New laser treatment for prostate patients treated at Kettering General Hospital

New laser treatment for prostate patients treated at Kettering General Hospital Kettering General Hospital has introduced a new laser operation to help patients who need treatment for benign enlargement of the prostate. Northamptonshire Telegraph

ESPAUR report reveals continued rise in antibiotic resistant infections

ESPAUR report reveals continued rise in antibiotic resistant infections A new report from Public Health England shows that overall antibiotic resistant infections increased through 2014. Rates of bloodstream infections caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae increased by 15.6% and 20.8% respectively, from 2010 to 2014. However, Streptococcus pneumoniae bloodstream infections reduced by 23% between 2010 and 2014, which may be related to increased pneumococcal vaccination rates.

See also:

• English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report Public Health England
• Shared decision making reduces antibiotic use OnMedica
• Dr Maureen Baker: GPs have made real progress on antibiotic prescribing, but there's still more to do GP Online
• 'Last resort' antibiotics pose growing threat to healthcare, report warns The Guardian
• Hospitals turning to last-resort antibiotics as drug-resistant infections continue to rise The Independent

Guidance for people with dementia and carers

Guidance for people with dementia and carers Guidance for carers and people with dementia to explain what good quality services should look like. London Dementia Strategic Clinical Network

See also:

• Dementia – Immediate Post Diagnosis Support Guidance London Dementia Strategic Clinical Network

Smart dressing 'cuts antibiotic use'

Smart dressing 'cuts antibiotic use' A medical dressing that changes colour when it detects infection could cut the unnecessary use of antibiotics, say scientists at Bath University. BBC News

FPLD disappointed with government response to consultation on ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’

FPLD disappointed with government response to consultation on ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’ Earlier this week, the government responded to the consultation on No voice unheard, no right ignored, which was commissioned under the previous coalition government.


Addressing similar issues to the recently unveiled NHS England national plan Building the Right Support, the consultation sought to explore ways people with learning disabilities could be supported to lead more independent lives and to have more control and choices over the services they receive. However, the government’s consultation response has come as a disappointment to the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities.

GP practices must deliver further efficiency savings, NHS England tells DDRB

GP practices must deliver further efficiency savings, NHS England tells DDRB NHS England has rejected BMA warnings that GP practices have delivered nearly all possible efficiency savings in evidence to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB). GP Online

Hundreds of consultants tell Jeremy Hunt they back junior doctors' strike

Hundreds of consultants tell Jeremy Hunt they back junior doctors' strike Royal Free London consultants write to health secretary saying junior doctors are integral to NHS and they will support any industrial action.

Hundreds of consultants from the Royal Free London NHS foundation trust have written to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to express their support for junior doctors and to back possible industrial action.

In a letter to the Guardian, the 505 consultants, who will bear the brunt of any potential strike, say they recognise that junior doctors are an integral part of the health service. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Junior doctors contract row: an explainer The Guardian
• NHS junior doctor contracts: UK's leading expert on patient safety Sir Robert Francis urges doctors not to strike The Independent
• Junior doctors strike: 40,000 prepare to stage mass walk-out in December The Independent

Surge in number of UK adults with diabetes

Surge in number of UK adults with diabetes On World Diabetes Day, British Heart Foundation analysis finds nearly 3.5 million British people have condition.

The number of UK adults with diabetes has risen by more than 65% since 2005, figures show. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Diabetes cases in the UK rise by 65% in 10 years The Independent

2.5 million men 'have no close friends'

2.5 million men 'have no close friends' Stark new research shows chances of friendlessness trebles by late middle age. The Daily Telegraph

BMA announces industrial action dates

BMA announces industrial action dates British Medical Association has announced the dates they will take industrial action, over the ongoing contract reform dispute with the Government. NHS Employers

See also:

• Juniors' contract: industrial action dates set British Medical Association
• Response to BMA JDC announcing proposed industrial action schedule NHS Employers
• Junior doctors set to strike for three days in December, union announces  The Daily Mail
• The BMA's strike threats 'could be interpreted as a betrayal of the Hippocratic Oath' The Daily Telegraph
• Junior doctors to have first 'all-out' strike in history if ballot passes The Daily Telegraph
• The junior doctors' contract threatens research and medical progress The Daily Telegraph
• NHS strike: the junior doctors are lions led by donkeys The Daily Telegraph
• BMA confirms junior doctor strike dates for December GP Online
• Facing Jeremy Hunt's fear: an interview with a militant NHS doctor The Guardian
• Junior doctors to strike for three days in December if ballot is approved The Guardian
• Hunt condemns junior doctors' 'extreme' three-day strike proposal The Guardian
• Junior doctors strike: Action would harm vulnerable patients, says Jeremy Hunt The Independent
• Jeremy Hunt snubbed by trainee surgeons over inappropriate invitation to discuss junior doctor's strike The Independent

Devolution – silver bullet or Swiss cheese?

Devolution – silver bullet or Swiss cheese? In recent months, health has found itself caught up in government’s latest big idea – devolution. Adjectives such as ‘historic’ and ‘ground-breaking’ have been used by some to describe the deals signed so far, while others have suggested they herald the start of a ‘two-tier’ or ‘Swiss-cheese’ health service. But what does devolution really mean for the NHS? The King's Fund

Dementia: the R&D landscape

Dementia: the R&D landscape This research paper provides an overview of the current dementia R&D landscape. It begins with a brief overview of the current thinking on the reasons for successes and failures of dementia treatments, based on a selective literature review.Please note that you will need to register to access this report. Office of Health Economics

Agenda for later life 2015: a great place to grow older

Agenda for later life 2015: a great place to grow older This report assesses how public policy is meeting the needs of people in later life. It finds that while many areas of life for older people have improved – including digital inclusion and employment - progress in other areas has stalled or even gone backwards. This is most marked in health, care and wellbeing, continuing a trend found last year. Age UK

Homeopathy 'could be blacklisted'

Homeopathy 'could be blacklisted' Ministers are considering whether homeopathy should be put on an NHS blacklist of banned treatments, the BBC learns. BBC News

See also:

• Statement on Homeopathy and NHMRC Information Paper - Evidence on the effectiveness of homeopathy for treating health conditions Australian Government National Health & Medical Research Council
• Homeopathy NHS Choices
• Ban homeopathy on the NHS because there is 'no evidence it works' The Daily Mail

Benefit sanctions against people with mental health problems up by 600 per cent

Benefit sanctions against people with mental health problems up by 600 per cent Charities have warned that sanctions are making mental health problems worse. The Independent

See also:

• Huge rise in people with mental illness having benefits stopped as ‘punishment’ Metro

Jeremy Hunt aims to cut number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths

Jeremy Hunt aims to cut number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths UK ranked 33 out of 35 high-income countries in 2011 study on stillbirths, and has one of highest rates in Europe

A drive to halve the number of stillbirths and deaths among newborn babies and mothers has been launched by health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

NHS trusts with maternity services will have to show how they are performing, and new data on stillbirth and neonatal death will be published at trust level so results can be compared. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• New ambition to halve rate of stillbirths and infant deaths Department of Health

NHS misses key targets in run-up to busy winter period

NHS misses key targets in run-up to busy winter period Number of patients seen within four hours at lowest since targets were introduced as hospitals face surge of cases over winter

The NHS in England missed several key targets for A&E admissions, cancer referrals, ambulance response times and NHS 111 calls in September as it braces itself for a busy winter period.

Against a target of 95%, 93.4% of patients attending emergency departments were seen within four hours in September. The figure was 94.3% the previous month. The A&E data for September is often cited as an indicator of pressure on the NHS as it prepares for winter. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Winter NHS pressures 'bite early' BBC News
• NHS Hospitals forced to turn patients away as bedblocking hits record high The Daily Mail
• NHS figures reveal record number of patients kept in hospital too long The Independent

Hundreds of thousands could already be infected by new sexual disease

Hundreds of thousands could already be infected by new sexual disease A new sexually transmitted disease could already have infected hundred of thousands of people, senior doctors have warned. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Scientists identify new STD that could affect hundreds of thousands of adults - and it often has NO symptoms The Daily Mail
• Hundreds of thousands of British adults could have newly-identified sexually transmitted infection The Independent

Mental health services take a 'leap in the dark' on patient care

Mental health services take a 'leap in the dark' on patient care Large-scale changes to mental health services are a ‘leap in the dark’ and are having a negative impact on patient care, says a briefing published today by The King’s Fund.

See also:

• Mental health under pressure (briefing) The King’s Fund
• Mental health cuts 'hitting patients' BBC News
• Mental health patients 'at risk' due to budget cuts, leading think tank warns The Daily Telegraph
• Mental health budget cuts putting services under 'huge pressure' The Guardian

Place-based systems of care: A way forward for the NHS in England

Place-based systems of care: A way forward for the NHS in England The NHS in England is facing growing financial and service pressures at a time of rising demand. This paper proposes a new approach to tackling these challenges. It argues that NHS organisations need to move away from a ‘fortress mentality’ whereby they act to secure their own individual interests and future, and instead establish place-based ‘systems of care’ in which they collaborate with other NHS organisations and services to address the challenges and improve the health of the populations they serve. The King's Fund

See also:

Ten design principles for place-based systems of care The King's Fund