In the news w/e 08 February

Your media headlines roundup, week ending 08 February…

Case made for new hospital on Health Secretary’s Harlow visit
ITV News – 01 Feb 2019
The case for a new hospital for Harlow has been made directly to Health Secretary Matt Hancock today. Read the full story.

Provide sanitary products free in all hospitals, says doctors’ union
BBC Health – 02 Feb 2019
Two out of five hospital trusts and health boards in the UK do not give sanitary products to patients who need them, or only in emergencies, an investigation by the BMA has found. Read the full story.

Celebrity ads for diet aids should be banned, says top doctor
BBC Health – 02 Feb 2019
Social media companies should ban “damaging” celebrity-endorsed social media ads promoting weight loss aids, England’s top doctor has said. Read the full story.

FGM ‘increasingly performed on UK babies’
BBC Health – 04 Feb 2019
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is increasingly being performed on babies and infants in the UK, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told. Read the full story.

Which countries eat the most meat?
BBC Health – 04 Feb 2019
You may have heard an increasing number of people vow to reduce their meat eating lately – or cut it out altogether. Read the full story.

Obesity-related cancers rise for younger US generations, study says
BBC Health – 04 Feb 2019
Cancers linked to obesity are rising at a faster rate in millennials than in older generations in the United States, the American Cancer Society has said. Read the full story.

Calls for action on patients denied £100,000 cystic fibrosis drug
The Guardian – 03 Feb 2019
Exclusive: Ministers urged to consider revoking patent on life-extending Orkambi, which NHS cannot afford. Read the full story.

Call for action, as NHS accuses patients of prescription ‘fraud’
The Guardian – 03 Feb 2019
Calls are mounting for an overhaul of the system that exempts some from paying. Read the full story.

Almost 300,000 more NHS operations could be carried out every year if staff planned to leave earlier and schedules were more organised, watchdog finds
Daily Mail – 04 Feb 2019
The analysis by watchdog NHS Improvement found that making schedules more efficient would reduce the backlog of patients waiting for elective operations such as hip and knee replacements. Read the full story.

New GP contract will cut income for ‘digital first’ providers
HSJ – 04 Feb 2019
NHS England has confirmed changes to the GP contract that will reduce funding for digital provider GP at hand from April this year. Email for the full story.

‘Xanax’ linked to more than 200 deaths
BBC Health – 05 Feb 2019
At least 204 deaths have been linked to the misuse of anxiety drug Xanax in the UK since 2015, figures seen by the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme reveal. Read the full story.

‘X-factor’ golf swing linked to back pain
BBC Health – 05 Feb 2019
Striving for a supercharged golf swing could play havoc with your back, according to US doctors. Read the full story.

Carers quitting jobs from pressure
BBC Health – 05 Feb 2019
More than 600 people a day leave their jobs because of the demands of being a carer, says research from a charity. Read the full story.

Last minute talks save first of its kind joint venture
HSJ – 05 Feb 2019
A last-ditch agreement has stopped a pioneering joint venture between a GP federation and an acute trust from falling apart. Email for the full story.

Specialised services to get biggest share of NHS funding growth
HSJ – 05 Feb 2019
Spending on specialised services is due to rise by around 5.6 per cent per year under new commissioning plans – significantly more than spend on local mental health and community services. Email for the full story.

NHS threatened with Spanish nurse exodus
HSJ – 05 Feb 2019
NHS trusts are at greater risk of losing Spanish nursing staff over other nationalities under a no-deal Brexit, due to a little-known regulatory problem, HSJ has learnt. Email for the full story.

The NHS 10-year plan doesn’t do enough for children
The Guardian – 05 Feb 2019
The plan, which is naturally owned by the NHS, has scant regard for how it will relate to schools. Why are teachers and educators not central to it? Read the full story.

STP’s first full-time chief executive to retire
HSJ – 06 Feb 2019
Deborah Fielding, who has been the chief executive officer for the Hertfordshire and West Essex STP since January 2018, will stand down at the end of April as part of her planned retirement. Email for the full story. (see document)

Senior managers face ‘competency standards’ but no ‘striking off’
HSJ – 06 Feb 2019
Directors of NHS organisations will have to meet minimum “competency standards” and be listed on a “central database” but will not face the prospect of being struck off, the government is due to announce today. Email for the full story.

Dementia risk factors not known by half of population
BBC Health – 06 Feb 2019
Half of UK adults cannot identify any key risk factors for dementia, according to a study by Alzheimer’s Research UK. Read the full story.

Board members take the bullying and harassment pledge
AskHUE – 05 Feb 2019
Members of the public saw Andrew Geldard (Chief Officer) and Dr Angus Henderson (Clinical Vice Chair), on the behalf of Dr Rob Gerlis (Chair), sign the pledge. Read the full story.

Mother-of-two, 39, who was told she is ‘too young for cancer’ is diagnosed with stage 4 disease after feeling a tumour while on the toilet
Mail Online – 06 Feb 2019
She was told twice to return only if her symptoms got worse. However, the mother-of-two, from Essex, felt something was wrong while on the toilet in April 2016. Read the full story.

Screen time: Children advised not to use electronic devices at dinner
BBC Health – 07 Feb 2019
Mobile phones should be banned from the dinner table and bedtimes as part of a healthy approach to devices, the UK’s four chief medical officers have said. Read the full story.

New payroll app to benefit NHS employees
AskHUE – 07 Feb 2019
An app that lets you view your payslips from your phone is now available via our new payroll provider, NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS). Read the full story.

Health bosses warns people to stay away from casualty as hospitals struggle to cope
Bishop Stortford Independent – 07 Feb 2019
Across Hertfordshire and west Essex, accident and emergency departments, the ambulance service, GP practices and community health services are all being stretched by the number of people calling on them for help. Read the full story.

The Epping Forest District Council Local Plan hearings will run in February and March
Epping Forest Guardian – 07 Feb 2019
Details hearings of a vast planning document that will determine the next 15 years of house building in the district have been announced. Read the full story.

Beer before wine? It makes no difference to a hangover
BBC Health – 08 Feb 2019
“Beer before wine and you’ll feel fine, wine before beer and you’ll feel queer” – many of us may swear by this time-honoured tip when “mixing” our drinks. Read the full story.

Harlow MP Robert Halfon secures further debate in House of Commons on new hospital for Harlow
Your Harlow – 07 Feb 2019
FOLLOWING an encouraging visit from the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow on Friday 1st February, Harlow MP, Robert Halfon has secured his fourth debate in the House of Commons on the need for a new hospital in the town. Read the full story.

Regulator chiefs join pension scheme exodus
HSJ – 08 Feb 2019
NHS England and NHS Improvement both declined to comment when HSJ asked why the directors had opted out of the pension scheme. Email for the full story.

NHS to screen for lung cancer in trucks in supermarket car parks
The Guardian – 08 Feb 2019
NHS England chiefs hope the initiative will improve Britain’s poor record on the early diagnosis of lung cancer and survival rates. Lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease. Read the full story.