Friday, 22 August 2014
NHS sickness absence rates fall further
NHS sickness absence rates fall further The latest NHS staff sickness absence rates released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show a decrease in overall sickness absence, falling to 3.95 per cent in April 2014 from 3.98 percent in April 2013. NHS Employers
Doctors may face 'tougher sanctions'
Doctors may face 'tougher sanctions' Failing doctors could be forced to apologise to patients under measures being considered by the medical regulator. BBC News
See also:
See also:
- Doctors could be struck off if they fail to apologise to patients The Daily Telegraph
US Ebola patients out of hospital
US Ebola patients out of hospital One of the US aid workers who recovered from the Ebola virus says he is "thrilled to be alive" as he and another patient are discharged from hospital. BBC News
See also:
See also:
Health experts' food poverty warning
Health experts' food poverty warning More people are suffering from malnutrition as a result of worsening food poverty, health experts warn. BBC News
'Fat and 30' link to dementia is inconclusive
'Fat and 30' link to dementia is inconclusive “People as young as 30 who are obese may be at greater risk [of dementia],” The Independent reports.
This UK study examined a set 14-year period (1998 to 2011) and looked at whether NHS hospital records documenting obesity in adults above the age of 30 were associated with subsequent hospital or mortality records documenting dementia in the remaining years of the study.
Overall there was actually no significant association between obesity and dementia in later life.
When the researchers broke down the data into 10-year age bands (30s, 40s, 50s and 60s) they found that people in these age groups had increased risk of dementia. However, it must be remembered that the researchers were not looking at lifetime dementia diagnoses, but only looking at diagnoses in the remaining years of the study. Very few people in the younger age groups would have developed dementia over the following few years.
For example, the study found more than a trebled risk of dementia for people with obesity in their 30s, but this was based on only 19 people who developed dementia during the remaining years of the study. Calculations based on small numbers may be less reliable and should be given less "weight".
As expected the greatest number of subsequent dementia diagnoses occurred in people who were 70 or above when obesity was assessed, and obesity did not increase dementia risk in these people.
Aside from any dementia link or not, overweight and obesity are well established to be associated with a variety of chronic diseases and a healthy weight should be the aim.
This UK study examined a set 14-year period (1998 to 2011) and looked at whether NHS hospital records documenting obesity in adults above the age of 30 were associated with subsequent hospital or mortality records documenting dementia in the remaining years of the study.
Overall there was actually no significant association between obesity and dementia in later life.
When the researchers broke down the data into 10-year age bands (30s, 40s, 50s and 60s) they found that people in these age groups had increased risk of dementia. However, it must be remembered that the researchers were not looking at lifetime dementia diagnoses, but only looking at diagnoses in the remaining years of the study. Very few people in the younger age groups would have developed dementia over the following few years.
For example, the study found more than a trebled risk of dementia for people with obesity in their 30s, but this was based on only 19 people who developed dementia during the remaining years of the study. Calculations based on small numbers may be less reliable and should be given less "weight".
As expected the greatest number of subsequent dementia diagnoses occurred in people who were 70 or above when obesity was assessed, and obesity did not increase dementia risk in these people.
Aside from any dementia link or not, overweight and obesity are well established to be associated with a variety of chronic diseases and a healthy weight should be the aim.
New drive to make GP information more accessible
New drive to make GP information more accessible NHS England consults on ‘accessible information standard’. OnMedica
NHS patients to be seen by 'doctors on the cheap'
NHS patients to be seen by 'doctors on the cheap' Patients will increasingly be seen by “physician associates” rather than doctors under Government plans despite fears they are “doctors on the cheap”, according to a report. The Independent
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See also:
All three parties must tackle mental health crisis now, says Alastair Campbell
All three parties must tackle mental health crisis now, says Alastair Campbell Britain “cannot wait another generation” to tackle the mounting crisis in the nation’s mental health, Alastair Campbell has said, in a challenge to all three political parties to put the issue at the heart of their election manifestos. The Independent
Thursday, 21 August 2014
Can we ignore NHS charges any longer?
Can we ignore NHS charges any longer? This is the second in a series of guest blogs that we’ll be publishing in the run-up to the launch of the final report from the Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England.
Each blog will focus on one of the possible options for funding future health and social care considered in the commission’s interim report. Here, Andrew Haldenby and Cathy Corrie of independent think-tank Reform discuss why new NHS charges are necessary and why no political party wants to talk about them.
The commission will make its final recommendations on 4 September.
Each blog will focus on one of the possible options for funding future health and social care considered in the commission’s interim report. Here, Andrew Haldenby and Cathy Corrie of independent think-tank Reform discuss why new NHS charges are necessary and why no political party wants to talk about them.
The commission will make its final recommendations on 4 September.
Guidance: Ebola: infection control and prevention for acute trust staff
Guidance: Ebola: infection control and prevention for acute trust staff Guidance is also available on the risk assessment and management of viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHF), including Ebola, from the VHF algorithm page. Public Health England
See also:
See also:
- Guidance: Ebola: sample testing advice for laboratory staff Public Health England
Superbug measures 'lack evidence'
Superbug measures 'lack evidence' Researchers suggest some standard methods to reduce the spread of MRSA infections need to be re-evaluated as they may do more harm than good. BBC News
Keeping knowledgeable: how NHS chief executive officers mobilise knowledge and information in their daily work
Keeping knowledgeable: how NHS chief executive officers mobilise knowledge and information in their daily work This study aimed to investigate how chief executive officers of NHS trusts make decisions and mobilise particular knowledge and ‘evidence’ in the course of their day-to-day activities. National Institute for Health Research
Sepsis: Antibiotics 'not working'
Sepsis: Antibiotics 'not working' Patients are dying from sepsis because of a lack of effective antibiotics, an expert is warning. BBC News
Urgent care change pilots started
Urgent care change pilots started NHS England has established a series of pilots for a "system-wide transformation" of emergency services, including restructuring A&Es and enhancing the NHS 111 service. E-Health Insider
Could failure to breastfeed cause depression?
Could failure to breastfeed cause depression? Mothers who plan, but are unable, to breastfeed their babies are more likely to suffer from postnatal depression, report BBC News and The Independent.
A study of 14,000 women in England found that those who planned to breastfeed but had not managed to were two-and-a-half times more likely to develop postnatal depression, compared to women who had no intention of breastfeeding.
Around 1 in 10 women develop postnatal depression, which is not the same as the “baby blues”, but a serious illness that can affect a mother’s ability to bond with her baby. It can also affect the baby’s longer-term development.
It can develop within the first six weeks of giving birth, but is often not apparent until around six months. It’s important to get professional help if you think you may be suffering from this illness.
The study had several limitations. For example, both antenatal and postnatal depression were self-reported rather than clinically diagnosed, which may make the results less reliable.
Due to the nature of the study’s design, it cannot prove that not breastfeeding raises the risk of postnatal depression. However, it highlights the need to support new mothers who want to breastfeed but are unable to do so.
A study of 14,000 women in England found that those who planned to breastfeed but had not managed to were two-and-a-half times more likely to develop postnatal depression, compared to women who had no intention of breastfeeding.
Around 1 in 10 women develop postnatal depression, which is not the same as the “baby blues”, but a serious illness that can affect a mother’s ability to bond with her baby. It can also affect the baby’s longer-term development.
It can develop within the first six weeks of giving birth, but is often not apparent until around six months. It’s important to get professional help if you think you may be suffering from this illness.
The study had several limitations. For example, both antenatal and postnatal depression were self-reported rather than clinically diagnosed, which may make the results less reliable.
Due to the nature of the study’s design, it cannot prove that not breastfeeding raises the risk of postnatal depression. However, it highlights the need to support new mothers who want to breastfeed but are unable to do so.
Common antibiotic linked to 'tiny' rise in heart deaths
Common antibiotic linked to 'tiny' rise in heart deaths An antibiotic given to millions of people in the UK to treat chest infections has been linked to an increased risk of heart death, report The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.
A Danish study of three antibiotics found the risk of death from any heart condition while taking the antibiotic clarithromycin is slightly higher than with penicillin V.
Clarithromycin is used for respiratory infections, and 2.2 million doses were prescribed in England in 2013. However, it is not recommended for people with abnormal heart rhythms.
Researchers compared the number of people who had a heart-related death after being put on a course of either clarithromycin, roxithromycin (not used in the UK) or penicillin.
The study, published online in the British Medical Journal, found there were an extra 37 cardiac deaths per 1 million courses of clarithromycin compared with penicillin.
But the risk was still very low. As this was a cohort study, it cannot prove that any of these deaths were as a result of taking clarithromycin, as it did not account for all of the other factors that could have influenced the results.
A Danish study of three antibiotics found the risk of death from any heart condition while taking the antibiotic clarithromycin is slightly higher than with penicillin V.
Clarithromycin is used for respiratory infections, and 2.2 million doses were prescribed in England in 2013. However, it is not recommended for people with abnormal heart rhythms.
Researchers compared the number of people who had a heart-related death after being put on a course of either clarithromycin, roxithromycin (not used in the UK) or penicillin.
The study, published online in the British Medical Journal, found there were an extra 37 cardiac deaths per 1 million courses of clarithromycin compared with penicillin.
But the risk was still very low. As this was a cohort study, it cannot prove that any of these deaths were as a result of taking clarithromycin, as it did not account for all of the other factors that could have influenced the results.
CCGs urged to fund epilepsy GPSI service to replace 'failed' QOF indicators
CCGs urged to fund epilepsy GPSI service to replace 'failed' QOF indicators Commissioners should fund additional GPSI-run epilepsy services in the community to address shortcomings in care following the scrapping of QOF indicators for the condition, according to a GP expert. GP Online
Emergency admissions for typical primary care conditions drop
Emergency admissions for typical primary care conditions drop Asthma admissions rise sharply from August to September. OnMedica
How the NHS can deal with soaring drugs prices
How the NHS can deal with soaring drugs prices National Institute of Clinical Excellence decisions have sparked debate over funding the spiraling cost of medication
Last week the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) ruled that offering abiraterone, demonstrated to extend life by up to four months in advanced prostate cancer, was not cost effective as a treatment when given before chemotherapy. Described as a kick in the teeth by Prostate Cancer UK, the decision comes after a similar Nice ruling the week before on kadcyla, shown to prolong life for a certain group of breast cancer patients. Blockbuster drugs with ever increasing benefit are expensive, and there are lots on the way.
To allow room for financing such drugs, first, doctors need to get back to the principle of prescribing drugs from the current arsenal of pharmaceuticals that they can be confident will offer benefit. A study from University College London and Public Health England suggests that inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for viral coughs and colds is on the rise, raising the spectre of resistant strains of bacteria. For such common ailments, simple bed rest is often the best prescription. The lengthy appointment and explanation needed to justify the absence of a prescription requires time that todays NHS doctors have less of. All too often, I fear, a prescription playing on the dogma of taking a medicine being a solution to an ailment, is just easier.A far more sinister trend, leading to doctors switching to newer, more expensive drugs over older, cheaper ones, is a growing feeling that in some cases we are being misled by drug manufacturers. To make the right choices for their patients, doctors need to be able to trust the evidence of patient benefit. Randomised controlled trials, considered the gold standard for testing the efficacy of a new drug against conventional treatment or placebo, are expensive and time consuming to run, requiring extensive drug manufacturer sponsorship to coordinate results across continents and thousands of patients. Continue reading... The Guardian
Last week the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) ruled that offering abiraterone, demonstrated to extend life by up to four months in advanced prostate cancer, was not cost effective as a treatment when given before chemotherapy. Described as a kick in the teeth by Prostate Cancer UK, the decision comes after a similar Nice ruling the week before on kadcyla, shown to prolong life for a certain group of breast cancer patients. Blockbuster drugs with ever increasing benefit are expensive, and there are lots on the way.
To allow room for financing such drugs, first, doctors need to get back to the principle of prescribing drugs from the current arsenal of pharmaceuticals that they can be confident will offer benefit. A study from University College London and Public Health England suggests that inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for viral coughs and colds is on the rise, raising the spectre of resistant strains of bacteria. For such common ailments, simple bed rest is often the best prescription. The lengthy appointment and explanation needed to justify the absence of a prescription requires time that todays NHS doctors have less of. All too often, I fear, a prescription playing on the dogma of taking a medicine being a solution to an ailment, is just easier.A far more sinister trend, leading to doctors switching to newer, more expensive drugs over older, cheaper ones, is a growing feeling that in some cases we are being misled by drug manufacturers. To make the right choices for their patients, doctors need to be able to trust the evidence of patient benefit. Randomised controlled trials, considered the gold standard for testing the efficacy of a new drug against conventional treatment or placebo, are expensive and time consuming to run, requiring extensive drug manufacturer sponsorship to coordinate results across continents and thousands of patients. Continue reading... The Guardian
The 'suicide tourists': 126 Brits opt for assisted death in Switzerland since 2008
The 'suicide tourists': 126 Brits opt for assisted death in Switzerland since 2008 British people are the second biggest group of “suicide tourists”, according to a new study, which shows that the number of people travelling to assisted dying clinics in Switzerland has doubled in three years. The Independent
See also:
See also:
- One Briton a fortnight helped to die BBC News
- Britons make up nearly a quarter of suicide cases at Dignitas The Daily Telegraph
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