Syndrome without a name: The boy who baffles doctors When five-year-old Charlie Parkes from Corby was in the womb, a scan revealed a problem with his brain. He spent his first two years of life in hospital having tests. His parents were desperate for answers - but they never came.
"We have lots of little pieces of a puzzle, but they don't quite fit together. We haven't completed the picture yet," says his mother Laura.
Charlie is one of about 6,000 children born every year with a genetic condition so rare that doctors can't identify it and instead classify it as a Swan (Syndrome Without a Name). BBC Northampton
Friday, 26 April 2019
Social care 360
Social care 360 People often complain about the lack of data about social care; there is, in fact, a significant amount but it is often held in fragmented databases that are rarely explored.
This review outlines and analyses 20 key trends in adult social care in England over recent years. The King's Fund
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This review outlines and analyses 20 key trends in adult social care in England over recent years. The King's Fund
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The NHS and climate change: a decade of distraction
The NHS and climate change: a decade of distraction Ten years ago, the NHS published its first carbon reduction strategy. In doing so it became the first major health system anywhere in the world to develop a strategic vision outlining how health care needs to evolve as part of the transition to a low carbon economy and to commit to progressively reducing its own carbon emissions. The King's Fund
Building communities that care: A blueprint for supporting people severely affected by mental illness in their local communities by 2024
Building communities that care: A blueprint for supporting people severely affected by mental illness in their local communities by 2024 The report found that people severely affected by mental illness wanted most support in getting benefits, staying active, and accessing free community initiative such as gardening or peer support groups. But many people we surveyed reported that they are not being offered this support. Rethink Mental Illness
Caring alone: why Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young carers continue to struggle to access support
Caring alone: why Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young carers continue to struggle to access support This report reveals that young Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children who care for ill or disabled relatives are more likely than other young carers to be isolated from support services. The research says that BAME young carers in England are missing out on their childhoods because of the additional responsibilities and stresses they have to deal with. Barnardo's
Local authority spending on homelessness: understanding recent trends and their impact
Local authority spending on homelessness: understanding recent trends and their impact According to this report, nine years of government cuts have left local services for single homeless people with a shocking £1bn a year funding gap. It warns that cuts to council budgets are leaving increasing numbers of people at risk on the streets, and calls on the Government to act now to make up the funding shortfall – or inevitably face missing its target of ending rough sleeping by 2027. St Mungo's
A taxing question: how to pay for free personal care
A taxing question: how to pay for free personal care Independent Age commissioned Grant Thornton UK LLP to create a model that would identify how much money would be generated by a number of different policy options available to the government to fill the ever-widening social care funding gap in England. At the same time, the Social Market Foundation looked at the financial impact these policy options would have on individuals of different ages, with different income and wealth. This report contains an analysis of the relative merits of nine different funding policy options that have been proposed.
Malaria: Africa pilots world's first vaccine in major trial
Malaria: Africa pilots world's first vaccine in major trial A major trial of the world's first malaria vaccine is under way in Africa - starting with Malawi, followed by Kenya and Ghana.
The disease which is spread by mosquitos kills more than 400,000 people every year, most of them young children.
Almost $1bn has gone into developing the vaccine over three decades.
Initial testing of RTS the world's first anti-malaria vaccine has indicated it reduces cases by about 40%. BBC News
The disease which is spread by mosquitos kills more than 400,000 people every year, most of them young children.
Almost $1bn has gone into developing the vaccine over three decades.
Initial testing of RTS the world's first anti-malaria vaccine has indicated it reduces cases by about 40%. BBC News
Cancer test treats patients with precision
Cancer test treats patients with precision Scientists at Glasgow University have developed a cancer testing technique that they say could transform the way we treat the disease.
The medical team based at The Glasgow Precision Oncology Laboratory are able to extract huge amounts of information from tiny fragments of DNA.
The information could identify the type of cancer tumour as well as any genetic variations and its resistance to drugs. BBC News
The medical team based at The Glasgow Precision Oncology Laboratory are able to extract huge amounts of information from tiny fragments of DNA.
The information could identify the type of cancer tumour as well as any genetic variations and its resistance to drugs. BBC News
GPs are ‘missing lung cancer symptoms’ in non-smokers despite them making up one-in-seven victims
GPs are ‘missing lung cancer symptoms’ in non-smokers despite them making up one-in-seven victims Lung cancer is on the rise among non-smokers as experts warn that GPs are missing the symptoms.
Leading health officials said the issue received far too little attention – despite the fact 6,000 Britons who have never smoked die of lung cancer every year.
Smoking remains by far the biggest cause of lung cancer, but one in seven victims is a non-smoker, and scientists predict that within a decade, people who have never smoked will overtake smokers among lung cancer patients. The Daily Mail
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Leading health officials said the issue received far too little attention – despite the fact 6,000 Britons who have never smoked die of lung cancer every year.
Smoking remains by far the biggest cause of lung cancer, but one in seven victims is a non-smoker, and scientists predict that within a decade, people who have never smoked will overtake smokers among lung cancer patients. The Daily Mail
See also:
- Lung cancer in never-smokers: a hidden disease (abstract) Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
- One in six people dying of lung cancer in UK are non-smokers, experts say The Guardian
- Pollution contributing to ‘thousands of lung cancers deaths in non-smokers', experts warn The Independent
- GPs refer more patients than ever for urgent cancer tests Pulse
Health Secretary Matt Hancock won't rule out BANNING unvaccinated children from schools
Health Secretary Matt Hancock won't rule out BANNING unvaccinated children from schools Health Secretary Matt Hancock has refused to rule out children being kept out of schools if they aren't vaccinated against measles.
Speaking on talkRADIO this morning, Mr Hancock said he 'wouldn't rule out anything' when asked if he would consider the drastic step.
MMR vaccinations last year dropped for the fourth year in a row in the UK, while measles cases in England more than trebled in a year in 2018. The Daily Mail
Speaking on talkRADIO this morning, Mr Hancock said he 'wouldn't rule out anything' when asked if he would consider the drastic step.
MMR vaccinations last year dropped for the fourth year in a row in the UK, while measles cases in England more than trebled in a year in 2018. The Daily Mail
Thursday, 25 April 2019
There’s no longer a catch: a new way to measure how children and young people are treated
There’s no longer a catch: a new way to measure how children and young people are treated With it historically difficult to measure how health care for children and young people varies across the country, Ronny Cheung takes a look at what’s hampered progress in the past and how we might now have a breakthrough. Nuffield Trust
Community services: our time
Community services: our time NHS Providers has published the fourth edition of its publication series Provider Voices, which promotes the views of trust leaders and other parts of the system on some of the key issues facing health and care services today.
In January this year the NHS long term plan was published. This outlined a vision to shift care away from hospitals and closer to people’s homes and communities.
Community Services: Our time explores the opportunities and risks for the sector as a result of the NHS long term plan. National NHS leaders have often promised to give greater emphasis to community services, making them more central and allocating greater investment. Will this now happen?
In January this year the NHS long term plan was published. This outlined a vision to shift care away from hospitals and closer to people’s homes and communities.
Community Services: Our time explores the opportunities and risks for the sector as a result of the NHS long term plan. National NHS leaders have often promised to give greater emphasis to community services, making them more central and allocating greater investment. Will this now happen?
Measles: 500,000 UK children missed jab
Measles: 500,000 UK children missed jab More than half a million children in the UK were not given a crucial measles jab between 2010 and 2017, an analysis by children's charity Unicef reveals.
It comes as NHS chief Simon Stevens warned measles cases had almost quadrupled in England in just one year and urged families to get the vaccine.
He said people rejecting vaccines was a "growing public health time bomb".
Globally, the report shows, 169 million children were not given a first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017. BBC News
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It comes as NHS chief Simon Stevens warned measles cases had almost quadrupled in England in just one year and urged families to get the vaccine.
He said people rejecting vaccines was a "growing public health time bomb".
Globally, the report shows, 169 million children were not given a first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017. BBC News
See also:
- PHE offers support to UK vaccine heroes Public Health England
- Fears of measles 'timebomb' as half a MILLION British children have not been vaccinated The Daily Mail
- Millions of children do not receive the life-saving measles jab each year The Daily Mail
- Measles: more than half a million UK children unvaccinated The Daily Telegraph
- Half a million UK children at risk of measles after missing vaccination, Unicef warns The Independent
- Vaccine rejection 'public health timebomb', NHS head warns ITV News
New campaign to raise awareness of organ donation law change
New campaign to raise awareness of organ donation law change A new campaign has been launched to increase awareness of the upcoming change to organ donation law.
The opt-out system, which will come into force in England from spring 2020, will mean adults are presumed to be organ donors unless they have recorded their decision not to be.
Families will still be involved before organ donation goes ahead. ITV News
The opt-out system, which will come into force in England from spring 2020, will mean adults are presumed to be organ donors unless they have recorded their decision not to be.
Families will still be involved before organ donation goes ahead. ITV News
Free personal care would be fairer and cut NHS pressures
Free personal care would be fairer and cut NHS pressures Free personal care is a fairer, more transparent system that is affordable, would benefit far more older people than the current system does, and can eliminate “catastrophic costs” for all older people receiving care – as well as reducing pressures on the NHS – according to Independent Age. The charity reported that various proposals to cap the costs of care would leave the majority of older people still at risk of “catastrophic costs”, while costing not much less than free personal care. OnMedica
Under-twos should not have screen time, World Health Organisation says
Under-twos should not have screen time, World Health Organisation says Toddlers and young children should have no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day, according to new advice from the World Health Organisation.
The guidelines suggest a 60-minute limit for those aged between two and five-years-old.
It also recommends babies and toddlers avoid any sedentary screen time, including watching TV or sitting still playing games on devices, until the age of two. The Independent
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The guidelines suggest a 60-minute limit for those aged between two and five-years-old.
It also recommends babies and toddlers avoid any sedentary screen time, including watching TV or sitting still playing games on devices, until the age of two. The Independent
See also:
- To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more World Health Organization
- No sedentary screen time for babies, WHO says BBC News
- How much screen time should children be allowed? BBC News
NHS must close gender gaps and prioritise staff wellbeing - Hancock
NHS must close gender gaps and prioritise staff wellbeing - Hancock Matt Hancock has said the NHS must end the gender pay gap and overhaul its working culture to free doctors from punishing shift uncertainty, in a speech that will burnish the Conservative leadership hopeful’s liberal credentials.
The health secretary called for the NHS to have “a more caring and compassionate culture” towards its own staff, speaking of his shock at the story of one doctor who worked long shifts while going through a severe and traumatic miscarriage. The Guardian
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The health secretary called for the NHS to have “a more caring and compassionate culture” towards its own staff, speaking of his shock at the story of one doctor who worked long shifts while going through a severe and traumatic miscarriage. The Guardian
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Doctors will go part-time if pension rules are not changed, BMA warns
Doctors will go part-time if pension rules are not changed, BMA warns NHS consultants are better off working part-time under new Treasury pension rules, unions have warned.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised fears that the majority of senior doctors will end up opting to cut their hours or work part-time as a result.
A letter to the Chancellor warns that some consultants will see a significant drop in their pension - unless they go part-time. The Daily Telegraph
The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised fears that the majority of senior doctors will end up opting to cut their hours or work part-time as a result.
A letter to the Chancellor warns that some consultants will see a significant drop in their pension - unless they go part-time. The Daily Telegraph
One in six cancer patients struggle to get their drugs
One in six cancer patients struggle to get their drugs The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London will today publish a 10-point manifesto calling for action to improve drugs access. The Daily Mail
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