Mental health and loneliness: the relationship across life stages

Mental health and loneliness: the relationship across life stages This report presents the findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of loneliness among those who had experienced a mental health condition. Previous research has shown there is a link between experiences of loneliness and poor mental health. The DCMS commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to explore this issue across four key life stages as part of developing the evidence base for work on tackling loneliness. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 

See also:

• Investigating factors associated with loneliness in adults in England Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 

Poliovirus detected in sewage from North and East London

Poliovirus detected in sewage from North and East London Investigation underway to protect public, who are urged to ensure polio vaccines are up to date, especially parents of young children who may have missed an immunisation opportunity. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Guidance: Polio: detection of VDPV2 in London sewage samples UK Health Security Agency
• Polio virus detected in London sewage samples BBC News
• Can I take the polio vaccine if I missed out as a child? What are the virus' symptoms? The Daily Mail
• Polio strain mutated from vaccine is 'likely' being transmitted in London The Daily Mail
• Polio: What are the symptoms, how it is transmitted and is there any treatment? The Daily 
• Telegraph
• National incident declared over polio virus findings in London sewage The Guardian
• Polio: What do we know about feared outbreak in London? The Independent
• What is polio and what happened the last time there was an epidemic in the UK? The Independent
• Polio: Detection of virus in London is a major blow - there are urgent questions on why it is being transmitted Sky News

Covid daily hospital admissions rise to over 1,000 for first time since April

Covid daily hospital admissions rise to over 1,000 for first time since April The daily number of Covid cases being admitted to hospitals in England has topped 1,000 for the first time since April, new figures show. The number of patients with Covid admitted to hospitals across the country hit 1,055 on Monday – up from 722 the week before.

The latest data shows a 46 per cent increase week on week. According to the figures, the northwest saw the largest increase on Monday, at 56 per cent. The Independent

See also:

• NHS warns of scam Covid-test texts BBC News
• Covid: Firm behind vaccine to set up base in UK BBC News
• Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: The battle for compensation BBC News
• Children under five begin to receive Covid vaccines in 'the only country in the world doing this' The Daily Mail
• Most infectious Covid variants as Omicron fuels rise in UK cases The Independent
• Covid cases spreading in UK as sufferers ‘are confusing milder symptoms for hay fever’ The Independent

Monkeypox cases in UK surge by 38% as hundreds of new infections detected

Monkeypox cases in UK surge by 38% as hundreds of new infections detected A further 219 cases of monkeypox have been detected in the UK, bringing the nationwide total to 793.

In new data released on Tuesday, the UK Health Security (UKHSA) said 99 per cent of infections were among men; just five women have so far been infected with the viral disease. The Independent

NHS workers should get fair pay with inflation considered – Sajid Javid

NHS workers should get fair pay with inflation considered – Sajid Javid NHS staff deserve “fair” pay with soaring costs taken into account, Sajid Javid said, as he defended pay rises in line with inflation for pensioners but not for workers.

The Health Secretary said his department would listen carefully to the independent NHS pay review body before setting salary increases. The Independent

Record number of abortions in England and Wales amid financial insecurity

Record number of abortions in England and Wales amid financial insecurity A record number of abortions took place in England and Wales last year in a trend experts said was driven by financial uncertainty caused by Covid-19.

There were 214,869 terminations during 2021, the highest number since the procedure became legal in Great Britain through the 1967 Abortion Act, the latest annual abortion statistics published on Tuesday show. Numbers have been going up every year since 2016.

By age group the abortion rate was highest among 22-year-olds, at 31 per 1,000. The Guardian

See also:

• It isn’t just the US: abortion barriers in Britain are forcing women to travel miles for treatment| Rachel Connolly The Guardian

NHS Healthy Start: Figures show 1,800 Northamptonshire families missing out on help to buy food as inflation jumps again

NHS Healthy Start: Figures show 1,800 Northamptonshire families missing out on help to buy food as inflation jumps again Families are being urged to check if they can get vouchers to help buy food for their children after figures revealed more than 1,800 eligible Northamptonshire households were not claiming.

Pregnant women or parents and guardians with kids aged under four who receive certain benefits are entitled to NHS Healthy Start vouchers to help buy fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

KGH patient champions campaign to prevent delayed diagnosis of devastating blood cancer

KGH patient champions campaign to prevent delayed diagnosis of devastating blood cancer A patient at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) is championing a national campaign to prevent long waits to diagnosis of a cancer of the blood.

Myeloma is the third most common type of blood cancer. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Experiences from health and social care: the treatment of lower-paid ethnic minority workers

Experiences from health and social care: the treatment of lower-paid ethnic minority workers This is a report of the findings of an inquiry to assess the treatment and experiences of lower-paid ethnic minority workers in health and social care, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. It found: incomplete data on lower-paid ethnic minority workers, particularly in adult social care; different treatment and experiences at work; commissioning and outsourcing leading to poor pay and insecure work; low awareness of employment rights; and fear of raising concerns and a lack of mechanisms to do so. Equality and Human Rights Commission

The unequal impact of Covid-19: investigating the effect on people with certain protected characteristics

The unequal impact of Covid-19: investigating the effect on people with certain protected characteristics This report maps existing research into Covid-19 inequalities onto some of these protected characteristics, showing how the pandemic has interacted with them. It also showcases four case studies of how different health and care systems have put in place interventions to respond to these inequalities when designing their Covid-19 response. It focuses on a number of key areas including the impact of Covid-19 on: BAME communities; people with disabilities; and older and younger people. NHS Confederation

Monkeypox vaccine to be offered more widely to help control outbreak

Monkeypox vaccine to be offered more widely to help control outbreak A strategy published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommends that some gay and bisexual men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered vaccines to help control the recent outbreak of the virus.

Although anyone can contract monkeypox, data from the latest outbreak shows higher levels of transmission within – but not exclusive to – the sexual networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Guidance: Monkeypox outbreak: vaccination strategy UK Health Security Agency
• Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates UK Health Security Agency
• Research: Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview UK Health Security Agency

Moderna to open vaccine research and manufacturing centre in UK

Moderna to open vaccine research and manufacturing centre in UK NHS patients will have access to the next generation of vaccines and treatments following an agreement between the government and Moderna to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing and research and development centre in the UK.

The new mRNA Innovation and Technology Centre will develop cutting-edge mRNA vaccines for a wide range of respiratory diseases, including Covid vaccines that can protect against multiple variants, helping to future-proof the UK against potential emerging health threats. Department of Health and Social Care

Boots criticised over pill boxes for the elderly

Boots criticised over pill boxes for the elderly Some pharmacies run by the High Street chain Boots have been criticised for telling some patients on multiple drugs that they can no longer have blister pack boxes, known as dosette boxes.

Weekly pill organisers can help users keep track of their daily medication and stay safe.

Pharmacists put the tablets into individual boxes in the trays, each one indicating when they should be taken. BBC News

NHS leadership shake-up promised as review finds 'discrimination, bullying and blame cultures'

NHS leadership shake-up promised as review finds 'discrimination, bullying and blame cultures' Sajid Javid has promised urgent action to reform health and social care management after a review found evidence of bullying, discrimination and blame culture.

The health secretary is promising "the biggest shake-up of leadership in decades" in response to a "stark" conclusion that there is "instructional inadequacy" in how leaders and management are trained, valued and developed. Sky News

Typhoid-causing bacteria have become increasingly antibiotic resistant – study

Typhoid-causing bacteria have become increasingly antibiotic resistant – study Typhoid-causing bacteria have become increasingly antibiotic resistant and have spread widely over the past three decades, a new study has suggested.

The largest genome analysis of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) also reveals that resistant strains – almost all originating in south Asia – have spread to other countries nearly 200 times since 1990. The Independent

See also:

• The international and intercontinental spread and expansion of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella Typhi: a genomic epidemiology study (open access) The Lancet Microbe

UK scientists urge higher uptake of Covid boosters among elderly

UK scientists urge higher uptake of Covid boosters among elderly Around a fifth of people aged 75 and over in England have yet to have a fourth Covid jab, data suggests, leading to calls for a renewed push for vaccination of the vulnerable amid rising infections and hospitalisations.

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the week ending 11 June an estimated one in 50 people in England had Covid – about 1.13 million people – a rise from 1 in 70 the week before. Upticks have also been seen in the rest of the UK, while hospitalisations are also rising. The Guardian

See also:

• Delta plus won’t lead to summer of Covid chaos, say scientists The Daily Telegraph
• Covid reinfections in the UK: how likely are you to catch coronavirus again? The Guardian
• Wrist-worn trackers can detect Covid before symptoms, study finds The Guardian
• Covid: Omicron sub-variants ‘evolving to target the lungs and overcome immunity’ as UK cases surge The Independent
• Two new Covid sub-variants are sparking global concern - what you need to know The Independent

2022 hardest year ‘in living memory’ to enter UK medical school

2022 hardest year ‘in living memory’ to enter UK medical school Medical school heads say this is the hardest year “in living memory” for A-level students to get a place to study medicine, with several thousand high-achieving applicants left without a place. Unless the government increases the number of doctor trainee places now, they say, there will be “disaster” in the NHS in 10 years’ time. The Guardian

Why simply standing on one leg can tell you whether your life is in the balance

Why simply standing on one leg can tell you whether your life is in the balance The inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds after the age of 50 could indicate an early death is on the horizon, new research suggests.

Researchers found that people who failed the simple balance test had double the risk of dying from any cause in the next 10 years. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals (open access) British Journal of Sports Medicine

Warning over 'mass exodus' of 19,000 GPs as nearly half of family doctors plan to quit by 2027

Warning over 'mass exodus' of 19,000 GPs as nearly half of family doctors plan to quit by 2027 Urgent action is needed to prevent a ‘mass exodus’ of 19,000 GPs over the next five years, health leaders warned yesterday.

The Royal College of GPs said almost half of family doctors are planning to quit by 2027 in a major threat to patient care. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Urgent action needed to reverse ‘mass exodus’ of almost 19,000 GPs over the next five years Royal College of General Practitioners
• '1,000' foreign GPs are being threatened with deportation by the Home Office The Daily Mail
• Government blamed for loss of 4,500 GPs in a decade GPonline

NHS' eco chief says fewer face-to-face NHS appointments are a good thing

NHS' eco chief says fewer face-to-face NHS appointments are a good thing Remote hospital and GP appointments are 'broadly' a good thing because they reduce pollution, the NHS' eco chief has claimed.

Dr Nick Watts said the health service slashed its carbon emissions by 276 kilotonnes last year 'principally' because patients made fewer car journeys. The Daily Mail