Should we really send more money to the front line?

Should we really send more money to the front line? Watch the second part of this online event series that engages in challenging debate and get a second opinion on whether some of the fundamental assumptions in modern health policy really bear scrutiny.

The second event in this series will ask whether the NHS really needs to steer more money to the front line and spend less on administration. This has been a constant refrain among politicians and even the public - but is it wrong or even backwards? The Nuffield Trust

Combined authorities: part of the cure for the ailing NHS?

Combined authorities: part of the cure for the ailing NHS? Consider health as being about more than just health care. It is an often-cited figure that 80 per cent of the causes for which people seek out health care services are about things that happen outside the traditional health sphere, about the wider determinants of health. These are about where and how people live and work, how much support and connection they have to their friends, family and communities, how easily they can get around their area to access vital services like schooling, good jobs and, indeed, quality health care. There is a wide recognition of this fact, but how do you go about tackling the wider determinants of health and ultimately help the NHS? This is where the role of place-based assets, be that local authorities or voluntary sector organisations, or other bodies that have statutory function that links to the wider determinants should be highlighted. The King's Fund

Government invites views on tackling major conditions in England

Government invites views on tackling major conditions in England A call for evidence has been launched to invite views on how best to prevent, early diagnose, treat and manage the 6 major groups of conditions which drive ill health and contribute to the burden of disease in the population in England.

The 6 major health conditions - cancer, cardiovascular diseases including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal disorders - affect millions of people in England with data showing that one in 4 suffer from 2 or more of these major long-term conditions. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Open consultation: Major conditions strategy: call for evidence Department of Health and Social Care
• Consultation outcome: Mental health and wellbeing plan: discussion paper and call for evidence Department of Health and Social Care
• Consultation outcome: 10-Year Cancer Plan: call for evidence Department of Health and Social Care

NHS rolls out new 'lifeline' combination therapy for hundreds of women with womb cancer

NHS rolls out new 'lifeline' combination therapy for hundreds of women with womb cancer Hundreds of women with advanced womb cancer in England are to be offered a new ‘lifeline’ option from today, as the NHS rolls out a life-extending new combination therapy that can halt the progression of the disease for twice as long as chemotherapy.

The NHS has agreed landmark commercial deals for two drugs from different manufacturers, which will be used in combination to treat advanced endometrial cancer in between 500 and 750 women each year. NHS England

Ageing body scans to aid understanding of why diseases occur

Ageing body scans to aid understanding of why diseases occur The world's biggest human imaging project is set to rescan the brains and bodies of 60,000 UK volunteers to find new ways of treating and preventing disease.

By looking at how bodies age, the study could help predict those more likely to develop dementia or different cancers.

The study has already led to a genetic test for people born with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. BBC News

Call for national guidelines on discussing past trauma in maternity appointments

Call for national guidelines on discussing past trauma in maternity appointments National guidelines are needed to help maternity care professionals navigate discussions with pregnant women about past traumas, experts have said.

Their study also found that while talking about previously experienced traumas can be valuable, they can also trigger painful memories if not approached sensitively.  The Independent

See also:

• Views from women and maternity care professionals on routine discussion of previous trauma in the perinatal period: A qualitative evidence synthesis (open access) PLOS One

Obese patients cost NHS double the amount of healthy people

Obese patients cost NHS double the amount of healthy people Obese patients cost the NHS double the amount that people who are a healthy weight do, a landmark new study has revealed.

One million patients who were a healthy weight cost the NHS £638 on average in 2019, the research found. Meanwhile, £1,375 was spent per year on morbidly obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40.

Experts warned the future viability of the NHS relies on combatting increasing obesity as it was leading to record levels of long-term sickness.

The research, presented at the European Congress of Obesity in Dublin, is the first to show how NHS spending varies depending on a patient’s weight. The Independent

See also:

• How obesity is draining the NHS of billions of much-needed cash every year The Daily Mail
• Massive cost of obesity to NHS revealed The Daily Telegraph
• Obese patients cost NHS twice as much as those with healthy weight, study says The Guardian

Lesbian and bisexual women at higher risk of heart disease, study finds

Lesbian and bisexual women at higher risk of heart disease, study finds Cardiologists should ask patients about their sexual orientation during heart checkups, researchers say.

The recommendation came from a study that found lesbian and bisexual women are at a higher risk of heart disease than their straight counterparts. Meanwhile, gay men were at a lower risk compared to heterosexual men of the same age. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Sexual Minority Status Disparities in Life's Essential 8 and Life's Simple 7 Cardiovascular Health Scores: A French Nationwide Population‐Based Study (open access) Journal of the American Heart Association

Unpicking the inequalities in the elective backlogs in England

Unpicking the inequalities in the elective backlogs in England As part of new research project that explores how NHS providers and integrated care systems (ICSs) are approaching inclusive recovery, we have found that, in 2022, people in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to be waiting more than a year for elective care compared to people in the least deprived areas. This paper explores three big questions health and care leaders should be asking themselves and their teams about inequalities in their elective backlog: how are we measuring inequalities and why, do we know why inequalities exist, and how will we know if things are improving? The King's Fund

Active and healthy counties: encouraging, supporting and enabling residents to live healthy lives

Active and healthy counties: encouraging, supporting and enabling residents to live healthy lives This report finds that the number of adults in England’s county areas who are overweight or obese has increased by 1.1m in county and rural areas since 2015. It sets out the scale of the challenge for county councils and unitary councils in counties and also highlights what those local authorities are doing to encourage healthier and more active lives from their residents across 16 best practice case studies. It is released ten years since public health functions were transferred from the NHS to local government. It says that as providers of public health services, as well as being responsible for leisure centres and active travel infrastructure such as cycle lanes, councils are best placed to engage with communities to support and enable residents to live healthier lives. County Councils Network

Avian flu detected in 2 individuals taking part in testing programme

Avian flu detected in 2 individuals taking part in testing programme UKHSA has detected influenza A (H5) virus in 2 poultry workers, following the introduction of an asymptomatic testing programme for people who have been in contact with infected birds.

The 2 people returning positive tests are known to have recently worked on an infected poultry farm in England. Neither has experienced any symptoms of avian influenza and both have since tested negative. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Two poultry workers test positive for bird flu BBC News
• Health chiefs are tracking bird flu outbreak 'very carefully' after two workers test positive The Daily Mail
• Bird flu could become the next human pandemic – and politicians aren't paying attention | Devi Sridhar The Guardian
• Bird flu detected in workers at poultry farm The Independent
• Bird flu: What are the symptoms and how common is the virus among humans The Independent
• Bird flu detected in two poultry workers in England - but no signs of human-to-human transmission ITV News
• Two poultry workers test positive for bird flu after contact on infected farm Sky News

Health secretary attends Japan summit with health tech at top of the agenda

Health secretary attends Japan summit with health tech at top of the agenda Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, concluded a visit to Japan for the G7 health ministers’ meeting, where he led discussions with international counterparts on how technology can be used to improve patient care, reduce pressure on health and social care staff and cut waiting times for patients. Department of Health and Social Care

Building work pending for many of 40 promised hospitals

Building work pending for many of 40 promised hospitals Building work is yet to start for 33 of the government's 40 promised new hospitals in England, the BBC has found.

Most are still waiting to hear what their final budget will be for the projects with a 2030 deadline. Only two are finished and open.

Ministers aimed to have six ready for 2025 - but none of this group has full planning permission or funding yet.

The government insists it remains committed to meeting the targets.

Health leaders say they need urgent clarity. BBC News

Nurses strike because patients are dying - RCN union boss Pat Cullen

Nurses strike because patients are dying - RCN union boss Pat Cullen Patients are not dying because nurses are striking, nurses are striking because patients are dying, the head of the Royal College of Nursing says.

Speaking at the union's annual conference, Pat Cullen praised nurses' protests over pay and safe staffing.

She told delegates she has been invited to have more discussions with Health Secretary Steve Barclay.

The government confirmed the meeting but said a deal recently reached with other unions would "not be reopened". BBC News

See also:

• Head of nurses' union WILL meet health secretary as dispute rumbles on The Daily Mail
• Health Secretary Steve Barclay and nursing union leader Pat Cullen to meet as pay row continues Evening Standard
• Nursing union leader tells conference the government should "get the job done" ITV News

Teachers and nurses dragged into higher taxes, warns think tank

Teachers and nurses dragged into higher taxes, warns think tank Millions more people, including teachers and nurses, will pay a higher rate of income tax, a leading think tank has warned.

A freeze on income tax thresholds from April means more people will pay a 40% rate, in what the Institute for Fiscal Studies described as the biggest tax raising drive since the late 1970s.

It claimed this will contribute to a sharp fall in household finances.

And if inflation remains high, more people will be affected. BBC News

See also:

• A deepening freeze: more adults than ever are paying higher-rate tax Institute for Fiscal Studies

Needle-free Covid vaccination trials taking place in Cambridge

Needle-free Covid vaccination trials taking place in Cambridge Trials are taking place of a new needle-free Covid vaccine in Cambridge, where the technology was developed.

The vaccine, administered through a jet of air, was developed by Prof Jonathan Heeney of Cambridge University and chief executive of DIOSynVax.

Volunteers recruited last month are being vaccinated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in the city.

Safety trials have already been conducted at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility. BBC News

Do not resuscitate: Man choked to death after paramedics stood down

Do not resuscitate: Man choked to death after paramedics stood down Experts are calling for "do not resuscitate" orders to be scrapped, saying they are being misused and putting people's lives at risk. One woman told BBC News that her elderly father might still be alive if the DNR in his medical file had been properly checked.

Cardio exercise can help reduce risk of dying from flu, study suggests

Cardio exercise can help reduce risk of dying from flu, study suggests People who are at a higher risk of dying from flu could benefit from upping their cardio exercise levels, a new study suggests.

Even exercising below the nationally recommended standards could help reduce a person’s risk of dying from flu or pneumonia, scientists said. The Independent

See also:

• Leisure-time physical activity and mortality from influenza and pneumonia: a cohort study of 577 909 US adults (open access) British Journal of Sports Medicine

Quarter of people with dementia symptoms delay seeing doctor

Quarter of people with dementia symptoms delay seeing doctor Almost a quarter of people with dementia symptoms waited more than six months before seeing a doctor, new research shows.

A new survey for the Alzheimer’s Society to mark Dementia Action Week also found one in three people who notice they or a loved one has symptoms keep their fears to themselves or dismiss them as old age.

Just 15 per cent of the 1,137 people surveyed raised the issue straight away and 11 per cent said they hadn’t raised concerns after first spotting symptoms. The Independent

Second patient with 'natural immunity' against Alzheimer's warded off disease for 20 years

Second patient with 'natural immunity' against Alzheimer's warded off disease for 20 years A man managed to ward off Alzheimer's disease thanks to his natural immunity, despite having a gene that made him more susceptible - making him the second known case.

A team of international scientists found the Colombian man, who was predicted to have dementia in his 40s, also carried a rare genetic variation that helped protect him from the debilitating memory condition. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Resilience to autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease in a Reelin-COLBOS heterozygous man (open access) Nature Medicine