that was the question my colleague Gavin Brookes and I set out to answer when NHS England tasked us with making sense of comments patients leave online. It was no easy task – we collected a total of 228,000 comments from the NHS Choices website, coming in at a huge 29 million words. Our findings have now been published in the BMJ and as a book. The Independent

NHS compensation payouts for injuries and misdiagnosis double in five years

NHS compensation payouts for injuries and misdiagnosis double in five years NHS compensation payouts for delayed diagnosis, accidental harm or deaths have doubled in the past five years - topping £655m.

In 2013-14, £327m was administered for treatment delays, failures and misdiagnosis, in 1,406 cases.

There were 1,789 cases in 2017-18, meaning the number of cases where damages were paid has increased, but at a slower rate to the spiralling costs.

Among these cases were 1,100 patients who suffered a delay or failure in treatment and 679 who were misdiagnosed or suffered a delay in being diagnosed. The Independent

Mental health services in crisis are abandoning patients to meet targets

Mental health services in crisis are abandoning patients to meet targets | Jay Watts Vulnerable patients are being ‘off-rolled’ at a rate unheard of five years ago, thanks to the relentless focus on outcome

Off-rolling has recently become a buzzword in the world of education. It refers to the removal, by various means, of students from schools’ records who are deemed too complicated or who don’t make the statistics look good. However, it’s not just education. Off-rolling is common in mental health services and disproportionally affects those most vulnerable and marginalised.

Off-rolling takes three main forms. The first is prematurely discharging patients from secondary mental health services such as community mental health teams. Traditionally, one could expect better care if one had moderate to severe mental health difficulties, as opposed to mild problems, as funding was based on clinical need. However the relentless obsession with targets and outcome privileges services that give good optics.

Patients can find their behaviour framed as attention-seeking or manipulative, based more on discrimination than fact. The Guardian

Green therapy: how gardening is helping to fight depression

Green therapy: how gardening is helping to fight depression A growing movement is promoting the role gardening can play in patient recovery and rehabilitation

Sydenham Garden feels out of step with its surroundings in urban south London. Fringed by houses on most sides, with a school on its doorstep, it is hard to imagine that this small patch of green space is bringing a new lease of life to people struggling with their mental health.

The site, run by the Sydenham Garden charity trust, is just under an acre and boasts a wellbeing centre with gardens, a nature reserve and activity rooms. Therapeutic gardening sessions are held weekly, and are run by experienced staff, who are in turn supported by a team of volunteers. The Guardian

'Deaths of despair' rising among middle-aged Britons, report warns

'Deaths of despair' rising among middle-aged Britons, report warns Deaths from suicide, drug and alcohol overdoses are rising among middle-aged Britons, the Institute of Fiscal Studies has warned as it launches a major five-year study into social inequality.

The think tank said the increase in such fatalities, dubbed “deaths of despair”, may be linked to a process of "cumulative disadvantage for less-educated people".

Such deaths, which include drink-related liver disease, among 45-54-year-olds in England continued to rise between 1993 and 2017. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Inequalities in the twenty-first century: introducing the IFS Deaton Review Institute of Fiscal Studies

NHS threatening millions with fines for validly claiming free prescriptions, investigation finds

NHS threatening millions with fines for validly claiming free prescriptions, investigation finds The NHS is harassing millions of vulnerable patients by threatening them with fines for validly claiming free prescriptions and dental treatment, an investigation has found.

MPs last night called for urgent reform after a National Audit Office (NAO) report revealed there has been a significant increase in the sending of Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) over the last five years.

The forms are intended to crack down on patients fraudulently claiming to be exempt from the standard £8.80 prescription charge, such as those aged 60 or over and children under 16. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Investigation into penalty charge notices in healthcare National Audit Office
• NHS fines for 1.7 million people overturned, watchdog finds BBC News
• Prescription exemption rules are “overly complex” and cause genuine mistakes, says watchdog The BMJ
• NHS fraud crackdown sees millions in fines dished out to elderly, sick and others eligible for free treatment The Independent
• Free scrip eligibility checks must be simpler and quicker OnMedica

Doctors are advised to CUT their hours to get a larger pension

Doctors are advised to CUT their hours to get a larger pension Doctors have been advised to cut their hours so they get a bigger pension – triggering fears of a new NHS staffing crisis with ‘unimaginable consequences’.

The British Medical Association has issued guidance for NHS consultants explaining how reducing their hours could lead to an increased pension under new tax rules.

Critics said the way the tax system incentivises doctors to work less was ‘complete lunacy’ and will increase staff shortages and waiting times. The Daily Mail

Health Secretary orders review of the health impact of air pollution

Health Secretary orders review of the health impact of air pollution The Government's Department of Health and Social Care will produce an in-depth review of how bad air pollution is for people's health, it has announced.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has commissioned the investigation which will reveal the true dangers of dirty air and how they will affect people in the future.

His announcement comes just two months after Public Health England – also a government department – released its own report on how to improve air quality. The Daily Mail

Body image: How we think and feel about our bodies

Body image: How we think and feel about our bodies The report sets out the individual, family and cultural influences that are coming together to mean that we often have a gnawing and debilitating sense of dissatisfaction with our own bodies. We also identify the heightened risks of mental health problems that too often accompany poor body image. Mental Health Foundation

See also:

• Body image concerns 'making people suicidal' BBC News

Heart and circulatory disease deaths in under 75s see first sustained rise in 50 years

Heart and circulatory disease deaths in under 75s see first sustained rise in 50 years The number of people dying from heart and circulatory diseases before they reach their 75th birthday is on the rise for the first time in 50 years, according to our analysis of the latest national health statistics.

The figures show an upward trend in deaths since 2014, with 42,384 people dying from conditions including heart attack and stroke in the UK before the age of 75 in 2017, compared to 41,042 three years earlier. British Heart Foundation

See also:

• Heart deaths up for first time in 50 years BBC News
• British Heart Foundation report shows cardiovascular disease deaths rise for first time in 50 years The Daily Mail
• Heart disease deaths in under 75's going up for the first time in 50 years The Daily Telegraph
• UK heart disease fatalities on the rise for first time in 50 years The Guardian
• Heart disease deaths rise for first time in 50 years among under-75s The Independent

New funding for rough sleepers living with mental illness and substance misuse

New funding for rough sleepers living with mental illness and substance misuse Adults who are sleeping rough and living with mental illness and substance misuse will benefit from £1.9 million funding to improve their access to vital healthcare. Department of Health and Social Care

Mental health cut-off: Why sling me out of CAMHS at 18?

Mental health cut-off: Why sling me out of CAMHS at 18? Kirsty was being treated by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) up until the age of 18.

She's one of 25,000 young people in England that make the move to adult mental health services every year.

But many young people struggle to make a smooth transition and can end up going months or even years without the treatment they need.

NHS England says it plans to address the issue by extending young people's mental health care until the age of 25. BBC News

Rising levels of knife crime are having a negative effect on NHS - iNews

Rising levels of knife crime are having a negative effect on NHS Rising levels of knife crime are having a “ripple effect” across the health service, leading to cancelled operations and strains on the ambulance service, a leading surgeon said.

Figures published last month showed police in England and Wales recorded 40,829 offences involving knives or sharp objects in 2018, the highest number since comparable data started in 2010/11. iNews

See also:

• Knife crime cripples hospitals: Top NHS surgeon warns epidemic is having a ‘ripple effect’ across the service with longer ambulance waits, operations being cancelled and police on wards The Daily Mail

Leading US drug companies conspired to inflate prices of common medicines by up to 1,000%, prosecutors say

Leading US drug companies conspired to inflate prices of common medicines by up to 1,000%, prosecutors say Leading drug companies including Teva, Pfizer, Novartis and Mylan conspired to inflate the prices of generic drugs by as much as 1,000 per cent, according to a far-reaching lawsuit filed on Friday by 44 states. The Independent

Investigation into learning disabilities services run by major NHS contractor after police brought in over ‘abuse’ of patients

Investigation into learning disabilities services run by major NHS contractor after police brought in over ‘abuse’ of patients An investigation has begun into a major care provider after police were called in over alleged psychological and physical abuse of patients with learning disabilities at one of its homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said inspectors would be reviewing these and similar services run by the NHS contractor Cygnet Health Care across the country – and appealed for anyone with concerns to come forward. The Independent

See also:

• Second care home for vulnerable people run by US multinational under criminal investigation as staff member charged with assault The Independent

Hundreds of foreign doctors mull leaving UK over 'crippling' fees

Hundreds of foreign doctors mull leaving UK over 'crippling' fees High cost of visas and other charges is worsening NHS staffing crisis, warn medics

Hundreds of overseas doctors are considering quitting the NHS in protest at being charged thousands of pounds a year for visas and healthcare in order to work in the UK.

Medics from around the world are considering taking their skills abroad, angered by high charges and fees. Immigration rules mean they must pay thousands of pounds a year for a working visa and £400 a year for them and each member of their family to use the NHS. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS staff shortage: How many doctors and nurses come from abroad? BBC News
• Case study: 'My heart is here in the NHS. But I can only take so much' The Guardian

Plan to end the tax trap on NHS senior doctors’ pensions

Plan to end the tax trap on NHS senior doctors’ pensions Medics have been refusing extra work for fear of being hit by charges for exceeding retirement contributions

Ministers are planning a major shake-up of NHS pensions designed to stop an exodus of senior doctors retiring early because current tax rules mean they can end up working for free, especially if they take on extra duties.

Philip Hammond, the chancellor, and Matt Hancock, the health and social care secretary, are studying plans which would end what NHS bosses and doctors’ leaders say is a “ludicrous” pensions tax trap that is exacerbating the health service’s already severe staff shortage. The Guardian

NHS hospital first to be fined for false imprisonment after refusing to allow vulnerable woman to go home

NHS hospital first to be fined for false imprisonment after refusing to allow vulnerable woman to go home An NHS hospital has become the first to be fined for false imprisonment of a patient after refusing to allow a vulnerable woman to go home with her family.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust kept the pensioner against her wishes for four months before sending her “to die” in an inadequately briefed nursing home. The Daily Telegraph

British people breathe equivalent of one cigarette a day because of air pollution, doctors warn

British people breathe equivalent of one cigarette a day because of air pollution, doctors warn British people are breathing in the equivalent of one cigarette a day because of air pollution, a leading doctor has warned.

The Government is now being begged by two royal medical colleges to do more to tackle the public health crisis, which is shortening thousands of people's lives.

The Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said politicians are not taking air pollution seriously enough. The Daily Mail

Untapped potential: Investing in health and care data analytics

Untapped potential: Investing in health and care data analytics The NHS generates a huge amount of data.Making better use of this growing mountain of information has the potential to improve care and how services are run.

Yet the NHS is failing to make the most of its data because there aren’t enough people with the right analytical skills to make sense of the information that is being collected.

More investment is needed in skilled analysts to unlock the full potential of NHS data to benefit patients.

The Health Foundation’s new report highlights nine key reasons why there should be more investment in analytical capability.

Workforce implementation plan: Five key issues to look out for

Workforce implementation plan: Five key issues to look out for Back in November 2018, The King’s Fund came together with the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation to set out the current state of the NHS workforce and five tests for the (at that time) forthcoming NHS long-term plan. In the event, the long-term plan did not so much ‘fail’ these tests as decide to not take the exam: the answer on workforce was instead pushed back to an interim workforce implementation plan, now overdue, and a final plan towards the end of 2019 after the Spending Review.

Government "losing grip" on health screening

Government "losing grip" on health screening Health screening is an important way of identifying potentially life-threatening illnesses at an early stage. Yet the Department of Health & Social Care (the Department), NHS England and Public Health England (the national health bodies) are not doing enough to make sure that everyone who is eligible to take part in screening is doing so, and do not know if everyone who should be invited for screening has been. Public Account Select Committee 

See also:

• MPs brand NHS cancer screening programmes 'unfit for purpose' The Daily Mail
• NHS accused of 'losing its grip'on cancer screening as checks fall  The Daily Telegraph
• All heart and cancer screening programmes in England missed targets last year, MPs warn The Independent
• More than 1.25m women waited too long for cervical screening results, damning report finds ITV News

Progress delivering the Emergency Services Network

Progress delivering the Emergency Services Network The delayed Emergency Services Network (ESN) is likely to be even later than expected and the government’s already increased forecast costs are highly uncertain, according to today’s report by the National Audit Office.

Mental health patients increasingly sent 'hundreds of miles' for care

Mental health patients increasingly sent 'hundreds of miles' for care More mental health patients are being sent hundreds of miles from home for treatment, new figures have revealed.

NHS figures showed more than 3,000 patients were placed over 100km (62 miles) from home for treatment because of a lack of beds - a 35% increase since last year.

The NHS spends an average of £9m a month on so-called inappropriate Outside Area Placements (OAPs). BBC News

Bereaved father leads NHS movement against suicide

Bereaved father leads NHS movement against suicide It has been a painful journey for Steve Mallen, whose 18-year-old son killed himself in 2015.

Edward Mallen was a talented student who had won a place at Cambridge University.

The inquest into his death found he had "slipped through the cracks" of local NHS mental health services.

At Edward's funeral, his father vowed to investigate what had happened and fight for reform to prevent other deaths.

That vow has turned into a remarkable personal campaign, culminating with the foundation and launch of a movement across the NHS, the Zero Suicide Alliance. BBC News

True Cancer Bodies: 'Adverts don't show how traumatic cancer is'

True Cancer Bodies: 'Adverts don't show how traumatic cancer is' A group of cancer patients have launched a hard-hitting photographic campaign in response to “pink and fluffy” adverts by some cancer charities which they say “don’t tell the truth” about the brutal reality of the disease.

True Cancer Bodies was set up by Vicky Saynor after she saw a campaign video from the Breast Cancer Now charity, which she says used insensitive language and images.

Breast Cancer Now has since apologised and has removed the video from its social media channels. But Vicky says more work needs to be done to show the reality of living with cancer. BBC News

Police officers suffering PTSD on 'alarming' scale, study finds

Police officers suffering PTSD on 'alarming' scale, study finds Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among police officers is reaching “crisis” levels with almost one in five suffering from the medical condition, a landmark study suggests.

Experts have warned of a “clinical and public sector crisis” after a survey of about 17,000 serving officers and operational staff indicated rates of PTSD were nearly five times higher than the wider population. The Independent

See also:

• Police workforce: almost one in five suffer from a form of PTSD University of Cambridge
• Policing: The Job & The life" Survey 2018 University of Cambridge
• Almost one in five suffer with a form of PTSD, research finds Police Care UK
• PTSD 'at crisis levels' among police officers BBC News
• One in five police officers in UK suffer from PTSD, study finds The Guardian
• Cambridge University study reveals PTSD in the police ITV News

£14m pay deal for boss of 'unaffordable' cystic fibrosis drug

£14m pay deal for boss of 'unaffordable' cystic fibrosis drug Investors speak out over executive pay at makers of life-saving treatment NHS struggles to afford

The chief executive of a company making a potentially life-saving cystic fibrosis drug that the NHS says is unaffordable was paid $18.8m (£14.4m) in cash and shares last year, the Guardian can reveal.

A circular to shareholders ahead of the company’s upcoming annual meeting showed that Jeff Leiden’s deal was 81 times more than the median Vertex employee was paid and an increase on last year’s $17.2m deal. Separate stock market announcements show that he has also sold more than $70m of company stock over the past two years, some or all of it handed to him as part of his pay deals. The Guardian

See also:

• Patients' fury as boss of firm NHS says charges too much is paid £14million in a year The Daily Mail

'My tutor said it wasn't a job for a man': my journey from roofer to midwife

'My tutor said it wasn't a job for a man': my journey from roofer to midwife I’ve encountered sexism, but it’s an amazing job and an honour to support women give birth

It was after I almost died falling off a roof that I decided to train to be a midwife.

I was a roofer doing a repair job 36 feet off the ground when I slipped. I fell and hit a gas pipe on the way down. My right foot shattered, and I broke my left leg, my right arm, and my back in two places. I was in hospital for three-and-a-half months. It was pretty horrific but I’m alive and I can walk. I was so impressed by the people who looked after me, which was one of the reasons I wanted to go into the caring profession.

I don’t deliver the baby, the women do. I’m a cheerleader. The Guardian

Men with low risk prostate cancer must be offered option to 'watch and wait' instead of gruelling treatment

Men with low risk prostate cancer must be offered option to 'watch and wait' instead of gruelling treatment Men with “low risk” prostate cancer should not be pushed into having treatment and should instead be offered a “watch and wait” approach, new guidance for the NHS suggests.

The recommendations mean thousands of men could be spared surgery and radiotherapy.

For the first time, the official advice from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says there is no survival benefit to having treatment, in cases identified as low risk. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Prostate cancer: diagnosis and management (guideline) NICE
• Prostate cancer (quality standard) NICE
• Men spared from chemotherapy as NHS adopts 'active surveillance' for prostate cancer patients The Daily Mail

Warning over global failure to act on deaths from drug-resistant TB

Warning over global failure to act on deaths from drug-resistant TB The spiralling number of deaths from drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is set to cost the world economy nearly $20 billion annually.

A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit warned that despite the fact that DR-TB is a huge global health threat, the fight against the disease lags behind others in terms of both money and attention. The Daily Telegraph

NHS crisis: Record 4.23million people are on the waiting list for routine ops

NHS crisis: Record 4.23million people are on the waiting list for routine ops The NHS waiting list is longer than it has ever been and April was the busiest month on record for A&E departments, figures revealed today.

A total of 4.23 million people in England were waiting for routine hospital treatment in March, a rise of 90,000 on the previous month.

The number shows 10 per cent more people were waiting than at the same time last year, which experts have branded a 'failure' of the NHS.

A&Es in English hospitals had to deal with a staggering 70,403 visits on an average day in April – the most ever. The Daily Mail

Queuing at NHS GP surgery in Wellingborough 'a bit 19th Century'

Queuing at NHS GP surgery in Wellingborough 'a bit 19th Century' Patients have taken to queuing outside a doctors surgery before it opens to try to get an appointment.

Those in the queue at Queensway Medical Centre in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, said they found it difficult to see a GP another way.

David Jones, of Healthwatch Northamptonshire, said "standing out in the rain to see a doctor feels a little bit 19th Century". BBC Northampton

Mounting cycle of pressures on GPs in deprived areas

Mounting cycle of pressures on GPs in deprived areas New analysis released today by the Health Foundation reveals a mounting cycle of pressures that is impacting disproportionately on GPs in the most deprived areas, increasing GP workload and leading to growing inequality in provision for patients.

See also:

• Primary care networks and the deprivation challenge The King's Fund

The NHS workforce in numbers: facts on staffing and staff shortages in England

The NHS workforce in numbers: facts on staffing and staff shortages in England The data used in this report shows that there has been a recent sustained fall in the number of GPs relative to the size of the population across the UK nations. This does not appear to have happened since the 1960s. For the overall number of GPs to have kept pace with the number of people in the UK since 2014 some 3,400 more GPs would have been needed. The Nuffield Trust

Raising the equality flag: health inequalities among older LGBT people in the UK

Raising the equality flag: health inequalities among older LGBT people in the UK This report highlights new findings from a recent project conducted by researchers at University College London, Cardiff University, and International Longevity Centre UK, funded by the Wellcome Trust, to explore the discrepancies in health outcomes experienced by older LGBT people. The research reveals that a lifetime of prejudice and stigma is leading to worse physical and mental health, poorer access to health and social care, as well as greater levels of social isolation and loneliness among older LGBT people.

NHS England funds £2million to boost system-wide leadership development

NHS England funds £2million to boost system-wide leadership development NHS England has funded a £2million programme to help 23 areas kick-start or boost leadership development activities to support and inspire workforce in health systems across England from GPs, consultants and therapists to nurses, social workers and manag

Restaurants ‘should list all ingredients’ says food agency

Restaurants ‘should list all ingredients’ says food agency Food outlets should list all ingredients in order to protect customers with allergies, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has proposed.

The FSA has recommended ministers adopt strict new rules, which include highlighting the 14 major allergens.

The proposals follow the death in 2016 of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who had eaten a sandwich from Pret a Manger. BBC News

UK girl first in world to have deadly superbug infection treated with bacteria-hunting GM viruses

UK girl first in world to have deadly superbug infection treated with bacteria-hunting GM viruses A British teenager with cystic fibrosis has become the first person in the world to be treated with genetically engineered, bacteria-hunting viruses, after developing a deadly infection.

Two years ago Isabelle Holdaway, now 17, was fighting for her life in Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) following a lung transplant and antibiotics were no longer having any effect.

"We were at the point where there was no other hope, they said she wasn't going to leave the hospital and had less than 1 per cent chance of survival," Isabelle's mother Jo Holdaway told The Independent.

See also:

• Phage therapy: 'Viral cocktail saved my daughter's life' BBC News

England lagging behind rest of UK in IVF cycles funded by the NHS

England lagging behind rest of UK in IVF cycles funded by the NHS Fertility treatment in other parts of Britain is far better supported, new data shows

The proportion of IVF treatments funded by the NHS in England has slumped to the lowest level ever recorded by Britain’s fertility regulator, new figures reveal.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said the NHS funded only 35% of IVF cycles in England in 2017, the lowest rate since data collection began in 2009. The figure represents a fall from a peak of more than 40% in 2010. The Guardian

See also:

• Frozen eggs 'are fastest fertility trend' BBC News
• Number of single women having IVF without partner QUADRUPLES in a decade BBC News
• The rise of the modern family: record numbers of gay couples and single women opt for IVF The Daily Telegraph
• Record number of single women and same-sex couples using fertility treatment iNews

Hope for multiple sclerosis sufferers after green light for drug which can delay wheelchair use by seven years

Hope for multiple sclerosis sufferers after green light for drug which can delay wheelchair use by seven years Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients have welcomed an NHS decision to fund a “landmark” drug which can delay the need for a wheelchair by seven years.

Health chiefs have announced they will soon make available ocrelizumab, the first effective medicine for people suffering from the early primary progressive form of the disease.

It follows an outcry last September after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which decides which treatments should be routinely paid for by the health service, rejected the drug due to its cost. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• We both now have hope - MS sisters BBC News
• Health watchdog approves first ever treatment for progressive form of MS in massive U-turn The Daily Mail
• New drug for multiple sclerosis patients after maker drops price The Guardian

Bikes to be prescribed on NHS for first time in attempt to improve health of overweight patients

Bikes to be prescribed on NHS for first time in attempt to improve health of overweight patients Bicycles are to be prescribed on the NHS for the first time in attempts to improve the health of overweight patients.

GPs in Wales will be able to assign six months of bike hire subscriptions on prescription for patients without charge.

The move is said to help patients by reducing their chances of a premature death as well as lessening their reliance on medication. The Daily Telegraph

NHS figures show obesity-related hospital admissions have risen 15% in a year

NHS figures show obesity-related hospital admissions have risen 15% in a year The number of people taken to hospital because of fat-related conditions shot up by 15 per cent last year.

More than 700,000 people seen in hospitals in England needed help for a problem which was either caused or made worse by the fact they were obese.

This was almost 100,000 more people than in 2017 and nine times as many as in 2008.

Women are almost twice as likely to end up in hospital because of their weight, and last year more fat women were hospitalised than people in total in 2014-15. The Daily Mail

See also:

• 711,000 hospital admissions where obesity was a factor in 2017/18 NHS Digital
• Soaring numbers of hospital admissions linked to obesity – and two thirds are female The Daily Telegraph
• Obesity-related hospital admissions in England rise by 15% The Guardian
• Number of obesity-related hospital admissions has increased by 15 per cent in just one year, NHS figures show The Independent

Employees' anger as Northampton company confirms tuberculosis outbreak

Employees' anger as Northampton company confirms tuberculosis outbreak Staff at a Northampton firm have reacted angrily to news that some of them have caught TB after bosses failed to inform them of a case a year ago.

Dataforce, which is based in Moulton Park, employing around 200 people, has admitted that it is working with Public Health England to screen employees for the serious lung condition. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Is the number of GPs falling across the UK?

Is the number of GPs falling across the UK? In an analysis carried out exclusively for the BBC, Billy Palmer draws on published data sources to assess the number of GPs compared to the size of the UK population over time. Nuffield Trust

See also:

• New GP workforce figures 'disheartening but unsurprising', says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• GP pressure: Numbers show first sustained drop for 50 years BBC News
• GPs' surgeries 'in crisis': 'You can't get an appointment' BBC News

Assisted suicide: Paul Lamb renews bid for right to die

Assisted suicide: Paul Lamb renews bid for right to die A man who lives with chronic and excruciating pain has begun a fresh legal challenge to the law that criminalises assisted suicide.

Paul Lamb, 63, was paralysed from the neck down following a car crash nearly 30 years ago.

He lost a Supreme Court case in 2014, but argues that opinions on assisted dying have changed since then.

He says keeping him alive could be considered torture, and that the current law breaches his human rights. BBC News

Revealed: 11-hour days, 41 daily contacts and half of GPs working unsafe levels

Revealed: 11-hour days, 41 daily contacts and half of GPs working unsafe levels More than half of GPs say they are working above safe limits, on average completing 11-hour days and dealing with a third more patients than they say they should be, findings from Pulse’s major workload survey reveal.

Full-time family doctors are on average dealing with 41 patients in a day – when GPs said the safe limit should be 30, according to Pulse’s survey of 1,681 UK GPs.

See also:

• GPs are seeing TWICE as many patients as is safe The Daily Mail
• You shouldn't see your doctor in afternoon as they 'are drained of empathy' after 20 patients The Daily Telegraph
• One in 10 GPs see twice as many patients as safe limit, survey finds The Guardian
• Overtired GPs openly making mistakes as new research reveals doctors see more patients than is safe The Independent

British people having less sex because of internet and busyness of modern life researchers say

British people having less sex because of internet and busyness of modern life researchers say British people are having less sex than in previous years, with scientists blaming the decline on the internet and the ”busyness” of modern life.

According to new data, fewer than half of Britons have sex at least once a week, and rates are dwindling.

The steepest declines were among people over the age of 25 and those who were married or living together, said researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The Independent

See also:

• Changes in, and factors associated with, frequency of sex in Britain: evidence from three National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) BMJ
• British people 'having less sex' than previously BBC News
• Fewer than HALF of men and women now have sex at least once a week The Daily Mail

NHS nursing crisis worsened by Brexit exodus

NHS nursing crisis worsened by Brexit exodus Dramatic fall in number of nurses and midwives from EU countries causes alarm

Almost 5,000 nurses and midwives from EU27 countries have quit the NHS in the past two years, with many of those identifying Brexit as the trigger.

The number of EU-trained nurses and midwives working in the NHS across the UK fell from a record high of 38,024 in March 2017 to 33,035 in March this year, a drop of 4,989, according to figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates both professions. The Guardian

See also:

• Registration data report Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Number of  foreign nurses coming to UK from beyond Europe has more than doubled in a year The Daily Telegraph
• NHS plans global recruitment drive for thousands of nurses People Management Magazine

Call for poor and disabled to be given NHS fitness trackers

Call for poor and disabled to be given NHS fitness trackers Vulnerable groups ‘could be left behind by technology revolution in medicine’, widening health inequality

Fitness trackers should be prescribed on the NHS to stop a further widening of health inequality, a new review has warned.

Some of the poorest communities and disabled people could be left behind by the technology revolution in medicine unless action is taken, according to the report by the Social Market Foundation. The Guardian

Alcohol consumption has dropped 10 per cent since 90s, with one in four adults turning their back on booze

Alcohol consumption has dropped 10 per cent since 90s, with one in four adults turning their back on booze Almost one in four adults in the UK now chooses not to drink alcohol, with a sharp drop in average consumption, a Lancet study shows.

The research found that while average intake is rising across the world, the trend is reversed in the UK. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Global alcohol exposure between 1990 and 2017 and forecasts until 2030: a modelling study The Lancet
• Global alcohol consumption has increased 70% in less than 30 years, new research shows The Independent

Dementia patients must receive part of a £2.4billion NHS fund to help with care costs, MPs say

Dementia patients must receive part of a £2.4billion NHS fund to help with care costs, MPs say Dementia patients must be given part of a £2.4 billion NHS fund to help with ‘unfair and unsustainable’ care costs, MPs will say today.

A cross-party group of 68 MPs demanded sufferers be given a personal budget of thousands of pounds a year.

This could be spent on the care costs required to live with the disease such as home adaptations and care home costs - which are up to 15 per cent more expensive for patients with dementia as they are deemed more difficult to look after. The Daily Mail

​Traffic jam-busting £2.6m upgrade planned for road near Northampton General Hospital

​Traffic jam-busting £2.6m upgrade planned for road near Northampton General Hospital A Northamptonshire County Council project to improve a busy stretch of road in Northampton will be heard at a meeting of the authority’s cabinet next week.

​The plan focuses on Cliftonville Road in the town, reducing traffic congestion on the inner ring road - particularly York Road and Cheyne Walk - and improving access to Northampton General Hospital, while also benefitting air quality. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Prisoner health and homeless health: understanding the links between them

Prisoner health and homeless health: understanding the links between them As part of our prisoner health project, Miranda Davies has been talking to people from different organisations. One of those was David Parker-Radford from The Queen’s Nursing Institute, where they discussed people’s experience of homelessness before and after prison, and the health care issues affecting both groups. This blog by Miranda and David takes a closer look at those issues. The Nuffield Trust

Consultation outcome: Personal health budgets and integrated personal budgets: extending legal rights

Consultation outcome: Personal health budgets and integrated personal budgets: extending legal rights The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England held a public consultation that explored giving more people the right to have personal health budgets and integrated personal budgets. This would give people more choice and control over the money spent on meeting their health and wellbeing needs. The consultation ran from 6 April 2018 to 8 June 2018 and received over 400 responses. The government and NHS England’s response to the consultation sets out: what was heard over the course of the consultation; the response to respondents’ views; and next steps.

Social media effect 'tiny' in teenagers, large study finds

Social media effect 'tiny' in teenagers, large study finds The effects of social media use on teenage life satisfaction are limited and probably "tiny", a study of 12,000 UK adolescents suggests.

Family, friends and school life all had a greater impact on wellbeing, says the University of Oxford research team.

It claims its study is more in-depth and robust than previous ones.

And it urged companies to release data on how people use social media in order to understand more about the impact of technology on young people's lives. BBC News

Minister considers 'all options' to boost vaccine uptake

Minister considers 'all options' to boost vaccine uptake Health secretary Matt Hancock has said he is willing to look at "all options" to boost England's vaccination levels, including compulsory immunisation.

Mr Hancock told the BBC he did not want to "reach the point" of imposing jabs, but would "rule nothing out".

More than half a million children in the UK were unvaccinated against measles from 2010 to 2017, Unicef says. BBC News

NHS failing child sex abuse survivors with ‘woeful’ support, victim says

NHS failing child sex abuse survivors with ‘woeful’ support, victim says A survivor of child sexual abuse who experienced the NHS’s “woeful” support first hand has said he is not surprised to hear five out of six victims today still feel let down.

Ian Ackley, who was abused by paedophile football coach Barry Bennell in the early 1980s, said he has given up on NHS mental health services in the wake of his past experiences.

A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse revealed on Tuesday that 16 per cent of survivors of child sexual abuse felt their needs were met by NHS mental health services. The Independent

See also:

• Can adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse access justice and support? Part One: Achieving quality information and support for survivors All-Party Parliamentary Group for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Hospitals see twice as many children with fatty liver disease as in 2013, NHS figures show

Hospitals see twice as many children with fatty liver disease as in 2013, NHS figures show The number of children being hospitalised with fatty liver disease in England has more than doubled since 2013, according to NHS statistics showing the impact of the UK’s obesity crisis.

NHS Digital statistics show that 195 under-18s were admitted to hospital with the problem last year, a rise from 96 cases reported in 2013-14. The Independent

Most depressed English communities 'in north and Midlands'

Most depressed English communities 'in north and Midlands' Analysis shows London v rest of England divide when it comes to mental health and treatment.

The most depressed neighbourhoods in England are all in the north and the Midlands, with almost a quarter of patients at some GP surgeries seeking help for the condition, research by the Guardian shows.

Yet it is in these areas where psychiatrists are most scarce, with more than twice as many practitioners in London as in Yorkshire per head of population. Proportionately, more specialist psychiatric research and treatment is also undertaken in the capital. The Guardian

The infected blood inquiry reminds us we need a less painful way to deal with health failings

The infected blood inquiry reminds us we need a less painful way to deal with health failings | Kieran Walshe Our system of scrutiny lets down patients and families and inflicts more agony

No one watching the heartfelt testimony of witnesses – patients, family members, and carers – at the opening sessions of the infected blood inquiry could fail to be moved. The inquiry will examine how and why thousands of people were given blood infected with hepatitis and HIV in the 1980s, the harm this caused, and how government then dealt with this avoidable tragedy and its consequences.

However, you have to ask: why do we need public inquiries like this one, and what do they achieve? Just as importantly, why do we have so many of them? In healthcare alone, alongside the infected blood scandal, there’s an inquiry into disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson; the recent Gosport Memorial Hospital panel report; and a trail of past cases too long to list in full (Bristol, Shipman, Mid-Staffs).  The Guardian

Expectant mothers to be given same midwife throughout pregnancy in £40million NHS promise

Expectant mothers to be given same midwife throughout pregnancy in £40million NHS promise All expectant mothers are to be given the same midwife throughout their pregnancy in a £40 million NHS promise.

Maternity deaths are expected to fall by 50 per cent after thousands more expectant mothers will be offered a named midwife to guide them through pregnancy.

To coincide with International Day of the Midwife 2019 on Sunday, the NHS has said that funding to transform maternity services will be doubled this year to £40 million. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS Long Term Plan to give mums the ‘Royal Treatment’, as 14,000 choose home birth NHS England

NHS digital leaders leaving for private sector over Health Secretary's tech 'revolution', IT chief warns

NHS digital leaders leaving for private sector over Health Secretary's tech 'revolution', IT chief warns NHS digital leaders are leaving for the private sector in frustration over the “chaos” involved in introducing Matt Hancock’s tech “revolution”, a departing IT chief warns.

Richard Corbridge, formerly chief digital and information officer at Leeds teaching hospitals, describes the “excrutiating” situation of trying to realise centrally-imposed slogans such as “axe the fax” and “purge the pager” without dedicated funds. The Daily Telegraph

Three in four maternity units have NO consultants on site out of office hours

Three in four maternity units have NO consultants on site out of office Three quarters of maternity units have no consultants on site at night, a damning audit reveals today.

The Daily Mail found that at most centres consultants go home in the early evening, leaving women in the hands of midwives and often exhausted junior doctors.

Weekend cover is also extremely patchy, with the majority of wards relying on a lone consultant who attends for a few hours.

NHS receptionists take the brunt of patients' frustrations over a lack of appointments

NHS receptionists take the brunt of patients' frustrations over a lack of appointments NHS receptionists take the brunt of patients' frustrations over a lack of appointments and long waiting times, research suggests.

A study found staff who are 'front-of-house' in GP surgeries, hospitals and dental clinics 'take the flak for things that are not their fault'.

Researchers argue an inability to get an appointment in the NHS is 'the result of funding shortages' that are 'beyond the receptionist’s control'. The Daily Mail

Ambulance services records 80% jump in staff leaving the workforce

Ambulance services records 80% jump in staff leaving the workforce Ambulance services have seen an 80 per cent leap in staff leaving the workforce.

More than 33,000 workers in England have left their jobs since 2010, raising concerns that patients may have to wait longer in blue-light emergencies.

Ambulance crews are on the frontline of the NHS, with a third having been victims of violence in the past year. The Daily Mail

The improvement journey: Why organisation-wide improvement in health care matters, and how to get started

The improvement journey: Why organisation-wide improvement in health care matters, and how to get started This report is a practical guide to developing an organisation-wide approach to improvement. It summarises the benefits of such an approach and outlines the key elements and steps that NHS trust leaders should adopt when pursuing this agenda.

The report draws on the learning and insights that the Health Foundation has generated over the past 15 years from funding and evaluating improvement at team, organisation and system level.

Spare change: the public and NHS funding

Spare change: the public and NHS funding Is the NHS adequately funded, and how should funding be raised? Harry Evans explores the findings of the British Social Attitudes survey on public attitudes towards NHS funding and taxation. The King's Fund

NHS pressures: winter 2018/19 - a hidden crisis

NHS pressures: winter 2018/19 - a hidden crisis This report uses NHS England figures to examine the performance of the NHS during recent winters and over the long term. The report finds that winter 2018/19 saw the NHS once again under pressure, with A&E attendances and emergency admissions up, high bed occupancy, cancer waiting times growing and 4.3 million people now waiting for treatment. Many doctors worked extra hours and morale suffered. British Medical Association

See also:

• Cancer patients waiting to see a specialist in record numbers this winter The Daily Telegraph

Older men at the margins: guidance for practitioners and services providing groups for older men

Older men at the margins: guidance for practitioners and services providing groups for older men Older Men at the Margins was a two-year study to understand how men aged 65 and over from different social backgrounds and circumstances experienced loneliness and social isolation. It also explored the formal and informal ways they sought to stay connected with others and feel less lonely. This guidance sets out the learning from our research and highlights factors to be considered to meet the diverse needs of older men through group programmes and interventions. Age UK

Putting patients at the heart of artificial intelligence

Putting patients at the heart of artificial intelligence According to this report, the spread of misinformation risks undermining public confidence in the use of artificial intelligence in health care. The report warns that the NHS and relevant bodies need to do more to improve public understanding of the use of this innovative technology if its life saving potential is to be realised. British Heart Foundation

Huge surge in stress-related illness in the NHS as staff report growing anxiety over underfunding and understaffing

Huge surge in stress-related illness in the NHS as staff report growing anxiety over underfunding and understaffing Stress and anxiety amongst NHS workers has rocketed, with new figures exposing a surge in the amount of sick time off needed by health staff.

Figures from NHS Digital, seen by ITV News, reveal that last year NHS staff took almost 100,000 more days off due to stress than they did six years ago.

And in acute medicine, which treats the most serious and urgent cases, the number of sick days taken has soared by 35%.

Dementia: The greatest health challenge of our time

Dementia: The greatest health challenge of our time Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our time, the charity Alzheimer's Research UK has warned.

Dementia was first described by the German doctor Alois Alzheimer in 1906 after he performed an autopsy on a woman with profound memory loss.

What he found was a dramatically shrunken brain and abnormalities in and around nerve cells.

At the time dementia was rare and was then barely studied for decades.

But today somebody is diagnosed with it every three seconds, it is the biggest killer in some wealthier countries and is completely untreatable. BBC News

New inquest into girl's 'pollution' death

New inquest into girl's 'pollution' death A fresh inquest will be held into the death of a nine-year-old girl whose fatal asthma attack may have been linked to air pollution near her home.

Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived near the South Circular Road in Lewisham, south east London, died in 2013 after having seizures for three years.

The High Court granted a new inquest after Ella's mother said more evidence had come to light. BBC News

Has Leeds cracked the obesity problem?

Has Leeds cracked the obesity problem? Childhood obesity is a major problem. But now news has emerged that one city - Leeds - has been making some progress.

Figures presented to the European Congress on Obesity suggest Leeds has managed to reduce the number of children who are extremely overweight.

The data showed there had been a 6.4% fall in obesity rates over recent years. BBC News

Aids breakthrough as study finds drugs prevent transmission of HIV virus

Aids breakthrough as study finds drugs prevent transmission of HIV virus Scientists may have made a major breakthrough in the fight against Aids after a study found treatment can prevent sexual transmission of the virus.

Research involving more than 1,000 male couples across Europe where one partner was HIV positive and receiving antiretroviral therapy found no cases of transmission over the space of eight years.

The study proves, the researchers said, that using antiretroviral therapy to suppress the Aids virus to undetectable levels also means it cannot be passed on via sex. The Independent 

See also:

• Successful treatment of HIV eliminates sexual transmission The Lancet
• Risk of HIV transmission through condomless sex in serodifferent gay couples with the HIV-positive partner taking suppressive antiretroviral therapy (PARTNER): final results of a multicentre, prospective, observational study The Lancet
• Gay HIV transmission with treatment is 'zero risk', study confirms BBC News
• HIV cannot be sexually transmitted if positive partner is undergoing effective treatment, scientists say The Daily Telegraph
• ‘Conclusive evidence’ that antiretroviral therapy wards off HIV transmission OnMedica

Third of UK asthma sufferers have sacrificed food to afford medication, survey finds

Third of UK asthma sufferers have sacrificed food to afford medication, survey finds Hundreds of thousands of asthma sufferers are being forced to cut back on food to pay for their medication, a charity has warned.

Around 800,000 people, or around a third of those with the condition, have at times needed to make the sacrifice to cover the cost of their prescription, according to a survey by Asthma UK.

Many are facing an "impossible" choice between essentials and life-saving medicine, said Samantha Walker, the charity's director of research and policy. The Independent

Sectioning people made me feel so guilty I couldn't carry on in my job anymore

Sectioning people made me feel so guilty I couldn't carry on in my job anymore A total lack of support for local authority-employed approved mental health professionals led to burnout for me.

Until a few weeks ago, I was part of an emergency service you probably don’t know about. I’m a social worker trained as an approved mental health professional (AMHP), qualified to carry out Mental Health Act 1983 assessments. Alongside two doctors, I assessed anyone deemed to be an immediate risk to themselves or others because of their mental distress, and then devised an emergency plan to keep them safe. If treatment in the community wasn’t enough, I would section someone to a psychiatric hospital. The legislation demands that every local authority provide a 24/7 AMHP service, because of course mental health crises are not confined to weekdays. The Guardian

Thousands more older people dying from injuries caused by falls, new figures reveal

Thousands more older people dying from injuries caused by falls, new figures reveal More than 5,000 older people died due to a fall in 2017, marking a 70 per cent increase on the numbers in 2010.

Age UK said the number of people over the age of 65 dying as a result of a fall is also rising rapidly. In 2010, 3,003 of this group died as a result of falls.

That went up to 4,856 by 2015 and by 2017, it was 5,048, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Avoidable mortality in the UK: 2017 Office for National Statistics

Contaminated blood scandal may have lasted 'years longer' than officials admit

Contaminated blood scandal may have lasted 'years longer' than officials admit The NHS contaminated blood scandal may have continued for years longer than the Government has admitted, it has emerged.

The inquiry into the tragedy yesterday heard evidence from a woman suffering from debilitating Hepatitis C who received blood transfusions in 1992 and 1993.

Health chiefs have always insisted that the window in which blood and blood products could have been contaminated with viruses such as Hepatitis and HIV ended in 1991, which was when routine testing of batches began. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Infected blood may have been given after safe date, inquiry hears The Guardian

Out-of-hours GP services... that don't have ANY GPs

Out-of-hours GP services... that don't have ANY GPs Millions of patients across the UK are being left without a GP at night, an investigation has revealed.

At least six health boards were forced to operate out-of-hours services without a single family doctor on occasion last year.

Sick patients were tended to by paramedics or an experienced nurse instead, health bosses admitted. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Out-of-hours service had no GP on shift 125 times in a year Pulse
• GP crisis left a million patients without doctor on call over weekends and evenings in 2018 The Independent

Costa and Subway cafes in hospitals contain 'unacceptable' levels of salmonella and staphylococcus

Costa and Subway cafes in hospitals contain 'unacceptable' levels of salmonella and staphylococcus Hospital cafes run by Costa Coffee and Subway are contaminated with 'unacceptably' high levels of deadly bacteria, a damning investigation has found.

Researchers from BBC One's Watchdog Live found salmonella and staphylococcus in eight branches run by the food and coffee giants.

The team, trained by a clinical microbiologist in how to correctly test for the bugs, swabbed tables, trays and ice at 10 Costa-owned cafes, 10 Subway cafes and 10 cafes run by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS).

And while salmonella and staphylococcus were found in numerous Subway and Costa branches, none was found in cafes run by the RVS. The Daily Mail

Can body cameras protect NHS staff and patients from violence?

Can body cameras protect NHS staff and patients from violence? | Hélène Mulholland The notion of mental health nurses switching on a body-worn camera to film violent incidents on wards may seem controversial, but for Jenny Allen, a Northamptonshire Healthcare service user, it’s been a plus.

Allen, who has been in and out of hospital for the past 15 years, says the cameras have led to a safer environment and reduced “flashpoints” on the wards. “I think both staff and service users moderate their behaviour when the camera is switched on. It’s a win-win, really. It’s not punitive, it’s just to try to help de-escalate the situation.” The Guardian

Hundreds of nurses have taken their own lives in just seven years

Hundreds of nurses have taken their own lives in just seven years Figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, have revealed that over three-hundred nurses died by suicide between 2011 and 2017.

The highest recorded year was 2014, when 54 deaths – more than one per week on average – were recorded.

The figures are an alarming 23 per cent higher than the UK average. Nursing Notes

See also:

• Suicide deaths among nurses aged 20 to 64 years, deaths registered in England and Wales between 2011 and 2017 Office for National Statistics
• Suicides in the UK: 2017 registrations Office for National Statistics
• More than 300 'overworked' NHS nurses have taken their own lives in last seven years, sparking calls for government inquiry into shocking toll The Daily Mail
• Concern over 'alarming' stats showing 300 suicides by NHS nurses in past seven years The Express
• 300 nurses killed themselves in seven years, figures show Evening Standard
• More than 300 overworked NHS nurses have died by suicide in just seven years The Mirror

Children’s services at breaking point – Government must back local authorities with funding that meets demand

Children’s services at breaking point – Government must back local authorities with funding that meets demand Constricted funding and ever increasing demand have left children’s services in England at breaking point, a report published today by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has found.

Ahead of the 2019 Spending Review, the report calls for a funding settlement that reflects the challenges local authorities face in delivering children’s social care, and recommends a minimum increase to core grant funding of £3.1 billion up until 2025.

All systems go

All systems go The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) states in this 'tech manifesto' that a robust and joined-up IT system across the NHS needs to be prioritised before a technological 'revolution' in patient care can truly happen. The manifesto recognises the exciting potential of genomics, AI, digital medicine and robotics to potentially revolutionise patient care and improve patient safety. However the RCGP says that widespread improvement will only be possible once robust, secure IT systems are in place for all GP practices and all areas of the NHS have access to computer networks which seamlessly link up the patient journey.

Did government spending cuts to social care for older people lead to an increase in emergency hospital admissions? An ecological study, England 2005–2016

Did government spending cuts to social care for older people lead to an increase in emergency hospital admissions? An ecological study, England 2005–2016 Cuts to council social care budgets are often cited as a cause of pressure on NHS urgent and emergency care services. Much of the evidence supporting this link, however, is anecdotal. This paper set out to try and quantify the effect of cuts to social care on older people’s use of emergency healthcare services. BMJ Open

New type of dementia identified

New type of dementia identified Millions of elderly people have a form of dementia that has been misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers.

One expert called it the most important dementia finding in years.

The condition, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, or Late, shares similar symptoms to Alzheimer's, but it is a distinct disease, the journal Brain reports.

It may partly explain why finding a dementia cure has failed so far. BBC News

See also:

• Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE): consensus working group report (open access) Brain: A Journal of Neurology
• Scientists find new type of Alzheimer's that has the same symptoms but affects the brain differently The Daily Mail