Epilepsy and cancer drugs on record-high shortage list amid Brexit uncertainty

Epilepsy and cancer drugs on record-high shortage list amid Brexit uncertainty Medicines vital for managing epilepsy, cancer and life-threatening asthma attacks are among a record number of products which are currently facing shortages made worse by Brexit uncertainty.

The number of drugs which the government is having to subsidise through the “concession” pricing list for short supply medicines has more than doubled since October. The Independent

See also:

• 'Steep rise' in patients struggling to get epilepsy drugs BBC News

Doctor struck off over boy's death allowed to return to work

Doctor struck off over boy's death allowed to return to work Hadiza Bawa-Garba, convicted over death of Jack Adcock, will be supervised for two years.

A doctor who was struck off the medical register after the death of a child and then reinstated after a battle through the courts has been told she can return to work under supervision.

Hadiza Bawa-Garba has not worked since November 2015 when a jury convicted her of gross negligence manslaughter over her treatment of six-year-old Jack Adcock, who developed sepsis and died of cardiac arrest at Leicester Royal Infirmary in February 2011. The Guardian

See also:

• Dr Hadiza BAWA-GARBA Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
• Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba: Struck-off doctor can return to work BBC News
• Parents of six-year-old boy who died of sepsis exasperated as doctor responsible cleared to practise again The Daily Telegraph
• Blaming Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba won't protect other patients | Dolin Bhagawati The Guardian
• Where does the blame lie when something goes wrong at hospital? The Guardian
• Hadiza Bawa-Garba: Doctor guilty of child's manslaughter by negligence to return to work The Independent

Biggest volunteer recruitment drive since WW2 to help boost mental health in same way as exercise

Biggest volunteer recruitment drive since WW2 to help boost mental health in same way as exercise The nation’s biggest volunteer recruitment drive since the Second World War has been launched by a charity with the aim of boosting people’s mental health and giving them a “high”.

The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) said that challenges facing the UK are "acute" with “unprecedented” pressure on public services. However today it has launched a major call up for the public to volunteer in a bid to boost people's' mental health. The Daily Telegraph

Health chiefs to tell hospitals how to treat a deadly fungus amid fears it is spreading globally

Health chiefs to tell hospitals how to treat a deadly fungus amid fears it is spreading globally Public health bosses will advise hospitals on how to cope with a deadly fungus that has become resistant to most drugs.

Candida auris was first identified in 2009 and has since struck hundreds in Britain and the US, among other countries.

Hospitals are now struggling to deal with the little-known fungus, prompting health officials in England and Wales to step in. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The scariest superbug on the CDC's radar is sweeping the US with hundreds infected The Daily Mail

Government's plan to ban junk food adverts before 9pm 'will cut just TWO calories a day'

Government's plan to ban junk food adverts before 9pm 'will cut just TWO calories a day' Banning junk food adverts before the watershed will only cut two calories from a child's diet a day, research shows.

The Government revealed plans in March to restrict advertising of foods high in salt, fat and sugar on television and social media until after 9pm.

They hoped the strict rules would curb soaring childhood obesity rates, which are already at a record high in Britain. The Daily Mail

Northampton hospice wants to show patients how they can find their independence again

Northampton hospice wants to show patients how they can find their independence again When so much can change in a person's life with the news of a serious illness, it can feel like an old way of life has been lost.

But now a Northampton hospice is offering a new service to help people with life-limiting illnesses find their independence again.

Yesterday (April 8) marked the launch of the Wellbeing Service at the Cynthia Spencer's Hospice Charity, off Kettering Road. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Hepatitis C deaths fall by 16 per cent between 2015 and 2017

Hepatitis C deaths fall by 16 per cent between 2015 and 2017 Deaths from serious hepatitis C related liver disease fell from 380 to 319, thanks to new curative treatments. But while England has exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target to reduce hepatitis C related mortality by 10% by 2020, challenges still exit to eliminate the disease in this country. Public Health England

New tools to help health professionals boost prevention impact

New tools to help health professionals boost prevention impact Public Health England (PHE) has launched a series of new e-learning tools to boost health and care professionals’ knowledge and skills in dealing with some of the biggest issues in public health.

The new interactive e-learning tools, developed by PHE and Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare, offer bite-sized information on key public health issues to help professionals prevent illness, protect health and promote wellbeing.

EU qualifications recognised after the UK leaves the EU

EU qualifications recognised after the UK leaves the EU The Secretary of State for Health and Social care has announced that EU workers with professional qualifications can continue to practise in the UK after the UK leaves the EU, with or without a deal. NHS Employers

Widespread debate needed on 'disease mongering' and overdiagnosis of patients, says RCGP in response to BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine paper on definitions of disease

Widespread debate needed on 'disease mongering' and overdiagnosis of patients, says RCGP in response to BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine paper on definitions of disease "Disease mongering is scaremongering and it has the potential to cause huge strain for the NHS and other healthcare systems around the world.

"Giving people unnecessary medical labels causes anxiety and distress and, in the worst cases, causes harm that can ruin lives. It also leads to unnecessary workload burdens in general practice and secondary care, and consumes funding that could be much better spent elsewhere on the care of patients who really need it.

"This is a controversial but ground-breaking paper that should spark a widespread debate on the entire industry that has grown up around disease mongering and overdiagnosis. Royal College of General Practitioners

See also:

• Reforming disease definitions: a new primary care led, people-centred approach (abstract) BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine

The long-term impact for babies born with brain injuries

The long-term impact for babies born with brain injuries When Beth Kendall's son Wilder was born, he was immediately rushed to a special care unit after being starved of oxygen.

He suffered a type of brain injury, known as Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a condition which affects one in every 1,000 babies when they are born.

Two years later and Wilder, who is from Poole in Dorset, is doing well, but not enough is known about his long-term prognosis.

Researchers at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton are fundraising so they can carry out additional work that will give parents a more detailed diagnosis. BBC News

EU doctors’ Brexit dilemma: do we stay or do we go?

EU doctors’ Brexit dilemma: do we stay or do we go? They believed they were in a welcoming country. Three consultants discuss how their lives have been upended. The Guardian

Mental health problems don't end with age. Older people need help too

Mental health problems don't end with age. Older people need help too | Emily Reynolds Loneliness is sometimes presented as the main reason for older people’s mental ill-health, but that’s not the case

After years languishing in the dark, mental illness is finally getting its moment in the spotlight. Frustrating political football it may be, but one thing can’t be denied – it’s making headlines more than ever. Focus, largely, has been on young people – crises in child and adolescent mental healthcare and in student populations have been both persistent and significant. But mental illness doesn’t end with reaching adulthood – often, in fact, it doesn’t end at all.

New research from the British Journal of Psychiatry into self-harm in older people puts this into stark perspective. A meta-analysis of 40 studies found that yearly self-harm rates were about 65 per 100,000 people, with risk of repetition and of suicide also higher than average. Self-harm is still seen as a problem among younger demographics; and while that remains true, this data proves that the issue is even more complex and diffuse than we thought. The Guardian

Woman who sued NHS for £2.5m claiming operation left her in agony seen in clubs celebrating hen night

Woman who sued NHS for £2.5m claiming operation left her in agony seen in clubs celebrating hen night A woman who tried to claim £2.5m from the NHS after claiming that having vaginal mesh fitted had left her in constant pain has been sent to prison after pictures showed her enjoying her daughter's Ibiza hen party. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Lesley Elder jailed over false £2.5m NHS claim  BBC News
• Jail for mother whose £2.5m NHS claim over op she said left her severely disabled was exposed The Daily Mail

Cyber crime warning as experts say hackers deliberately target hospitals

Cyber crime warning as experts say hackers deliberately target hospitals Hospitals and the health care industry are being deliberately targeted by hackers, cyber criminals and spies seeking a treasure trove of personal and financial information, a business consultancy has warned.

Attacks by organised gangs and even state spy agencies are a growing concern as they hunt for details that can be used for extortion or even espionage. The Daily Telegraph

Asthma inhalers as bad for the environment as 180-mile car journey, health chiefs say

Asthma inhalers as bad for the environment as 180-mile car journey, health chiefs say Asthmatics have been warned by health chiefs that each inhaler they use could be polluting the environment by as much as a 180-mile car journey.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has issued new guidance urging sufferers, where possible, to avoid using the most popular type of inhaler, known as a metered dose inhaler (MDI). The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NICE encourages use of greener asthma inhalers NICE
• Use a 'greener' inhaler if you can, patients told BBC News

GPs told to take pictures of suspected skin cancers on their PHONES to slash referrals

GPs told to take pictures of suspected skin cancers on their PHONES to slash referrals GPs have been told to take pictures of suspicious moles on their phones before referring patients to a skin-cancer specialist.

Under new plans, general practitioners working across four areas in North East England will have to take three photographs on their mobiles, which then get sent to a consultant for review.

The specialist may then offer the patient an urgent or routine appointment, or decide there is no cause for concern. The Daily Mail

NHSX: digital experts will be part of cancer and mental health teams

NHSX: digital experts will be part of cancer and mental health teams Digital and data specialists from NHSX will team up with NHS England’s cancer and mental health national policy teams to help clinicians and policymakers improve patient experience through technology. Department of Health and Social Care

Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities This report says there has been a persistent failure by national and local policy makers to tackle long standing inequalities facing Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in any sustained way. It finds that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people have the worst outcomes of any ethnic group across a huge range of areas, including education, health, employment, criminal justice and hate crime. The report of this two year inquiry makes 49 recommendations for change. Women and Equalities Select Committee

Ian Paterson: 'Sheer volume' of victims delays breast surgeon report

Ian Paterson: 'Sheer volume' of victims delays breast surgeon report Victims of disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson are still coming forward two years after he was jailed following hundreds of botched operations.

The "sheer volume" of patients giving evidence to an independent inquiry has pushed back a report into his malpractice, an official said.

Paterson is serving a 20-year sentence for 17 counts of wounding with intent.

About 150 patients gave evidence last year and dozens more are understood to have since come forward. BBC News