Teenagers who smoke and drink suffer ill effects by age of 17

Teenagers who smoke and drink suffer ill effects by age of 17 Teenagers who smoke and drink alcohol are causing visible damage to their arteries by the age of 17, a study has revealed. Tests showed stiffening of the arteries had begun by this relatively young age.

These physical changes have been linked with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel problems, such as stroke and heart attack, in later life.

But the study also found that the arteries of teenagers who stopped smoking or drinking returned to normal. BBC News - Health

See also:

• Teenagers who binge drink and smoke are increasing their risk of heart attacks and strokes as their arteries are already stiffening by 17 - but quitting can reverse the damage Mail Online

Quarter of 14-year-old girls in UK 'self-harmed in last year'

Quarter of 14-year-old girls in UK 'self-harmed in last year' Nearly a quarter of 14-year-old girls in the UK said they had self-harmed, a report suggests.

A survey of 11,000 children found 22% of the girls and 9% of the boys said they had hurt themselves on purpose in the year prior to the questionnaire.

Rates of self-harm were worst (46%) among those who were attracted to people of the same or both genders.

The Children's Society report said gender stereotypes and worries about looks were contributing to unhappiness. BBC News - Health

See also:

• The Good Childhood Report 2017 The Children's Society 
• Quarter of 14-year-old girls self-harm, study finds, amid warning of 'crisis in children's mental health' The Telegraph

Northampton brain injury charity fear end is in sight without formal funding in face of cuts

Northampton brain injury charity fear end is in sight without formal funding in face of cuts A Northampton charity supporting adults with brain injuries fear they "won't be here in two years" without funding.

Headway Northampton run a large day centre in Kings Heath where they help people who have sustained brain damage learn to live with their injuries.

But after losing out on grants and bearing the brunt of the county council's financial crisis, they now fear they will fold in as little as two years - and think other healthcare charities will follow. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The end is nigh for paper prescriptions

The end is nigh for paper prescriptions Paper prescriptions will as good as disappear under a shakeup to allow more electronic authorising of medicines, the health and social care secretary has announced.

Regulations that prevent GPs sending prescriptions to pharmacies digitally in some circumstances will be dropped with the aim of saving the NHS £300m by 2021. The changes will also benefit patients, the Department for Health and Social Care says: it will mean they have to spend less time waiting in pharmacies and GP practices, repeat prescriptions will be able to be collected from the pharmacy instead of having to visit the GP first, and they will not have to worry about losing paper prescriptions. OnMedica

No-deal Brexit: Plan to maintain medicine supplies 'could cost £2bn'

No-deal Brexit: Plan to maintain medicine supplies 'could cost £2bn'  Campaign group Best for Britain warns of cost to health secretary’s stockpiling strategy

The health secretary’s plan to set aside six weeks’ worth of vital medicines to avoid supply disruptions in the event of a no-deal Brexit could cost up to £2bn, campaign group Best for Britain warns today.

Matt Hancock wrote to healthcare providers last week, saying the government would set in motion plans to “ensure the UK has an additional six weeks’ supply of medicines in case imports from the EU through certain routes are affected”. The Guardian

Judge overturns south London hospital's ban on heart surgeon

Judge overturns south London hospital's ban on heart surgeon Marjan Jahangiri was excluded from St George’s pending disciplinary investigation

A heart surgeon excluded from working at a hospital pending disciplinary proceedings has said she is delighted to win the latest stage of a high court fight.

Prof Marjan Jahangiri had been excluded by bosses at St George’s in Tooting, south London, pending a disciplinary investigation into allegations made against her. The Guardian

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