Northamptonshire residents urged to find out more about diabetes risks

Northamptonshire residents urged to find out more about diabetes risks A ‘diabetes van’ will visit three county towns this week to help residents find out more about the condition.

The events will be held in Corby, Daventry and Northampton as part of Diabetes Prevention Week which runs today (Monday) to April 7 and aims to raise awareness of the causes and complications of Type 2 diabetes, particularly amongst groups at higher risk. Northamptonshire Telegraph

How to address the challenge of multimorbidity?

How to address the challenge of multimorbidity? With slow progress being made on a promise to redesign health care for the people who use it, Charlotte Paddison argues for two key changes in how multimorbidity is tackled. Nuffield Trust

Improving physical ill-health and cardiovascular disease prevention in people with severe mental illness

Improving physical ill-health and cardiovascular disease prevention in people with severe mental illness The NHS RightCare Toolkit for physical ill-health and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) prevention in people with severe mental illness (SMI) defines the core components of an optimal service for people with SMI who are at risk of developing CVD. NHS England

The key to building a successful work-based learning culture

The key to building a successful work-based learning culture This infographic and accompanying dedicated web section aims to support employers with understanding the key elements which need to be in place to successfully enable a culture of work-based learning, such as when implementing apprenticeships. NHS Employers

Vaginal mesh ban can be lifted with changes, NICE says

Vaginal mesh ban can be lifted with changes, NICE says Controversial vaginal mesh implants can be offered again on the NHS in England once certain conditions are met, health watchdog NICE has said.

Some women have been left unable to walk, work or have sex after having the implants, which are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence.

Use of vaginal mesh was halted across the UK last year amid safety concerns. BBC News

See also:

• Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management National Institute of Health and Care Excellence
• Fury as health chiefs U-turn on dramatic decision to ban vaginal mesh The Daily Mail
• Outrage as officials recommend controversial mesh implant The Daily Telegraph
• Vaginal mesh: New generation of women at risk of controversial procedure, campaigners warn The Independent

NHS dentist charges rise by 5% in England

NHS dentist charges rise by 5% in England An inflation-busting hike in dentistry fees mean NHS patients in England will pay £1.10 extra for a routine check-up.

The new charges, which begin on Monday, will also see the cost of a set of dentures rise by £12.80 to nearly £270.

Dentistry leaders say charges are increasingly being relied on and in the future dentistry could end up as an NHS service "in name only". BBC News

Pre-eclampsia: NHS to roll out breakthrough test which speeds up diagnosis and can save lives

Pre-eclampsia: NHS to roll out breakthrough test which speeds up diagnosis and can save lives The NHS is set to roll out a revolutionary blood test for pre-eclampsia, after a trial showed it can diagnose the condition earlier in pregnancy and significantly reduce life-threatening complications.

Complications like stroke, seizures and maternal death fell by 20 per cent when doctors had access to placental growth factor (PlGF) testing, research led by King’s College London found. The Independent

E-cigarettes do not normalise smoking for young people – study

E-cigarettes do not normalise smoking for young people – study Tobacco use among children and teens continues to fall despite popularity of vaping

The sharp increase in the use of e-cigarettes has not led more British children to take up cigarettes or regard smoking as normal, the first study of its kind has shown.

Some health experts and anti-smoking groups have expressed concern that the growth of e-cigarettes might normalise the idea of smoking for young people. The Guardian

See also:

• Have e-cigarettes renormalised or displaced youth smoking? Results of a segmented regression analysis of repeated cross sectional survey data in England, Scotland and Wales (open access) Tobacco Control

Parents who refuse vaccinations for their children are putting us all at risk

Parents who refuse vaccinations for their children are putting us all at risk Only 87.2% of children in England have had both MMR jabs by the time they're five, which means the rest of the population is in danger.

When fewer than 90% of people are vaccinated, 'herd immunity' drops which puts the most vulnerable of society at risk. Children, the elderly and the sick all have a higher chance of contracting diseases that could be prevented by vaccination. The Daily Telegraph

Judge to rule whether man can have sex with his wife years amid concerns over her mental capacity.

Judge to rule whether man can have sex with his wife years amid concerns over her mental capacity A judge is set to rule whether a man can continue to sleep with his wife of more than 20 years amid concerns over her mental capacity.

Social services bosses with responsibility for the care of the wife, who has learning difficulties, say there is evidence that her mental health has reached a stage which means that she no longer has the capacity to make decisions about whether she wants to have sex. The Daily Telegraph

Interactive map shows the areas of England where cancer patients are most likely to die in a year

Interactive map shows the areas of England where cancer patients are most likely to die in a year Figures have revealed the areas of England where people are least likely to survive for a year after being diagnosed with cancer.

Nearly a third of cancer patients diagnosed in Leicester city centre will die within a year, making it the worst performing NHS group in the country by this measure – its 12-month survival rate is 67.7 per cent.

Only 20 areas in England manage to keep three quarters of their patients alive for a year after being diagnosed, the majority of them in or around London.

Whereas the worst performing areas are mainly in the Midlands and Kent, leaving people facing a postcode lottery if they are diagnosed. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Lung cancer survival inequality grows in England, ONS figures show The Independent

Northampton and Kettering hospitals work together to help crime victims

Northampton and Kettering hospitals work together to help crime victims Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital have agreed to join up with Voice, the free, confidential support service for anyone affected by crime in Northamptonshire.

The three organisations came together recently to sign an agreement that will see them working together to ensure patients and staff are able to access the specialist support provided by Voice. Northamptonshire Telegraph

New out-of-hours GP provider appointed in Northamptonshire

New out-of-hours GP provider appointed in Northamptonshire A new provider for the GP out of hours service has been appointed by the Northamptonshire CCGs (Corby CCG and Nene CCG).

From Monday (April 1) DHU Health Care will be operating the service for patients registered with a Northamptonshire GP. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NICE at 20

NICE at 20 This Monday – 1 April 2019, or All Fools’ Day – is the sixth anniversary of the implementation of Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Act, 2012. An Act that everyone from the Prime Minister down appears to agree now needs amending.

But it is also the twentieth anniversary of the arrival of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). And that has to be an occasion for a birthday cake and a few celebratory fireworks. The King's Fund

'She was so desperate, she swallowed a toothbrush'

'She was so desperate, she swallowed a toothbrush' "She is so desperate to end it all, she currently has a toothbrush inside her."

Jane Haines is talking about her daughter, Ayla, who has been in secure units for people with learning difficulties for seven years.

A government programme to move people out of these units after an abuse scandal is a failure, campaigners say.

The government said in 2015 it was committed to reducing inpatient numbers in England by at least 35%, although it has only relocated 20% so far.

That means 2,000 patients remain in them and the government has extended the original March 2019 deadline to 2020. BBC News

Ask children about social media use, psychiatrists urged

Ask children about social media use, psychiatrists urged Psychiatrists are being urged to ask children with mental health issues how long they spend online and what they use social media for.

Questions about technology should be a routine part of assessments, the Royal College of Psychiatrists says.

It is concerned about how time spent online impacts on mood, sleep, diet and behaviour.

The government is expected to announce plans to regulate social media companies soon. BBC News

Schools and NHS could be held accountable over youth crime

Schools and NHS could be held accountable over youth crime Teachers, NHS workers and police officers could be held accountable for failing to spot violent crime among young people under government plans announced on Monday.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has launched a consultation to assess whether there is a "public health duty" to report concerns over children at risk.

He said he will use "all the tools" at his disposal to end violent crime.

A summit on serious youth violence is being held at Downing Street this week. BBC News

New diabetes diagnosis every three minutes, new figures suggest

New diabetes diagnosis every three minutes, new figures suggest One person is being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in England and Wales every three minutes, according to new figures.

Data from 2017 revealed 202,665 people were diagnosed with the disease across the two countries in that year, equivalent to 23 people every hour.

Diabetes UK, which conducted the analysis, said the figures revealed the UK’s obesity crisis was fuelling a rapid rise in the number of people living with the condition. The Independent

Fury as government delays promised social care reform for sixth time amid Brexit gridlock

Fury as government delays promised social care reform for sixth time amid Brexit gridlock The government has failed for the sixth time to hit its own deadline to publish details of care system reforms for adults with disabilities and the elderly, because of the Brexit gridlock wracking the Commons.

Charities claimed lives were being put at risk by minsters’ “dithering and delays” and warned vulnerable people denied care, such as those with learning disabilities, were at increased “risk of abuse and neglect”. The Independent

Transgender fertility rules updated by NHS

Transgender fertility rules updated by NHS Refusal to offer services will require ‘strong justification’ under revised guidance

A long-running battle between the NHS and the equality watchdog over transgender people’s right to access fertility services has ended with both sides claiming victory.

Guidance will be issued to all of the country’s 200-plus clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) – the NHS bodies that plan and commission services – saying that refusal to offer fertility services to people who are transitioning will need a strong justification. A failure to provide this could be challenged in court. However, in a move that will dismay some trans rights groups, NHS England need not instruct CCGs that they must offer the services, after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) dropped its legal challenge. The Guardian

See also:

• Transgender: How people from three generations transitioned BBC News