In the news w/e 01 February

Your media headlines roundup, week ending 01 February…

Summary care record to be replaced, says NHS digital chief
HSJ – 28 Jan 2018
The national summary care record system will be replaced by more detailed national “longitudinal” patient records for direct care, planning and research, Matthew Swindells has said. Email for the full story.

Revealed: New central IT system could ‘jump start’ backward trusts
HSJ – 28 Jan 2018
NHS England is considering funding a nationally-available electronic patient record system, to help dozens of trusts still heavily reliant on paper to catch up. Email for the full story.

Mental health: UK could ban social media over suicide images, minister warns
BBC Health – 27 Jan 2019
Social media firms could be banned if they fail to remove harmful content, the health secretary has warned. Read the full story.

More ‘social prescribers’ to ease pressure on GPs
BBC Health – 28 Jan 2019
The number of workers trained to prescribe social activities, like exercise groups and art classes, to GP patients who don’t need pills, is set to rise, under NHS England plans. Read the full story.

Screen time ‘may harm toddlers’
BBC Health – 28 Jan 2019
Letting a toddler spend lots of time using screens may delay their development of skills such as language and sociability, according to a large Canadian study. Read the full story.

Cancer cliches to avoid: I’m not ‘brave’
BBC Health – 28 Jan 2019
The UK poll by Macmillan Cancer Support of 2,000 people who have or had cancer found “cancer-stricken” and “victim” were also among the least-liked terms. Read the full story.

Persistent sore throat ‘can be cancer sign’
BBC Health – 29 Jan 2019
GPs with patients who have a persistent sore throat, combined with shortness of breath, trouble swallowing or earache, should consider cancer as the cause, according to new research. Read the full story.

NHS to recruit 1,000 social prescribers by 2021 to ease GP workload
GP online – 28 Jan 2019
NHS England has announced plans to recruit 1,000 social prescribing ‘link workers’ into general practice by 2021, in a bid to slash non-medical appointments by almost 1m each year. Read the full story.

Patients with learning disabilities kept in ‘institutional’ facilities at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Hemel Today – 30 Jan 2019
Patients with learning disabilities are being kept in locked hospital wards at the Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation Trust, despite an NHS pledge to care for them in their communities. Read the full story.

E-cigarettes ‘much better for quitting smoking’
BBC Health – 30 Jan 2019
E-cigarettes are almost twice as effective as nicotine replacements for helping smokers quit, a study suggests. Read the full story.

Children ‘afterthought’ for social media companies
BBC Health – 30 Jan 2019
Children “remain an afterthought” for leading social media companies, England’s Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, has said. Jan 2019. Read the full story.

No-deal Brexit: Should NHS patients be worried?
BBC Health – 30 Jan 2019
Hospitals warning vital supplies might run out and operations would be cancelled, an ambulance service stockpiling tyres, and officials “close to panic” – these are recent stories about NHS efforts to plan for the possible consequences of the UK leaving the European Union with no agreement in place at the end of March. Read the full story.

First child given pioneering CAR-T cancer therapy
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
An 11-year-old has become the first NHS patient to receive a therapy that uses the body’s own cells to fight cancer. Read the full story.

No-deal Brexit could see ops cancelled, NHS trust says
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
NHS trusts could “quickly run out of vital medicine” in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the chief executive of a leading hospital group has warned. Read the full story.

The GP substitute will see you now
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
An army of more than 20,000 physios, pharmacists and paramedics are to be recruited in England to work alongside under-pressure GPs, NHS bosses say. Read the full story.

Regulate social media to protect children, MPs urge
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
Social media companies should have a legal “duty of care” to children, the UK Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee has recommended. Read the full story.

Is breakfast always a good idea?
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but eating it won’t help you lose weight, research suggests. Read the full story.

More over-75s should take statins, experts say
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
More people over the age of 75 should be taking statins, scientists have said, following a review of research. Read the full story.

Health screening ‘not meeting targets’, report finds
BBC Health – 31 Jan 2019
None of the three main health screening programmes in England – bowel, breast or cervical – met their targets last year, according to a report by the National Audit Office. Read the full story.

CQC warning over use of nursing associates
HSJ – 29 Jan 2019
The Care Quality Commission has warned NHS trusts not to consider nursing associates the same as registered nurses, adding it will expect evidence demonstrating the new role is being used safely. Email for the full story.

Webinar to explore how digitisation can shape the NHS’ future workforce
HSJ – 30 Jan 2019
Join HSJ’s webinar on 7 February to discover what the increasing prevalence of automation means for the future of the NHS workforce. Email for the full story.

New data reveals ‘shocking’ uptake of yearly health checks
HSJ – 30 Jan 2019
Nearly half of people in England with a learning disability did not receive an annual health check last year, new data has revealed. Email for the full story.

Major GP contract reform revealed
HSJ – 30 Jan 2019
The number of non-GP care staff in general practice will grow by 20,000 under a new five-year contract deal, NHS England and the British Medical Association have said, probably outnumbering the GP workforce for the first time. Email for the full story.

NHS England to go on Brexit ‘tour’ of trusts
HSJ – 31 Jan 2019
NHS England will conduct a “rolling tour” of NHS providers to ensure everyone is “geared up” for a possible no-deal Brexit. Email for the full story.

Paediatric shortages pose ‘significant risk’ to children, college warns
HSJ – 31 Jan 2019
Unfilled paediatric training posts pose a “significant risk” to children, young people, and their families, a royal college has warned. Email for the full story.

Trust warns of ‘increased pharmacy burglary risk’ in no-deal Brexit
HSJ – 31 Jan 2019
Hospitals have warned that a no-deal Brexit could put their pharmacies at increased risk of burglary, as concerns about drug shortages mount. Email for the full story.

‘Disappointed’ CQC forced to drop system inspections
HSJ – 31 Jan 2019
The Care Quality Commission has been forced to abandon its local system review programme after the Department of Health and Social Care ignored a request for approval to continue. Email for the full story.

Herts County Council’s gritting strategy is on the right road according to health bosses
Bishop’s Stortford Independent – 31 Jan 2019
Health bosses have praised Hertfordshire County Council’s decision to grit more roads this winter – including routes to schools, care homes, doctors’ surgeries and key pharmacies. Read the full story.

Limes Farms Medical Centre in North Weald will reopen next month
East London & West Essex Guardian – 31 Jan 2019
A date has been set for the reopening of a doctors’ surgery closed for a prolonged refurbishment due to asbestos. Read the full story.

NHS England to ban GPs from advertising private services
The Guardian – 31 Jan 2019
GPs are being banned from advertising private healthcare services in their surgeries and from allowing for-profit family doctor firms to offer care there, amid growing concern that it is prompting patients to pay for treatments that they could receive for free. Read the full story.