Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba: GMC boss told position is 'untenable'

Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba: GMC boss told position is 'untenable'  Medics have called for the head of the General Medical Council (GMC) to stand down over his handling of the case of a doctor who was struck off.

Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba has won her bid to be reinstated over the death of six-year-old Jack Adcock in 2011.

Hospital doctors have said GMC chief executive Charlie Massey's position was "untenable". BBC News

See also:

• HCSA warns GMC Chief Executive position 'untenable' Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association 
• Doctors demand resignation of GMC head over handling of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba case The Daily Telegraph
• Doctors tell medical council boss his position is 'untenable' over Bawa-Garba case The Independent

The mental health chatbot

The mental health chatbot Chatbots are being taught to assist people in dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The bots do not treat or diagnose - but human therapists have some reservations about the tech. BBC News

Abortion pill will be allowed to taken at home in England, under new plan

Abortion pill will be allowed to taken at home in England, under new plan Women in England will be allowed to take an early abortion pill at home, under a government plan due to take effect by the end of the year.

Currently, women ending a pregnancy in its first 10 weeks must take two pills at a clinic, 24 to 48 hours apart.

Under the new plans, which will bring England into line with Scotland and Wales, the second pill can be taken at home.

This avoids the risk of women miscarrying while on the journey home. BBC News

Health Secretary pledges to overhaul NHS IT system

Health Secretary pledges to overhaul NHS IT system Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has vowed to overhaul the NHS IT network, saying it would be unacceptable in any other 21st-century organisation.

The “bleary eyed” minister, who replaced Jeremy Hunt in July, said he saw first hand how staff were hindered by poor technology as he shadowed front-line staff during an overnight shift. ITV News

NHS boss: 'Run failing hospitals like Tesco to improve them' - iNews

NHS boss: 'Run failing hospitals like Tesco to improve them' Failing hospitals should be run like supermarket chains if they are to improve, the boss of one of the country’s best-rated trusts has said.

Sir David Dalton, chief executive at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said groups of hospitals should work together to implement best practice – much like a chain of Sainsbury’s or Tesco stores.

He argued that the 135 separate acute non-specialist trusts in England, all with “different ways of doing things”, were “a key reason why standards in care vary so dramatically in what is meant to be a national health service”. iNews

Syphilis diagnoses are booming - it's clear sexual health needs an overhaul

Syphilis diagnoses are booming - it's clear sexual health needs an overhaul | Richard Vize Responsibility for services is shared by NHS and councils and there is little evidence of a united effort on prevention

The health and social care select committee has launched an inquiry into sexual health. The move comes as serious infections are rising and funding is falling, hitting services of vital importance to young people and many others.

There is a widespread feeling among public health staff that the NHS no longer sees public health as its problem Continue reading... The Guardian

NHS maternity units were forced to close 287 times last year

NHS maternity units were forced to close 287 times last year Labour says turning away expectant mothers is ‘disgrace’ and blames Tories for midwife shortage

Almost half of maternity units at hospitals in England were closed to expectant mothers at least once during 2017, research by Labour has found, with the party blaming staff shortages and other resourcing problems.

Freedom of information (FoI) requests by Labour identified almost 300 occasions when maternity units were closed and expectant mothers Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• England in maternity crisis with almost half of units turning mothers away, Labour warns The Independent

More than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for social care

More than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for social care More than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for social care, polling reveals.

The survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) comes ahead of a green paper this autumn, which will examine how best to fund care of the elderly and disabled.

Earlier this year Theresa May announced a £20bn boost for the NHS. But plans about how best to fund long-term care of the elderly were pushed back, having last year proved politically toxic. The Daily Telegraph

Trailblazing female heart surgeon 'forced out' from unit by colleagues 'envious of her success'

Trailblazing female heart surgeon 'forced out' from unit by colleagues 'envious of her success' A leading cardiac surgeon claims she was suspended from a heart unit criticised for soaring death rates because colleagues were envious of her success.

Professor Marjan Jahangiri, the first female professor of cardiac surgery in Europe, claims she was subjected to a "campaign of bullying and harassment", and in one instance was anonymously sent a dead animal and a decapitated doll in the post.

She has asked the High Court to issue an order lifting her exclusion from St George's Hospital in south west London with immediate effect. The Daily Telegraph

Every GP surgery in England should hire a mental health expert to tackle depression, experts say

Every GP surgery in England should hire a mental health expert to tackle depression, experts say Every doctor's surgery in England is being encouraged to employ mental health therapists.

The therapists will focus on common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, particularly in people with long-term physical illnesses like diabetes and heart conditions.

NHS England is encouraging GPs to bring mental and physical health services under one roof after a survey found two in five patient appointments are now for mental health. The Daily Mail

Scandal of the 3.6million NHS 'ghost patients': Huge numbers still registered at practices have either died or moved away... but GPs receive £151 for each one despite a crackdown pledge

Scandal of the 3.6million NHS 'ghost patients': Huge numbers still registered at practices have either died or moved away... but GPs receive £151 for each one despite a crackdown pledge A staggering 3.6 million patients who do not exist are registered with GPs' surgeries, a Mail on Sunday investigation reveals today.

Despite a crackdown launched three years ago on so-called 'ghost patients', the numbers have risen at a rate of almost 6,000 a week.

Doctors in England receive an average of £151 a year for each patient on their books, whether they see them or not. The Daily Mail

See also:

• GPs receiving payments for 3.6 million 'ghost patients' The Daily Telegraph
• NHS: GPs have up to 3.6 million 'ghost patients' on books - report The Guardian

Reducing emergency admissions: unlocking the potential of people to better manage their long-term conditions

Reducing emergency admissions: unlocking the potential of people to better manage their long-term conditions This briefing summarises research that explores the link between how well patients feel able to manage their long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and depression and their use of health care.

The findings show the NHS could reduce avoidable health care use and improve people's quality of life, if they were better supported to manage their long-term conditions.

It also points to solutions and calls for national policy makers and the local NHS to take action now, including by prioritising support for self-management in the NHS long-term plan. The Health Foundation

Information for the health and care sector about planning for a potential no-deal Brexit

Information for the health and care sector about planning for a potential no-deal Brexit This collection of resources brings together guidance, correspondence and news for people involved in the health and care sector. Service providers should consider this guidance in the context of their existing business continuity plans. The latest guidance published covers regulation, testing and labelling if the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 with 'no deal'. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Nuffield Trust response to Brexit technical notices on healthcare Nuffield Trust
• Don't hoard medicines for Brexit, health secretary says The Guardian
• Government tells drug companies to stockpile six weeks' worth of medicine in case of no-deal Brexit. The Independent

Mental health problems among GPs 'deeply concerning' but not surprising given workload pressures, says College

Mental health problems among GPs 'deeply concerning' but not surprising given workload pressures, says College She said: "GPs, indeed most healthcare professionals, are renowned for putting their patients' health before their own – and given the intense pressures currently facing general practice, this very high proportion of GPs living with mental health problems is deeply concerning, but not a total surprise.

"GPs work incredibly hard, often putting in 12-hour days in clinic, making upwards of 60 patient contacts a day, and dealing with huge amounts of administrative work. This relentless workload will inevitably take its toll on both doctors' physical and mental health and wellbeing, however resilient they may be. Royal College of General Practitioners

See also:

• New workforce figures 'demoralising and distressing' to struggling GPs, says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners

Anti-vaccine myths are being promoted by social media bots and Russian trolls, study finds

Anti-vaccine myths are being promoted by social media bots and Russian trolls, study finds Online arguments trying to trick people into believing vaccines are spreading across the internet, according to a new study.

Social media bots and trolls are sewing division by promoting "anti-vaxx" conspiracy theories and other myths, the new research has found.

Experts suggest that the arguments are being used to divide the country as well as to trick them into clicking on malicious links and other attacks. The Independent

See also:

• Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate American Journal of Public Health
• Russia trolls 'spreading vaccination misinformation' to create discord BBC News
• What's behind the 'anti-vax' movement? BBC News
• Russian trolls and Twitter bots are driving the global anti-vaxxer movement online, study reveals The Daily Mail
• Russian trolls and bots fuelled anti-vaccination debate The Daily Telegraph

Cornish hospital says sorry after 'neglect' of woman who died

Cornish hospital says sorry after 'neglect' of woman who died Katy Lowry, a 30-year-old with disabilities, died after failure to carry out basic checks

A hospital has apologised to the family of a woman with disabilities who died after staff failed to carry out basic checks when she was admitted suffering from a bout of vomiting.

Katy Lowry, 30, who had physical and learning disabilities, collapsed and died shortly after arriving at the Royal Cornwall hospital. Continue reading... The Guardian

I’ve been told to wait three years for a wheelchair that ‘can go outside’

I’ve been told to wait three years for a wheelchair that ‘can go outside’ | Frances Ryan It is surely a societal failure when 5,000 children wait months for an NHS chair, while others receive no help to cover costs

One of my abiding childhood memories was being given my first wheelchair. Until I was six, I had to resort to a large buggy, a mass of translucent plastic frames and ugly grey wheels. It was through the charity Whizz-Kidz that I finally got my first wheelchair, a streamlined seat in midnight purple. I remember taking my newfound freedom to my local Morrisons, home of the shiniest floor in town. I had gone from being trapped in plastic to sitting in a rocket ship, throwing myself down the crisps and snacks aisle.

A decade later, I had outgrown the chair and my family were back to working out how we would pay for a new one – this time a pricier, electric wheelchair that cost at least £5,000. My mum wrote to the board of local charities, we saved what we could, and Whizz-Kidz again filled in the rest.

Turning to charity feels particularly disconcerting if you’re disabled​​. It’s reminiscent of the pre-welfare state era Continue reading... The Guardian

Patient diagnosed with deadly MERS virus in Leeds as fellow passengers on flight from Middle East sought

Patient diagnosed with deadly MERS virus in Leeds as fellow passengers on flight from Middle East sought A man has been diagnosed with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in England - the first such diagnosis in this country since 2013.

Health officials said the case involves a patient who was initially admitted to a hospital in Leeds before being transferred to Royal Liverpool Hospital, which treats respiratory infectious diseases.

The man is believed to have fallen ill after flying to Britain from the Middle East, where he lives. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• MERS-CoV case in England Public Health England

British women now among top drinkers in the world

British women now among top drinkers in the world British women are now among the world's biggest drinkers - matching men drink for drink, a major global study published in The Lancet reveals.

The figures, which track 195 countries across the globe, show that the UK is almost unique in having no difference in the amount of alcohol men and women consume.

Experts described the trends as “alarming”, warning of growing rates of liver disease among middle-aged women who had continued the “ladette” drinking habits of their youth. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• No level of alcohol consumption improves health The Lancet
• Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 The Lancet
• No alcohol safe to drink, global study confirms BBC News
• No safe level of alcohol consumption, major study concludes The Independent
• Alcohol sales would fall nearly 40% if everyone in England drank within guidelines, research finds The Independent

Two thirds of NHS hospital trusts have unsafe bed occupancy levels

Two thirds of NHS hospital trusts have unsafe bed occupancy levels Two thirds of hospital trusts had unsafe bed occupancy levels between the start of April and end of June, NHS figures have revealed.

Damning statistics published today show 131 trusts - which run hospitals - were at least 85 per cent full, the safe limit set by health chiefs.

Two even reported 100 per cent occupancy rates during the busy three-month period - Oxford Health Foundation Trust and Bedford Hospital Trust. The Daily Mail