Racism plagues the NHS and it's getting worse

Racism plagues the NHS and it's getting worse At the end of last year, Dr Radhakrishna Shanbhag made headlines when a patient asked if he could have a white doctor instead of him.

In a powerful interview, Dr Shanbhag called our national health service a jewel in the crown, but one that needs to take appropriate action to stop the jewel from being tarnished.

He’s far from alone in experiencing racism as a doctor. The problem of racism in the health service is getting worse, according to new research. Metro

Budget 2020: what to expect in five charts

Budget 2020: what to expect in five charts Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget will be seen by many as an emergency statement on the coronavirus crisis

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will deliver one of the most difficult budgets in recent times against the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak.

The de facto emergency statement will outline the government’s response to the unfolding economic crisis, while Sunak is also expected to offer some indications about how he plans to deliver on Boris Johnson’s promises for higher spending made before the election. The Guardian

What role do taxes and regulation play in promoting better health?

What role do taxes and regulation play in promoting better health? The use of regulatory and fiscal policy tools in improving public health has long generated heated debate, and is rising up the agenda once more. This briefing aims to contribute to the debate, looking at how a range of policy levers might be used effectively to reduce consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and unhealthy consumption of food and drink, and ultimately improve people’s health. The King's Fund

Developing a plan for tech in health and care

Developing a plan for tech in health and care NHSX is seeking views of their Tech plan and how NHSX can best support the health and care system to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan and the Department of Health & Social Care’s technology policy (The future of healthcare), as well as the forthcoming NHS People Plan. People are invited to register to participate and share their views.

Menopause at work

Menopause at work This guidance, (produced by the NHS Staff Council's Health, Safety and Wellbeing Partnership Group), includes principles that will help: organisations support the workforce; line managers support their staff; and employees look after themselves. NHS Employers

Many 111 calls end in unneeded emergency visits

Many 111 calls end in unneeded emergency visits Around one in 20 calls to NHS 111 helpline result in unnecessary emergency care visits.

Despite advice to seek alternative options, such as the family doctor, local pharmacist, or self-care, patients are still turning up at A&E, the study reveals. OnMedica

See also:

• Identifying the predictors of avoidable emergency department attendance after contact with the NHS 111 phone service: analysis of 16.6 million calls to 111 in England in 2015–2017 (open access) BMJ Open

Coronavirus: NHS targets fake news spreading online

Coronavirus: NHS targets fake news spreading online The decision to delay closing schools and introduce other strict measures to combat coronavirus has been defended by England's deputy chief medical officer.

Dr Jenny Harries said experts are assessing new cases on an hourly basis to achieve a "balanced response".

She told BBC Breakfast new measures could follow as UK cases begin to rise rapidly over the next two weeks.

In the UK, five people with the virus have died. There were 319 confirmed cases as of 09:00 GMT on Monday. BBC News

See also:

• Detailed guide: Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS takes action against coronavirus fake news online NHS England
• Covid-19: The response in Singapore Nuffield Trust
• Coronavirus: Daventry families self-isolating after children come into contact with confirmed case playing rugby Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire coronavirus couple have hopes of flying home dashed Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Coronavirus symptoms 'take five days to show' BBC News
• Coronavirus: UK prepares to ask even mildly sick to stay home BBC News
• GPs call for suspension of routine appointments during coronavirus outbreak GPonline
• NHS announces plan to combat coronavirus fake news The Guardian
• Those with flu or cold could be asked to self-isolate, UK government says The Guardian
• Johnson's coronavirus press conference is anything but reassuring | John Crace The Guardian
• Even a starved NHS is still our best defence against the coronavirus | Polly Toynbee The Guardian
• NHS to start testing people for coronavirus to ease strain on PHE The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Whole of Italy placed on 'red zone' quarantine and all public events banned The Independent
• Coronavirus: Could Italy’s radical containment efforts soon be adopted in Britain? The Independent
• ‘There’s tension in the air’: How can rough sleepers cope with the coronavirus outbreak? The Independent
• Coronavirus: Can the NHS cope with the increase in demand? Sky News

Boy stuck on acute NHS ward for a year because he has no home to go to

Boy stuck on acute NHS ward for a year because he has no home to go to Disabled 10-year-old cannot leave until Manchester council settles his homeless family

A 10-year-old boy has been living on an acute NHS medical ward for nearly a year despite being well enough to be discharged because the local council has failed to find appropriate accommodation for his homeless family, the Guardian has learned.

The boy, Ahmed, has developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy and scoliosis, is fed through a tube and is registered blind. He was admitted to the Royal Manchester children’s hospital on 1 March last year with breathing difficulties. Within six weeks, he had recovered enough to be discharged, but his doctors refused to let him leave as the family were homeless and “sofa surfing” in a friend’s living room. The Guardian

New blood test for prostate cancer could help monitor patients without invasive procedure

New blood test for prostate cancer could help monitor patients without invasive procedure A new blood test for prostate cancer promises to help monitor patients without an invasive procedure, rapidly revealing whether a sufferer needs urgent treatment.

The most common cancer among men in the UK, with 50,000 cases a year, is currently diagnosed and monitored through physical inspections. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Genome-wide plasma DNA methylation features of metastatic prostate cancer (open access) Journal of Clinical Investigation

Northampton General Hospital responds to visitors 'ripping santiser dispensers' from walls and stealing supplies

Northampton General Hospital responds to visitors 'ripping santiser dispensers' from walls and stealing supplies Northampton General Hospital is asking for the public to "respect" their efforts to keep patients safe in the face of residents reportedly stealing hand sanitiser from wards. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Coronavirus: Visitors steal hand sanitiser gel from hospital BBC Northampton
• Hand sanitiser being stolen from UK hospitals amid coronavirus outbreak The Independent
• Relatives are stealing hand sanitiser from Northampton General Hospital's wards amidst coronavirus scare Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Government outlines further plans to support health and social care system in fight against COVID-19

Government outlines further plans to support health and social care system in fight against COVID-19 Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces further proposed measures to combat spread of COVID-19, as government's enhanced approach to pandemic preparation continues. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Detailed guide: Coronavirus (COVID-19): latest information and advice Department of Health and Social Care
• More than one million people use NHS 111 online to get quick advice about coronavirus NHS England
• Guidance: COVID-19: infection prevention and control Public Health England
• Research and analysis: Coronavirus (COVID-19): number of cases in England Public Health England
• Number of Northamptonshire coronavirus cases moves to four Daventry Express
• Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to hold emergency Cobra meeting BBC News
• Coronavirus: NHS to get 'whatever it needs' to cope says chancellor BBC News
• Coronavirus: Emergency legislation 'will protect NHS volunteers' BBC News
• 'The NHS could have to make difficult choices' BBC News
• Coronavirus: Advice for people with health conditions BBC News
• Coronavirus: UK to spend £46m on vaccine and testing research BBC News
• Coronavirus: Man in his 60s becomes third UK death BBC News
• Coronavirus: Advice for people with health conditions BBC News
• Coronavirus: Trapped in a virus-struck care home BBC News
• Coronavirus: Ambulance chiefs consider facial hair ban BBC News
• By the time a coronavirus vaccine is found, it could all be over The Daily Mail
• Forcing suspected coronavirus patients into quarantine 'causes long-term mental health problems' The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus symptoms: how quickly they show – and what to look for The Daily Telegraph
• Italy locks down 16 million people in the north in drastic bid to curb coronavirus spread The Daily Telegraph
• Practices to receive advice on how to use PPE after CMO warning GPonline
• Hancock tries to reassure UK public as GPs warn of coronavirus crisis The Guardian
• Rishi Sunak: NHS will get whatever it needs to deal with coronavirus The Guardian
• Emergency law would safeguard jobs of NHS volunteers as virus crisis deepens The Guardian
• ‘We’re concerned but calm’: five voices from the frontline against Covid-19 The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Women and children less likely to die from illness than men, research suggests The Independent
• Coronavirus: Doctors warn UK hospitals running out of protective equipment for staff The Independent
• Coronavirus: What the government's four stages to fight the disease mean The Independent

CQC case studies show how trusts have maintained their ratings

CQC case studies show how trusts have maintained their ratings In 2017 and 2018, CQC published reports on NHS acute trusts and NHS mental health trusts.

The reports showed how the trusts had achieved significant improvements in their ratings.

Towards the end of 2019 we revisited four of those trusts. We found out how they had sustained the improvements or improved further. Care Quality Commission

Home and dry: the need for decent homes in later life

Home and dry: the need for decent homes in later life This report, written with Care & Repair England, reveals that over two million over-55s are living in a home that endangers their health or wellbeing. The report into non-decent housing in England found that over 4.3 million homes in England don’t meet basic standards of decency, most commonly because of the presence of a serious hazard to their occupants’ health or safety. Centre for Ageing Better

Hospify becomes first NHS-approved clinical messaging app

Hospify becomes first NHS-approved clinical messaging app Hospify has become the first clinical messaging app to be made available on the NHS Apps Library.

The app, which provides an NHS-compliant platform for sending and receiving messages and can be used by clinicians to share patient information, is now approved for use by professionals and patient across the NHS.

Hospify said it had taken more than a year for the app to pass through “rigorous” testing and assessment processes by various NHS organisations and regulatory bodies. Digital Health

Gender pay gap leaves general practice missing out on 'huge pool of talent'

Gender pay gap leaves general practice missing out on 'huge pool of talent' General practice is missing out on a huge pool of talent because of disincentives for women to become partners that are central to the profession's yawning gender pay gap, a top BMA official has warned. GPonline

International Women's Day: Personalised scrub caps for women surgeons

International Women's Day: Personalised scrub caps for women surgeons A group of female surgeons are heading up a new initiative to stop them being mistaken for non-surgical staff.

To mark International Women's Day they have produced personalised theatre scrub caps to promote women in surgery.

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry, Shropshire, said approximately 12% of surgeons across the UK were female.

Gillian Cribb had the idea, saying many people assumed "if you're not male, you're not an orthopaedic surgeon". BBC News

NHS campaign promoting cervical smear tests fails to mention women in leaflet

NHS campaign promoting cervical smear tests fails to mention women in leaflet An NHS campaign to encourage more people to attend smear tests included leaflets which failed to specifically mention women in a section detailing who is eligible. The Daily Mail

Bowel cancer screening for over-50s is still not happening despite health chiefs' pledge

Bowel cancer screening for over-50s is still not happening despite health chiefs' pledge The Department of Health and Social Care pledged to take steps to lower the screening age from 60 to 50 in 2018. By 50, an individual has double the risk of developing bowel cancer than at 40. The Daily Mail

Northampton care home closure gives residents' families four weeks to find new accommodation

Northampton care home closure gives residents' families four weeks to find new accommodation A Northampton care home is closing, leaving the families of its residents four weeks to find new placements for their loved ones.

Argyle House nursing and residential home broke the news to family members in a letter on Tuesday (March 3), blaming a lack of funds for the closure. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Cardiovascular disease and population health: thinking beyond the hospital ward

Cardiovascular disease and population health: thinking beyond the hospital ward Despite the perception of tremendous advances in modern medicine and the management of cardiovascular disease over several decades, last year the British Heart Foundation revealed that premature death rates for the condition have risen for the first time in 50 years. How can this be explained? The King's Fund