Collaboration is key to achieving better models of care

Collaboration is key to achieving better models of care In 2015, my 20-month-old son was diagnosed with type one diabetes. Motivated by this devastating diagnosis, my partner and I set up DigiBete and partnered with Leeds Children’s Hospital to assist us in achieving our mission of helping families and communities understand the principles of good diabetes care. Capturing diverse patient and family voices has given us a rich – and sometimes raw – insight into the complexities and challenges faced by patients and families living with a long-term condition. The Health Foundation

Guidance: Health matters: preventing STIs

Guidance: Health matters: preventing STIs A professional resource for local authorities and commissioners on the prevention of five common sexually transmitted infections. Public Health England

Preventing falls in people with learning disabilities: making reasonable adjustments

Preventing falls in people with learning disabilities: making reasonable adjustments This guide contains information to help staff in public health, health services and social care to prevent falls in people with learning disabilities. It is also intended to help falls prevention services to provide support that is accessible to people with learning disabilities. The guide can be used by family carers, friends and paid support staff to help them think about what risks may contribute to falls and how to reduce such risks. Public Health England

The causal effect of hospital volume on health gains from hip replacement surgery

The causal effect of hospital volume on health gains from hip replacement surgery This study investigates the causal effect of hospital volume on health gains from hip replacement surgery in the English NHS. It exploits a unique dataset, which links routine hospital records and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for all public hospitals in England. Centre for Health Economics

Brexit: Health leaders issue new no-deal warning

Brexit: Health leaders issue new no-deal warning Health leaders have written to Boris Johnson issuing new warnings on the impact of a no-deal Brexit.

In a letter to the prime minister, the heads of 17 royal colleges and health charities across the UK say clinicians are "unable to reassure patients" their health and care will not be affected.

They go on to say they have "significant concerns about shortages of medical supplies".

Government said it was working with the health sector on "robust preparations". BBC News

See also:

• RCP and 16 other signatories send open letter to PM calling for health to be at heart of Brexit negotiations Royal College of Physicians 
• Brexit: Health leaders warn PM about medicine shortages and flu The Independent

NHS bosses ordered to 'stick to script' that no-deal Brexit must happen on 31 October if necessary

NHS bosses ordered to 'stick to script' that no-deal Brexit must happen on 31 October if necessary NHS chiefs have been ordered to repeat Boris Johnson’s claim that a no-deal Brexit must be carried out in October if necessary, in a controversial government memo.

All communications sent by NHS England and other agencies must be “aligned to this script” and Downing Street’s weekly “top lines”, it says. The Independent

See also:

• NHS told to follow government line on Brexit HSJ

World health chiefs call for more studies on microplastics in drinking water

World health chiefs call for more studies on microplastics in drinking water More research into the health risks posed by rising amounts of microplastics in drinking water should be conducted, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) chiefs.

Scientists believe the threat is potentially three-fold – the physical risk of the particles themselves, the chemicals leached from degraded plastics and “biofilms”. The Independent

See also:

• WHO calls for more research into microplastics and a crackdown on plastic pollution World Health Organization
• Microplastics in drinking-water (report) World Health Organization
• Initial evidence shows microplastics pose ‘minimal health risk’ BBC News

Older adults can boost longevity 'with just a little exercise'

Older adults can boost longevity 'with just a little exercise' Even a small increase in light activity, such as washing dishes, a little gentle gardening, or shuffling around the house, might help stave off an early death among older adults, researchers say.

Being sedentary, for instance, by sitting for long periods of time, has been linked to an increased risk of developing many conditions, including heart disease, as well as an early death. The Guardian

See also:

• Dose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis (open access) The BMJ
• Ulf Ekelund and Thomas Yates: “Sit less—move more and more often”: all physical activity is beneficial for longevity The BMJ
• Every step you take (editorial) The BMJ
• Just one slow walk a day could lower risk of early death, study finds The Independent

Abortion clinic buffer zones ruled legal by Court of Appeal as it says protesters can be forced 100m away

Abortion clinic buffer zones ruled legal by Court of Appeal as it says protesters can be forced 100m away An abortion clinic buffer zone has been ruled legal by the Court of Appeal, which has said protesters can be forced to stand 100m away.

In a landmark ruling, campaigners lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the country's first protest-free "buffer zone" outside a Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Ealing. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Create protest-free ‘safe zones’ outside every abortion clinic, campaigners urge Priti Patel The Independent
• Ban on protests outside abortion clinic upheld OnMedica

One in five pensioners pops seven pills every day in the UK

One in five pensioners pops seven pills every day in the UK Millions of pensioners are being given drugs they don't need due to 'systematic failings' in the NHS, a startling report warns today.

Two million over-65s – 20 per cent of pensioners – now take at least seven different medications each day, it found. Some 39 per cent are on at least five prescription drugs.

And the overwhelming majority of pensioners – 86 per cent – are taking at least one medicine. The Daily Mail

See also:

• More harm than good: Why more isn;t always better with older people's medicines (report) Age UK
• Age UK calls for a more considered approach to prescribing medicines for older people Age UK
• Two million Britons are taking seven different prescription drugs The Daily Telegraph
• Older people at risk from being on various drug regimens – report The Guardian
• Two million pensioners on multiple drugs could suffer severe reactions – report ITV News

Hospitals are letting doctors QUIT an official NHS pension scheme

Hospitals are letting doctors QUIT an official NHS pension scheme Hospitals are allowing doctors to quit an official NHS pension scheme which is causing consultants to cut their hours.

Several NHS trusts are putting their own schemes in place amid mounting frustration over government inaction to reform a punitive tax on pensions.

Controversial pension reforms introduced in 2016 mean top consultants and GPs are cutting their hours to avoid a tax bill on their pensions that can run into tens of thousands. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Pension crisis: trusts take matters in their own hands The BMJ
• Pension tax reform needs to be swift to tackle doctors’ sense of injustice The BMJ
• NHS hospitals offer doctors cash in bid to tackle growing pensions crisis The Daily Telegraph

Concerns over bed blocking for mental health patients in Northamptonshire

Concerns over bed blocking for mental health patients in Northamptonshire Bed blocking caused mental health patients to spend more than 2,000 extra days stuck in hospital at the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last year.

A leading charity has called for more investment in community care, to help vulnerable patients return to their homes safely.

Figures from NHS Digital show the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust lost 2,330 bed days in 2018-19 because of delays discharging mental health patients who were fit to leave hospital – the equivalent of more than six years. Daventry Express

Will a digital NHS reap the rewards policy-makers are aiming for?

Will a digital NHS reap the rewards policy-makers are aiming for? Sarah Scobie looks at the track record of digital developments in the health service and wonders whether we are overestimating the benefits of a digital NHS. Nuffield Trust

Towards equality for mental health: developing a cross-government approach.

Towards equality for mental health: developing a cross-government approach This report considers the steps that must be taken if the ambition of ‘parity of esteem’ for mental health is to be achieved in England. Its starting point is the belief that improving the nation’s mental health cannot be achieved through a focus on health services alone and that a more ambitious, cross-government approach to mental health is also required. Mental Health Foundation

New NHS plan to help patients avoid long hospital stays

New NHS plan to help patients avoid long hospital stays Action to help tens of thousands more people avoid lengthy spells in hospital is being rolled out nationwide as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

NHS doctors, nurses and other staff are being encouraged to ask themselves ‘Why not home? Why not today?’ when planning care for patients recovering from an operation or illness, as part of a campaign – called ‘Where Best Next?’ – which aims to see around 140,000 people every year spared a hospital stay of three weeks or more. NHS England

Ageing confidently: supporting an ageing workforce

Ageing confidently: supporting an ageing workforce It is estimated that by 2035, over half of all adults in the UK will be over 50 years of age. This report proposes several recommendations to provide older people and employers with the support needed to unlock the potential of this demographic and enable older people to access the benefits of work. It states that without a concerted effort to increase the opportunities for older workers, individuals, businesses and the economy will suffer. Among the recommendations are enhanced healthcare support through improvements in occupational health, training in mental health first aid and further support for those aged 55 and over from the Work and Health Programme from the Department of Work and Pensions. Centre for Social Justice

Professionalism and Cultural Transformation (PACT) toolkit

Professionalism and Cultural Transformation (PACT) toolkit This toolkit aims to educate and empower staff to improve professionalism within their workplace, helping organisations move towards making the NHS the best place to work. The toolkit is based on tried and tested work undertaken by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and is designed to help staff embed the PACT programme in their organisation. It contains practical information, advice and solutions to equip staff to deal with unprofessional attitudes and behaviours in the workplace. NHS Employers

New drug for people who can bleed uncontrollably

New drug for people who can bleed uncontrollably Christopher Stephens has haemophilia A - his body lacks a protein that makes blood clot. A simple graze can mean the two-year-old bleeds uncontrollably.

To avoid this he needs treatment every few days with a drug put into his bloodstream via a tube in his chest.

But now, NHS England has agreed to fund a new therapy for patients like him. BBC News

More schoolchildren 'rejecting cigarettes'

More schoolchildren 'rejecting cigarettes' Secondary-school pupils in England appear to be rejecting cigarettes in greater numbers than ever before.

The most recent survey in a series that began in the 1980s indicates just 16% of the pupils have ever smoked tobacco, down from 19% in 2016 and 49% in 1996.

However, a quarter of the 13,000 pupils surveyed, from 193 schools across England, have tried drugs. BBC News

Over fifty NHS leaders sign letter urging PM to address 'crisis in social care'

Over fifty NHS leaders sign letter urging PM to address 'crisis in social care' More than 150,000 members of the public have signed a petition and over 50 health leaders have put their signatures to an open letter - calling on the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to urgently address the escalating crisis in care.

The petition, believed to be the largest of its kind, urges the Prime Minister to end social care cuts which have left many older people in England unable to access the care and support they need.

Both the petition and signed letter were organised by the NHS Confederation which leads the Health for Care coalition of 15 national health organisations who have joined forces to make the case for social care. carehome.co.uk