Is a brisk walk better for losing weight than going to the gym?

Is a brisk walk better for losing weight than going to the gym? "A brisk 30-minute walk five days a week is more effective than any other form of exercise for keeping weight down," The Times reports. That is the reported conclusion of two researchers who looked at data from the annual English Health Surveys from 1999 to 2012.

As expected, they found people who regularly walk briskly for half an hour five days a week were likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who are less active.

The study found women and those over the age of 50 were most likely to have a lower weight if they walked regularly. By walking, the researchers mean brisk walking that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat slightly, not a gentle stroll.

Walking was also linked to having a smaller waist size – although, for men, sport and other forms of exercise were more strongly linked to waist size than walking. Sport and exercise were also linked to a lower BMI, although the link was not as strong as it was for walking.

However, this study does not seem to have compared the effects of the two types of activity directly, so we cannot say for sure – as many in the UK media have done – that walking is more effective than other types of exercise. NHS Choices

Hospital trust admits deaths charges

Hospital trust admits deaths charges The NHS trust that ran Stafford Hospital pleads guilty to criminal charges in relation to four deaths. BBC News

Invest in pathology services to boost diagnosis and cut costs, urges report

Invest in pathology services to boost diagnosis and cut costs, urges report Investment in pathology services would boost the quality of diagnosis, cut NHS costs and narrow health inequalities, says The Royal College of Pathologists. OnMedica

See also:

• Pathology and the NHS Five Year Forward View Royal College of Pathologists

The cancer drugs fund lottery: Relief as life-extending breast cancer drug is one of seven spared the chop - but nine more will be axed

The cancer drugs fund lottery: Relief as life-extending breast cancer drug is one of seven spared the chop - but nine more will be axed  Some 4,100 cancer patients will miss out on breakthrough cancer drugs in England next year as a result of the cuts, down from the 5,500 who would have missed out if some drugs had not been saved. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Cancer drug makes it back on NHS fund BBC News
• Breast cancer drug Kadcyla to remain on NHS after manufacturer lowers price The Guardian

Hospital doctor found guilty of manslaugher after blunders left a six-year-old boy dead

Hospital doctor found guilty of manslaugher after blunders left a six-year-old boy dead Jack Adcock, who had Down's syndrome and a heart condition, was misdiagnosed by "incompetent" Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba. The Daily Telegraph

NHS: Junior doctors to proceed with strike ballot after Jeremy Hunt's last-minute proposals branded misleading

NHS: Junior doctors to proceed with strike ballot after Jeremy Hunt's last-minute proposals branded misleading The BMA said the amended proposals also failed to address concerns around the removal of safeguards. The Independent

See also:

• BMA presses ahead with juniors' ballot British Medical Association
• News story: Junior doctors' contract offer Department of Health
• Policy paper: Junior doctors' contract offer: main points Department of Health
• Statement to Parliament: Junior doctors' contract Department of Health
• Professor Wendy Reid responds to junior doctor contract offer Health Education England
• Junior doctors' contract offer NHS Employers
• Sir Bruce Keogh on junior consultant contract debate NHS England
• Response to Secretary of State announcement on junior doctor's contract Royal College of General Practitioners
• BMA refuses to re-enter contract talks BBC News
• Junior doctors throw 15% pay rise offer back in Jeremy Hunt's face The Daily Mail
• Junior doctors reject 11pc pay rise and prepare for strike ballot The Daily Telegraph
• The NHS is in trouble. Doctors should help, not fight over pay The Daily Telegraph
• BMA tried to gag regulator from issuing strike advice The Daily Telegraph
• Junior doctors are victims of an NHS that's broken beyond repair The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt's 11% junior doctor contract offer 'megaphone diplomacy', says BMA GP Online
• Junior doctors reject 'misleading' pay offer and criticise Jeremy Hunt The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt: I cannot negotiate on manifesto promise of 24-hour NHS The Guardian
• Junior doctors ballot over strikes as pay offer branded 'fatally flawed' The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt’s ‘pay rise’ offer to junior doctors is nothing of the sort | Letters The Guardian
• Junior doctors claim Jeremy Hunt's 11% pay rise will be a 'pay cut' of 26% The Independent

NHS: UK now has one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world, according to OECD report

NHS: UK now has one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world, according to OECD report Hospitals so under equipped that people are dying needlessly because of a chronic lack of investment. The Independent

See also:

• Health at a Glance 2015 OECD Indicators OECD
• UK healthcare 'trails other nations' BBC News
• How the UK is the unhealthy man of Europe: NHS needs 50,000 more nurses and 26,500 doctors costing £5bn to bring it up to standard of Western neighbours The Daily Mail

Fat Chance? Exploring the evidence on who becomes obese

Fat Chance? Exploring the evidence on who becomes obese A new study blows apart previous simplistic approaches to obesity. The research paper, ‘Fat Chance?’ which examines the wealth of current knowledge and data on obesity, addresses one crucial question: ‘Who exactly is becoming obese?’ 2020health

See also:

• 2020health say misery in middle age makes us pile on the pounds The Daily Mail

Valuing staff through recognition schemes

Valuing staff through recognition schemes Staff recognition schemes are a good way of helping staff to feel valued by the organisation they work for. NHS Employers

Hunt pay offer in junior doctor row

Hunt pay offer in junior doctor row Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the government's proposed new contract for junior doctors in England will include an 11% increase in their basic pay. BBC News

See also:

• BMA responds to Guardian story on Jeremy Hunt's offer to junior doctors British Medical Association
• Junior doctors' contract offer Department of Health
• VIDEO: Hunt: 'Good deal for doctors and patients' BBC News
• VIDEO: Junior doctor's frontline video diary BBC News
• Jeremy Hunt offers pay rises of up to 15% to halt doctors’ strike The Daily Mail
• Junior doctors offered 11pc pay rise to head off strike The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt offers junior doctors 11% pay rise in bid to end dispute The Guardian
• Junior doctors offered 11% pay rise as Jeremy Hunt bids to avoid strike The Independent

Trainees and 1,000 existing GPs will count towards 2020 workforce target, MPs told

Trainees and 1,000 existing GPs will count towards 2020 workforce target, MPs told A government pledge to deliver an extra 5,000 GPs in England by 2020 will be met by including trainees and persuading 1,000 existing GPs to delay retirement or return from career breaks, an NHS training official has admitted. GP Online

CQC fee hike slammed by GPs and health providers

CQC fee hike slammed by GPs and health providers Plans for fee rise 'damaging to patient care' OnMedica

See also:

• BMA criticises “wholly unjustified" proposals to increase CQC fees that could damage patient care British Medical Association
• Health and social care fees consultation Care Quality Commission 

Sex under the influence of drugs is 'causing HIV and other STI rates to soar'

Sex under the influence of drugs is 'causing HIV and other STI rates to soar' Experts writing in the British Medical Journal said people having chemsex often reported having unprotected sex with multiple partners. Doctors believe tackling it should be a health priority. The Daily Mail

See also:

• What is chemsex and why does it matter? The BMJ
• Chemsex: the alarming new trend of 72 hour drug-fuelled sex sessions The Daily Telegraph
• Chemsex should be public health priority due to HIV risk, experts say The Independent

NHS doublespeak drove me away from mental health nursing

NHS doublespeak drove me away from mental health nursing Euphemisms such as ‘cost-improvement’ and ‘management of change’ mask the disastrous impact of cutting frontline staff

Last year the infrastructure behind research delivery in the NHS was completely re-organised; a process officially referred to as “transition”. In my experience as a mental health research nurse, this has created anxiety, confusion and uncertainty, exacerbated by the nuanced way in which the NHS communicates information to its workforce.

Communication between medical professionals and patients is well-documented, but little attention is given to the corporate language used within NHS organisations; language that often appears to conceal the true meaning of what is being said. “Transition” is a case in point; a word suggestive of an evolving, organic process or a natural progression from one state to another. In reality, transition in this context meant re-structuring the entire research delivery network across England and Wales. In terms of mental health research, what emerged at the other end of this re-structure (let’s call it what it was) appears to be a costly muddle, held together by the goodwill and dedication of excellent research staff. Continue reading... The Guardian

Fixing 111 is a matter of life and death

Fixing 111 is a matter of life and death Telegraph View: Non-emergency care responses must be better. If there were a train crash in which 25 people were killed, a major inquiry would be held into the causes and the event would be the subject of media speculation for days. Yet when the deaths are attributed to a scandal in the NHS the response is far more muted. The Daily Telegraph

Abortion doctor who agreed to gender-based termination suspended for three months

Abortion doctor who agreed to gender-based termination suspended for three months A doctor who was caught by The Telegraph admitting that an abortion he was offering was tantamount to 'female infanticide' struck off for three months. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Birmingham doctor who agreed to abortion because foetus was a girl is suspended The Daily Mail

"Gay cure" therapies are still available on the NHS and need to be banned, says Tory MP Mike Freer

"Gay cure" therapies are still available on the NHS and need to be banned, says Tory MP Mike Freer The Government should introduce regulation to ban so-called “gay cure therapies” that purport to be able to change someone’s sexual orientation, an MP has said. The Independent

Guidance for commissioners of mental health services

Guidance for commissioners of mental health services This guide supports commissioners, local health authorities and providers to think broadly, but practically, about building sustainable, resilient communities that have the potential, over time, to reduce mental ill health. Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health

How do we develop a person-centred, community-centred workforce, to support people with long-term conditions?

How do we develop a person-centred, community-centred workforce, to support people with long-term conditions? This discussion paper from the Coalition for Collaborative Care looks at a key element: the people who are part of the health and social care workforce. Planning, developing and supporting an integrated workforce that routinely works in a person-centred, community-centred way is a complex and multi-faceted challenge. To make it easier to understand and respond to, we've broken it down into four areas:

• Mind-set challenges for person and community-centred care
• The specific knowledge and skills that are needed
• The importance of supportive working environments
• Capacity and roles: workforce planning.

How sharp are we on safety? An assessment of safer sharps adoption in UK hospitals

How sharp are we on safety? An assessment of safer sharps adoption in UK hospitals This report finds that not all NHS trusts are not complying with ‘safer sharps’ rules and, as a result, are continuing to put NHS employees at risk of needle stick injuries and possible blood-borne infections such as hepatitis and HIV. MindMetre