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22,788 | bbc--2019-02-12--No men allowed the gym getting women fit and into work | 2019-02-12T00:00:00 | bbc | ‘No men allowed’ – the gym getting women fit and into work | Women in Turkey are more likely to be overweight than men and less likely to own their own business. But a chain of women-only gyms in the country is helping change things. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-47202723 | 2019-02-12 00:59:33+00:00 | 1,549,951,173 | 1,567,548,787 | sport | bodybuilding |
42,795 | bbcuk--2019-08-23--A street gym in Brixton is helping young people | 2019-08-23T00:00:00 | bbcuk | A street gym in Brixton is helping young people | Terroll Lewis set up Brixton street gym after the success of his workouts in the local park. He posted them online as he could not afford to join a gym at the time. The urban gym provides a safe place for kids in the community to go and keeps them off the streets. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49449615 | 2019-08-23 23:23:25+00:00 | 1,566,617,005 | 1,567,533,624 | sport | bodybuilding |
157,257 | eveningstandard--2019-01-02--Best home multi gym equipment and machines | 2019-01-02T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Best home multi gym equipment and machines | What better way to kick start a new year than by creating your own personalised hub of fitness, tailored to your preferred way of training. Racking up loads of equipment is one thing, but as a personal trainer what I have come to realise is to reach your goals, whether it be cardiovascular, muscular or mental, you really don’t need much to create a fun and challenging workout using your own bodyweight or calisthenics training. For this reason multi-gym structures are by far my favourite way to exercise and the ones I would really recommend if you are looking to create a solid, interesting and efficient structure to take your training to the next level. Basically a multi gym is a combination of a variety of different pieces of equipment creatively merged together to create a functional training facility that can cater to a variety of different training disciplines. Not only are they very space efficient and cost-effective compared to buying a load of different machines and equipment, but they are also incredibly long lasting. Manufactured to be sturdy and withstand years of use, the simplicity of most designs means there is little room for design fault and error. Depending on your fitness goals there are a huge variety of multi gyms in the industry to explore. If you’re into more functional a Crossfit style training rig would be your best bet; however, if strength training is your thing and you want to build more muscle, you would steer towards the designs that include cable machines and lifting benches. Most brands will create a pamphlet with a number of different exercises you can carry out on your new piece of equipment, so if you do not currently have a training programme or trainer to show you the ropes, worry not. Here we look at eight machines across a wide range of budgets all perfectly suited to the home. I would recommend buying a TRX kit as a staple item in anyone’s home-gym, not to mention they are great for travelling too. For home use, just attach the padded wedge to the end of the straps and place across the top of a door and close - the wedge will hold the resistance and allows for a huge range of exercise for both the upper and lower body. The whole thing bundles up to the size of a loaf of bread and can be used in other settings like the park or even a hotel room - a blessing for both frequent and occasional travellers that want to maintain their routine. The TRX is also fantastic for building strength, power and increasing mobility for both new and advanced training. Once you have the basics down it's great to play around with different movements; whether you want to work on explosive power training, challenge yourself with single leg work or even create some mini HIIT workouts, you have so many options to keep things interesting and fun with a TRX. If you own or are looking to invest in a multi-gym structure these can easily be added and removed as you fancy. Marcy creates a great range of products that combine a lot of elements into one machine. This is exactly what the RS5000 Power Rack does. It includes all the essentials for free-weight training, cable training and bodyweight training to equip the everyday fitness fanatic for whatever they might need. Mixing all of these types of training together can create inventive and challenging workouts that will really help you take your routine to the next level. Another favourite for more functional training but still with a few savvy resistance-training additions. The rig is incredibly space-efficient and allows you to perform an array of different movements. You can cover all your compound strength training; squats, overhead press, deadlifts - as well as working on smaller muscle groups with the Lat Pull Down and bodyweight training on the dip and pull up bars. Note that weights are sold separately so remember to factor this into your spending budget. This multi gym comes with thirteen height adjustable positions for bars and attachments, a lat pull down bar, straight bar, dual foam padded hand grips and ankle strap. Six weight plate storage bars with Olympic plate attachments and spring collars and an integrated crossbar for bodyweight training, including pull ups and suspension training. A fantastic all around buy at a very budget friendly price. If powerlifting is your thing the simplicity of this ensemble might be just what you need to cover all your basics. Perfect for building total body strength and developing muscles in both the lower and upper body as well as having the option to also perform exercises with specific core activation, the rack would be a wise addition for someone with a specific goal and training programme to follow. Again with the addition of the pull up bar there is also the option to perform isometric holds and clip on a TRX for more targeted suspension training. For the affordable price I would say its definitely worth the investment and will cater to most of your foundation training. See all multi gyms from Argos Slightly more on the larger side, the Marcy Multi Gym was built with the idea to equip a very large range of different movements and skills and even allows two people to train at the same time, which is great on the motivation front. This multi gym is perfect for heavy compound training and lighter isolation movements, the addition of the rower in the bundle is a huge bonus too with regards to keeping up one’s cardiovascular system and mixing a different type of exercise into your routine. Easy to assemble and transport this multi-functional rig is great for more Crossfit / Strongman style of training. The more hardcore gym-goers will love playing around with the various bodyweight exercises here, such as pull-ups and dips, but also leaving room for the addition of ropes and Kettlebells to really change things up. You could also add in a TRX station and play around with super setting more high intensity movements and isometric holds. Another innovative Technogym product, the multifunctional UNICA bench is the perfect option for those looking to build some serious strength in a small space. Compact in size and able to fit into tight spaces it's great if you are looking to target and isolate specific muscle groups. Created with an interesting biomechanical design the UNICA comes equipped with resistance bands which is a great addition for warming up selected muscle groups pre-training and helping to stretch them out post session. A beautiful and well built piece of equipment for the high-end home gym. Technogym equipment is renowned for its efficiency and class which is why this product has a higher price tag compared to the other multi gyms; however, if you are looking to redefine your wellness and work on your strength with more controlled movements, flexibility, posture and breathing, it’s a great option. The Kinesis comes equipped with a wellness ball and ankle weights too so there are hundreds of exercises you could do, basic and more advanced. A stunning multi gym in terms of both aesthetics and function when money isn't a factor. The takes our top pick based on size, budget and function. The TRX offerers a sincere workout that beginners and more advanced athletes will enjoy and is also a great addition to other multi gym rigs. The is also a great option that offers a wide range of training in a sturdy but compact size. At just under £300 the Weider multi gym is a solid investment for 2019 and beyond. ES Best product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter | Kelly Marks | https://www.standard.co.uk/shopping/esbest/gadgets-tech/fitness/best-home-multi-gym-a4022916.html | 2019-01-02 15:26:00+00:00 | 1,546,460,760 | 1,567,554,218 | sport | bodybuilding |
157,819 | eveningstandard--2019-01-05--Best London gym packages 2019 | 2019-01-05T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Best London gym packages 2019 | The New Year is all about setting resolutions that you hope to achieve throughout the year, and while most of us might fall short in the first few days of January – Hello Dry Jan- we’re here to help you achieve the fitness goals no matter what type of exercise you're after. If you are looking to get in better shape but lack either the know-how, the motivation or you don’t want to make a commitment to a specific place, investing in gym packages at studios across London may be a more effective solution than a traditional gym membership. These studios specialise in classes with trained instructors and feature state-of-the-art equipment as well as stylish décor – because if you don’t share a photo of your training on Instagram, did it really happen? Challenge yourself this year and start how you mean to go on. Conveniently located near Covent Garden and Holborn in Aldwych, the 2019 package for Sweat It will help fulfil your resolution with focused classes and unique training options. Each day, classes specialise in a particular area, while the weekend is reserved for full body. Half the class is spent on cardio where in the intervals, you are encouraged to push yourself on the treadmill with different activities that put a fun twist on running. The second interval is mat work to help you tone in the specific area that you are working on. The studio is offering five classes in five days for just £65 for the whole of January - this is a 67 per cent discount on the five class bundles that typically cost £97.50. What’s more, by signing up to the package, you will be automatically entered into a draw to win a three months free membership – and there is no limit on how many times you can purchase this, so the more you buy, the more chances you have to win. £65 | Sweat It | Buy it now With what seems like a new studio popping up every week, you may or may not have heard of F45. One of the fastest growing training networks, the studios specialise in 45 minute high-intensity, circuit training classes where each day is devoted to the same class in the studios across the city. To kick-start your fitness journey, new users can trial a weeks’ worth of training for £20 and then you’ll be completing the F45 eight-week challenge in no time. If you are moving houses or jobs, a traditional gym membership in one set location may not be a viable solution. Core Collective, on the other hand, offer no complicated contracts, joining fees or notice periods, you simply pay for a tier of classes that can be cancelled at any point. Tier 1 offers 12 classes per month for £145, Tier 2 allows you to have 20 classes per month for £210 and Tier 3 gives you 30 classes per month for £250, which makes each class just £8.33. Offered for a limited time, you can use the tiers at both the Kensington and new Knightsbridge location, while also making the most of the in-house café for smashed avocado toast and the Malin + Goetz products in the changing rooms. You have probably spotted a 1Rebel class on your Instagram feed as the photogenic studios have quickly become a firm blogger favourite, but do not underestimate the epic classes where the Rumble (boxing), Ride (spinning) and Reshape (high-intensity – treadmill and mat work) are some of the best in London. From January, 1 Rebel is offering a 20 per cent discount on all passes for two months with the code ES1REBEL. The passes are all no-contract 'pay-as-you go' for a flexible and commitment-free approach to gyming. Choose between the four packages on offer, from the Fresh Meat – for newbies and Rebel Pass – a rolling contract that can be cancelled at any time, to the the traditional packages with class blocks and the Ride Unlimited where you can spin in any of 1Rebel’s studios across London. Back by popular demand, Another_Space is relaunching its Resolution 21 that is designed with the principle in mind that it takes three weeks to form a habit. The studio – that offers three variations of classes – encourages gym goers to complete 21 classes in 30 days. With this package, you can work on your strength and flexibility with a Yoga session, tone and burn calories at a high intensity or HIIT class or strengthen your core and stamina at a spinning Cycle class. The Resolution 21 package is available to purchase from January 2-31 for £275 and can be used across both the Bank and Covent Garden studios. Located in the heart of the city at Blackfriars and Moorgate as well locations in Richmond, Oxford and Fitzrovia, Digme offers a wide range of workouts for all levels. Offering yoga, cycle and HIIT classes, Digme play host to a range of classes that have a variation on the theme so that you can complete the exercises with a specific goal in mind. Spin at either the 45 minute Ride class, performance-based Perform or dance Beat class, where no data is recorded. The high-intensity classes are broken down into the interval Matrix class, Matrix Run, Matrix Core, ramped up Matrix Meta. There are also yoga classes and a free run club every Monday at the Rathbone Square studio. For January, the gym is offering two different packages so you can get into your best shape ever, whether you are a budding or seasoned gym goer. The introductory offer allows you to purchase three credits for £19.99 at a discount from £24.99. Alternatively, the ten credit pack, which includes one credit for a friend, is available for £129 if you buy before January 1 or £149 throughout January – reduced from £169. Prepare for a Yoga class like you have never experienced before with FLY LDN where you salute to the sun against the backdrop of cinematic visuals and a carefully-curated playlist. For January, the studio is offering a package entitled the ‘Sweat Games’ where the more class blocks that you purchase, the more classes that you win. If you buy five classes, you win one. Take 10 classes and win 3. Take 20 classes and win 5. The person who takes the most classes in January wins unlimited training in February. ES Best product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter | Ellie Davis | https://www.standard.co.uk/shopping/esbest/health-fitness/best-london-gym-packages-a4020621.html | 2019-01-05 12:38:00+00:00 | 1,546,709,880 | 1,567,553,799 | sport | bodybuilding |
159,402 | eveningstandard--2019-01-14--This free gym class rewards you with Deliveroo credit | 2019-01-14T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | This free gym class rewards you with Deliveroo credit | We’re now halfway through January which means those who started the year with good intentions may be starting to fall off the gym-wagon. Yet, if you need an incentive to keep on top of your exercise habit, food delivery service Deliveroo has joined forces with the YMCA to launch a nationwide gym class that rewards all participants with Deliveroo credit to choose a free takeaway. Those who complete the 40-minute workout will be able to pick a post-workout meal of their choice – whether that be something filling like a curry or something healthy like a rice paper roll. The ROO-T Camp classes will be free and available in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff and will be a mixture of cycling, stair climbing, balance and weight lifting. Joe Groves at Deliveroo said: “Through our partnership with the YMCA we hope to help more people on their own personal journey to achieve their fitness goals for 2019. With such a vast range of restaurants on the platform, it’s easy to find the perfect post-workout meal on Deliveroo.” The fitness classes launch next Monday, January 21. To book into one of these classes and receive your Deliveroo credit, call your relevant YMCA. | Laura Hampson | https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/ymca-deliveroo-credit-free-class-a4038431.html | 2019-01-14 14:08:58+00:00 | 1,547,492,938 | 1,567,552,511 | sport | bodybuilding |
160,211 | eveningstandard--2019-01-18--Netflix and treadmill Five fitness films to keep you motivated at the gym this January | 2019-01-18T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Netflix and treadmill: Five fitness films to keep you motivated at the gym this January | It’s January. Your New Year’s resolution was to join the gym. You’ve done that. It’s been three weeks. So you figure you have to go. But how do you pass the time on the fancy machines, desperate to take your mind off the sweaty mess of getting in shape? Netflix. Yes, it’s time to download the smartphone apps and get downloading your favourite series or films to keep you company during your workout. And there are also plenty of inspiring programmes to motivate you on your journey. Here are five fitness films (and shows) to watch at the gym: Originally aired in 1977, the 90 minute film followed five-time Mr Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger as he prepared to compete for his sixth title. Then 28, the bodybuilder and professional powerlifter was the very top of his game. Not only was Schwarzenegger a fitness inspiration, he later went on to become one of the most iconic actors – best known for The Terminator – and serve a couple of terms as the 38th Governor of California. And he’s about to be Chris Pratt’s father-in-law. As the number suggests, the sequel to Generation Iron tells the story of a new batch of bodybuilders training to reach their ultimate goal. The documentary includes action shots as well as talking heads, describing the fitness journey as the young stars push themselves to the limit. The milestone documentary, which came out in 2017, will prove the perfect push for anybody training for long distance runs. And anybody with aspirations to be the fittest person on, well, Earth. As well as training techniques, the film explores the history of the sport and its popularity. The ultimate documentary to get you in shape, and over to the weights section, follows those on the quest for muscles through gruelling training regimes and high-intensity fitness programmes. But, be careful, the inspiring documentary wasn’t the best received by fans. This documentary is all about an aspiration figure to look up to in the shape of Rich Froning Jr. Back in 2016, the show followed the athlete as he challenged for his fourth CrossFit Games title – the most won consecutively in history. | Natasha Sporn | https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/netflix-and-treadmill-five-fitness-films-to-keep-you-motivated-at-the-gym-this-january-a4043211.html | 2019-01-18 16:30:58+00:00 | 1,547,847,058 | 1,567,551,849 | sport | bodybuilding |
161,171 | eveningstandard--2019-01-24--German woman kicked out of gym because her workout top was apostoo revealingapos | 2019-01-24T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | German woman kicked out of gym because her workout top was 'too revealing' | A German woman who wore a crop top to her local gym has said she was asked to leave because she was “distracting” other gym-users. Marny, 22, tweeted a photo of her workout clothes alongside the caption: “Just got kicked out of my gym, because my clothes were too 'revealing' (see photo) and were confusing the men in the gym. What century are we in again? So sad.” The young woman told the Standard she had been using the gym in her hometown Constance, Germany, for two years and was shocked by the response to her "normal" sportswear. The tweet attracted hundreds of comments as people online shared their support for Marny. Marny and her boyfriend were visiting the gym as normal and she had decided to wear a new workout top, which showed a few centimetres of bare skin across her stomach, she said. While she was working out on the treadmill, Marny said one of the female trainers approached her and told her “she couldn’t train like this”. “I was just looking at her confused because I didn’t know what she meant,” Marny said. “I was shocked, because it wasn’t a sports bra and even if it was, why not?” Marny said the trainer added that it was “distracting for other guests around”. She has now told gym staff that she wants to cancel her membership and will not be coming back. She said: “It was a bad day, I was really sad, really upset. “I felt like I had been thrown back into the 1800s.” She was told gym policy was that men could not wear tank tops and women could not wear their sports bras uncovered. Marny posted the photo on Twitter to her 100 followers after the incident and was surprised by the amount of attention it received. “There was uproar in my hometown but then I also saw people in the UK talking about it," she said. Marny added that most people were supportive telling her to complain to the gym and to “call it out.” But she said she only wanted to raise awareness that people were still being told what they should wear. “All genders should be able to wear what they want to wear,” she said. | Bonnie Christian | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/german-woman-kicked-out-of-gym-because-her-workout-top-was-too-revealing-a4048286.html | 2019-01-24 21:27:19+00:00 | 1,548,383,239 | 1,567,551,003 | sport | bodybuilding |
161,989 | eveningstandard--2019-01-29--Lidl is selling an affordable new range of at-home gym equipment including a rower bike and vibrat | 2019-01-29T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Lidl is selling an affordable new range of at-home gym equipment, including a rower, bike and vibration plate | Budget retailer Lidl has launched a new range of at-home fitness equipment – and, naturally, it's very affordable, with prices starting from £3.99. The Crivit range spans everything from resistance bands, push up bars and forearm trainers at the lower end of the price spectrum (£3.99 each) to larger equipment, like rowing machines and bikes (£199 and £229 respectively) at the other. Fancier gadgets include a vibration plate (£79, above) which features push-up handles and resistance bands to help define and tone muscles, while there's also the Medina ab trainer (£17.99), if you fancy having a go at getting a six-pack by the summer. Always wanted to try out suspension training? Now you can do it from the comfort of your own home, as Lidl is also selling a bargainous Crivit suspension trainer with pulley for under a tenner (£9.99). For weightlifters there's a 10.5kg dumbell set (£15.99 or 2 for £26) or kettlebells of varying weights, including 6kg (£6.99), 10kg (£9.99) and 14kg (£14.99), as well as a workout bench (£29), perfect for strength and resistance training. To finish off your at-home sweat sesh, the supermarket is also selling a range of fitness accessories, including Bluetooth in-ear sport headphones (£13.99), as well as the Garmin Vivosport fitness tracker (£99) through which you can monitor activity, calorie burn, sleep and stress levels. Flavoured protein powders and other exercise performance enhancer supplements also feature within the range, which launches in stores on January 31. Who needs a gym membership now? | Rosie Fitzmaurice | https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/lidl-cheap-home-gym-equipment-fitness-a4051506.html | 2019-01-29 11:16:00+00:00 | 1,548,778,560 | 1,567,550,356 | sport | bodybuilding |
138,888 | delawareliberal--2019-05-29--Capitalism Is Now A Legitimate Diagnosis Says World Health Organization | 2019-05-29T00:00:00 | delawareliberal | Capitalism Is Now A Legitimate Diagnosis, Says World Health Organization | Capitalism is now classified as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” according to WHO. The stress, depression and lack of feeling in control that comes with capitalism are finally being formally recognized by the medical community: Capitalism is now an official workplace syndrome. The International Classification of Diseases, or the ICD-11, the World Health Organization’s handbook that helps medical providers diagnose diseases, classifies capitalism as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from exploitation induced chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” | jason330 | https://delawareliberal.net/2019/05/28/capitalism-is-now-a-legitimate-diagnosis-says-world-health-organization/ | 2019-05-29 03:29:18+00:00 | 1,559,114,958 | 1,567,539,925 | health | health organisations |
201,094 | fortune--2019-01-17--Vaccine Hesitancy Joins Climate Change on World Health Organizations 2019 Global Health Threats Lis | 2019-01-17T00:00:00 | fortune | Vaccine Hesitancy Joins Climate Change on World Health Organization’s 2019 Global Health Threats List | The World Health Organization has released its list of global health threats for 2019. Unlike some of the health challenges on the list, at least one, vaccine hesitancy, is entirely solvable. Vaccine hesitancy is described by the WHO as “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines,” and it threatens to reverse immense, immeasurably important public health progress over the past century. Vaccines prevent at least 2-3 million deaths annually, and the WHO notes another 1.5 million lives could be saved by vaccines. Anti-vaccine (or anti-vax) propaganda is one cause for the decline in vaccinations, but complacency about getting immunizations and even just the inconvenience of keeping up with vaccine schedules causes many more to skip out on these often life-saving shots. Vaccine-preventable diseases including measles and diphtheria are on the rise, with measles cases up 30% worldwide. That’s a staggering increase considering the measles vaccine has been widely available for decades, typically paired with the vaccines for mumps and rubella. Another important vaccine the WHO mentions by name: the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer. In the wide-ranging report, the WHO also notes that the world will experience another global influenza pandemic. Authors of the report wrote, “The only thing we don’t know is when it will hit and how severe it will be.” The report also makes note of the 2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which reached the million-resident city of Butembo in December. | Brittany Shoot | http://fortune.com/2019/01/17/world-health-organization-vaccine-hesitancy/ | 2019-01-17 22:51:53+00:00 | 1,547,783,513 | 1,567,552,042 | health | health organisations |
201,806 | fortune--2019-02-06--Philip Morris Health Campaign Rebuffed by World Health Organization | 2019-02-06T00:00:00 | fortune | Philip Morris Health Campaign Rebuffed by World Health Organization | Philip Morris International Inc. is trying to burnish its image, most recently among the international, socially conscientious elite at Davos. But even as its upcoming earnings are expected to underscore its migration away from cigarettes, the World Health Organization says it’s not buying into the idea that the tobacco giant is “healthier” than before. The maker of Marlboro cigarettes has been working hard to change its narrative by pushing what it calls lower-risk alternatives. With its earnings on Thursday, the company will reveal just how pressing the need for reinvention is: Cigarette sales are expected to fall yet again, and a new nicotine device in which it’s placing most of its hopes, IQOS, may have mixed results in its biggest market, Japan. But Chief Executive Officer Andre Calantzopoulos says it’s hard to make headway in a shift away from cigarettes with the WHO still characterizing it as a bad actor. “The WHO continues to refuse to even have a conversation with us,” Calantzopoulos said in an email after the company returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, where it called for a truce between “anti-tobacco lobbies” and the industry. If the WHO and tobacco companies are able to work together, Philip Morris says they can better encourage adult smokers who would otherwise keep buying cigarettes to switch to vaping or other alternatives it calls lower risk. It projects that by 2025, at least 40 million Philip Morris cigarette smokers will have switched to smoke-free products. “If I get support from the World Health Organization, and we stop the ideological debates and focus on the real needs of the people, that can happen much faster,” Calantzopoulos said in an interview at Davos. But the health organization doesn’t want to work with a company that still supplies 813 billion cigarettes a year to smokers outside the U.S. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the organization’s rules prevent it from engaging directly with tobacco companies “partly because tobacco companies have misled health authorities and the public about the risks associated with tobacco use.” “This includes promoting so-called light and mild tobacco products as an alternative to quitting, while being fully aware that those products were not less harmful to health,” he said in an emailed statement. The WHO couldn’t immediately provide an expert to explain any scientific differences between the company’s research and its own. Meanwhile, Philip Morris continues to try to reshape its image. In January, it took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, titled “A Tobacco Company That Actually Cares About Health. How Did That Happen?” Around 300 employees at the company’s digital unit are working on projects like how to use publicly available data to encourage smokers who would otherwise continue using cigarettes to switch to smoke-free products, said Chief Digital Officer Jamie Suarez. The company got a good reception at Davos from parties other than the WHO, Suarez said, noting that he understands it’s difficult for the world to believe that a solution to the harms of cigarettes have come from cigarette companies themselves. “We’re a tobacco company with a history we can’t change,” he said. “But what we’re saying is true.” With fourth-quarter results on Thursday, the company that spun off from U.S.-focused Altria Group Inc. in 2008 will reveal how IQOS sales are going. Investors will also look for more information on how Philip Morris plans to deal with the potential for new competition as sister company Altria seeks to help its new investment, Juul Labs Inc., sell its rival vaping device internationally. “Time is of the essence for them to demonstrate there’s a future beyond cigarettes,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Ken Shea. On IQOS, “the jury’s still out on whether this can be the transformational platform that the company is hoping it can be.” Philip Morris sells IQOS, which it says has less toxicants than cigarettes, in around 43 countries, and is still seeking approval for Altria to sell it in the U.S. | Bloomberg | http://fortune.com/2019/02/06/philip-morris-world-health-organisation/ | 2019-02-06 12:48:05+00:00 | 1,549,475,285 | 1,567,549,448 | health | health organisations |
201,145 | fortune--2019-01-18--UN World Health Organization Staffers Report Racism Sexism Corruption | 2019-01-18T00:00:00 | fortune | UN World Health Organization Staffers Report Racism, Sexism, Corruption | The World Health Organization is seeing an uptick in internal reports from staffers of misconduct and wrongdoing, and officials at the United Nations’ global health organization say this is a positive sign that things could begin to change within the agency, according to the Associated Press on Friday. On Thursday, the AP reported that WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ordered an internal probe to address complaints included in a series of anonymous emails sent to the agency’s top managers over the past year. Some of the complaints sent to the organization’s management centered on accusations of racism and sexism. And some even mention possible corruption, such as one that suggests money earmarked for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 2018 Ebola outbreak was misspent. (The outbreak began last year but is still ongoing.) Thursday was a hectic day for the global health organization. It was also when the WHO released its annual list of the year’s top global health threats. In addition to climate change and specific infectious diseases, a new threat appeared on the 2019 list: vaccine hesitancy, which refers to factors such as difficulty of getting to a clinic but also anti-vaccine propaganda that keeps individuals from taking advantage of the availability of potentially life-saving immunizations. | Brittany Shoot | http://fortune.com/2019/01/18/united-nations-world-health-organization-misconduct-discrimination/ | 2019-01-18 23:26:28+00:00 | 1,547,871,988 | 1,567,551,877 | health | health organisations |
202,551 | fortune--2019-03-11--Another Flu Pandemic Is Inevitable World Health Organization Says | 2019-03-11T00:00:00 | fortune | Another Flu Pandemic Is Inevitable, World Health Organization Says | The World Health Organization released what it’s calling the “most comprehensive and far-reaching” strategy for fighting influenza Monday, reminding the world that the threat of a pandemic is “ever-present.” “The question is not if we will have another pandemic, but when,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement. “We must be vigilant and prepared—the cost of a major influenza outbreak will far outweigh the price of prevention.” The WHO Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030 urges every country to have a plan to fight influenza and contribute to global preparedness. It also focuses on the development of improved vaccines, antivirals, and treatments to distribute worldwide. While the danger influenza poses to public health is well recognized during a pandemic—such as the H1N1 virus of 2009, which infected at least one in five people worldwide within the first year—the WHO strategy says the “substantial morbidity and mortality” of the flu is “often underappreciated in the context of year-round seasonal influenza.” WHO estimates there are 1 billion cases of influenza around the world each year, with 290,000 to 650,000 influenza-related respiratory deaths. The organization recommends an annual vaccination as the most effective prevention, especially for those at higher risk of contracting the virus. This year’s flu season is ongoing, with as many as 26.3 million people infected, resulting in 31,200 deaths. | Renae Reints | http://fortune.com/2019/03/11/flu-pandemic-influenza-who/ | 2019-03-11 19:08:45+00:00 | 1,552,345,725 | 1,567,546,718 | health | health organisations |
235,838 | hitandrun--2019-08-22--Banned Microplastics Pose No Risk to Human Health Says World Health Organization | 2019-08-22T00:00:00 | hitandrun | Banned Microplastics Pose No Risk to Human Health, Says World Health Organization | No evidence microplastics in water harm human health. As folks rush to stop everything from exfoliating soaps to plastic straws in the name of preventing water pollution, here's another reminder that they're following the ban-first-ask-questions-later model that's all too common among governments. According to a new study from the World Health Organization (WHO), "no data suggests overt health concerns associated with exposure to microplastic particles through drinking-water." "Microplastics"—small pieces of plastic, generally defined as less than five millimeters long—can come from bigger pieces of plastic breaking down and also from the "microbeads" sometimes used in products like body wash and toothpaste. The federal government banned microbead usage in cosmetics and toiletries back in 2015, and states have also passed their own bans. But "microbeads are not a recent problem," notes the National Ocean Service. "Plastic microbeads first appeared in personal care products about fifty years ago, with plastics increasingly replacing natural ingredients. As recently as 2012, this issue was still relatively unknown." Now, the WHO review has found no evidence that these microplastics are a danger to human health, despite being "ubiquitous in the environment and…detected in marine water, wastewater, fresh water, food, air and drinking-water, both bottled and tap water." In analyzing 50 previous studies on the subject, WHO researchers determined that "microplastics greater than 150 μm are not likely to be absorbed in the human body and uptake of smaller particles is expected to be limited." Furthermore, they found "a low health concern for human exposure to chemicals [in plastics] through ingestion of drinking-water, even in extreme exposure circumstances." As for "chemicals and microbial pathogens associated with microplastics" in water, "no reliable information suggests it is a concern." As the WHO notes, this doesn't mean there are no environmental risks to overabundant plastic use. But the group cautions that "care must be taken…so that addressing one problem does not simply result in the creation of a new one." (See, for instance, the new, non-reusable paper straws McDonald's has employed to replace its recyclable plastic ones.) It adds that the "benefits of plastic must also be considered before introducing policies and initiatives. For example, single-use syringes play an important role in preventing infections. Priority management actions should be "no regrets," in that they confer multiple benefits and/or that they are cost-effective." Damon Linker on The New York Times' 1619 Project: For those who haven't been following along, this past weekend the paper devoted the entirety (just under 100 pages) of The New York Times Magazine, along with a separate stand-alone section of the Sunday paper, to a breathtakingly ambitious and ideologically radical undertaking—nothing less than the telling of the story of American history, perhaps for the very first time, "truthfully." Inside, a note from NYTM editor Jake Silverstein informs his readers that it is wrong to trace the true origin of the United States to the founding of the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, or to the landing of the Puritans at Plymouth Rock in 1620, or to the publication of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Instead, the Times proposes to overturn such mythmaking in favor of an effort to "reframe American history," treating 1619 as "our nation's birth year." Linker considers the Times project important, illuminating, and ambitious, but he takes issue with the "reframing American history" bit. "Achieving that goal has required the Times to treat history in a highly sensationalistic, reductionistic, and tendentious way, with the cumulative result resembling agitprop more than responsible journalism or scholarship," Linker writes, offering a critique of some of the specific pieces (including a nuanced read of a piece challenging views on slavery and capitalism). A reminder how vastly the U.S. outpaces other countries on defense spending: Or, as Cato's Julian Sanchez commented, "NATO doesn't make us blow $690 billion a year on welfare for Raytheon. That's pretty much on us." | Elizabeth Nolan Brown ([email protected]) | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reason/HitandRun/~3/iqULF5g_ug8/ | 2019-08-22 13:40:14+00:00 | 1,566,495,614 | 1,567,533,711 | health | health organisations |
334,332 | naturalnews--2019-01-27--World Health Organization declares anti-vax movement to be a top global health threat just like th | 2019-01-27T00:00:00 | naturalnews | World Health Organization declares anti-vax movement to be a top "global health threat" just like the climate change hoax... the vaccine deep state grows desperate | (Natural News) The deep state is utterly petrified that the general public is finally waking up to the Great Vaccine Hoax – so much so that, in a desperate attempt to scare people into still getting vaccinated, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently put out a fear-mongering claim that vaccine refusal represents one of the biggest global health threats of 2019. In addition to things like air pollution, “climate change,” a global influenza pandemic, and dengue fever, “vaccine hesitancy” is now classified by the WHO as a global health crisis, as “vaccine hesitancy threatens to reverse progress in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases” – vaccine hesitancy, as defined by the WHO, constituting any refusal or delay in getting vaccinated, assuming vaccines are readily available, according to official government guidelines and schedules. According to the WHO, somewhere between two and three million deaths are prevented every year as a result of vaccination – though concrete data to back this up remains murky, if not completely non-existent. If more people were to agree to get vaccinated, the WHO contends, upwards of 1.5 million more deaths could be avoided – though, again, there’s no valid scientific evidence to back this claim, either. “Measles, for example, has seen a 30 percent increase in cases globally,” the WHO claims, ignoring the fact that MMR vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella not only cause more measles, but also cause more deaths from measles, compared to non-vaccinated individuals who contract measles naturally. Mother Nature's micronutrient secret: Organic Broccoli Sprout Capsules now available, delivering 280mg of high-density nutrition, including the extraordinary "sulforaphane" and "glucosinolate" nutrients found only in cruciferous healing foods. Every lot laboratory tested. See availability here. It’s important to keep in mind that measles is much like the chicken pox in that it’s a relatively harmless disease when contracted naturally. As depicted in an old episode of “The Brady Bunch,” for instance, contracting measles has never historically been all that big of a deal – and once a person recovers from it naturally, he or she has lifelong immunity, unlike the temporary “immunity,” at best, that’s afforded by MMR vaccines. At least the WHO admitted in the same statement that this 30 percent increase in measles cases globally is, in fact, caused by other things besides not getting vaccinated – though we would contend that not getting vaccinated plays no role whatsoever in causing more cases of measles. “The reasons for this rise are complex, and not all of these cases are due to vaccine hesitancy,” WHO states. “However, some countries that were close to eliminating the disease have seen a resurgence,” it adds, suggesting that this automatically points to people not getting vaccinated. But once again, there’s no evidence to prove this – just hearsay. And that’s why parents are increasingly deciding to forego vaccines for their little ones, instead choosing to allow them to develop natural immunity without the need for deadly chemicals, aborted human fetal tissue, and the many other toxins found in government-sanctioned vaccines. Flu shots are also declining in popularity, as revealed in a recent report published by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). According to Dr. Julie Morita, CDPH’s Commissioner, a whopping 83 percent of local parents refused to get flu shots for their children at Lurie Children’s Hospital. And an impressive 14 percent of local parents, the same report found, refused vaccines of all types, pointing to a growing trend of parents doing their homework independently, regardless of what health officials tell them. Instead of flu shots and vaccines in general, Vaxxter recommends that you “[w]ash your hands frequently (but not obsessively); make sure your 25-OH Vitamin D level is between 80 and 100 nmol/l; take Vitamin C Ascorbates 3000mg/day; (and) avoid white sugar, white flour and white rice.” For more related news, be sure to check out Vaccines.news. | Ethan Huff | http://www.naturalnews.com/2019-01-27-world-health-organization-declares-anti-vax-movement-a-top-global-health-threat-just-like-climate-change-hoax.html | 2019-01-27 12:27:08+00:00 | 1,548,610,028 | 1,567,550,654 | health | health organisations |
359,962 | newsweek--2019-01-12--Carbohydrates or at Least Certain Kinds are Good for you According to the World Health Organizati | 2019-01-12T00:00:00 | newsweek | Carbohydrates, or at Least Certain Kinds, are Good for you, According to the World Health Organization | The World Health Organization has recently announced that a high-fiber diet of good carbohydrates can potentially reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease the possibility of related diseases like diabetes, strokes and colorectal cancer. “Here we have got very strong evidence that a high-fiber diet, which for the majority of people is at least high-ish in carbohydrates, has an enormous protective effect – a wide range of diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer benefit from a high-carbohydrate diet,” Professor Jim Mann of the University of Otago in New Zealand told The Guardian this week. In the WHO report, published in The Lancet medical journal, so-called “good” carbohydrates such as oats and whole-grain bread, cereal and pasta help protect against the onset of heart disease and early death. The kicker: the study goes against the grain of trendy low-carbohydrate diets, which may irk food manufacturers pushing such diet products, reported The Guardian. Professor Jim Mann of the University of Otago in New Zealand told The Guardian that research from the latest study “does contribute to the debate considerably.” The study revealed that individuals throughout the world eat less than 20 grams per day, but it recommends that a person should eat at least between 25 and 29 grams of fiber per day, with 30 grams even better. Those who eat the most fiber result in a 15-to-30 percent reduction in deaths from all causes, including heart disease. Specifically, the study showed that such a high-fiber diet reduces coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer by 16-to-24 percent. The results? The high-fiber diet means 13 fewer deaths and six fewer cases of coronary heart disease for every 1,000 people who eat high-fiber foods, compared with those who do not. Mann also gave another tip in maintaining weight under the new, if not controversial, report: “Fiber-rich whole foods that require chewing and retain much of their structure in the gut increase satiety and help weight control and can favorably influence lipid and glucose levels,” said Mann. The WHO defines an unhealthy diet as one of the major risk factors for a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other conditions linked to obesity. Specific recommendations for a healthy diet include: eating more fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains; cutting down on salt, sugar and fats. It is also advisable to choose unsaturated fats, instead of saturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids. Furthermore, WHO provides a broader solution world-wide, posting on its website that “Improving dietary habits is a societal, not just an individual problem. Therefore it demands a population-based, multisectoral, multi-disciplinary, and culturally relevant approach.” | null | https://www.newsweek.com/score-who-point-high-fiber-vs-low-carb-diets-1289141?utm_source=Public&utm_medium=Feed&utm_campaign=Distribution | 2019-01-12 19:48:27+00:00 | 1,547,340,507 | 1,567,552,752 | health | health organisations |
360,819 | newsweek--2019-01-22--Migrants and Refugees Do Not Bring Exotic Communicable Diseases to Countries World Health Organiz | 2019-01-22T00:00:00 | newsweek | Migrants and Refugees Do Not Bring 'Exotic Communicable Diseases' to Countries, World Health Organization Report States | The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken aim at the myth that migrants and refugees bring diseases to the countries they arrive in, with its first report on the issue of migrant and refugee health in the European region. In the report, WHO dispels the falsehood that irregular migrants and refugees spread sickness among host communities—an argument that has long been used to justify anti-immigration views and policies. According to the World Health Organization's findings, which were based on a review of more than 13,000 documents, "there are indications that there is a very low risk of transmitting communicable diseases from the refugee and migrant population to the host population. Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in a statement on the report shared on the United Nations websitesaid: "The refugees and migrants that come to Europe, they do not bring any exotic diseases with them—any exotic communicable diseases. "The diseases that they might have there are all well-established diseases in Europe, and also we have very good prevention and control programmes for these diseases. This applies both for tuberculosis, but also HIV/AIDS." While the new WHO report is focused on migrant and refugee health in Europe, its message carries relevance in the U.S., particularly in light of President Donald Trump's repeated claims that migrants bring "large-scale crime and disease" to the country. Late last year, Trump used the claim to rail against Democrats for wanting "open borders for anyone to come in" to the U.S., which he claimed would bring "large-scale crime and disease" into the country. While the WHO's study, which covers 53 countries falling under the organization's "European region," did not find evidence of increased transmission of diseases between migrants and refugees and those living in the countries they arrive in, it did say that migrants and refugees are themselves at greater risk of developing diseases during the migration process. Citing data from the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, the report notes that more than 50,000 migrants and refugees have died in the Mediterranean area since the year 2000, having significant "health repercussions" on surviving family members and communities. "The social determinants of health will act along the displacement and migration continuum…and societal conditions are significant factors in the health and well-being of refugees, migrants and communities," the report states, adding that "many of these factors lie outside the direct influence of the health sector." "As a consequence, the conditions encountered during their journey, as well as the living, working and aging conditions at their destination, can have negative health repercussions for many refugees and migrants," the report states. It also asserts that a number of diseases appear to affect refugees and migrants more than host communities, including diabetes, which researchers found affects refugees and migrants with "higher incident, prevalence and mortality rate," particularly among women. The study also found that while displaced populations are at a lower risk of all forms of cancer, except for cervical cancer, they are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease at a more "advanced state," putting them at greater risk of "considerably worse health outcomes than those of the host population." The report also says that other illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, tend to affect refugees and migrants more than the communities in the European countries they arrive in. That finding, researchers said, is particularly applicable to unaccompanied minors who the study found suffer from higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The WHO also highlighted the challenges that undocumented immigrants around the world face in obtaining access to health care services. “I don’t think that in most of the countries the illegal migrants have access to the health system services,” Jakab said. “So that is an area where we have to do substantial additional work and conviction of the countries, because, the best way to protect their own population and the refugees is to give them access.” In addition to dispelling myths around the health of migrants and refugees, the WHO's report also demonstrated how perceptions of a rise in the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe have been overinflated in some countries. “International migrants make up about 10 percent of the population in the European Region, that is about 90 million,” Jakab said. “Out of this, less than 7.4 percent are refugees and in some of the European countries, citizens estimate that there are three or four times more migrants than there are in reality.” | null | https://www.newsweek.com/migrants-refugees-exotic-diseases-world-health-organization-1299685?utm_source=Public&utm_medium=Feed&utm_campaign=Distribution | 2019-01-22 12:11:22+00:00 | 1,548,177,082 | 1,567,551,306 | health | health organisations |
427,420 | prepareforchange--2019-09-18--World Health Organization WHO Warning About Wireless Radiation Smart Meters Cell Phones Brain T | 2019-09-18T00:00:00 | prepareforchange | World Health Organization (WHO) Warning About Wireless Radiation, Smart Meters, Cell Phones, Brain Tumors Children 0- 14 (Video) | In nearly every community around the world where wireless Smart Meters have been installed, a percentage of residents complain of health effects, from wireless radiation, that started after installation. The residents often did not know that smart meters had been installed. Utilities claim Smart Meters are safe, and compare them to cell phones. However, cell phones, cell towers, wi-fi and other wireless devices can also affect you. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies wireless radiation as a 2B carcinogen, based on studies linking cell phone radiation to brain tumors! target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children age 0- 14 http://www.abta.org/about-us/news/brain-tumor-statistics/The National Toxicology Program found a statistically significant increase in brain cancers from exposure to cell phone frequencies. http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/results/areas/cellphones/index.html Now imagine Smart Meter Radiation to this equation. Reducing your EMF exposure can benefit your overall health and wellness. Some 65 million American homes already have Smart Meters, and more homes are being converted all the time, even against the will of some homeowners. And yet many doctors agree that smart meters are a potential health threat due to constant releases of radiation. What many people don’t realize about Smart Meters, is that Smart Meters emit such an enormous amount of radiation that it is capable of penetrating the walls of your home and impacting your entire families health. Add Cell phones and other wireless technology and it’s like sitting on a radiation contamination site 24/7 365 days a year, as you will see from the video below. Despite all the evidence to the negative health effects of wireless radiation, the governments around the world are pushing the Smart Meter agenda. Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm. | Edward Morgan | https://prepareforchange.net/2019/09/18/world-health-organization-who-warning-about-wireless-radiation-smart-meters-cell-phones-brain-tumors-children-0-14-video/ | 2019-09-18 18:26:32+00:00 | 1,568,845,592 | 1,569,329,926 | health | health organisations |
430,903 | prisonplanet--2019-05-29--UNs World Health Organization Removes Transgender as Mental Disorder | 2019-05-29T00:00:00 | prisonplanet | U.N.’s World Health Organization Removes ‘Transgender’ as Mental Disorder | The U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO) has officially removed the term “transgender” from the classification of mental disorders. As expected, during WHO’s annual assembly in Geneva on Saturday, the member states adopted the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases – the first update of the classification list in 29 years. Ken Zucker, editor of Archives of Sexual Behavior, tweeted the announcement: According to the U.N. health agency, gender identity disorder is no longer classified as a mental disorder, NHK World Japan also reported. Instead, gender identity disorder will be called “gender incongruence.” This article was posted: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 2:55 am | admin | https://www.prisonplanet.com/u-n-s-world-health-organization-removes-transgender-as-mental-disorder.html | 2019-05-29 07:55:48+00:00 | 1,559,130,948 | 1,567,539,920 | health | health organisations |
488,081 | slate--2019-04-29--Why Parents Shouldnt Fret Over the World Health Organizations New Screen Time Guidelines | 2019-04-29T00:00:00 | slate | Why Parents Shouldn’t Fret Over the World Health Organization’s New Screen Time Guidelines | Scan the headlines on any given day, and you’ll likely find at least one about the perils of “screen time.” We’re addicted to our smartphones! Binge watching is killing our sex lives! So, it follows we may be even more concerned about how increased time spent in front of screens might be affecting the most impressionable among us: Won’t someone please think of the children? This week, the World Health Organization answered by releasing a new set of recommendations about activity, behavior, and sleep for children younger than 5 that included specific directives about what it termed “sedentary screen time.” According to these new WHO guidelines, children between 2 and 5 should be limited to only 60 minutes of screen time per day (and the less the better). Children under 2, it says, should not spend any time with screens at all. WHO’s new screen use recommendations bear similarity to guidelines issued in 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommend that children under 18 months get no screen time, kids between 2 and 5 should limit their use to an hour, and ideally, any screen time should be spent “co-watching” with engaged adults. In a former life as a developmental psychology researcher studying how children learn from watching others, I met thousands of parents with children under 5 who came into the lab for research. In the waiting room, I saw how families took radically different approaches to their offspring’s screen use. Some parents proudly told me about their screenless lifestyle, clearly wanting me to validate them as having made the right decision. Others had no qualms about sitting their kids down with their phone. Others did the same but kept apologizing to me for it, as if they were sure that researchers like me would judge them for their parenting choices. I generally wasn’t—I’m not a parent, and the one thing I took away from that job was that parents really want to do right by their kids. But I can see why it touched a particularly sensitive nerve, given how society’s love for judging parenting choices is merging with the greater cultural conversation around whether our digital devices are rotting our brains, changing our attention span, and maybe toppling democracy. I imagine hard and fast rules like those issued by WHO might exacerbate that inclination to judge parents. Just scroll through social media (oh no, even more screen time!), and you’ll see lots of people taking the new recommendations to mean that screens are dangerous for young children. The guidelines also obscure something more significant when it comes to how best to think about screen time: It’s not the screens that are bad, necessarily—it’s how we use them. And if we dig into the research the WHO used as the basis of its recommendations, the conclusions are much messier than the tidy guidelines it recommends. To put together its report, the U.N. agency looked at thousands of existing studies examining links between things like young children’s physical activity and sedentary behavior (including sedentary screen use) and certain outcomes, such as obesity and motor and cognitive development. But these studies were a mixed bag when it came to their methodology and findings, and didn’t necessarily find connections between increased screen time and adverse outcomes. Some studies found that more screen time was associated with obesity, for instance, but other studies didn’t find any connection. In its full report on the guidelines, WHO acknowledges that “for the critical outcomes, there was moderate to very low-quality evidence for screen time and adiposity [obesity], motor and cognitive development and psychosocial health” and that the overall quality of evidence it reviewed on sedentary time with or without screens “was rated as very low.” We know that kids primarily learn from playing, moving, talking, and watching other humans. What’s more, if we look a little closer, it seems the agency’s recommendations for limiting screen time are not actually based on the idea that more screen time is necessarily harmful. Instead, it appears to rely on evidence that shows that more physical activity most likely benefits young children and that less screen time to achieve that won’t harm them. What essentially boils down to a “let kids play!” recommendation also comes out in other guidelines in the WHO report, including suggestions that children should not be restrained—sitting in strollers, high chairs, or strapped to a caregiver—for more than an hour, again to give more opportunities for children to exercise. What we know from decades of child development research also squares with this more nuanced reading of the evidence. We know that kids primarily learn from playing, moving, talking, and watching other humans. The time they spend with a screen is time that could, in theory, involve some of these types of learning. The problem with screens is not necessarily that they’re screens; it’s that they can be addictive, that they’re not always conducive to being active and observant of the world, and that, perhaps most significantly, they present an opportunity cost to kids. If kids spent hours a day sitting silently staring at a blank wall, it wouldn’t do them good, either. But the overarching takeaway is that there’s still so much we don’t know about screen time and young children. This is, in part, because how difficult its effects are to measure. You can’t just throw 100 kids into a lab and control their every move. Instead, researchers must work around real kids living in real families in the real world, who live vastly different and complex daily lives. It’s also because the technology is moving faster than research. To understand how screen use affects children, we need to follow them for years, which means waiting for a generation of kids to grow up. But consider that any researcher that may have started work just five years ago probably didn’t account for factors like the rise of smart speakers, interactive children’s shows on Netflix, or the first steps toward virtual reality. Even if they did, collecting data and publishing an academic paper can take another few years. By the time new research is out, there’s likely already another shiny new innovation vying for kids’ attention. Still, there are many talented researchers working on unraveling questions around screen use. One important nuance they’ve found is that not all screen time is created equal. As education policy expert Lisa Guernsey has written about for Future Tense, over the past decade, an increasing number of studies has shown that children, even at very young ages, can benefit from using media when it’s designed for learning and helps catalyze conversations. For instance, psychologists have found that kids are more likely to learn words from videos that build in interactivity, like allowing kids to click on a box to see what’s inside, as opposed to videos that they passively watch. Similarly, kids are more likely to learn words from someone they’re talking to on Skype than from passively watching a video. That’s because a FaceTime call to grandma is more interactive than watching Peppa Pig on YouTube. Similarly, watching Peppa Pig with your parents and talking about it is more interactive than just passive watching. It’s also worth noting that some research has shown that a good old-fashioned book or face-to-face game may invite more genuine connection, since adults tend to get sucked into passively enjoying screen media’s bells and whistles, too. Several studies have found that when parents read an e-book with their kids, they’re less likely to ask story-related questions and engage in conversation about the narrative compared with parents who read traditional books to their kids. Of course, keeping these devices away or making sure that the only screen time your child gets involves deep engagement and follow-up is easier said than done. Again, I’m not a parent, but I’ve seen the wonders a tablet can do for a bored toddler on a multihour flight or at a restaurant with parents who just want to have an hour with their adult friends without hiring a sitter. And there’s no evidence that kids who end up in front of screens so a parent can get dinner started, put a load of laundry in, or, God forbid, just take a few minutes for themselves will be ruined for life. Fixed guidelines on screen time like those from WHO may be well-intentioned messaging to remind modern parents to give their kids opportunities to lead active lives (nuance isn’t catchy). But they are arbitrary and, for some families, may be unrealistic. That doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t try to keep unsupervised screen time for young children to a minimum. Or that they shouldn’t be mindful of giving their kids opportunities to move, interact, and build meaningful relationships. But we should remember that kids are resilient. That extra 15 minutes of Paw Patrol probably isn’t going to be what makes or breaks their middle school algebra grade, their ability to make friends, or their job prospects at 25. With a caring parent, they’ll probably be just fine. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. | Jane C. Hu | https://slate.com/technology/2019/04/screen-time-world-health-organization-limits.html?via=rss | 2019-04-29 11:30:05+00:00 | 1,556,551,805 | 1,567,541,704 | health | health organisations |
502,100 | sottnet--2019-06-01--Burnout is an official medical diagnosis World Health Organization says | 2019-06-01T00:00:00 | sottnet | Burnout is an official medical diagnosis, World Health Organization says | Comment Alerts with Push Notifications are here! Logged in users can take advantage of our new Alerts system for Reader Comments. You'll automatically get alerts whenever anyone posts on any articles that you previously commented on. Just click the bell icon in the upper right corner of the screen. You can also visit your Personalize page and enable Web Push Notifications. Finally, don't miss your very own Recent Comments page (click the bell to see the link). Need an account to use these new features? Sign up now! | null | https://www.sott.net/article/414135-Burnout-is-an-official-medical-diagnosis-World-Health-Organization-says | 2019-06-01 14:11:49+00:00 | 1,559,412,709 | 1,567,539,501 | health | health organisations |
544,689 | sputnik--2019-09-22--World Health Organization Says Tanzania Might Be Hiding Ebola Cases | 2019-09-22T00:00:00 | sputnik | World Health Organization Says Tanzania Might Be Hiding Ebola Cases | The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it is concerned that Tanzania may be hiding Ebola cases. The WHO released a statement on Saturday saying that it had learned of unofficial reports that a woman suspected of having the disease died in Dar es Salaam and that people she had contact with were quarantined. "On 10 September 2019, through its regular event-based surveillance process, WHO was made aware of unofficial reports regarding the death of a person with suspected Ebola Virus disease (EVD) case in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. The identified contacts of the deceased were unofficially reported to be quarantined in various sites in the country", the statement read. "To date, the clinical details and the results of the investigation, including laboratory tests performed for differential diagnosis of these patients, have not been shared with WHO." The organisation raised concerns about "insufficient information received by WHO" not allowing for a "formulation of a hypotheses regarding the possible cause of the illness". "At this stage, WHO is not aware of signs of a widespread transmission of any illness related to these cases, however investigations, including with the support of WHO Collaborating Centres, should continue to reach a diagnosis and further inform the risk assessment." On September 14, the Tanzanian authorities officially assured the UN health organisation that Ebola was non-existent in the country, but did not respond to WHO queries and have declined to conduct further testing to confirm if the hemorrhagic fever, which has so far killed 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is present among the patients. The WHO deployed an investigation team to look into the death on 12 September, declaring that it intends to inform member states of the results. The Ebola crisis in the Congo drew international attention in May as the deadly disease struck across the country. The largest Ebola outbreak in West Africa so far led to the deaths of more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between December 2013 and April 2016. | null | https://sputniknews.com/europe/201909231076864875-world-health-organization-says-tanzania-might-be-hiding-ebola-cases/ | 2019-09-22 22:15:44+00:00 | 1,569,204,944 | 1,570,222,510 | health | health organisations |
561,913 | tass--2019-02-21--Russia to send humanitarian aid to Venezuela through World Health Organization channels | 2019-02-21T00:00:00 | tass | Russia to send humanitarian aid to Venezuela through World Health Organization channels | MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Moscow will send medicine and medical equipment to Venezuela through the channels of the World Health Organization (WHO), a diplomatic source informed TASS. "The cargo with medicine and medical equipment will be delivered through WHO channels as part of Russia’s contribution to the organization," the source said. "The ceremony will take place at the Caracas international airport." "On Thursday, 7.5 tonnes will be delivered, a second delivery is planned, but the timeframe is unclear. First aid kits with medicine, medical equipment and consumable items will be delivered to Venezuela," he continued. "This would help supply four hospitals with emergency units.". In other media | null | http://tass.com/society/1045899 | 2019-02-21 18:10:50+00:00 | 1,550,790,650 | 1,567,547,767 | health | health organisations |
699,400 | theguardianuk--2019-05-03--Ebola death toll in Congo to pass 1000 World Health Organization warns | 2019-05-03T00:00:00 | theguardianuk | Ebola death toll in Congo to pass 1,000, World Health Organization warns | The number of people killed by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to exceed 1,000 on Friday, the World Health Organization has warned. Weekly infections have been rising since late February, with attacks by armed groups and a failure to win community trust undermining the response to the epidemic. Since the outbreak began in August, 1,510 cases have been recorded in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, according to figures released by the DRC’s ministry of health on Thursday, while 994 people have died of the disease. An experimental vaccine, thought to be highly effective, is being offered to frontline workers as well as known contacts of Ebola patients and, in turn, their contacts. But this resource-intensive strategy depends on response teams having safe and quick access to affected areas. In a statement released this week, the World Health Organization warned the security situation remains volatile and “a major impediment” to such work. Reported cases of Ebola underwent a “considerable, although not unexpected rise” following an attack on Butembo hospital last month, in which Dr Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, an epidemiologist, was killed, the WHO added. Each time facilities are attacked, services are wound down, further aggravating the epidemic. More than half of Ebola infections so far have affected women, and almost three in 10 involve children under 18 years of age, according to available data. Repeated attacks on health centres, as well as the high number of patients not seeking help from specialist Ebola workers, have prompted calls for agencies to do more to address community mistrust. “The sad reality is that community engagement is not at the centre of the government’s and WHO’s strategy for the Ebola response,” said Tamba Emmanuel Danmbi-saa, humanitarian program manager for Oxfam in DRC, who added that far greater emphasis and funding have been allocated to medical aspects of the response. “We are talking about a context where people have been subjected to continuous armed attacks, people have lost loved ones, properties and are in perpetual situation of displacement.” The wider needs of communities have received little attention from international donors, said Danmbi-saa: “With Ebola, now they see all these donors, all these actors are coming, inundating their communities and villages – for a threat that is not visible.” This has contributed to suspicions and rumours about Ebola, not least beliefs that it is a money-making business for agencies, or that the disease does not really exist. “The Ebola crisis itself has exposed the enormous gaps in the humanitarian response,” added Kimberly Bennett, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in DRC. “There has been an extensive neglect of communities.” The humanitarian response plan for DRC, which is funded separately to the Ebola response, requires $1.6bn (£1.2bn) but is only 12% funded. Among people who have been displaced by conflict in North Kivu, almost 90% are living on just over a meal a day, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. On Thursday, the health ministry announced a further 10 deaths from Ebola, seven of which were community deaths, meaning people had not sought care from an Ebola treatment centre. Delays in isolating patients and vaccinating contacts at risk, as well as high transmission rates within general health facilities, have all contributed to growing case loads. WHO teams have met with local residents as part of efforts to empower communities, and the organisation said it has had some success in persuading people to accept care from Ebola teams. The risk of the disease spreading nationally or across borders remains very high, according to a WHO assessment. On Friday, 18 humanitarian groups warned that tens of thousands of people have fled to the border with Uganda, following violence in Kamango, Beni territory, near to the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu. The NGOs, including Oxfam, said they had received reports that people have been prevented from crossing the border at sixteen official crossings. Some are crossing illegally and not being screened before entering Uganda, while others have been forced to return to villages they fled, where there is a risk of further violence. The WHO has appealed for greater resources to support the Ebola response and said on Friday that there is a funding gap of £54m. | Rebecca Ratcliffe | https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/may/03/ebola-death-toll-in-congo-to-pass-1000-world-health-organization-warns | 2019-05-03 13:42:33+00:00 | 1,556,905,353 | 1,567,541,313 | health | health organisations |
818,677 | theonion--2019-05-28--World Health Organization Director-General Classifies Gaming Disorder As Disease After Son Spends Be | 2019-05-28T00:00:00 | theonion | World Health Organization Director-General Classifies Gaming Disorder As Disease After Son Spends Beautiful Day Inside Playing ‘Overwatch’ | In a bold move that could have ramifications throughout the gaming industry, the World Health Organization officially classified gaming disorder as disease this weekend after Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ son spent an entire beautiful day inside playing Overwatch. The revision to the ICD-11 listing of diseases and health problems was adopted after Ghebreyesus observed his son sitting inside, staring at a screen for “eight fucking hours straight” despite the fact that it was 70 degrees outside and there was’t a cloud in the sky. The new entry defines gaming disorder as “a pattern of persistent and recurring behavior in which a kid wastes an entire day sitting on his ass like a slug when he should be outside playing in the sun.” “Based on my wide-ranging review of a good-for-nothing kid’s entire wasted Saturday, we have determined that it’s a fucking shame someone would loaf about playing these games instead of running around with their friends, riding a bike, or playing a game like normal kids used to,” said Ghebreyesus. “Frankly, I don’t care what you do—climb a tree, throw rocks at a cat—just get the hell out of the house. There is something wrong with this generation. This disorder is a serious problem for the little shits who need to get some fresh air.” There has been some blowback from gamers and industry representatives, who claim the classification was rushed and didn’t take into account that Ghebreyesus’ son’s team had almost taken the second checkpoint in King’s Row. However, the World Health Organization has stood by its decision, recommending that anyone suffering from a gaming disorder get outside right now unless they want their systems to be thrown in the goddamn garbage where they belong. | The Onion on Onion Gamers Network, shared by The Onion to The Onion | https://ogn.theonion.com/world-health-organization-director-general-classifies-g-1835070055 | 2019-05-28 18:31:00+00:00 | 1,559,082,660 | 1,567,539,979 | health | health organisations |
820,924 | thepoke--2019-04-08--Nigel Farage told people to ignore the World Health Organization 11 sick burns | 2019-04-08T00:00:00 | thepoke | Nigel Farage told people to ignore the World Health Organization – 11 sick burns | The World Health Organization is the United Nations agency that promotes public health, performing and collating the best research, carrying out vaccination drives and generally looking out for people. They recently posted a celebratory tweet about a development at the Vatican. Great news for the people who work in and around the Vatican, bad news for *checks notes* Nigel Farage. It’s the old “We’ve had enough of experts” rhetoric, so prominent during the Leave campaign, so we shouldn’t be surprised. Some people were very much in favour of Nigel Farage ignoring medical advice. Some pointed out why he should pay better attention. A lot more just took the piss. Twitter user Christopher C noticed the irony of a man telling people they should listen to him when he tells them not to listen to someone. | Oonagh Keating | https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/04/08/nigel-farage-ignore-world-health-organization-11-sick-burns/ | 2019-04-08 09:19:18+00:00 | 1,554,729,558 | 1,567,543,569 | health | health organisations |
1,067,613 | upi--2019-11-13--1st Ebola vaccine gets full approval from World Health Organization | 2019-11-13T00:00:00 | upi | 1st Ebola vaccine gets full approval from World Health Organization | Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization has approved the world's first Ebola vaccine amid history's second largest outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. WHO prequalified the inoculation Tuesday, which means it meets the agency's standards for quality and safety, and it can now be made available in at-risk countries. The step came less than 48 hours after the European Commission grated a conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine. "This is a historic step towards ensuring the people who most need it are able to access this life-saving vaccine," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. "Five years ago, we had no vaccine and no therapeutics for Ebola. With a prequalified vaccine and experimental therapeutics, Ebola is now preventable and treatable." The vaccine, called Ervebo, is manufactured by Merck. It and another vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, were already being used under a compassionate use protocol. Ervebo is now approved for clinical use. WHO said it accelerated the prequalification process for the vaccine because of the "urgent public health need," particularly in Africa. The DRC's current epidemic began Aug. 1, 2018, and has caused 2,192 deaths and sickened 1,067 others as of Wednesday, the DRC Ministry of Health said. Formerly known as hemorrhagic fever, the Ebola virus is transmitted from wild animals to humans, and then is spread among humans during contact with bodily fluids. The average mortality rate of the disease is 50 percent. | null | https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/11/13/1st-Ebola-vaccine-gets-full-approval/9041573677387/ | Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:32:12 -0500 | 1,573,680,732 | 1,573,693,266 | health | health organisations |
1,092,787 | wakingtimes--2019-02-15--World Health Organization Recognizes Cannabis as a Medicine and Proposes More Rational Drug Laws | 2019-02-15T00:00:00 | wakingtimes | World Health Organization Recognizes Cannabis as a Medicine and Proposes ‘More Rational’ Drug Laws | The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally recognized cannabis as a medicine and has formally proposed that legislators take a “more rational” approach to drug laws. The WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) has proposed that cannabis be rescheduled in light of recent scientific findings that show a wide range of medical uses for the plant. The panel also proposed that non-psychoactive cannabis products like CBD should be entirely removed from international drug controls. Last November, the committee had their first formal discussion about cannabis laws since the International Drug Control Conventions in 1961. According to a 2019 press release that summarized the meeting: This recommendation does not automatically mean that the laws will change everywhere immediately, but these decisions are often very good indications of the policy that many lawmakers will follow. Ethan Russo of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute told Newsweek that cannabis advocates see this as a major win in the fight for legalization. “These recommendations are of monumental importance as they may lead to the overcoming of barriers to research, enhance access of patients to cannabis-based medicine, and allow free commerce of cannabis products internationally,” Russo says. A 2015 study, published in the journal, ‘Scientific Reports,’ suggests that smoking cannabis is roughly 114 times safer than drinking alcohol. Ironically, out of all the drugs that were researched in the study, alcohol was actually the most dangerous, and it was the only legal drug on the list. A study published last year by researchers at the University of Michigan has shown that cannabis use among teens and college students is increasing while alcohol and tobacco use is declining. In fact, for the first time ever, the rate of daily cannabis use has now surpassed the rate of daily cigarette use. This is a great discovery considering the fact that cigarettes and alcohol kill tens of thousands a year while marijuana kills no one. Earlier this month, Truth Theory reported that CBS blocked a pro-cannabis advertisement from appearing on the super bowl this year, turning down a $5 million deal. CBS responded to the proposal by saying that they do not accept ads on cannabis, and they do not know of any other channel that does. Despite new findings that cannabis can be a powerful medicine, it continues to be a controversial topic in mainstream circles. John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast. **This article (WHO Recognizes Cannabis as a Medicine and Proposes ‘More Rational’ Drug Laws) was originally featured at Truth Theory and is re-posted here with permission.** | WakingTimes | https://www.wakingtimes.com/2019/02/15/who-recognizes-cannabis-as-a-medicine-and-proposes-more-rational-drug-laws/ | 2019-02-15 18:59:03+00:00 | 1,550,275,143 | 1,567,548,419 | health | health organisations |
7,255 | ageofautism--2019-08-20--Review of the United Kingdom National Health Service webpage Why vaccination is safe and important | 2019-08-20T00:00:00 | ageofautism | Review of the United Kingdom National Health Service webpage ‘Why vaccination is safe and important’ (media reviewed 30 July 2019). | “(Vaccines) get safety tested for years before being introduced - they're also monitored for any side effects” Another statement apparently contradicts the proposition that there is anything inherently safe about vaccinating: It is not clear what the evidential basis is for this statement. Formerly, at least, British health officials were keen to cite a paper by Offit et al (2002) which suggested absurdly an infant could withstand 10,000 vaccines at a time. However far-fetched, this was based on a theoretical claim about routine exposure to environmental antigens. Evidently some environmental exposures are more dangerous than others, otherwise people would not be at risk from infectious diseases at all, but the basis of exposure through vaccination is different (injected), and involves adjuvants so it is perhaps not relevant at all to talk about the number of antigens (as in Offit). In August 2004 Dr Salisbury distinguished in an e-letter to me between the increased risk of adverse reactions in an extended schedule and “overload”, which begs the question what is meant by “overload” and what people are supposed to understand by such a statement. A paper by Aaby et al (2012) was entitled “Vaccine programmes must consider their effect on general resistance”, which is evidently a warning that there is no such blank cheque for expanding the schedule. I covered this ground in my published submission to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee inquiry into anti-microbial resistance last year [2]. The NHS need to clarify what they mean, but also state what the evidential basis is for this claim. “(Vaccines) do not overload or weaken the immune system - it's safe to give children several vaccines at a time and this reduces the amount of injections they need” I am responding to claims or statements in this web-document ' Why vaccination is safe and important' [1] (not following the original order of presentation). As Britain's new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, calls for reassuring messaging about vaccination on the web, AoA's British editor looks at an NHS web-page on vaccination safety and finds it full of holes. Unfortunately, the problems with the vaccine program do not lie with its critics. A copy of this review will be sent to the NHS web editors. This touches on the reality that vaccines are industrial products which might cause harm. Recently, the issue of how well or thoroughly vaccines are tested for safety before marketing has come under scrutiny. People are told (for example in GCSE biology) that the gold standard for the scientific testing of products is a double blind placebo trial but a lesser standard seems to routinely obtain with vaccines. A letter from a US charity Informed Consent Action Network to the US Department of Human Health Services noted that not only were there no vaccines on the US schedule which had been safety tested against placebo but also none which had been tested against earlier products which had been safety tested against placebo [3]. A correspondence in on-line British Medical Journal which involved Heidi Larson of the Vaccine Confidence Project, Paul Offit and Stanley Plotkin failed to establish the existence of thorough safety testing before marketing on the UK schedule, or the existence of any double-blind placebo safety trials - even when challenged by two leading medical scientists, Christopher Exley and David Healey [4-6]. The NHS needs to be clearer on what level of safety testing has actually taken place. The statement that vaccines “get safety tested for years before being introduced” while disarmingly vague does not offer real reassurance. The statement “they’re also monitored for any side-effects” is also problematic and potentially misleading. In the first place the MHRA (the United Kingdom licensing agency) does not actively monitor side-effects at all but does receive yellow card reports: this is only a passive reporting system. Historically speaking the MHRA is not known to act on these reports and this came under particular scrutiny last year in the British Medical Journal over the swine flu episode of 2009 when the MHRA failed to pick up signals regarding GSK’s vaccine Pandemrix and narcolepsy which had been identified in two Scandinavian countries [7-12]. In order to detect long-term harm the MHRA would also have to follow up on yellow card reports with patients after a time gap which is not their policy. As reported by the House of Commons Health Committee in 2005 the MHRA is hopelessly conflicted [13]. “(vaccines) do not cause allergies or any other conditions…” is not compatible even with the information in package inserts. The NHS is obliged to make clear the risks of medical interventions to the patient or their representatives under the Montgomery ruling of 2015 which would include drawing their attention to complications in vaccine package inserts [14]. Such a blanket statement is incompatible with this ruling, nor should it be up to health officials to decide what people should be told or not told. “all the current evidence tells us that vaccinating is safer than not vaccinating” is vague and not conditional on anything. It may not be safer with some people with some products in some conditions, and therefore is either not true or has no meaning. “(vaccines) do not contain mercury (thiomersal)” needs to be qualified. The annual letter on the flu shot for 2019-20 states (p.15) [15]: “None of the influenza vaccines contain thiomersal as an added preservative" which implies the presence thiomersal in the preparation of at least some products at continuing reduced levels. And further down we read: “Vaccines sometimes contain other ingredients that make the vaccine safe and more effective…There is no evidence that any of these ingredients cause harm when used in such small amounts.” Just taking the example of aluminium there is in fact by now a large mainstream scientific literature either questioning the safety of aluminium adjuvants or indeed asserting their danger. The present statement puts the NHS in an invidious position [16-24]. Either the authors are unaware of this developing concern or have dismissed it out of hand, but it is not correct or accurate to tell the public that there is no evidence. Furthermore, comparison with ingested aluminium on the link is inappropriate and misleading since even if it was good to eat or drink aluminium (the examples used) adjuvanted vaccines are injected and bypass the digestive system. It is also palpably contradictory to claim that a substance which is present in sufficient quantities to be an active ingredient could not also pose a risk. Again, this is a loosely couched statement: “(vaccines) do not cause autism - studies have found no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism” On the one hand the apparent elision of vaccines as a class with MMR is misleading, while the fact that some studies may not have found something is insufficient grounds for saying it does not happen. When, last year, I queried the evidence base for general MMR safety the CMO cited only the review by Taylor (2014) which was restricted to the issue of autism, MMR and thimerosal – there were just six MMR studies, the first of which was published a full fourteen years after MMR was first introduced the British schedule (when the issue was already highly contentious) and which perhaps only closed the door after the horse had bolted. It does not answer the ethical problem of what evidence health officials had that the products were safe at the time of introduction. Indeed we know that the most favoured MMR product in 1988, SKB’s Pluserix, was already withdrawn in Canada at the time [25, 26]. While our health officials have succeeded in not finding a connection between the vaccine programme they promote and autism they also have no explanation for the rise of autism from 0.2% for those born 1984-8 and the 3.3% rate recorded in Northern Ireland schools earlier this year [27,28]: they have neither predicted it, nor can they explain it while every day the reports of chaos pile up [29]. The United States government in its Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, however, have acknowledged the connection between vaccines and autism on a number of occasions. The HHS HRSA told journalists Sharyl Attkisson and David Kirby on separate occasions [30,31]: "The government has never compensated, nor has it ever been ordered to compensate, any case based on a determination that autism was actually caused by vaccines. We have compensated cases in which children exhibited an encephalopathy, or general brain disease. Encephalopathy may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms including autistic behavior, autism, or seizures." And CDC director Julie Gerberding admitted to CNN following the Hannah Poling settlement [32]: "Now, we all know that vaccines can occasionally cause fevers in kids. So if a child was immunized, got a fever, had other complications from the vaccines. And if you’re predisposed with the mitochondrial disorder, it can certainly set off some damage. Some of the symptoms can be symptoms that have characteristics of autism…" An investigation into US vaccine injury court in 2011 found 83 cases of compensated vaccine injury in which autism is mentioned, but which because they are sealed cannot be used as precedents [33]. In an unsealed ruling relating to autism it is stated [34]: “The Court found, supra, that Bailey’s ADEM was both caused-in-fact and proximately caused by his vaccination. It is well-understood that the vaccination at issue can cause ADEM, and the Court found, based upon a full reading and hearing of the pertinent facts in this case, that it did actually cause the ADEM. Furthermore, Bailey’s ADEM was severe enough to cause lasting, residual damage, and retarded his developmental progress, which fits under the generalized heading of Pervasive Developmental Delay, or PDD. The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine, and that this chain of causation was not too remote, but was rather a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to Pervasive Developmental Delay.” “If 95% of children receive the MMR vaccine, it's possible to get rid of measles.” is likely false, because of the waning effectiveness of the vaccine [35-45]. CONCLUSION This is not intended to be a comprehensive review of claims made on the web-page. The point should made that though the page disparages less favourable discussion of the programme found elsewhere on the web it is itself full of loose statements and weak documentation. Reading it an educated public might not be wholly to blame if they were not completely convinced. [2] Written evidence from John Stone (Age of Autism), House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry into Antimicrobial Resistance, http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/health-and-social-care-committee/antimicrobial-resistance/written/86156.pdf [3] Letter to Department of Human Health Services (Secretary Azar and Acting Director Beckham) from Informed Consent Action Network (Del Bigtree), https://www.icandecide.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ICAN-Reply-1.pdf [4] Christopher Exley, 'Re: Vaccine safety: British are less sceptical than Europeans, but younger people need assurance', https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l4291/rr-3 [5] David Healy, ''Re: Vaccine safety: British are less sceptical than Europeans, but younger people need assurance', 27 June 2019,27 June 2019, https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l4291/rr-4 [7] Peter Doshi, ‘Pandemrix vaccine: why was the public not told of early warning signs?’, BMJ 2018; 362 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3948 (Published 20 September 2018) [11] Clifford G Miller, ‘Re: A tale of two vaccines - MHRA - 6 Reports of "rare" suspected ADR in 60 days ignored’, 18 october 2018, https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4152/rr-21 [12] Clifford G Miller, ‘Re: A tale of two vaccines - MHRA Had 178 Pandemrix Altered Consciousness Adverse Event Reports in 67 Days’, 23 October 2018, https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4152/rr-23 [13] “The industry is by no means solely to blame for the difficulties we describe. The regulators and prescribers are also open to criticism. The regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has failed to adequately scrutinise licensing dataand its post-marketing surveillance is inadequate. The MHRA Chairman stated that trust was integral to effective regulation, but trust, while convenient, may mean that the regulatory process is not strict enough. The organisation has been too close to the industry, a closeness underpinned by common policy objectives, agreed processes, frequent contact, consultation and interchange of staff. We are concerned that a rather lax regime is exacerbated by the MHRA’s need to compete with other European regulators for licence application business.’ House of Commons Health Commttee, ‘The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Indiustry”, 2005, https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhealth/42/42.pdf [16] Jørgensen L, Gøtzsche PC, Jefferson T.'The Cochrane HPV vaccine review was incomplete and ignored important evidence of bias', BMJ Evid Based Med. 2018 Oct;23(5):165-168. doi: 10.1136/bmjebm-2018-111012. Epub 2018 Jul 27 [17] Lars Jørgensen, Peter Doshi, Peter Gøtzsche, Tom Jefferson, 'Challenges of independent assessment of potential harms of HPV vaccines', BMJ 2018; 362 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3694 (Published 24 September 2018) [18] Emma Shardlow, Matthew Mold and Christopher Exley, 'Unraveling the enigma: elucidating the relationship between the physicochemical properties of aluminium-based adjuvants and their immunological mechanisms of action,', 7 November 2018, Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology201814:80 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-018-0305-2 [19] Lee SH, 'Detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) L1 gene DNA possibly bound to particulate aluminum adjuvant in the HPV vaccine Gardasil, J Inorg Biochem. 2012 Dec;117:85-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2012.08.015. Epub 2012 Aug 30. [20] Lee SH, 'Melting profiles may affect detection of residual HPV L1 gene DNA fragments in Gardasil®.', Curr Med Chem. 2014 Mar;21(7):932-40. [21] Mary Holland, Kim Mack Rosenberg and Eileen Iorio, 'The HPV Vaccine On Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed' with an introduction by Luc Montagnier, Skyhorse, 2 October 2018 [22] Peter Doshi, Tom Jefferson, Mark Jones, Kyungwan Hong, Larissa Shamseer, Haeyoung Lee, O’Mareen Spence, Florence Bourgeois, 'Call to action: RIAT restoration of a previously unpublished methodology in Gardasil vaccine trials', 11 January 2019, https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f2865/rr-7 [23] Gerwyn Morris, Basant K. Puri, and Richard E. Frye, ‘The putative role of environmental aluminium in the development of chronic neuropathology in adults and children. How strong is the evidence and what could be the mechanisms involved?’ Metab Brain Dis. 2017; 32(5): 1335–1355. Published online 2017 Jul 27. doi: 10.1007/s11011-017-0077-2, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596046/ [24] Matthew Mold, Dorcas Umar, Andrew King, Christopher Exley, ‘Aluminium in brain tissue in autism’, Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology Volume 46, March 2018, Pages 76-82, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X17308763 [27] Metzler et al, 'The mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain' National Statistics 1999, p.33 Table 4.1 'Prevalence of Mental Disorders', Pervasive development disorder is listed under 'less common disorders', http://www.dawba.com/abstracts/B-CAMHS99_original_survey_report.pdf [28] Ian Waugh, The Prevalence of Autism (including Asperger Syndrome) in School Age Children in Northern Ireland 2019', Information Analysis Directorate May 2019, https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/asd-children-ni-2019.pdf [29] Chaminda Jayanetti, ‘Special educational needs crisis deepens as councils bust their budgets…Observer investigation reveals 30% rise in overspending against backdrop of a failure to meet demand for services’, Observer 18 August 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/aug/18/special-educational-needs-councils-in-crisis-budget-overspends-rocket [33] Mary Holland, Louis Conte, Robert Krakow and Lisa Colin, ‘Unanswered Questions: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury’, Pace Environmental Law Review, vol. 28, no. 2, 2011, https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol28/iss2/6/ [35] Markowitz LE, Albrecht P, Rhodes P, Demonteverde R, Swint E, Maes EF, Powell C, Patriarca PA., 'Changing levels of measles antibody titers in women and children in the United States: impact on response to vaccination. Kaiser Permanente Measles Vaccine Trial Team.', Pediatrics. 1996 Jan;97(1):53-8., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8545224 [37] Sandra Waaijenborg, Susan J. M. Hahné, Liesbeth Mollema, Gaby P. Smits, Guy A. M. Berbers, Fiona R. M. van der Klis, Hester E. de Melker, and Jacco Wallinga, 'Waning of Maternal Antibodies Against Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella in Communities With Contrasting Vaccination Coverage', J Infect Dis. 2013 Jul 1; 208(1): 10–16. [38] Zhao et al, 'Low titers of measles antibody in mothers whose infants suffered from measles before eligible age for measles vaccination' Virol J. 2010; 7: 87., Published online 2010 May 6. doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-7-87 [39] Kang et al, 'An increasing, potentially measles-susceptible population over time after vaccination in Korea', VaccineVolume 35, Issue 33, 24 July 2017, Pages 4126-4132, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X17308551 [40] Fiebelkorn et al, 'Measles virus neutralizing antibody response, cell-mediated immunity, and IgG antibody avidity before and after a third dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in young adults', J Infect Dis. 2016 Apr 1; 213(7): 1115–1123. [41] Paunio et al, 'Secondary measles vaccine failures identified by measurement of IgG avidity: high occurrence among teenagers vaccinated at a young age', Epidemiol Infect. 2000 Apr;124(2):263-71.,https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l2359/rr-0 [42] Rosen JB, Rota JS, Hickman CJ, Sowers SB, Mercader S, Rota PA, Bellini WJ, Huang AJ, Doll MK, Zucker JR, Zimmerman CM., 'Outbreak of measles among persons with prior evidence of immunity, New York City, 2011', Clin Infect Dis. 2014 May;58(9):1205-10. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu105. Epub 2014 Feb 27 [43] Felicia Roy, Lillian Mendoza, Joanne Hiebert, Rebecca J. McNall, Bettina Bankamp, Sarah Connolly, Amy Lüdde, Nicole Friedrich, Annette Mankertz, Paul A. Rota, Alberto Severini , 'Rapid Identification of Measles Virus Vaccine Genotype by Real-Time PCR' https://jcm.asm.org/content/55/3/735 "Of the 194 measles virus sequences obtained in the United States in 2015, 73 were identified as vaccine sequences (RJ McNall, unpublished data)". [44] Rosen JB, Rota JS, Hickman CJ, Sowers SB, Mercader S, Rota PA, Bellini WJ, Huang AJ, Doll MK, Zucker JR, Zimmerman CM., 'Outbreak of measles among persons with prior evidence of immunity, New York City, 2011', Clin Infect Dis. 2014 May;58(9):1205-10. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu105. Epub 2014 Feb 27 [45] Gregory A. Poland and Robert M. Jacobson, ‘The Re-Emergence of Measles in Developed Countries: Time to Develop the Next-Generation Measles Vaccines?’, Vaccine. 2012 Jan 5; 30(2): 103–104., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905323/ | Age of Autism | http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ageofautism/~3/l8nUWBjSeR4/review-of-the-united-kingdom-national-health-service-webpage-why-vaccination-is-safe-and-important-m.html | 2019-08-20 05:00:00+00:00 | 1,566,291,600 | 1,567,533,960 | health | health organisations |
32,847 | bbc--2019-11-18--UK PM shelves tax cut to help health service | 2019-11-18T00:00:00 | bbc | UK PM shelves tax cut to help health service | Planned cuts to corporation tax next April are to be put on hold, Boris Johnson has said, with the money being spent on the NHS and other services. The rate paid by firms on their profits was due to fall from 19% to 17%. But the PM told business leaders it may cost the Treasury £6bn and this was better spent on "national priorities", including the health service. Labour said business "handouts" had done real damage and the Tories would "revert to type" after the election. The announcement does not mean any new money for the NHS, on top of the £20bn extra a year the Conservatives are promising to give it up to 2023. The BBC understands the cash will be used, in part, to fund existing pledges on GP training. With just over three weeks to go before the 12 December election, the leaders of the three largest parties in England have been parading their business credentials at the CBI conference. • Does cutting corporation tax always raise more money? Jeremy Corbyn said business had "so much to gain" from a Labour victory in terms of investment while Jo Swinson said the Liberal Democrats were the "natural party of business" because they wanted to cancel Brexit. Addressing the audience of top executives and entrepreneurs, Mr Johnson said they had "created the wealth that actually pays for the NHS". Stressing his party's "emphatic belief in fiscal prudence", he said he had decided against going ahead with a further cut in corporation tax, a step first proposed by Chancellor George Osborne in 2016 to boost business in the wake of the Brexit referendum. Mr Johnson said the UK already had the lowest rate of corporation tax of "any major economy" and further cuts would be "postponed". "Before you storm the stage, let me remind you that this saves £6bn that we can put into the priorities of the British people including the NHS," he told the audience. Corporation tax is an important revenue-raiser, making up approximately 9% of the UK government's total tax take. The amount raised by the tax has risen by two-thirds in the past decade, as the rate has fallen from 28% to 19% and economic conditions have improved. But many economists said the latest cut would be potentially counter-productive in terms of tax yields, with a study based on HMRC data last year suggesting it could mean £6bn a year in lost government revenues. In response, CBI director Carolyn Fairbairn said the move could "work for the country if it is backed by further efforts to the costs of doing business and promote growth". Blink and you might have missed it, but the PM has just announced the single biggest tax-raising measure of the campaign so far. The overnight headlines about Boris Johnson's CBI speech were about a £1bn cut to business taxes. It pays to read the small print. All together, this leaves an extra £5bn a year for the Conservative manifesto to deploy in extra spending or, as seems likely, some crowd-pleasing pre-election personal tax cuts. I'm told the corporation tax move was Chancellor Sajid Javid's idea, and was discussed during plans for his aborted Budget earlier this month. The PM also confirmed Mr Javid would remain in post if he wins the election next month. Cancelling the cut still leaves the UK with the lowest corporation tax rate in the G20, although not as low as Switzerland or Singapore. Given the government's argument has long been that cuts to corporation tax raise revenue, it is interesting to see the PM now say that cancelling cuts will also raise revenue. It is meant to show clear blue water between the Conservatives and Labour on fiscal credibility. In the event, there was barely a squeak out of the CBI audience about a significant multi-billion pound tax change. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said Monday's freeze marked a "temporary pause in the Tories' race to the bottom" on business taxes. Labour's plan has been to raise corporation tax to 26% - the 2011 level - which it says will generate billions to be spent on its priorities, including health and education. Turning to Brexit, the Conservative leader told the conference that while big business did not want the UK to leave the EU, his withdrawal deal would provide the certainty "that you want now and have wanted for some time". • POLICY GUIDE: Who should I vote for? • POLLS: How are the parties doing? • A TO Z: Our tool to explain election words • REGISTER: What you need to do to vote If elected with a Commons majority, Mr Johnson is hoping to get the agreement on the terms of the UK's exit into law by 31 January, and begin talks with Brussels on a permanent trading relationship. He also announced a review of business rates in England, with the aim of reducing the overall burden of the tax, as well as a cut in National Insurance contributions for employers, which already benefit from a reduction known as the employment allowance. In his address, Mr Corbyn said business had nothing to fear from a Labour government, arguing that while the richest would pay more, there would also be "more investment than you have ever dreamt of". He said he would "make no apologies" for the party's plan to take rail, mail, water and broadband delivery into public ownership, saying it was "not an attack" on the free market and would bring the UK in line with the continent. • Business rates: My bill went from £560 to £7,760 • Why does Labour want to give away free broadband? "It is sometimes claimed I am anti-business," he said. "This is nonsense. It is not nonsense to be against poverty pay. It is not nonsense to say the largest corporations should pay their taxes, just as small companies do. "It is not anti-business to want prosperity in every part of the country." The Labour leader also set out plans to train about 320,000 apprentices in jobs such as construction, manufacturing and design within the renewable energy, transport and forestry sectors. Ms Fairbairn said the business community shared Labour's desire to increased investment but warned the opposition's "massive instincts towards state intervention and ownership" put that at risk. In her first address to the CBI as leader of her party, Ms Swinson said no-one claiming to want to "get Brexit sorted" was on the side of business, due to the negative impact she said it would have on investment and access to labour. "With Boris Johnson in the pocket of Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn stuck in the 1970s, we are the only one standing up for you," she said. She said her party would go further than the others and replace "crippling" business rates with a levy paid by commercial landlords based on land value, which she suggested would help "rescue the High Street". Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who is not attending the CBI event, said politicians' focus should be on helping small business and promoting what he claimed were the advantages of a no-deal Brexit. Do you have any questions about the forthcoming election? In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions. Use this form to ask your question: | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50454627 | Mon, 18 Nov 2019 17:00:11 GMT | 1,574,114,411 | 1,574,104,023 | health | health organisations |
38,935 | bbcuk--2019-04-10--Childrens mental health services postcode lottery | 2019-04-10T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Children's mental health services 'postcode lottery' | Spending on children's mental health services - such as school counsellors and drop-in centres - has fallen in real terms in more than a third of areas in England, a report shows. The study, by the Children's Commissioner, found spending had risen by 17% overall but many children faced a "postcode lottery" of provision. Anne Longfield said the figures were "extremely worrying". Officials said investing in these services was a priority. The report looked at spending on so-called "low level" mental health services - designed to prevent or treat problems such as depression, eating disorders or anxiety - preventing the need for intensive, specialist intervention. In general, half the funding comes from the NHS and half from local authorities. The report found that very high-spending areas were masking a larger proportion of low-spending areas, and that wide variations existed across the country. According to the report: Ms Longfield said: "This report reveals for the first time the postcode lottery facing the increasing number of children suffering from low-level mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. "The children I speak to who are suffering from conditions like anxiety or depression aren't asking for intensive inpatient therapeutic treatment, they just want to be able to talk to a counsellor about their worries and to be offered advice on how to stop their problems turning into a crisis." A statement from the Department of Health and Social Care said government plans would allow 70,000 more children a year to have access to specialist mental health care by 2020-21. "Early intervention is vital and we're going further, piloting a four-week waiting time standard for treatment, training a brand new dedicated mental health workforce for schools across the country, and teaching pupils what good mental and physical health looks like." The charity YoungMinds said some young people found support from youth workers and school counsellors life-saving and the situation was deeply concerning. Emma Thomas, the charity's chief executive, added: "While extra money for specialist NHS services is of course welcome, it's better for everyone if young people can get help before their needs escalate or they hit crisis point." Have you or has someone whom you know been affected? If willing to share your story, please mail [email protected] with your experience. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47870001 | 2019-04-10 01:48:07+00:00 | 1,554,875,287 | 1,567,543,359 | health | health organisations |
44,584 | bbcuk--2019-11-04--General Election 2019: Don't politicise health service - NHS boss | 2019-11-04T00:00:00 | bbcuk | General Election 2019: Don't politicise health service - NHS boss | Parties should not use the NHS as "a political weapon" in the election campaign, health service bosses say. NHS Providers chief Chris Hopson said "over-dramatising NHS difficulties" or making "disingenuous" funding claims did the service "no favours". Both the Tories and Labour are vowing to spend billions to improve care. But Mr Hopson, who acts for health trust leaders in England, urged parties not to make "empty promises" or create "unrealistic expectations". The long-term future of the NHS and social care is likely to be a key battleground in the run-up to the 12 December election. The Tories are expected to trumpet extra spending on the health service in England, including a £2.7bn investment for six hospitals over five years and £100m for a further 34 hospitals to start developing future projects. This is on top of an extra £20bn in funding agreed by Theresa May's government up to 2023. • Could the NHS be 'up for sale' to US companies? • A really simple guide to the election • How much does a general election cost? Labour argues the NHS is reeling from the tightest funding squeeze in modern history since 2010, which it says has left nearly four and half million people waiting for treatment and seen thousands of cancelled operations last year. Jeremy Corbyn has said he will end austerity in the NHS via a "proper funding settlement", with the exact details to be announced ahead of the launch of the party's manifesto. Mr Hopson called for a "proper, mature, evidence-based" debate on what the NHS needs. "Let's not resort to the cheap political slogans and skimming across the top which is what we've seen over the last four or five elections," he told the BBC's Today programme. Writing on the Times website, he said it was understandable that during election campaigns politicians should "cast themselves as champions and defenders of the NHS". However, he warned "it becomes counter-productive when the NHS is used as a political weapon" - something he said leaders in the health service were worried was already starting to happen in this campaign. It is unrealistic to expect the parties to dial down their highly-charged debates on the subject. But NHS Providers argues that already things are getting out of hand with signs that the NHS is being "weaponised". Underlying all this is a warning that the NHS in England cannot seem to keep up with growing demand for care, which is "particularly worrying" with winter looming. Hospital chiefs are known to be concerned that there was intense pressure in recent weeks before winter had really set in. How that pressure develops before polling day could be a major issue in this campaign. While there were areas where "the NHS is falling short", he said "over-dramatising or distorting the difficulties for political ends will do nothing to help those frontline staff who are working flat out for patients". And Carrie MacEwen, from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said undeliverable promises "simply set up the NHS to fail". "The NHS's role is to manage the health of the nation, not to be used as a tool to swing voters in a three-way marginal," she told the Times. "Our fear is in these febrile times we will see irrational, undeliverable promises or even outright lies." Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he agreed that the NHS "shouldn't be weaponised" during the election campaign but voters deserved an "honest debate about it." Speaking after a visit to Unison headquarters to meet NHS staff, he also repeated that under a Labour government, the health service would be "brought back in house" when privatised contracts "come to an end". • Public spending 'to rocket' in next parliament • Who has selected the most women as candidates? • Poll tracker: How do the parties compare? The Tories have repudiated Labour claims that privatisation has exploded in recent years, pointing to figures showing the total number of private contracts has remained static at 7% in the past four years. Health Secretary Matt Hancock accused Labour of peddling "scare stories" to try and win votes because they have "nothing positive to offer". "These stories worry some of the most vulnerable people in the country, who the Labour Party used to say they represented," he said in a video message on Twitter. "It is only with the Conservatives, with our strong support for the economy, that we can make sure the health service is always there for you and your family." But former Conservative health secretary Stephen Dorrell, who is standing as a Lib Dem candidate in the election, said both the main parties were driven by ideology when it came to the issue. The NHS, he told the BBC Radio 4's World at One, was a "perfect example of a place where our economy works best when the public and private work together". Do you have any other questions about the election in the UK? In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions. Use this form to ask your question: | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50282333 | Mon, 04 Nov 2019 14:16:00 GMT | 1,572,894,960 | 1,572,882,230 | health | health organisations |
45,721 | bbcuk--2019-12-03--NHS: Donald Trump on the UK's National Health Service | 2019-12-03T00:00:00 | bbcuk | NHS: Donald Trump on the UK's National Health Service | Speaking in London at the 70th anniversary of Nato, Donald Trump said that the UK's National Health Service, the NHS, is not on the trade talk table. But during a news conference with Theresa May in June, he said something very different. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50647945 | Tue, 03 Dec 2019 14:02:00 GMT | 1,575,399,720 | 1,575,419,033 | health | health organisations |
45,757 | bbcuk--2019-12-04--Health strike: NI Secretary Julian Smith says health service crisis is unacceptable | 2019-12-04T00:00:00 | bbcuk | Health strike: NI Secretary Julian Smith says health service crisis is unacceptable | The crisis in Northern Ireland's health service is "unacceptable", NI Secretary Julian Smith has said, as industrial action by healthcare workers continues. Mr Smith was speaking during a visit to Belfast where he met members of the NI Civil Service and trade unions. He said he was "extremely sorry" that the strike was affecting patients, families and workers. Health workers are protesting at pay and staffing levels which they claim are "unsafe". The union, Unison, that represents more than 6,500 registered nurses and 3,500 health care assistants, has called for "compromise and money on the table". • 'It feels like someone sawing into my hip' Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since January 2017 when the power-sharing parties - the DUP and Sinn Féin - split after a bitter row. Mr Smith said he would have more conversations both with the NI Civil Service and the unions over the coming days. "This area of health is a devolved matter so the decisions have to be taken by the NI Civil Service, they are working in difficult circumstances because Stormont's not running. "But I am working with them to see if we can find a way through." He added that the situation was "unacceptable" and that he would "do whatever I can within the powers I have to help the NI Civil Service move this forward". However, when asked about the possibility of extra money for the civil service to deal with the ongoing healthcare issues, Mr Smith maintained that the negotiations on health service issues would be led by the civil service. His comments come as industrial action continues to affect the health service. At the Ulster Hospital, routine afternoon outpatient appointments, with the exception of maternity and children's, have been cancelled. Patients in the South Eastern Trust area who have not received a letter of cancellation should attend as normal for their appointments. In the Western Trust area, strike action by support services staff is expected to affect hospitals, day centres and residential homes. Full details and advice on current health care services can be found on the Health and Social Care Board website. Dr Michael McBride, Northern Ireland's chief medical officer, has warned that there is a "real risk" of unintended consequences if industrial action continues. Speaking on BBC NI's Nolan Show, Dr McBride said the situation was "very concerning" given the fragile nature of Northern Ireland's health system. He said that the scale and scope of industrial action at a time of significant pressure on the service meant that "the risk of unintended consequences is real". He said he feared what these consequences might be, but stressed he also respected workers' rights. "Front-line health and social care staff have genuine grievances and I absolutely accept the rights of those individuals to take industrial action," he said. "Who wouldn't want hard working staff, totally dedicated and committed staff who are the backbone of our health service to get a fair day's pay, to have pay which is comparable to other parts of the United Kingdom?" Dr McBride repeated his appeal to all in the dispute to pause, take a step back and work to unlock the impasse. Among those taking industrial action in Derry is Stephen Ward, a porter at Altnagelvin Hospital. He said staff were "at breaking point". "We are running around 24/7 after cardiac arrests and people with serious haemorrhages. "There's so much to the role that keeps the place functioning and we are not getting rewarded for it," he said. "We are basically on minimum wage and you can't live the best quality of life that you should. "We are at breaking point and I think we should go into direct rule as soon as possible. It's emotional because we are always thinking about the patients." Speaking on BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster, Anne Speed of Unison welcomed the decision by the health trusts' chief executives to speak out in a joint statement. "I was glad to hear that they didn't blame workers," she said. "They have pointed in the direction of those who have access to money and those who can influence those who have access to money. That direction needs to be continued and the chief executives need to continue calling for that." Ms Speed said that, so far, those who can offer compromise do not have access to money. She said the basis on which the Department of Health had looked for a resolution of the dispute was insufficient at this stage. Ms Speed said Unison was not walking away from its responsibilities and was working to manage risk. She said the planned complete withdrawal of labour by nurses on 18 December would be "very serious". "When nurses remove themselves from routine nursing care it will be a very big wake-up call for everybody with anything to do with the health service, especially those in the leadership," she said. On Tuesday, nurses from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) took action short of strike by refusing to do any work not directly related to patient care. The UK government said that as health is a devolved matter, only a restored Stormont executive could take decisions on the health service. In a statement, the Northern Ireland Office said that while Julian Smith had further discussions with the NI Civil Service on Tuesday, he "has no powers to direct them or take decisions on health matters". Two more days of industrial action, short of strike action, are to be held on 10 and 11 December. Members of the RCN and trade unions Unite, Unison and NIPSA have voted to strike on 18 December. | null | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50649351 | Wed, 04 Dec 2019 21:45:34 GMT | 1,575,513,934 | 1,575,505,478 | health | health organisations |
54,927 | birminghammail--2019-01-21--The number of Birmingham kids accessing mental health services soars - heres where to get help | 2019-01-21T00:00:00 | birminghammail | The number of Birmingham kids accessing mental health services soars - here's where to get help | The number of children and teenagers accessing mental health services in Birmingham is on the rise. The latest figures from the NHS have revealed that a total of 57,140 people used mental health services in our city in 2017/18. Of those, 9,615 were under the age of 18 - meaning one in every six people accessing these services last year was a child or teenager. The figure is 17% higher than it was the year before. In 2016/17, 8,250 children and teenagers accessed mental health services in Birmingham. That was the first year that this figure was recorded. Nationally, 525,326 children and teenagers accessed mental health services in 2017/18 - accounting for around one in every four people using these services. It is not possible to compare this figure to the previous year, due to data quality issues for some NHS trusts in 2016/17. The figures take into account people accessing secondary mental health services, learning disabilities and autism services. It may be harder to spot signs of mental illness in children because they may not know how to express what is bothering them. The NHS advises that signs of depression and anxiety in children often include irritability, having trouble sleeping, and interacting less with friends and family. Place2Be, a children's mental health charity, advises concerned parents to try and talk to their child during a car journey or even when playing with them. The charity also says that parents who are worried about their child's mental health should visit their GP. Samaritans (116 123) samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at [email protected] , write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch. CALM (0800 58 58 58) thecalmzone.net has a helpline is for men who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. They're open 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year. Childline (0800 1111 ) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill. PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal. Depression Alliance is a charity for people with depression. It doesn’t have a helpline, but offers a wide range of useful resources and links to other relevant information depressionalliance.org Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts. Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying studentsagainstdepression.org The Sanctuary (0300 003 7029 ) helps people who are struggling to cope - experiencing depression, anxiety, panic attacks or in crisis. You can call them between 8pm and 6am every night.There are other depression charities. There are other depression charities. | James Rodger | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/number-birmingham-kids-accessing-mental-15705645 | 2019-01-21 05:30:00+00:00 | 1,548,066,600 | 1,567,551,460 | health | health organisations |
63,816 | birminghammail--2019-06-28--Doctors overwhelmingly reject radical health services change in Sandwell | 2019-06-28T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Doctors 'overwhelmingly' reject radical health services change in Sandwell | Plans to radically change health services in Sandwell and West Birmingham have been overwhelmingly rejected by GPs who feared it would have broken their link to local acute hospitals. Local doctors voted down a proposal to change the present boundaries of the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) in favour of a unified Birmingham and Solihull body and a new Black Country group which would have included Wolverhampton , Dudley and Walsall . Presently, Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG oversees and pays for primary care services in Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury, West Bromwich and parts of Birmingham. The change had been supported by NHS England which wanted to see local surgeries outside of Sandwell transferred to Birmingham and Solihull CCG. But the plans were criticised by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospitals Trust which warned the changes could impact on the much-delayed Midland Metropolitan Hospital. GPs rejected the scheme by 71 per cent and voted to retain the present system. Dr Gwyn Harris, a clinical lead for nine practices covering 96,000 patients, said doctors rejected the plan because it would bring unwanted reorganisation and break the close links with local acute hospitals. Explaining why his colleagues had thrown out the plans, he said GP surgeries and hospitals worked closely together to address patients’ needs. He added: “The main reason is we are very used to working as a single health economy across Sandwell and West Birmingham. “From a health point of view it makes an enormous amount of sense to cluster around our acute trust which most of us use.” He added: “If we split, certainly for those of us in West Birmingham it would have felt like going back to the start because we would have had to work with someone else's plans. “We would have been a relatively small part of a much larger health economy that didn’t look towards our acute trust but actually looked towards a joined up Heartlands and University Hospital Birmingham.” The vote has been endorsed by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospitals Trust’s board whose chairman, Richard Samuda, said: “We welcome the clear and decisive decision by local primary care leaders to retain the integrity of the Integrated Care model that we have been building for some years in the two places covered by the Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG. “The CCG process has clearly given all stakeholders a chance to express their views and we now need to move forward on a shared basis.” But the decision has also been criticised by other health leaders. Paul Jennings, Chief Executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG and sustainability and transformation partnership system (STP) leader, said: “All member organisations of the Birmingham and Solihull STP were unanimous in their view that the Birmingham constituencies of Ladywood and Perry Barr should be coterminous with the local authority, CCG and STP. “Therefore, it is disappointing that we remain in a situation where a large number of Birmingham patients remain outside of the natural and logical geographical boundary, and will be receiving inconsistent services to their 1.3 million neighbours in the rest of Birmingham and Solihull.” | [email protected] (George Makin) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/doctors-overwhelmingly-reject-radical-health-16503804 | 2019-06-28 14:24:49+00:00 | 1,561,746,289 | 1,567,537,654 | health | health organisations |
66,581 | birminghammail--2019-09-20--Student found hanged in university halls failed by mental health services heartbroken parents say | 2019-09-20T00:00:00 | birminghammail | Student found hanged in university halls 'failed' by mental health services, heartbroken parents say | The parents of a student found hanged at her halls of residence have said she was "failed" by mental health services. University of Liverpool student Ceara Thacker, 19, was found dead in her room in the Brownlow Hill accommodation on May 11 last year. The five-day inquest at the Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool heard her family was not informed she had taken an overdose three months before her death, or that she was struggling with her mental health. Speaking outside the court on Friday, her father, Iain Thacker, 56, said: "For as long as I live I will never understand why no-one at the university picked up the phone to us in February 2018, and told us that our 19-year-old daughter was in hospital after taking an overdose. "If we had known how Ceara was suffering we could have, and would have, made a difference." He said his daughter, from Bradford, had found herself "falling through the cracks" with different mental health services, who failed to communicate with each other. He added: "In my view it is absolutely essential that all universities have in place proper systems for identifying students at risk and communicating effectively with healthcare services and, where appropriate, with families, to ensure they are kept safe." Her mother Lorraine Dalton-Thacker, 51, said: "At every turn, she was failed. "I can't imagine how frightening that must have been for her. She should not have had to face this and it breaks our hearts that she did. "We don't want any other family to go through this pain." Recording a conclusion of suicide, area coroner Anita Bhardwaj said she would make a report for the prevention of future deaths to the NHS, recommending that the issue of parental involvement, with consent, was included in mental health assessments. She said: "It's difficult and unclear whether Ceara would have had a different outcome had she had additional mental health appointments, been given an urgent appointment, and had family involvement." Ms Bhardwaj said there was no record of discussions between medical professionals and Miss Thacker about contacting her family. She said: "It would have been helpful to have those discussion, so if Ceara wanted additional support from her family that could have been facilitated. The coroner described a delay of two months between Miss Thacker referring herself to the university's mental health advisers in February, and being given an appointment in April, as "unacceptable". The court heard the delay was caused by "exceptional circumstances", including strike action, staff sickness and training days. Mr Thacker said it was "disappointing" that the University of Liverpool had chosen not to adopt an "opt-in process", which is now used at Bristol University, where students fill in a form when registering to ask whether they would want their parents to be contacted in the event of mental health problems. Gavin Brown, pro-vice-chancellor for education at the University of Liverpool, said: "We have conducted a thorough review of the support Ceara was offered and, as a result of this and our ongoing review of how these services work, we have instigated a number of improvements to mental health support services. "This includes an additional £0.5 million investment in staffing and the introduction of rapid access appointments with an adviser. "Following Ceara's death, we have also updated guidance to ensure that students who are experiencing substantial distress as a result of mental health difficulties are asked whether they would like to inform family members. "We know that students' family circumstances can differ, and where students choose not to inform family we will explore reasons for this, and work with individuals to identify alternative support networks." | [email protected] (James Rodger) | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news/student-found-hanged-university-halls-16956651 | 2019-09-20 17:23:21+00:00 | 1,569,014,601 | 1,569,590,552 | health | health organisations |
79,728 | buzzfeed--2019-05-03--The Trump Administration Will Allow Health Workers To Refuse Abortion And Sex Reassignment Services | 2019-05-03T00:00:00 | buzzfeed | The Trump Administration Will Allow Health Workers To Refuse Abortion And Sex Reassignment Services | The Trump administration released a final rule Thursday that will allow health workers to refuse to perform or assist medical procedures — like abortion, assisted suicide, or sex reassignment surgery — if it violates their “conscience” or religion. The rule, which will take effect in 60 days, applies to health care institutions receiving federal funding. It repeals an Obama-era discrimination protection rule that President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services said “proved inadequate.” The new rule specifically protects “providers, individuals, and other health care entities from having to provide, participate in, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for, services such as abortion, sterilization, or assisted suicide.” The rule was first proposed in January 2018, along with the launch of HHS’s new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, which was created by the Trump administration. The division was specifically created to monitor and respond to complaints related to the proposed rule, using those complaints and comments to help form the final version released Thursday. More than a year after its proposal, HHS issued the final 440-page rule Thursday: “Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care.” The rule is primarily concerned with enforcing existing civil rights protections to apply specifically to discrimination based on religious beliefs, Roger Severino, head of HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), said during a call with the media on Thursday. “Currently, as with every other civil rights statute, we require that entities that receive grants from HHS will not discriminate on the basis [of race or gender],” Severino said. “To that we are adding religious belief and conscience … Saying you are going to comply is a contract with the government.” If workers complain to the OCR about discrimination from their employer and that employer is found to have violated the rule, they could potentially lose their government funding, Severino said. Severino said that under the Obama administration, HHS received only about one or two complaints from health professionals saying they were discriminated against for not performing or assisting with procedures that violated their moral or religious beliefs, but that in the past fiscal year, since the introduction of the OCR’s Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, HHS had received over 300 of these complaints. “It shows it’s a real problem out there,” Severino said, adding that one of the top concerns expressed to the office from workers had to do with not wanting to refer for, assist with, or provide abortions. “Some doctors said they felt threatened from becoming an OBGYN, felt they would be forced to perform abortions.” Abortion rights and LGBT rights activists argue that the new rule will only make it harder for people seeking abortions and sex reassignment procedures to obtain that care, particularly in underserved, rural areas, where anti-abortion state laws already make accessing abortion services difficult. When asked what patients without many health care options were supposed to do if their hospital or health care provider refused to perform the procedures they were seeking, Severino repeatedly avoided the question, instead saying that the US had many health care options, and that “patients want doctors who match their values.” Transgender patients could also be denied certain treatments on moral grounds — though the news rule does not refer to transgender people explicitly. Rather, the rule cites the 1973 Church Amendment, which, in addition to addressing abortions, also protects federal funding for recipients who object to sterilizations. HHS’s new rule argues the law allows a provider to deny any service that results in sterilization. This allows providers to deny hormone therapy, hysterectomies, orchiectomies, and other transition-related services for transgender people, said Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality. In the final rule, HHS responded to comments raising those concerns, saying, “In the event the Department receives any such complaints, the Department will consider them on a case‐by‐case basis.” “We’re confident this rule will make the lives of transgender people across this country harder,” Branstetter told BuzzFeed News, who cited the case of a transgender man in California who sued after he was denied a hysterectomy shortly before his surgery because a religiously affiliated hospital canceled the treatment. “Religious liberty is a bedrock principle for all Americans — including transgender people — but this regulation is a perversion of that principle.” Socially conservative and anti-abortion organizations were quick to praise the administration for the release of the final rule. Major anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List said in a statement that the rule fulfilled “a key promise to pro-life voters,” and the conservative law firm Alliance Defending Freedom said that their clients have faced the very “discrimination” the rule seeks to do away with. Meanwhile, HHS is expected to issue another, separate draft rule any day that also concerns abortion and transgender patients. According to statements HHS has made in court, the rule would seek to reverse part of a 2016 policy, also created under the Affordable Care Act, that says discrimination in medical care or insurance coverage due to gender identity or “termination of pregnancy” is illegal. That rule concerns how the government defines the term “sex,” rather than religious exemptions. The announcement of the rule also comes a week after the Supreme Court announced they would examine whether it is illegal under federal law for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. | Ema O'Connor | https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emaoconnor/trump-rule-religious-doctors-refuse-abortion-sex | 2019-05-03 02:32:47+00:00 | 1,556,865,167 | 1,567,541,338 | health | health organisations |
92,209 | chicagosuntimes--2019-01-16--Committee OKs creating task force to study citys mental health services | 2019-01-16T00:00:00 | chicagosuntimes | Committee OKs creating task force to study city’s mental health services | Plans to establish a task force to study the state of mental health services in Chicago unanimously passed a City Council committee Wednesday to cheers from onlooking activists and mental health advocates. The proposed Public Mental Health Clinic Service Expansion Task Force, sponsored by Ald. Sophia King (4th), would “explore re-opening of mental health clinics and identify budgetary and operational recommendations for expansion of existing facilities. “We are all aware of the anecdotal issues related to the gaps in mental health care that face our wards,” King said prior to Tuesday’s vote by the Committee on Health and Environmental Protection. The task force would complete a comprehensive study to point out gaps in the city’s mental health coverage. Plans call for members to include city officials, experts and residents. Nothing will be left off the table, King said, including digging into the possibility of increasing staffing at current facilities and re-opening shuttered clinics. RELATED: Top mayoral aide defends Emanuel’s decision to close six of 12 mental health clinics Six city-run mental health clinics — half of those then open — were shut down in 2012. Since then, advocates said, funding for mental health care has continued to decline. A report last year by the Collaborative for Community Wellness showed the city’s Southwest Side, for example, was still struggling from a lack of adequate resources. However, Dr. Julie Morita, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, told aldermen in October she believed the closures were the “right decision.” In a letter read at Wednesday’s hearing, Morita advocated for re-evaluating the resolution. Though she wrote that she agrees with the goal of improving mental health services, she added that she wants the task force to provide data-driven direction — without politics. “We must not be handicapped by forcing ill-conceived, political-driven recommendations on the task force before members are even selected,” Morita wrote. “The task force should not presuppose re-opening a handful of city clinics is the answer.” King, who went back-and-forth with the department’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allison Arwady, about issues raised in the letter, said that wouldn’t be the only option examined. Mental health advocates and activist groups including the Collaborative for Community Wellness and Southside Together Organizing for Power had gathered before Tuesday’s hearing in support of the task force resolution and reacted positively to its passage. Diane Adams, a board member of the South Side group, recounted challenges with her own mental health in the late-1990s. Coming to Chicago, Adams said, she felt “despair” and struggled to want to stay alive. But after connecting with a therapist, her life began to turn around, she said. “Once I learned about my illness and my medication, I started to make goals,” Adams said. “So you can’t tell me what the power of mental health (care) can’t do. Look at me.” | Troy Closson | https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/mental-health-task-force-proposal-chicago-city-council-committee-funding-clinics/ | 2019-01-16 19:42:35+00:00 | 1,547,685,755 | 1,567,552,147 | health | health organisations |
117,370 | conservativehome--2019-02-08--WATCH The biggest cash boost in the history of the National Health Service the latest Conservat | 2019-02-08T00:00:00 | conservativehome | WATCH: “The biggest cash boost in the history of the National Health Service” – the latest Conservative broadcast | WATCH: “The biggest cash boost in the history of the National Health Service” – the latest Conservative broadcast | Conservative Home | https://www.conservativehome.com/video/2019/02/watch-the-biggest-cash-boost-in-the-history-of-the-national-health-service-the-latest-conservative-broadcast.html | 2019-02-08 10:00:03+00:00 | 1,549,638,003 | 1,567,549,188 | health | health organisations |
117,545 | conservativehome--2019-02-26--Alan Mak To be fit for the future the health service must axe the fax and the pager | 2019-02-26T00:00:00 | conservativehome | Alan Mak: To be fit for the future, the health service must “axe the fax” – and the pager | Alan Mak is the MP for Havant and is the Chairman of the APPG on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. His NHS Fax Machines and Pagers Bill is presented in Parliament today. Conservatives have a long and proud record of supporting and investing in our NHS. As Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said when launching the new NHS Long Term Plan last month, the Health Service is “one of our proudest achievements” as a nation, and for over 40 of the NHS’ 70 years it has been under the care of Conservative Ministers. Our Party has nurtured the NHS to serve generations of patients and the £20.5 billion a year delivered by the Long Term Plan is the biggest ever cash injection in its history. This means more investment in our hospitals, more doctors and nurses, and more resources to tackle major diseases. But extra funding alone won’t secure the NHS’s future. To boost productivity and improve patient care and safety, Conservatives must ensure that the NHS seizes the opportunities presented by new technologies too. We have a duty to prepare the NHS for radical technological change, and in so doing, an electoral opportunity to strengthen our Party’s standing on the NHS by being the patients’ champion – harnessing technology to drive up clinical standards and improve patient care. That was the argument I made in my NHS technology report published last year by the Centre for Policy Studies and launched by the then Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. By adopting the new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in the Health Service we can put patients at the heart of a reformed digital-first NHS. Rightly, the Long Term Plan shares this ambition and sets out the Government’s vision for a modern NHS that uses digital tools to improve patient care and safety. This means pushing forward with an unabashed desire to change the culture of a large public service organisation that has not always been the quickest to adapt to innovation. Decades of underinvestment in our digital health infrastructure has left the NHS at risk of being unable to take full advantage of the new waves of technological breakthroughs that are already revolutionising healthcare – and indeed other aspects of our society and economy. Fuelled by artificial intelligence, Big Data, wearable devices and personalised medicines, these 4IR innovations are set to turbocharge our fight against cancer, heart disease, dementia and other diseases and illnesses. The Long Term Plan includes a welcome commitment for the NHS to become fully digital and paperless within the next decade. This digital-first NHS would see seamless interactions between GPs, hospitals, and community care; patients not having to wait for appointment confirmations in the post; and an end to health records being lost through human error. Embedding 4IR technologies into the NHS would also drive improvements in detection rates, pioneer new treatments and ultimately deliver better patient outcomes. Meanwhile, precision medicines, personalised for each patient and taking into account an individual’s genetic profile, can be at the forefront of treating disease in the years ahead, becoming a staple in the doctors’ toolbox. Put simply, the future of healthcare is exciting – and has the potential to catch-up with the smartphone era and patients’ digital expectations if we give the NHS the right tools. But holding back the NHS from achieving these outcomes is a stubborn reliance, in some areas, on ageing technology such as pagers and fax machines. While the Long Term Plan clearly sets out a desire to “axe the fax”, there remain 8,000 of them in use across the NHS making the Health Service the largest consumer of fax machines worldwide. These archaic machines cause patients to miss appointments, hospitals to lose records, and cost NHS Trusts millions of pounds in paper storage each year, as well as being slow, unwieldy, and hard to maintain. Meanwhile, the pager, which reached the height of its popularity in the mid-1990s, provides doctors and nurses with a limited amount of information, sometimes no more than a bleep, as they tackle a multitude of complex situations on hospital wards. This has led to 97 per cent of doctors admitting in a British Medical Journal survey that they use instant messaging services such as WhatsApp as an alternative, despite these being banned due to concerns over patient confidentiality. Of the one million pagers believed to be left in use worldwide, around ten per cent of them are used in our Health Service. Yet there are cheap and easy-to-use alternatives available to NHS Trusts. As the Health Secretary has rightly pointed out, e-mail could be used as a way of communicating without the need for paper. And instead of relying on pagers, there are several specialist WhatsApp-style messaging systems available to the NHS. These include Medic Bleep, an app which when trialled at West Suffolk Hospital was found to save £4.5 million worth of staff time largely because doctors and nurses don’t have to wait by a landline phone to respond to pager bleeps. I visited the Hospital to see Medic Bleep in action first hand (see film above) and witnessed its obvious versatility when compared to old-fashioned pagers. If replicated across the 227 NHS Trusts in England new digital messenger systems that replace pagers could potentially save the Health Service more than £1 billion every year which can be redirected to frontline services. The availability of modern replacements, and the need to rapidly upgrade the Health Service’s technology base, are the reasons I’m introducing new legislation in Parliament today that would ban fax machines and pagers in our NHS by 2021. My National Health Service (Prohibition of Fax Machines and Pagers) Bill can be a firm foundation on which to build a digital-first NHS that fully harnesses the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is taking place in healthcare, consigning fax machines and pagers to the scrapheap of history. Equally importantly, I hope the Bill also sends a clear message that we Conservatives are serious about renewing our NHS for the future, coupling serious financial investment with determined renewal of the tools that our doctors and nurses use and the care patients receive. By investing in the best technology – and phasing out the worst – we can ensure our NHS continues to serve us well for the next 70 years and beyond. | Alan Mak MP | https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2019/02/alan-mak-to-be-fit-for-the-future-the-health-service-must-axe-the-fax-and-the-pager.html | 2019-02-26 11:30:51+00:00 | 1,551,198,651 | 1,567,547,254 | health | health organisations |
128,968 | dailyheraldchicago--2019-09-10--Northwest Community Healthcare celebrates 60 years of service | 2019-09-10T00:00:00 | dailyheraldchicago | Northwest Community Healthcare celebrates 60 years of service | Employees sang Happy Birthday to Northwest Community Healthcare, posed for group photos and enjoyed cake on the front lawn of the hospital campus in late August to mark 60 years of caring for the community. NCH started with an 110-bed hospital building and has grown to an integrated system of care with 509 beds, a retail pharmacy, behavioral health center, Wellness Center, 23 doctor's offices, five immediate care centers, seven physical rehabilitation sites and 13 lab locations. It is proud to remain an independent, not-for-profit organization. "Sixty years ago, NCH was conceived by visionary people who believed that the members of the surrounding communities should have a hospital that provided the same advanced level of care that was offered at hospitals in downtown Chicago," says President and CEO Stephen Scogna. To celebrate, Scogna met and shook hands with hundreds of clinical and support staff as animal-assisted therapy dogs greeted employees. Employees received an NCH long-sleeved shirt as a thank you for their service to the organization. Administrative Assistant Donna Laemont helped distribute the shirts to employees at the NCH Shared Services Center, where NCH's support staff works. "All of us singing Happy Birthday and taking the group picture out in front of our building was so nice," Laemont says, adding that "giving out the shirts gave me a chance to see everyone and their reaction." Laemont thanks NCH for the lifelong friends she's made during 11 years of supporting the NCH Foundation. "I love how our hospital helps our community in so many different ways, and the people I work with are amazing." On Sept. 21, NCH will mark its milestone at the NCH Foundation's 60th Anniversary Gala at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. Learn more at nch.org/gala. | null | http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190910/northwest-community-healthcare-celebrates-60-years-of-service | 2019-09-10 14:00:36+00:00 | 1,568,138,436 | 1,569,330,624 | health | health organisations |
130,105 | dailyheraldchicago--2019-11-19--Experts: Increasing mental health services is key to addressing school violence | 2019-11-19T00:00:00 | dailyheraldchicago | Experts: Increasing mental health services is key to addressing school violence | There's no easy solution for preventing school shootings. But providing more mental health resources to schools and communities is key to addressing the problem, experts say. "The reality is that the need keeps growing and we are always trying to catch up," said Janeth Barba, director of clinical services for Family Service Association of Greater Elgin. Barba was among a panel of experts leading a discussion Tuesday about gun violence in schools at the Centre of Elgin. She said her agency has seen a 16% yearly increase in the number of people needing mental health services over the last few years. The event followed seven showings last week of Elgin Community College Theatre's play "Columbinus" at the ECC Arts Center. The production explored the events surrounding the April 20, 1999, school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Two teens shot and killed 13 people, including 12 fellow students and a teacher, and wounded more than 20 others before killing themselves. A cast of 15 students retold the story, weaving together actual words of Columbine parents, survivors and community leaders, and showing documented footage. "We always pick shows that will have impact, raise questions, and make people change behaviors," said Susan Robinson, ECC theater instructor and program coordinator who directed it. "We are becoming somewhat immune to (school shootings), somewhat numb to it." At the time, the Columbine massacre was considered the worst high school shooting in U.S. history. It prompted a national discourse on gun control and school safety that continues to be debated with each new school shooting. Columbine was a watershed moment for police agencies forever changing the training and tactics used to handle active shooter events, said Elgin Police Cmdr. Rick Ciganek. This also is the first year schools have been mandated to have "Run. Fight. Hide" drills to prepare for such events, he added. Since 2000, there have been 789 incidents involving guns in schools nationwide -- the highest was 110 in 2018 followed by 78 in 2019, according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School. So far this year, there have been 45 school shootings -- nearly an average of one school shooting a week. Speakers said more efficiently documenting and addressing bullying in schools, increasing cooperation among educators, law enforcement and social service agencies, and recognizing and reporting telltale signs of disturbed youth are key strategies for early intervention. "If you see something, say something" is more than a slogan, says Sarah Seberger, Kane County assistant state's attorney. She added that bullying follows students home through social media channels, and everyone needs to be vigilant about reporting it. The prevalence of school shootings and required active shooter drills have desensitized students to some extent, says Mary Abbott, Elgin Area School District U-46's lead social worker. "They don't cause as much anxiety anymore," she said. Meanwhile, more students are coming to the district with adverse childhood experiences and trauma, which is why U-46 has invested heavily in social-emotional learning and trauma-informed teaching techniques, Abbott said. U-46 social workers and some employees are trained to do comprehensive assessments of students who exhibit signs of harming others or themselves. "We are moving in the right direction to identify kids and provide them assistance earlier," she added. | null | http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191119/experts-increasing-mental-health-services-is-key-to-addressing-school-violence | Tue, 19 Nov 2019 21:44:23 -0500 | 1,574,217,863 | 1,574,252,509 | health | health organisations |
135,946 | dailymail--2019-12-10--Dr MAX PEMBERTON says Labour are WORSE at running the health service than the Tories | 2019-12-10T00:00:00 | dailymail | Dr MAX PEMBERTON says Labour are WORSE at running the health service than the Tories | We are are told that if we love the NHS, if we really care about the health service and want to protect it, we must not vote Conservative. It’s a message we can’t escape on social media, particularly after Boris Johnson’s cack-handed and belated apology to the family of a four-year-old boy with suspected pneumonia who had to sleep on the floor at Leeds General Infirmary. Labour, goes the trope, is the moral guardian of our health service. Only they can be trusted with it. To ram home the point, Labour- supporting doctors and nurses posted breathless videos online, pleading with people to vote for Corbyn. The alternative — the Tories in charge of the NHS — means it will be privatised wholesale or sold off cheap to President Trump. It astonishes me that so many people fall for this rubbish. Of course leaving an ailing four-year-old lying on the floor awaiting treatment is unacceptable. But there is no justification for Labour to use the issue as moral blackmail — or any reason to suggest the NHS would be safe in the Party’s hands. I have worked in the health service for nearly 25 years, dedicating my entire employed life to it, first as an occupational therapy assistant and nursing auxiliary, then as a doctor. I feel passionately about the NHS. I am in mental health and have worked in some of the most deprived parts of the country. I come from a working-class, Left-wing family. I am not Conservative. I am a typical swing voter. I take the franchise very seriously, keep an open mind at each election, read the manifestos and consider carefully what I think the country needs. Over the course of my voting life, I have opted for pretty much every political party: Greens, Labour, Lib Dems, the NHS-campaigning National Health Action Party, the Socialist Workers Party and even something called the Socialist Labour Party, a short-lived outfit founded by the former miners’ leader Arthur Scargill. This year I am voting Conservative — and doing so because of my love for the NHS, rather than despite it. It is not just that so many of Labour’s claims are malicious and at odds with the truth. If, for example, the Tories really were set on privatising the NHS in the way they suggest, why hasn’t it already happened? After all, they have been in charge for 44 years of its 71-year history. It is also that Labour’s record on running it has been decidely worse than the Tories’. Just look at the NHS in Wales, where it has been in Labour hands since the formation of the Welsh Assembly in 1999. Back in 2015, it was revealed in an official government report that the Welsh NHS lagged far behind its English counterpart in almost every measure. Astonishingly, the target for treating cancer cases referred by GPs in Wales at the time had not been met for seven years. A litany of anecdotal stories has backed this up. Last year, health policy expert Professor Siobhan McClelland, who has worked in the NHS for 30 years, said she was leaving Wales after losing trust in its ability to treat her husband, who had prostate cancer. ‘There is neither capacity nor, I’d suggest, sufficient capability in Welsh government to be making really good health policy,’ she said. Former Labour MP Ann Clwyd described how her husband, Owen, died ‘like a battery hen’ after being kept on a trolley in a corridor at University Hospital of Wales, and has received hundreds of letters from people suffering as a result of poor treatment. Many of the problems facing the NHS are, in fact, the legacy of Labour policies. Take the grotesque debt caused by Private Finance Initiative schemes, which exploded under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s leadership. An initial £13 billion of private sector-funded investment in new hospitals will end up costing the NHS in England £80 billion by the time all the PFI contracts come to an end, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research. To put it another way, some trusts have to spend a sixth of their entire budget on repaying debts due to PFI schemes. No wonder they struggle for resources and beds. It is true, too, that more hospital beds have been cut under Labour than under the Conservatives. According to figures from independent think-tank The King’s Fund, from 1997-98 to 2009-10 under Labour, 2,589 beds were lost per year. By contrast, between 2015-16 and 2018-19 under the Conservatives, the figure was 889 per year. One of the more emotive elements of the NHS campaign this time has been hospital car parking charges, with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn promising to abolish this ‘tax on the sick’ for millions. But it was Labour’s introduction of foundation trusts — giving hospitals financial autonomy and exempting them from rules applying to state-owned services — that enabled the introduction of parking charges. All this is not to say I’m uncritical of Tory health policies. Indeed, I have written dozens of articles criticising them over the years. In particular, the top-down reorganisation brought in by the Health and Social Care Act in 2012 has been chaotic and wasteful. And there is no doubt the NHS is struggling. Almost everywhere you look there is evidence of underfunding and resources stretched gossamer-thin. This week a report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine claimed the health service had recorded its worst ever performance in A&E. Predictably, Labour blamed ‘Tory cuts’ but the reality is much more complex. A 2017 report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research actually found that NHS spending is at its highest level in history. The issue is that spending is not meeting demand. The financial pressures on the health service are the result of a complicated mix of social and political factors — increased immigration, an ageing population and advances in medicine — and they will not go away. Rather than throwing money into a bottomless pit, we need to have a serious public conversation about how we fund the health service and social care. My worry is that Labour is so consumed by socialist dogma that it will never be bold enough to consider all the options, so we will be doomed to fall into more and more debt to pay for a system that will never keep up with the demands placed on it. And given this ever-increasing demand, how can Labour justify its policy of a four-day week in an NHS that should be working flat-out seven days a week? We are already desperately understaffed, so where will the extra doctors and nurses come from, let alone the money? In fact, given Labour’s financial illiteracy, where will they find the money to run an NHS at all? These are deeply serious questions and NHS staff know it. While you might be forgiven for thinking every doctor and nurse is a diehard Labour supporter, it simply isn’t true. Many colleagues have quietly confided that they will vote Conservative, yet because of aggressive Labour supporters they dare not voice their intentions. My absolute conviction is that, if you love the NHS, you should vote Tory tomorrow. | null | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-7778695/Dr-MAX-PEMBERTON-says-Labour-WORSE-running-health-service-Tories.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:18:57 GMT | 1,576,037,937 | 1,576,023,020 | health | health organisations |
189,380 | eveningstandard--2019-11-15--Boris Johnson on defensive as he admits 'we must do better with health service' | 2019-11-15T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | Boris Johnson on defensive as he admits 'we must do better with health service' | Boris Johnson has admitted “we have got to do better” on the NHS after the worst A&E figures on record. The Prime Minister said the Government needs to do more after it was revealed just 83.6 per cent of patients arriving at A&E were treated or admitted within four hours, and more than 80,000 people needing a hospital bed were left stuck on trolleys, according NHS England figures. On the BBC Breakfast programme, he was shown pictures of an 88-year-old woman who spent hours in an A&E corridor waiting for a bed. He said he sympathised and added: “We have got to do better, I don’t deny that. That doesn’t mean that I am not incredibly proud of what the NHS is achieving. "We have amazing staff and amazing doctors and, yes, we need to be investing more in them. That is exactly what we are doing.” The woman’s son-in-law Peter Tuck told the Prime Minister there were “trolleys in the corridors, trolleys in the doorways”. Labour yesterday accused Health Secretary Matt Hancock of being “staggeringly out of touch” after he claimed the NHS was performing “better than it ever has”, and Mr Johnson was asked by a caller on Radio 5 if he felt any shame or responsibility for the state of the NHS. He said: “Of course I feel a massive sense of responsibility, I take responsibility for everything the Government does, that’s my job.” He added that he was “acutely conscious” the NHS needs more funding. The Prime Minister said the last time he used NHS services was last year when he stood on glass at a barbecue. He went to hospital in Hillingdon — where staff told him more investment was needed — and explained:“Foolishly I was making a barbecue and there was a bit of broken glass on the ground for some reason or another. "I was jumping up and down — I think there was music playing — and a piece of glass went straight into the bottom of my foot and into my sole, my heel. It was absolute agony... Hillingdon were incredible.” Asked if he had done enough to support victims of floods in northern England he said he had twice visited affected areas and support for affected homes and full council tax relief for flood-hit businesses was planned, although “you can never do enough for somebody who has suffered a disaster like flooding”. The NHS figures, the last monthly health data before the election, show a continuing decline against key targets, as experts warn the health service is facing one of its “bleakest” ever winters. Mr Johnson defended his method of making a cup of tea during his BBC interview, after a video showed him putting milk on top of a teabag and keeping the bag in. He said: “What’s wrong with that... it’s delicious.” | Sophia Sleigh | https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-on-defensive-as-he-admits-we-must-do-better-with-health-service-a4288251.html | Fri, 15 Nov 2019 12:10:00 GMT | 1,573,837,800 | 1,573,820,846 | health | health organisations |
190,624 | eveningstandard--2019-11-26--How VR is helping victims of Grenfell engage with mental health services | 2019-11-26T00:00:00 | eveningstandard | How VR is helping victims of Grenfell engage with mental health services | “On the morning of the fire, there were NHS staff on-site, responding,” says Ross O’Brien, former deputy director of the Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service (GHWS). “Over the period of the next three months, we developed a trauma service separate to other NHS services available; a distinct service for people affected by Grenfell. But what we found in the first couple of months directly after [the disaster] was, a huge amount of distrust in the community for agencies that were trying to support the initial relief effort, and the wellbeing effort afterwards.” When a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a 24-storey tower block, ‘Grenfell’, in North Kensington on June 14 2017, few could have predicted the horror that would unfold. Seventy-two people lost their lives. And of the over 200 survivors, all were made homeless by the blaze. In the months that followed, the NHS predicted over 11,000 people in the wider Grenfell area would have been affected by the disaster. More worrying still, the vast majority were not receiving medical support. Traditional routes to engagement with mental health services, such as GPs referrals, community centres and leaflets, were proving futile. A new approach was needed – and fast. This was how Ross O’Brien – now, digital innovation director for Central North West London (CNWL) NHS Trust – came to work with Rosie Collins, founder of neuroscience and tech creative studio, The FRED Company. The pair teamed up to engage hard-to-reach members of the community and began by visiting key support groups, such as Grenfell United, the Rugby Portobello Trust, The Curve and The Harrow Club, and a number of churches. But they didn’t turn up empty-handed; a most unusual icebreaker arrived with them: virtual reality (VR) headsets. “What we realised from those initial conversations was just how much of a powerful tool VR is,” Ross reveals. “By virtue of the fact that we were offering people the opportunity to use it, they were really open with us and really wanted to engage in quite difficult conversations. “When we said we were from the NHS and why we were there – to offer support – people opened up extremely rapidly.” He adds, “They wanted to talk to us about things they’d heard or about friends or loved ones who had been involved in some way. Sometimes we would find out that they had been directly involved or had lived in the tower.” Alongside outreach workers, Ross and Rosie went out onto the streets of North Kensington, specifically to Portobello Road, in an attempt to reach the community there as well. Presenting passersby with the opportunity to ‘ride a roller-coaster’, ‘experience a wing-walk’ or ‘visit the International Space Station’ through the power of VR proved an intriguing invitation. “We realised very quickly the impact of that immediate ‘wow’ factor with VR, which gets people engaged in the first place,” Rosie explains. “And the fact that sharing that kind of exciting experience with somebody is quite bonding. This was really useful in helping relationships between practitioners and service-users, especially where there may be wariness around people linked to authority [and/or] government.” She continues, “It [also did] something else, in terms of opening people up. People come out of VR, in any context, and they will tell you what they have seen and want to talk about the experience they’ve had. You find that that can go over into talking about the more difficult things.” Ross adds, “When people started to talk to us, seeing us as normal human beings not scary clinicians or people from a government authority they weren’t sure whether they trusted or not, they started to talk to us about how they felt and what happened in terms of Grenfell. We started to use the opportunity to screen people – so we would ask whether they had been affected by Grenfell and whether they wanted to ask some questions which might enable us to help them with their wellbeing.” This lead to referrals directly into the GHWS where, for instance, courses of therapy were offered. “Some people would say, ‘Well, I’m ok, but my son has gone within himself – would you be able to talk to my son?’,” Ross says. “Or they’d say, ‘I’m worried about my neighbour’s behaviour recently, they’re telling me they’re not sleeping but they’re not talking to anybody,’. “It’s just really opened up our ability to engage the community on a larger scale and bring them into the service.” Rapid advancement in the technology has served to assist their progress. When they started out, a VR headset required a computer to operate. “It was actually quite unwieldy – lots of wires and stands, and the need for power points,” Rosie remembers. “It wasn’t very practical for doing the kind of work that we wanted to do.” Now, however, it’s possible to carry two full-room scale virtual reality kits in the small confines of a rucksack. The cost has also significantly improved. A PC-powered headset in 2017 was priced at between £500 and £600, but a powerful computer and peripherals like stands, cables, wires were also imperative – “all of which were expensive and made its use very impractical in lots of healthcare and workshop settings,” Rosie explains. It could have cost up to £2,000. Today, a wireless room-scale VR setup can be purchased for just £400. “The cost is coming way down,” says Rosie. “Plus kits like the Oculus Quest are now really user-friendly. Anyone can learn to use it very quickly, much like using apps on your phone. “It’s [also] totally wireless, which means we can pop-up in less than five minutes, pretty much anywhere, with amazing room-scale VR experiences.” She adds, “I think we’re going to see more and more of it as people realise it’s actually very accessible.” Ross and Rosie’s efforts, and those of the GHWS at large (which is part of the CNWL NHS Trust), have ensured that as of October 2019, 10,335 adults and children have been screened for bereavement, trauma and wellbeing requirements following the Grenfell tragedy. “We’ve reached out to tens of thousands of people,” says Ross. “We have funding for the service for the next five years, and our intention is to be there for the long haul.” It’s important that it is. While the first phase of the public inquiry into Grenfell was completed in October, the second phase is scheduled to start in January of next year. Set to address a number of issues relating to the disaster, on the agenda will be an investigation into the building’s design, composition and fire and safety measures. “It’s going to scratch wounds,” says Ross, “And reopen a lot of feelings, and emotions, and traumatic thoughts for people.” Other matters relating to the fire continue to cause concern. One of which is air quality; whether the fire has resulted in increased levels of pollution – of particulate matter and/or asbestos – in the area. But perhaps the greatest problem still facing the neighbourhood is the issue of the tower site itself. The community are at the heart of determining its future. No decision has yet been made, but, with the support of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, they are to agree a suitable memorial. It is not yet clear whether this will involve bringing the building down. But as Ross says, “if that’s what the community decides, the trauma of the building being slowly removed – that time is going to be so difficult”. He remains adamant, however, that the CNWL NHS Trust will continue its work supplying mental health services to those affected. “We will be there, offering therapy for children, adolescents and adults, trying to do what we’re doing now in terms of VR, and also engaging in different ways as well, so it’s not just one kind of approach.” He adds, “There are multiple different ways to engage people and get them to understand what we’re offering – and that we’re there for them, essentially.” | Edwina Langley | https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/health/vr-is-helping-victims-of-grenfell-engage-with-mental-health-services-a4292286.html | Tue, 26 Nov 2019 13:25:00 GMT | 1,574,792,700 | 1,581,337,643 | health | health organisations |
217,560 | france24--2019-11-19--Britain's health service becomes election battleground amid ‘crisis’ fears | 2019-11-19T00:00:00 | france24 | Britain's health service becomes election battleground amid ‘crisis’ fears | As British PM Boris Johnson and Labour's Jeremy Corbyn faced off Tuesday evening in the first TV debate ahead of December’s general election, the condition of the NHS has emerged as a key issue in the campaign, with the head of the British doctors’ association warning that the UK’s beloved state-run National Health Service faces an “unprecedented crisis”. British prime minister and Conservative leader Boris Johnson called the December 12 election in an attempt to secure a majority in the House of Commons, hoping thereby to “Get Brexit Done” – to quote the Tory campaign’s omnipresent slogan. But as medical staff decry insufficient funding and statistics show deteriorating performance figures, Johnson is taking emergency action in a bid to head off an NHS crisis while striving to present the Tories as the best party to manage the health service in England. The head of the British Medical Association (BMA), Chaand Nagpaul, made an extraordinary public statement on November 2, saying that the NHS is “hurtling towards an unprecedented crisis this winter”, which tends to be the most difficult season for the service. In what appears to be a pointed comment directed at Johnson’s Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010, Nagpaul added that “it should not take an election to take stock of just how bad the situation has become”. Despite the pressures of an ageing population and the development of increasingly complex – and expensive – medical treatments, spending on the NHS has increased by just 1.5 percent a year over the past decade, compared to a historic average of 3.7 percent since its foundation in 1948. “Over the last 10 years or so, the NHS has been quite significantly under-resourced,” said Jonathan Holmes, a policy adviser at the King’s Institute, a British think-tank specialising in healthcare. In a sign of the party’s concern, the Conservative Home website, the bible of the Tories’ most tribal activists, published a piece on November 9 titled: “Is the Conservative campaign about to run headlong into an NHS winter crisis?” Statistics lend credence to fears of a crisis. NHS data published on November 14 showed that waiting times in hospitals’ all-important accident and emergency (A&E) departments in October were the worst on record in England. “Over 80,000 of the very sickest patients had to wait over four hours for a hospital bed last month, and that’s before we’ve even seen very cold temperature in England, or experienced many flu or norovirus outbreaks,” said Patricia Marquis, the Royal College of Nursing’s director for England. “Many nurses I speak to say they are very worried they won’t be able to provide the care they would like to once winter sets in,” she continued. Soon after the BMA’s statement in early November, The Observer newspaper reported that Johnson was attempting to fend off a crisis by setting up an “operations unit” inside 10 Downing Street to take direct oversight of the NHS – the first time a prime minister has done so. A statement on the Conservatives’ website says that, “because of the Brexit deadlock”, the health service “recently hasn’t had the attention it deserves”. To give it such attention, the party proposes to increase the NHS’s annual budget by £20.5 billion (€24 billion). Labour has proposed spending another £5.5 billion (€6.4 billion) per year on top of that. Considering that they have historically been distrusted for their stance on the NHS, “the Tories are doing everything they can to reassure voters that they’ve got the message that more now needs to be spent on it”, noted Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London. The two parties’ funding promises reflect the public’s priorities: polls suggest that the NHS is a bigger issue for voters than Brexit, which has dominated British political discourse for three years. A survey by Panelbase published at the end of October found that healthcare was the most cited issue when voters were asked to name the most important issues facing the country – mentioned by 66 percent of respondents compared to 54 percent for Brexit. Similarly, pollsters Opinium found in a November 1 survey that 59 percent listed healthcare as a top concern, putting it well ahead of Brexit at 52 percent. Yet it remains to be seen whether Labour can instrumentalise the state of the NHS for its electoral purposes. “It has always been a Labour issue but the Conservatives are picking up the zeitgeist,” said Sir John Curtice, a professor of politics at Strathclyde University. Given the Tories’ proposals to raise spending, “all we’re arguing about is: how much of an increase do you want?” At the same time, Labour suffers from a “broader problem about voters’ perception of its competence, which feeds into voters’ ideas about how they will run the health service”, Curtice continued. That said, the most (in)famous – and perhaps most successful – campaign line in the UK over recent years related to the NHS. It was the Vote Leave campaign’s vow, ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum, to spend £350 million per week on the NHS that would supposedly be liberated from Brussels after Britain leaves the EU. In the current election campaign, Corbyn has produced an attack line that plays both on voters’ fondness for the NHS and their views about Brexit. He has accused Johnson of wanting to “sell out” the health service to President Donald Trump (who is unpopular in the UK) in a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. The Conservatives have repeatedly stated that the NHS will be off the table in any future trade talks with Washington, while the British health service has long outsourced some contracts to US companies – to little public complaint. “Labour is stretching the argument when they say a US-UK trade deal would be a threat to the NHS,” noted Michael Keating, a professor of politics at Edinburgh University. But that makes the argument no less potent, Keating continued: “The Conservatives are very vulnerable on this notion; and if Labour combine it with a winter crisis, creating a series of issues to give a sense of a threat to the NHS, it could be a factor” in the election’s outcome. | Tom WHEELDON | https://www.france24.com/en/20191119-uk-united-kingdom-health-nhs-general-election-boris-johnson-tory-conservative-labour-jeremy-corbyn-brexit | Tue, 19 Nov 2019 19:55:52 GMT | 1,574,211,352 | 1,574,210,176 | health | health organisations |
217,613 | france24--2019-11-22--Facing massive doctors' strike, Zimbabweans improvise health services via Twitter and WhatsApp | 2019-11-22T00:00:00 | france24 | Facing massive doctors' strike, Zimbabweans improvise health services via Twitter and WhatsApp | Doctors and nurses protest over the disappearance of the leader of their union, Dr. Peter Magombeyi, in Harare, Zimbabwe on September 16, 2019. Magombeyi reappeared September 19, after five days during which union members say he was abducted and tortured. This video, published by Human Rights Watch’s Southern Africa Director, shows women giving birth on the floor of an apartment in a suburb outside the capital. Video: Dewa Mavhinga. Zimbabwe’s health sector, once regarded as one of the best in Africa , is collapsing. Doctors in public hospitals have been on strike since September 3, the second time in less than a year, to demand salary increases in response to soaring living costs (Zimbabwe’s inflation rate is currently one of the highest in the world ).The government said last month it had doubled doctors’ salaries, but doctors responded that this was inadequate, as it would only increase their monthly salary to around 2,000 Zimbabwe dollars (€118). On November 8, the government fired 211 of the 1,800 doctors on strike.The FRANCE 24 Observers reached out to Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, who did not respond for comment.Patients are being turned away from hospitals because there are no doctors to treat them. Millions of people lack private health insurance and are unable to afford care in private clinics. In Zimbabwe, children under the age of five receive basic free treatment at public hospitals. Everyone else must pay for their treatment.In response, citizens have been mobilising to fill the hole in the healthcare system. Since nurses and midwives are also currently on strike, one 72-year-old woman became a local hero after opening up her apartment to help deliver over 100 babies. | null | https://observers.france24.com/en/20191122-response-massive-doctor-strike-zimbabwe-health-services-social-media | Fri, 22 Nov 2019 21:57:48 GMT | 1,574,477,868 | 1,574,470,476 | health | health organisations |
217,840 | france24--2019-12-09--Long on waits, short on funds: UK's National Health Service faces challenges in Northern Ireland | 2019-12-09T00:00:00 | france24 | Long on waits, short on funds: UK's National Health Service faces challenges in Northern Ireland | Rita Devlin, the professional development chief at the Royal College of Nurses in Northern Ireland, speaks to FRANCE 24 near a picket line outside Belfast's biggest hospital. According to opinion polls, the most important issue after Brexit in this Thursday’s UK general election is the National Health Service. In Northern Ireland, where the NHS is described by experts as at breaking point, patients face the longest waiting lists in the UK. Nurses there, who are paid less than their colleagues in England, Scotland and Wales, went on strike earlier this month – 13 percent of nursing positions in the country are vacant. The UK’s two main parties are both promising more funding for the NHS after an election win. Boris Johnson's Conservatives are vowing to inject £35 billion of extra money into the system, while Jeremy Corbyn's Labour say they will top this figure and create 45,000 nursing jobs. But Helen Fidler, a gastroenterologist and the deputy chair of the British Medical Association, worries that if Brexit occurs, it may make things worse. “We rely on our overseas doctors and our overseas nurses and allied health professionals to support the NHS,” Fidler said. “[Brexit] threatens to make the workforce crisis we have now considerably worse.” “It doesn't bring a promise of more funding either," she added. Click on the player above to watch the full report by Hervé Amoric, Shirley Sitbon and Enda O'Looney. | Hervé AMORIC | https://www.france24.com/en/20191209-long-waits-short-funds-uk-s-national-health-service-faces-challenges-northern-ireland-brexit | Mon, 09 Dec 2019 07:30:33 GMT | 1,575,894,633 | 1,575,894,855 | health | health organisations |
232,075 | globalresearch--2019-12-04--Is Boris Johnson a Liar? Denies He Will Sell Off UK National Health Service to Trump | 2019-12-04T00:00:00 | globalresearch | Is Boris Johnson a Liar? Denies He Will Sell Off UK National Health Service to Trump | ‘A plot against the whole country’ declared Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as he brandished a wad of leaked documents last week which he said proves that the UK National Health Service would indeed be ‘on the table’ when it came to US trade talks. Corbyn said the NHS was ‘up for sale’ if the Conservatives were to win the December election whereas Labour would ‘never let Donald Trump get his hands on our NHS’. Arguably it was a strategic move on Corbyn’s part to counter the previous day’s disastrous interview with the infamous Andrew Neil, but regardless its motivation, the exposure of the dossier was a blow to the Conservatives who have also recently lost their significant lead against Labour in the polls – down to just nine points. The accusations that Boris Johnson is not telling the whole truth over Trump and the NHS come at a time when the UK Prime Minister is facing questions over his record on lying. He had repeatedly denied that the NHS would be included in any trade discussions with the Trump administration, and had previously issued a version of the 451 page document, but with many pages blacked out. However the Labour leader said that, as a result of the leak, Johnson’s denials of such a deal with Trump were now ‘left in tatters’. The Tory party has dismissed the documents as being significant, claiming they were simply readouts from meetings of the UK-US trade and investment working group (which reportedly took place from July 2017 till a couple of months ago). They attacked Corbyn by saying he was trying to divert attention from the issue of anti-semitism in his party. However there are some serious implications from the leaked papers which cannot be ignored. Firstly, there is the issue of patenting, which could have a considerable impact on the pricing of medicines. Jeremy Corbyn indicated that discussions regarding a lengthening of patents had already been concluded between the sides, which would mean more expensive drugs. He gave the example of Humira, a drug used to treat Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis: ‘It costs our NHS £1,409 a packet. In the US, the same packet costs £8,115. Get the difference: £1,409 in our NHS, £8,115 in the USA,’ Corbyn said. Furthermore, he went on to explain that one of the reasons for US drug prices being so high in comparison to the UK, was that there was a patent regime ‘rigged for the big pharmaceutical companies.’ BBC journalist Andrew Neil attempted to suggest in an interview with Shadow International Trade Secretary, Barry Gardiner, that drug patents did not in fact amount to the ‘sale of the NHS’ and that there was ‘no evidence in the documents whatsoever’ that the NHS was included in the trade deal negotiations. However Gardiner hit back, stating that it was “A ridiculous and naive thing for you to say, and you are too smart a journalist for me to allow you to get away with it”. Gardiner went further to say that although it was not explicitly mentioned in the documents, the implication was made by the references to pharmaceutical services – which of course the Labour party want to bring strictly under government control if they are elected to power. A second take-away from the documents, according to Jeremy Corbyn, is that the US prefers a No Deal Brexit. The Conservatives have made light of this however, saying that it was ‘simply fact’ that it wouldn’t be possible to strike a free-trade deal with Trump if the UK were to remain in the single market and customs union. But with lie upon lie being exposed by journalists and commentators, it’s now proving increasingly difficult to trust a word uttered by the Conservative leader and his party at present. The mantra seems to be ‘Say whatever with as much confidence and bluster as possible, and people will believe you.’ Take for example several of Johnson’s key lines: ‘Get Brexit Done’, ‘20,000 more police officers’ and ‘50,000 more nurses’. They may sound fantastic, but once you dig a bit deeper you realise it’s not worth taking them at face value. Firstly, ‘Get Brexit done’ we’ve heard before – Johnson promised to have the UK leave the EU October 31st ‘come what may’ – but did not deliver it. How is one to therefore to believe he will deliver on this now? As for the 20,000 new police officers – this is extremely misleading as the Conservative party was responsible for taking around 21,000 police off the streets in recent years. And the ‘50,000 more nurses’ myth has been doing the rounds on social media of late as journalists have taken on key Conservatives ministers over the fact that 19,000 of the 50,000 are in fact nurses currently working in the NHS. So the figure is far from accurate. But will such falsehoods be enough to dissuade a disgruntled British electorate from voting for Boris Johnson? With just over a week to go before the election, everything’s to play for… Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. This article was originally published on InfoBrics. | Johanna Ross | https://www.globalresearch.ca/uk-government-denies-sell-off-national-health-service-trump/5696741 | Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:38:51 +0000 | 1,575,495,531 | 1,575,504,290 | health | health organisations |
277,746 | jerusalempost--2019-12-03--'New conspiracy theory,' UK's Corbyn describes challenge to health service dossier | 2019-12-03T00:00:00 | jerusalempost | 'New conspiracy theory,' UK's Corbyn describes challenge to health service dossier | By subscribing I accept the terms of use | By REUTERS | https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/New-conspiracy-theory-UKs-Corbyn-describes-challenge-to-health-service-dossier-609732 | Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:37:26 GMT | 1,575,391,046 | 1,575,378,029 | health | health organisations |
291,789 | liveaction--2019-07-18--Planned Parenthoods plummeting health services over the years show an increased abortion focus | 2019-07-18T00:00:00 | liveaction | Planned Parenthood’s plummeting health services over the years show an increased abortion focus | Planned Parenthood claims to be a health care organization, but it isn’t actual health care that is increasing there; it’s abortion. The corporation’s abortion market share has steadily increased (due in part to half a billion dollars they receive from taxpayers annually), while actual health care services are plummeting. That is because Planned Parenthood is focused on abortion, a point made more evident in the recent ousting of the group’s physician president, Dr. Leana Wen, for her resistance to prioritize and politicize abortion. Despite Planned Parenthood’s receipt of nearly half a billion in taxpayer dollars annually since 2009 (and hundreds of millions prior to that), Planned Parenthood has chosen to shutter the same facilities they have claimed are needed by those who are poor and disadvantaged. In addition, the corporation is seeing a significant decrease in patients as well as declining health services. The data in the image below, taken directly from Planned Parenthood’s annual reports from 2006 to 2016, reveal that health care services at the nation’s largest abortion business have been dropping for years: The decline continued into 2017, the last year which saw a published report from the abortion business. Even after increased government funding and excess revenue reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, actual health care services dropped while abortions again rose. Between 2007 and 2017, data from Planned Parenthood’s published annual reports reveal the following decreases: Increases at Planned Parenthood between 2007 to 2017 include: READ: Planned Parenthood prez Leana Wen wasn’t fighting hard enough for abortion. So they fired her. In 2017 alone, Planned Parenthood reported 117 abortions for every adoption referral, ending the lives of 912 preborn babies at a rate of 38 per hour, or one abortion every 95 seconds. Planned Parenthood’s abortion market share currently stands at 35.9% when compared to the most recent data from the Guttmacher Institute for 2014. Since CDC abortion numbers are generally much lower than numbers released by Guttmacher (Planned Parenthood’s former “special affiliate”), Live Action News compares market share to Guttmacher. This number may increase after Guttmacher releases new figures. This means that one corporation alone, Planned Parenthood, commits nearly 36% of all U.S. abortions. Planned Parenthood’s estimated abortion revenue, according to an analysis by Live Action News, was estimated at $190 million in just 2017. This translates into an estimated 52 percent of the corporation’s non-government health services revenue and 11.4 percent of total revenue. Planned Parenthood collected a whopping $244.8 million in excess revenue over spending in just one year, according to its 2017-2018 annual report. The graph below shows massive millions were pocketed by the corporation in years prior. In 2018, Planned Parenthood set out to protect those gains by vowing to spend millions to elect pro-abortion lawmakers, even hiring a new director to push for activist judges in the courts. The taxpayer-funded organization then released a focused plan for 2019, which included not the expansion of health care, but abortion. | Carole Novielli | https://www.liveaction.org/news/planned-parenthood-plummeting-health-increased-abortion/ | 2019-07-18 20:44:50+00:00 | 1,563,497,090 | 1,567,536,453 | health | health organisations |
404,368 | pamelagellerreport--2019-11-09--UK National Health Service to Deny Treatment to ‘Racists’ ‘islamophobes’ and ‘Sexists’ | 2019-11-09T00:00:00 | pamelagellerreport | UK National Health Service to Deny Treatment to ‘Racists’ ‘islamophobes’ and ‘Sexists’ | “First it was deplatforming people from social media websites, then it was deplatforming people from bank accounts and mortgages. Now it’s deplatforming people from hospital treatment.” UK National Health Service to Deny Treatment to ‘Racists’ and ‘Sexists’ What could possibly go wrong? A National Health Service (NHS) trust in the UK has announced that it will deny treatment to patients it deems are ‘racists’ or ‘sexists’. No, this is not the Onion. The North Bristol NHS Trust said that “threatening and offensive language,” as well as “racist or sexist language, gestures or behaviour” and “malicious allegations” would all be punishable offenses. Patients who commit such an infraction will be subject to a “sports-style disciplinary yellow card and then final red card in which treatment would be withdrawn as soon as is safe.” “We have staff from many different backgrounds, from all over the world, and we pride ourselves on our commitment to equality which is a fundamental value of the NHS,” said Andrea Young, Chief Executive for North Bristol NHS Trust. “We’re sending a strong signal that any racism or discrimination is completely unacceptable – we want staff to challenge and report it and we want everyone to know that it will have consequences,” she added. The problem here of course is that the definition of what constitutes ‘racism’ or ‘sexism’ gets broader with each passing day. As Jack Montgomery highlights, “In late 2017 an NHS patient who requested a female nurse to carry out a cervical smear complained when the hospital sent a person with “an obviously male appearance… close-cropped hair, a male facial appearance and voice, large number of tattoos and facial stubble” who insisted “My gender is not male. I’m a transsexual”. Foster parents have also had children removed from their care by the state because they were supporters of UKIP and not vehement supporters of “multiculturalism.” The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust also ordered that the British flag be removed from security staff stab vests after one person complained that it was “offensive.” This is even worse than China’s social credit score, which to my knowledge doesn’t yet punish people by withdrawing medical treatment if they engage in wrongthink. First it was deplatforming people from social media websites, then it was deplatforming people from bank accounts and mortgages. Now it’s deplatforming people from hospital treatment. Literally eliminating people’s right to basic health care because of their political or social opinions. This is where we’re at, and this is why the UK is truly the capital of Clown World Order. | Pamela Geller | https://gellerreport.com/2019/11/uk-national-health-service-to-deny-treatment-to-racists-islamophobes-and-sexists.html/ | Sat, 09 Nov 2019 14:00:21 +0000 | 1,573,326,021 | 1,573,344,427 | health | health organisations |
433,567 | prisonplanet--2019-11-05--UK National Health Service to Deny Treatment to ‘Racists’ and ‘Sexists’ | 2019-11-05T00:00:00 | prisonplanet | UK National Health Service to Deny Treatment to ‘Racists’ and ‘Sexists’ | UK National Health Service to Deny Treatment to ‘Racists’ and ‘Sexists’ What could possibly go wrong? A National Health Service (NHS) trust in the UK has announced that it will deny treatment to patients it deems are ‘racists’ or ‘sexists’. No, this is not the Onion. The North Bristol NHS Trust said that “threatening and offensive language,” as well as “racist or sexist language, gestures or behaviour” and “malicious allegations” would all be punishable offenses. Patients who commit such an infraction will be subject to a “sports-style disciplinary yellow card and then final red card in which treatment would be withdrawn as soon as is safe.” “We have staff from many different backgrounds, from all over the world, and we pride ourselves on our commitment to equality which is a fundamental value of the NHS,” said Andrea Young, Chief Executive for North Bristol NHS Trust. “We’re sending a strong signal that any racism or discrimination is completely unacceptable – we want staff to challenge and report it and we want everyone to know that it will have consequences,” she added. The problem here of course is that the definition of what constitutes ‘racism’ or ‘sexism’ gets broader with each passing day. As Jack Montgomery highlights, “In late 2017 an NHS patient who requested a female nurse to carry out a cervical smear complained when the hospital sent a person with “an obviously male appearance… close-cropped hair, a male facial appearance and voice, large number of tattoos and facial stubble” who insisted “My gender is not male. I’m a transsexual”. Foster parents have also had children removed from their care by the state because they were supporters of UKIP and not vehement supporters of “multiculturalism.” The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust also ordered that the British flag be removed from security staff stab vests after one person complained that it was “offensive.” This is even worse than China’s social credit score, which to my knowledge doesn’t yet punish people by withdrawing medical treatment if they engage in wrongthink. First it was deplatforming people from social media websites, then it was deplatforming people from bank accounts and mortgages. Now it’s deplatforming people from hospital treatment. Literally eliminating people’s right to basic health care because of their political or social opinions. This is where we’re at, and this is why the UK is truly the capital of Clown World Order. My voice is being silenced by free speech-hating Silicon Valley behemoths who want me disappeared forever. It is CRUCIAL that you support me. Please sign up for the free newsletter here. Donate to me on SubscribeStar here. Support my sponsor – Turbo Force – a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown. This article was posted: Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 1:09 pm | admin | https://www.prisonplanet.com/uk-national-health-service-to-deny-treatment-to-racists-and-sexists.html | Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:09:48 +0000 | 1,572,995,388 | 1,573,062,301 | health | health organisations |
493,776 | sluggerotoole--2019-12-08--Where does the buck stop with the health service? | 2019-12-08T00:00:00 | sluggerotoole | Where does the buck stop with the health service? | With the ongoing crisis in our public health infrastructure it is important to remember one key element which is not examined in depth, especially in periods of strike action; accountability of management. The media narrative being spun by some that a disgruntled workforce of nurses have exacerbated a crisis ought to be heavily countered and discredited as it is simply untrue. As documented by every outlet during a sitting Stormont administration and since then during the hiatus, the health crisis has been a long time coming with no easy fix in sight nor seemingly within the will of those possessing the political capital to make the tough choices. Pay parity was one such tough choice which has since went down like a lead balloon with what seems like a convenient DUP narrative of allowing Jim Wells’ name to be dragged through the media and Michelle O’Neill’s attempt at defending her record by crying “1% pay rise” many times on talkback. Accountability is something that NI can hardly boast among our great achievements in the world. O’Neill and Wells, both former health ministers, have attempted to defend their records by taking positions that are the inverse to the actual policies they signed off on while in office. Such is the bizarre nature of our politics that we allow this kind of behaviour and a frustrated media tries to make this plain whenever the parties actually decide to be scrutinised by it – see Nolan’s ongoing dramatization over the DUP refusing an interview with him. It is not just elected representatives who have built careers within an accountability vacuum, there exists an executive class within our publicly funded institutions who are rarely called out and have little public recognition in proportion to their public responsibility. There is very much pay parity for this group with the rest of the UK, the argument that this is necessary because of the level of talent needed at this level does not hold water when many of these people come up through the ranks in NI anyway. The PSNI are a rare example where there tends to be a talent pool which is UK wide for a UK wide senior police salary, look at the CEO of any council or the CEO of any health trust here and this is not universally the case. Here is a synopsis of three high bracket salaries within the NI health apparatus according to the taxpayers alliance, reported last December in the Belfast Telegraph: From the same Belfast Telegraph Article: Written in December 2018, this is all the more jarring as it was patently obvious that the impending crisis was reaching fever pitch with warnings already sounding that we would be facing the present situation in winter 2019. I have witnessed people on less than 20k per annum being disciplined for missing emails or client deadlines, we have those on benefits incurring sanctions which push them into debt. This is how some see accountability; it stinks in the eyes of many that nurses are lucky to get a rise of 1% when execs soaked up 6.3% a year during a period of collapse. I do not for a moment doubt that the work of these people is immensely difficult and they may feel it a personal attack to be calling their salary into question. However, in a publicly funded body that does not exist for a profit motive, salary can only be measured in proportion to health outcomes. In the private sector we could debate at length the credence of a CEO being remunerated while a company is not performing but this is something heavily scrutinised within corporate governance procedures by shareholders, with our NHS we are all shareholders so where is the scrutiny? Is it enough to simply demand ministerial intervention? Both sides of the strike are now demanding Julian Smith put up the cash for pay parity, but where is the accountability for heath executives who have patently failed to retain staff, failed to manage waiting lists and failed to exercise budgetary discretion to meet nurses demands? Photo by Negative Space is licensed under CC0 | Jay Burbank | https://sluggerotoole.com/2019/12/08/where-does-the-buck-stop-with-the-health-service/ | Sun, 08 Dec 2019 20:22:41 +0000 | 1,575,854,561 | 1,575,850,885 | health | health organisations |
578,559 | theatlantic--2019-05-07--Health and Human Services and the Religious-Liberty War | 2019-05-07T00:00:00 | theatlantic | Health and Human Services and the Religious-Liberty War | When Trump entered office, his administration began systematically dismantling the legal architecture that had been set up by the Obama administration, creating new initiatives designed to defend religious liberty. In 2017, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a letter instructing all federal agencies to pay special attention to religious-freedom issues, and last year he formed a new religious-liberty task force in the Department of Justice. The new HHS rule announced last week is one of the most direct repudiations yet of Obama’s work to extend protections for women and LGBTQ people through administrative action. In our interview, Severino cited a spike in complaints about violations of conscience that his office has received in the past couple of years, which might be reflective of a broader reality: The text of the rule cites a 2009 survey of medical professionals in faith-based associations, in which nearly 40 percent of respondents said they faced discrimination as a result of their religious beliefs or moral convictions. “We want a profession of medicine that is open to anyone who will unreservedly commit themselves to being willing to care for those who are sick,” says Farr Curlin, a professor of medicine and bioethics at Duke University. “There have long been, and remain, principled objections” to procedures such as assisted suicide and gender-transition surgeries, “based on the conclusion that these services are not consistent with the physician’s commitment to the patient’s health,” he says. [Read: Why Trump’s executive order on religious liberty left many conservatives dissatisfied] Progressive advocates, however, believe that the new guidelines provide a carte blanche for health-care workers—from ambulance drivers to nurses to physicians—who want to opt out of providing medical care when they disagree with the choices of the patient. And they fear that the new rule will have implications beyond its stated scope—especially for LGBTQ patients. It is “likely to significantly reduce access to care,” says Jocelyn Samuels, the director of UCLA’s Williams Institute, which researches public-policy issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation, “and to erect new barriers to vulnerable communities getting critical access to medical services.” With this new rule, she adds, HHS is fundamentally reorienting its mission away from expanding access to health care. At the very end of the George W. Bush administration, HHS officials attempted to issue a similar administrative ruling to clarify protections for medical workers who opposed abortion, but it was quickly suspended and later rescinded under Obama. Conservatives argued that this was a destructive move, and that HHS officials maintained a purposefully narrow approach to enforcing conscience protections during Obama’s tenure, potentially discouraging religious medical workers from filing complaints. | Emma Green | https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/05/hhs-trump-religious-freedom/588697/?utm_source=feed | 2019-05-07 15:53:16+00:00 | 1,557,258,796 | 1,567,540,967 | health | health organisations |
615,028 | thedailyecho--2019-11-12--Richard Price of Care UK scoops National Association of Safety and Health in Care Services award | 2019-11-12T00:00:00 | thedailyecho | Richard Price of Care UK scoops National Association of Safety and Health in Care Services award | A WINCHESTER-based expert on care home safety scooped a national accolade for his service. The Best Practice Award was given to Richard Price, Care UK’s head of health and safety, by the National Association of Safety and Health in Care Services (NASHiC). It recognises the commitment, work and investment that has gone into further boosting fire safety in Care UK’s 120 homes across England and Scotland. The 46-year-old said: “We have 10,000 residents, many of whom are frail and unable to evacuate by themselves in an emergency. “We also have a chief executive who is passionately committed to health and safety and who wanted to raise profile and understanding within the wider business. “As a result, we had everything we needed to take us to the highest possible level of compliance.” As well as appointing a new fire risk assessor to achieve high level reviews in all homes, Richard and his team spent time devising and implementing training for colleagues in home fire drills. He added: “ We did everything possible to ensure residents and colleagues are given exceptional protection, including creating an enhanced five-tier approach to risk rating that better enables our property services team to prioritise actions and manage risk. “I am very proud of the hard work the wider team within the business have put into improving fire safety compliance and I am also very proud that Care UK understood and was prepared to take on the investment and enormous commitment, seeing the importance of leading from the front.” | null | http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/18029460.richard-price-care-uk-scoops-national-association-safety-health-care-services-award/?ref=rss | Tue, 12 Nov 2019 17:35:00 +0000 | 1,573,598,100 | 1,573,604,742 | health | health organisations |
620,136 | thedailyexpress--2019-11-12--Corbyn can't be trusted with the NHS: Labour to leave health service BILLIONS worse off | 2019-11-12T00:00:00 | thedailyexpress | Corbyn can't be trusted with the NHS: Labour to leave health service BILLIONS worse off | Labour is promising a £40 billion cash injection by 2024, a real terms hike of £26 billion. But the party’s plans to introduce a four day working week would wipe out the benefit and mean the budget was effectively cut, according to the Conservatives. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Labour have let the cat out of the bag: they won’t increase the NHS budget, they will cut it. This is further proof that they aren’t fit to be in government. “Jeremy Corbyn's plans for a 4 day working week will cripple our economy and cost the NHS billions every year. That leaves a huge funding shortfall in Labour's plans and it is patients who will pay the price for Corbyn's incompetence. Corbyn's Labour also have no policies to deal with the pressure that their plan for unlimited and uncontrolled immigration would put on our NHS.” The Tory analysis found that Labour’s pledge to push up funding to £129.3 billion next year would be reduced to £123.2 billion once the cost of a four day working week was factored in. Conservative plans would put funding at £127 billion in 2020. The party claimed Labour would leave the NHS worse off by £5 billion over the course of the next parliament. Labour has insisted it would phase in the plans to cut employment contracts to 32 hours weekly and the reforms would be negotiated sector by sector. The party warned the rich they will pay more to cover the cost of the so-called NHS rescue plan. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the 4.3 per cent funding increase for health spending over the next four years would be paid for from Labour's proposals to reverse corporation tax cuts and tax the wealthiest people in society. The party said it will focus on prevention measures to stop people getting sick and tackling health inequalities. Mr McDonnell is expected to say: "The world-class health service we all need and depend on needs proper funding. "Labour's policies to tax the richest in society and invest for the future through our social transformation fund mean we will be able to improve millions of lives.” But the Institute of Economic Affairs said the funding plans were irresponsible. Mark Littlewood, director general at the think tank, said: “The endless billions of pounds that are being pledged to the National Health Service in this election cycle are not costed, not responsible, and crucially are not going to cure the health system’s long-term ails. “The NHS remains an international laggard in terms of health outcomes and has some of the highest rates of avoidable deaths in western Europe.” Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare system, said further details were needed from parties about their plans to tackle the crisis in social care. | null | https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1203545/jeremy-corbyn-nhs-labour-policy-investment-cost-tory-party-matt-hancock | Tue, 12 Nov 2019 22:30:00 +0000 | 1,573,615,800 | 1,573,604,727 | health | health organisations |
620,599 | thedailyexpress--2019-12-15--Boris Johnson’s NHS PLEDGE: I’ll make it law to protect health service | 2019-12-15T00:00:00 | thedailyexpress | Boris Johnson’s NHS PLEDGE: I’ll make it law to protect health service | His historic pledge will be part of the Queen’s Speech on Thursday and emerged as the Prime Minister celebrated the “blue revolution” in former Labour heartlands which propelled him to election victory last week. The shock result saw the Tories finish with 365 seats, Labour with 203 and the Lib Dems with 11. Symbolically speaking in ex-Labour PM Tony Blair’s former seat of Sedgefield, which the Tories seized on Thursday by 4,513 votes, Mr Johnson thanked those Labour voters who had switched for the first time. He said: “I want the people in the North East to know that we will repay your trust. “Everything I do as your Prime Minister will be devoted to repaying that trust. We believe that talent is evenly distributed across this country but that opportunity is unfairly distributed. “We are going to reconcile that as a one-nation Conservative government, the people’s government.” Mr Johnson will become the first PM to guarantee NHS funding in law. The settlement will see annual increases to its budget, adding £33.9billion each year by 2023-24. Surrounded by the new intake of MPs from northern seats, the PM spelled out what else an unblocked parliament would do. He told them: “When we get down to Westminster, remember we are not the masters, we are the servants now. “Our job is to serve the people of this country and to deliver on our priorities – and our priorities and their priorities are the same. “It is getting Brexit done but it is also delivering on our NHS, our education, safer streets, better hospitals, a better future.” His Queen’s Speech will also prioritise justice reform, bringing in tougher sentences and keeping dangerous criminals behind bars. There will also be reforms to help commuters, stop politically correct councils boycotting goods from Israel, plans to set up an executive in Northern Ireland and to reform the rental market. Last week’s blue revolution saw fa succession of former Labour safe seats turn Tory, often for the first time in their history. Sarah Atherton, who took Wrexham with a majority of 2,131, is determined to retain the loyalty of voters. She argued that frustration about Brexit swayed the local electorate, adding: “I think we’ve got those votes on loan.” Lee Anderson, a former Labour activist, won Ashfield with a majority of 5,733 and has no doubts about what drove the blue revolution. He says the combination of Brexit and the antipathy towards Jeremy Corbyn was “just too much for anyone to stop us”. One of the biggest upsets came when Mark Fletcher ousted veteran Dennis Skinner from Bolsover with a majority of 5,299. He said: “It was like an out-of-body experience. I’m not quite sure if this has all been a dream. I’m just proud and overwhelmed that the people of Bolsover put their faith in me and the Conservative Party.” Richard Holden, a former government adviser, was cheered when he saw off Corbyn’s heir apparent Laura Pidcock in Durham North West. He said: “It is very clear to me that people lent us their votes, so we will have to work hard to prove we deserve to be elected again.” Much of the behind-the-scenes credit for the triumph in Labour heartlands has gone to Tatton MP Esther McVey, who founded the Blue Collar Conservatism campaign earlier this year. She and activists from the movement toured the country supporting candidates in Labour seats. Ben Bradley, who surprisingly won Mansfield in 2017, took 64 per cent of the vote there last week. He said: “The blue collar group will be very influential in the way things move forward.” | null | https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1217351/Boris-Johnson-nhs-latest-national-health-service | Sun, 15 Dec 2019 00:01:00 +0000 | 1,576,386,060 | 1,576,369,515 | health | health organisations |
629,358 | thedailymirror--2019-03-30--Overstretched health visitors say babies will DIE because of service cuts | 2019-03-30T00:00:00 | thedailymirror | Overstretched health visitors say babies will DIE because of service cuts | Over-stretched health visitors today warn that children will die unless cuts to their service are reversed. Nearly a third of health visitors have case loads topping 500, a survey reveals – twice the recommended safe level set by the Institute of Health Visiting. And 42 per cent said they fear they will soon have a “tragedy” on their hands due to an at-risk child slipping through the net. IHV chief Dr Cheryll Adams, said: “Unless cuts are stopped now, we’ll see a further reduction in health visitors and more negative outcomes for children.” Since October 2015, the number of health visitors in England has been cut by a quarter – from 10,309 to 7,852. And the number of training places has dropped from 2,787 in 2013/14 to 448 last year. The trained nurses visit new parents at home to offer support and to pick up on signs of abuse. But they are no longer able to carry out the mandatory five checks – before birth, at birth, eight weeks after birth, after the first year of life and when the child is two-and-a-half. Many checks are delegated to non-qualified staff and some are not carried out at all. Only 88 per cent of families received their mandatory one-year visit – and of these only 35 per cent saw a qualified health visitor. Dr Adams said the drop in health visitor numbers had coincided with increasing need, as more families plunge into poverty due to Tory austerity. Nearly 70 per cent of health visitors reported an increase in use of foodbanks in the last two years. There is also a postcode lottery of good and bad service. Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “Tory cuts to health visitors are yet another betrayal of children.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Under the Long Term Plan for the NHS we will consider whether there is a stronger role for the NHS in commissioning health visitors.” | Nicola Small | https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/overstretched-health-visitors-say-babies-14210164 | 2019-03-30 18:46:43+00:00 | 1,553,986,003 | 1,567,544,681 | health | health organisations |
646,286 | thedailyrecord--2019-03-20--Scottish Government probe into Carstairs mental health services sparks closure fears | 2019-03-20T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Scottish Government probe into Carstairs mental health services sparks closure fears | The Scottish Government is to review the delivery of mental health services for some of the country’s most dangerous patients – sparking fears it could lead to the state hospital closing. Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey is setting up a group to carry out the review which could see some patients moved to medium secure units. The move comes after whistleblowers at Carstairs contacted the Record to highlight concerns, including dangers staff face from violent patients. Management at the hospital were ordered by Government to get their house in order following the string of allegations. We revealed last month that the cost of keeping a patient at Carstairs, run by its own health board, has doubled in the past 10 years. Patient numbers have halved while the £30million annual budget has been maintained. Haughey said changes in the way forensic mental health services are delivered means a review is timely. But Carstairs staff said: “It might be the start of shutting down the hospital because it’s been rumoured for years they want to close it down, especially with the fall in numbers.” Dr John Crichton, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said with the number of patients in high security falling over recent years, a review of how patient needs were met at the most appropriate level of security was welcomed. The state hospital said they welcomed the review and added: “The Board also welcomes a focus on improving mental health services in prisons, while ensuring that those being released from prison have access to continuing mental health support in the community.” | Jane Hamilton | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scottish-government-probe-carstairs-sparks-14160296 | 2019-03-20 04:30:00+00:00 | 1,553,070,600 | 1,567,545,525 | health | health organisations |
647,814 | thedailyrecord--2019-04-18--Health chief no-show at Dumbarton meeting on the future of services | 2019-04-18T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Health chief no-show at Dumbarton meeting on the future of services | No health chiefs turned up to hear the views of the 200 residents at a meeting in Dumbarton - despite agreeing to attend. Jonathan Best, chief operating officer for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said he would come along on the night but didn’t turn up or send anyone in his place. Hundreds turn out to express their view on West Dunbartonshire health services There were groans across the room as Jackie Baillie, who jointly arranged the summit with campaign group Hospitalwatch pointed to the empty seat beside her, which had been labelled with ‘health board ‘. The Dumbarton MSP said the health board had been invited so they could hear the views of the local community. She said: “Jim Moohan and I were at the consultation in Alexandria and we decided to hold additional meetings so people knew what the health board were planning. “The health board agreed they would come but there is an empty seat beside me. “We gave them the dates for the meeting but unfortunately, despite having 39,000 employees, nobody was available to come tonight. “I am disappointed at that. “But everything we say tonight will be recorded and communicated to the health board because I think it is really important.” A spokeswoman for the health board said: “Jonathan Best, chief operating officer for NHSGGC, was invited at short notice to this meeting organised by Jackie Baillie but unfortunately was unable to attend due to other commitments. “ She said he would be in attendance at the meeting in Helensburgh, adding: “We are happy to attend meetings in future. “We have recently held meetings with West Dunbartonshire HSCP in Alexandria and Clydebank as part of our own programme of engagement. Jonathan also meets regularly with Mr Moohan and fellow representatives of Hospitalwatch to ensure that regular dialogue is maintained and, like Hospitalwatch, we value this regular opportunity to link in with this local group.” For more local news, click here | Jenny Foulds | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/health-chief-no-show-dumbarton-14430694 | 2019-04-18 19:25:12+00:00 | 1,555,629,912 | 1,567,542,572 | health | health organisations |
648,210 | thedailyrecord--2019-04-24--Health board misleading people of West Dunbartonshire on future of services | 2019-04-24T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Health board "misleading" people of West Dunbartonshire on future of services | Health bosses have been slammed for “misleading” people in West Dunbartonshire as they make plans for how services will be delivered in future. Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie rejected claims by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that residents “agree with the direction of travel” they are setting out as part of their Moving Forward Together strategy. The Labour member argues, because the health board hasn’t stated what their plans are but are seeking people’s views, it would be impossible for residents to back proposals. This has been disputed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who say the strategy “sets out our vision to transform health and social care to meet rising demands and make best use of our resources in the future”. Jackie said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde state that members of the public are happy with the direction of travel of their Moving Forward Together programme. “But the health board have continuously told the public that they have no detailed plans for the programme. “I am not convinced that people can develop an opinion on the programme if they don’t know how the changes will affect them. “At the two public meetings I held in Dumbarton and Helensburgh, my constituents were clear that they want services retained at the Vale of Leven hospital. “The health board must develop proposals and then come back to the public to hear their views.” Jackie and members of campaign group Hospitalwatch recently held meetings in Dumbarton and Helensburgh, which over 300 people attended to share their views on health services. The health board had 26 people turn up to a meeting they held on their Moving Forward Together strategy in Alexandria. An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokeswoman hit back at the claims. She said: “We are not misleading the public. We are contining our public meetings across Greater Glasgow and Clyde to share the vision for health and social care as set out in our Moving Forward Together strategy. “This is a joint approach with our health and social care partnerships. “Our strategy sets out our vision to transform health and social care to meet rising demands and make best use of our resources in future. “It sees new models of care being developed that will support people to live longer healthier lives at home or in a homely setting, with more care being provided in or close to people’s homes in the community. “When patients need a level of care or treatment that cannot be provided in the community, they will have access to world-class specialist hospital care. “We have already held two sessions to hear feedback about local priorities and how they align with the strategic vision set out in Moving Forward Together to transform health and social care. “We also attend as many local meetings with local groups and charities as possible and full details on the feedback from the West Dunbartonshire meetings are available on our Moving Forward Together website. “There has been broad support for this vision from people attending our local meetings. “The idea of being able to access more services in the local community has been welcomed. “We are now in the next stage of working with local communities to develop specific cases for change which will enable us to deliver this commitment. “We are taking this new approach to create more meaningful engagement.” | Lorraine Weir | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/health-board-misleading-people-west-14544933 | 2019-04-24 08:00:00+00:00 | 1,556,107,200 | 1,567,541,923 | health | health organisations |
650,359 | thedailyrecord--2019-07-02--Call for mental health services shake-up at NHS Tayside | 2019-07-02T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Call for mental health services shake-up at NHS Tayside | The chairman of the independent inquiry into mental health services in NHS Tayside has spoken of a “learned helplessness” in the service where “nobody is taking responsibility for a decision.” At a NHS Tayside board meeting on Thursday, David Strang outlined three key concerns from his interim report - the biggest one being the need for restructuring. The former HM chief inspector of Prisons Scotland was commissioned to conduct an independent inquiry into mental health services following a series of allegations made about the NHS Tayside service. The then interim chairman and interim chief executive, John Brown and Malcolm Wright, launched the inquiry last May. All 33 issues raised were evidenced by two or more people and happened in 2018 and 2019. Mr Strang did not mince his words when he confronted last week’s board with the service’s failings. He told those present there was a gap between policy and practice, explaining that the policy was “excellent” but it was “very clear that policy was not being adhered to. He also raised concerns over leadership, saying: “In my mind, the importance of good leadership is really important. I describe the oversight as complicated. Some are delegated to the integrated joint board, some hosted and some to NHS. “Senior people have said to me that it’s complicated. They feel disempowered from decision-making because it has to go through so many people. A lack of clarity does not aid good leadership.” His final and “most important” concern was the need for a strategic review of the mental health services. He said: “The scale of the need for this must not be underestimated. “My fear is that you may be tempted to minimise how bad things are for patients and families.” He highlighted a “chronic shortage” of consultant psychiatrists - there are 12 vacancies. Mr Strang urged the board to consider how they are going to deliver an end-to-end mental health service. He said he had spent the past 13 months looking at evidence of what has happened and has had heard of what is going to be done, but said that it was “critical” the board to act now. Mr Strang said: “I would love to see evidence of how things have changed. Significant change needs to take place. It’s not an impossible task. My hope is that the contribution of the inquiry will support the delivery of improvements.” Chairman John Brown said: “I am reassured that there is no doubt as to where the problem is. “There is a lack of strategy that is clearly defined - even our inpatient review did not resolve that. “It’s about creating capability and capacity in the system. There are risks to patient safety in the system and the quality of care until we address that.” He later added: “If I am honest, it has taken us longer than I thought to get this far. We need to try and understand why that is.” Mr Strang said he had spoken to psychiatrists and nurses who had really good ideas that had been heard. GPs had sent letters about child and adolescent mental health service referrals and not heard back. He said: “Nobody is taking responsibility for a decision. There is a learned helplessness.” He said there was a need for staff to feel valued and pointed to fundamental management issues. Board member Dr Norman Pratt said it was like “herding cats” getting consensus. But Mr Strang said: “You do not need consensus - you just need ideas. “It’s about the role of leadership - making decisions and taking it on.” | [email protected] (Kathryn Anderson) | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/call-mental-health-services-shake-17328062 | 2019-07-02 09:59:41+00:00 | 1,562,075,981 | 1,567,537,229 | health | health organisations |
653,714 | thedailyrecord--2019-11-15--Junior doctors to keep training in Tayside mental health services | 2019-11-15T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Junior doctors to keep training in Tayside mental health services | Junior doctors will be allowed to continue training in mental health services at NHS Tayside. The announcement was made at the latest NHS Tayside board meeting following a visit by the General Medical Council (GMC) last month. Concerns had been raised by interim medical director Professor Peter Stonebridge that NHS Tayside could be stripped of junior doctors. At the September meeting of the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board, he told members that due to a shortage of consultant psychiatrists there was a fear it might not be deemed a safe training environment. However, following the visit “no patient safety concerns were raised”. A strategic update presented to NHS Tayside’s board says the deanery’s visit “covered all grades including, foundation years trainees, GP trainees, core trainees and higher specialist trainees.” A report with good practice, areas for improvements and recommendations is due to be published this month. Professor Colin Melville, medical director and director of education and standards for the GMC said: “It’s crucial doctors get the best possible support from the start of their career and we won’t hesitate to take whatever action may be necessary to make sure our standards are met. “We are working closely with the health board and NHS Education for Scotland to identify next steps and ensure ongoing improvements in the General Adult Psychiatry programme.” Training in General Adult Psychiatry at NHS Tayside has been in the GMC’s enhanced monitoring process since 2018 due to concerns about the safety of learning environments. Enhanced monitoring allows the GMC to address concerns about training and find a sustainable solution. If concerns are not addressed then the GMC can place conditions on their approval in order to ensure standards are met. The GMC has not placed any conditions on NHS Tayside’s General Adult Psychiatry programme but will continue to monitor it. Once the report from their last visit is published, the GMC will agree the next steps with both NHS Education for Scotland and NHS Tayside. In a separate issue, NHS Tayside has confirmed the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is monitoring governance across its mental health services. Members of the RCP attended the last board meeting as part of this. | [email protected] (Kathryn Anderson) | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/junior-doctors-keep-training-tayside-20888802 | Fri, 15 Nov 2019 14:02:17 +0000 | 1,573,844,537 | 1,573,864,161 | health | health organisations |
653,773 | thedailyrecord--2019-11-18--Health bosses: "No-one will be turned away from Vale Hospital GP service" | 2019-11-18T00:00:00 | thedailyrecord | Health bosses: "No-one will be turned away from Vale Hospital GP service" | Health chiefs have reassured patients that no-one will be turned away from getting urgent access to a GP at the Vale of Leven Hospital amid claims a mum was told to take her child to a unit in Glasgow instead recently. Jackie Baillie MSP also says she has been contacted by constituents left frustrated after showing up at the unit only to find out it is closed. However health chiefs have reassured that, if patients contact NHS24 ahead of attending at the out-of-hours service, they will be directed to the nearest available facility and they will not be turned away. More roadworks misery for drivers in Alexandria and Balloch Jackie Baillie MSP has expressed her worries that the service could hit crisis point soon with plummeting temperatures. She said: “It’s getting worse. I have had people contacting me saying they are being sent to Gartnavel and to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley because out-of-hours at the Vale isn’t open. “They will end up at the front door of A&E which is already struggling. “This will be a hard winter and people should not have to travel to access a service such as this. “Out-of-hours is a service where people need to be seen locally and want to be seen locally. The health board need to recognise this.” Hospitalwatch chair Jim Moohan remains optimistic that the situation will improve but said that there had been some issues recently including a situation where a mum showed up at the Vale with her child but, due to the GP out-of-hours unit being closed, were sent to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital instead. Doctors locally are understood to be in the process of taking over the running of rotas at the GP out-of-hours service but this is yet to be finalised with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde saying “the exact format of this has not yet been agreed and work is still progressing”. The unit, which gives patients access to a doctor urgently outwith normal health centre opening times, has been plagued by problems for several years with closures at short notice due to staffing difficulties. Speaking about the most recent closures, a spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Every patient across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) who requires GP out-of-hours care needs to contact NHS 24 in the first instance. “Access to the GP out-of-hours service via NHS 24 will ensure patients receive safe and high quality patient care by the right service at the right time. If patients call, they will be directed to their nearest out-of-hours service which is open at that time. “No patients are turned away but if they turn up without having called NHS24 first and the out-of-hours centre is closed, they are redirected to the nearest centre which is open. “The majority of shifts at all our GP out-of-hours centres are filled but when we don’t fill all our shifts we need to allocate staff to ensure adequate geographical cover is provided and that demand is met.” When the Vale of Leven unit is closed, people are redirected to either the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley or to the nearest site in Glasgow. During closures, a GP home visiting service is available as normal for patients assessed by NHS24 as requiring this and patient transport is also made available to those without their own means of getting to another hospital. The spokeswoman stressed that closures at short notice due to staffing problems are not unique to the Vale of Leven Hospital and that work is currently ongoing to try and improve the “front door” services. She said: “We recently hosted a workshop to look at a redesign of the ‘front door’ services, including what further work could be done to help provide a more sustainable out-of-hours service at the Vale of Leven Hospital. “We will continue to work with local clinicians and stakeholders to develop these proposals.” For more local news, click here | [email protected] (Lorraine Weir) | https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/health-bosses-no-one-turned-20908578 | Mon, 18 Nov 2019 15:53:53 +0000 | 1,574,110,433 | 1,574,105,166 | health | health organisations |
664,427 | thedenverpost--2019-09-04--UCHealth pledges 100M toward mental health services in Colorado | 2019-09-04T00:00:00 | thedenverpost | UCHealth pledges $100M toward mental health services in Colorado | UCHealth said Wednesday it will spend at least $100 million on behavioral health care in the next five years, making it the latest health system in Colorado to invest in such services as officials seek to curb Colorado’s high suicide rate. Through the investment, UCHealth said in a news release that it will improve access to behavioral health services through its primary care physicians and build a new inpatient behavioral health unit at the University of Colorado Hospital on CU’s Anschutz Medical Campus. The nonprofit said the behavioral health unit, which will have 20 to 30 beds, could open by late 2023. “Attending to our patients’ behavioral health needs in a timely manner is critical to their overall health and well-being,” said Dr. Neill Epperson, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the CU School of Medicine, in a prepared statement. “This comprehensive approach to mental health and substance abuse treatment has the potential to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans.” In Colorado, 1,181 individuals died by suicide in 2017, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UCHealth’s announcement follows a similar one made by Vail Health earlier this year. Vail Health has pledged to invest $60 million toward behavioral health services in the Eagle River Valley in the next 10 years. Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox. | Jessica Seaman | https://www.denverpost.com/2019/09/04/uchealth-mental-health-suicides/ | 2019-09-04 17:38:36+00:00 | 1,567,633,116 | 1,569,331,365 | health | health organisations |
668,702 | theduran--2019-12-04--UK government denies it will sell off National Health Service to Trump | 2019-12-04T00:00:00 | theduran | UK government denies it will sell off National Health Service to Trump | Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Johanna Ross, journalist based in Edinburgh, Scotland… ‘A plot against the whole country’ declared Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as he brandished a wad of leaked documents last week which he said proves that the UK National Health Service would indeed be ‘on the table’ when it came to US trade talks. Corbyn said the NHS was ‘up for sale’ if the Conservatives were to win the December election whereas Labour would ‘never let Donald Trump get his hands on our NHS’. Arguably it was a strategic move on Corbyn’s part to counter the previous day’s disastrous interview with the infamous Andrew Neil, but regardless its motivation, the exposure of the dossier was a blow to the Conservatives who have also recently lost their significant lead against Labour in the polls – down to just nine points. The accusations that Boris Johnson is not telling the whole truth over Trump and the NHS come at a time when the UK Prime Minister is facing questions over his record on lying. He had repeatedly denied that the NHS would be included in any trade discussions with the Trump administration, and had previously issued a version of the 451 page document, but with many pages blacked out. However the Labour leader said that, as a result of the leak, Johnson’s denials of such a deal with Trump were now ‘left in tatters’. The Tory party has dismissed the documents as being significant, claiming they were simply readouts from meetings of the UK-US trade and investment working group (which reportedly took place from July 2017 till a couple of months ago). They attacked Corbyn by saying he was trying to divert attention from the issue of anti-semitism in his party. However there are some serious implications from the leaked papers which cannot be ignored. Firstly, there is the issue of patenting, which could have a considerable impact on the pricing of medicines. Jeremy Corbyn indicated that discussions regarding a lengthening of patents had already been concluded between the sides, which would mean more expensive drugs. He gave the example of Humira, a drug used to treat Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis: ‘It costs our NHS £1,409 a packet. In the US, the same packet costs £8,115. Get the difference: £1,409 in our NHS, £8,115 in the USA,’ Corbyn said. Furthermore, he went on to explain that one of the reasons for US drug prices being so high in comparison to the UK, was that there was a patent regime ‘rigged for the big pharmaceutical companies.’ BBC journalist Andrew Neil attempted to suggest in an interview with Shadow International Trade Secretary, Barry Gardiner, that drug patents did not in fact amount to the ‘sale of the NHS’ and that there was ‘no evidence in the documents whatsoever’ that the NHS was included in the trade deal negotiations. However Gardiner hit back, stating that it was “A ridiculous and naive thing for you to say, and you are too smart a journalist for me to allow you to get away with it”. Gardiner went further to say that although it was not explicitly mentioned in the documents, the implication was made by the references to pharmaceutical services – which of course the Labour party want to bring strictly under government control if they are elected to power. A second take-away from the documents, according to Jeremy Corbyn, is that the US prefers a No Deal Brexit. “There would be all to play for in a no-deal situation but UK commitment to the customs union and single market would make a US-UK [free trade agreement] a non-starter,” they read. The Conservatives have made light of this however, saying that it was ‘simply fact’ that it wouldn’t be possible to strike a free-trade deal with Trump if the UK were to remain in the single market and customs union. But with lie upon lie being exposed by journalists and commentators, it’s now proving increasingly difficult to trust a word uttered by the Conservative leader and his party at present. The mantra seems to be ‘Say whatever with as much confidence and bluster as possible, and people will believe you.’ Take for example several of Johnson’s key lines: ‘Get Brexit Done’, ‘20,000 more police officers’ and ‘50,000 more nurses’. They may sound fantastic, but once you dig a bit deeper you realise it’s not worth taking them at face value. Firstly, ‘Get Brexit done’ we’ve heard before – Johnson promised to have the UK leave the EU October 31st ‘come what may’ – but did not deliver it. How is one to therefore to believe he will deliver on this now? As for the 20,000 new police officers – this is extremely misleading as the Conservative party was responsible for taking around 21,000 police off the streets in recent years. And the ‘50,000 more nurses’ myth has been doing the rounds on social media of late as journalists have taken on key Conservatives ministers over the fact that 19,000 of the 50,000 are in fact nurses currently working in the NHS. So the figure is far from accurate. But will such falsehoods be enough to dissuade a disgruntled British electorate from voting for Boris Johnson? With just over a week to go before the election, everything’s to play for… | InfoBrics | https://theduran.com/uk-government-denies-it-will-sell-off-national-health-service-to-trump/ | Wed, 04 Dec 2019 13:10:18 +0000 | 1,575,483,018 | 1,575,504,732 | health | health organisations |
739,067 | theindependent--2019-01-06--NHS plan must not become unachievable aposwishlistapos PM warned as government promotes health | 2019-01-06T00:00:00 | theindependent | NHS plan must not become unachievable 'wishlist', PM warned as government promotes health service plan | Ministers have been warned not to think of the NHS long-term plan as a “wish list” of new targets and priorities which could be unachievable and further demoralise stretched staff. In advance of NHS England releasing its long-term plan the Prime Minister and her senior ministers said the plan would improve treatment of conditions like mental health and cancer, and keep patients healthy and at home. The priorities were welcomed as good aspirations, but health bosses said ministers must not underestimate how far the NHS has “fallen behind” after eight years of austerity. “It’s not about creating a wish list of a load of things we all want to see,” Chris Hopson, director of NHS Providers which represents hospitals and ambulance services, told Sky News. “It’s about putting forward a ruthlessly prioritised set of priorities that we know we can deliver because we’ve for the staff." He added: “What [staff will] be nervous about is politicians making a whole bunch of promises that can’t be delivered." There was little detail on measures of success in transforming these areas, as the Treasury has reportedly been trying to win in return for the £20.5bn investment in the health service by 2021. More depth is expected in the final report due this week, but the government said it will include access standards for mental health, to bring it in line with waiting time measures in A&Es and cancer. This will be backed by £2.3bn to fund counselling for 350,000 more children and 380,000 adults over the next five years. There will also be £4.5bn a year spent on GP and out of hospital care by 2023, an increase from the £3.5bn announced before Christmas and dismissed as too little by experts. Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock stressed the ambition to refocus NHS services on out of hospital care. “The whole purpose of the NHS over the next 10 years needs to shift towards helping people to stay healthy, as much as curing them when they’re ill,” he told Sky News Sophie Ridge, adding that a key part will be making the public take responsibility for their own health. This will be delivered in part through using technology to target health messages at smokers, heavy drinkers and other unhealthy behaviours creating costs for the health service, he said. But when pressed on how the government intended to resolve the issue of more than 100,000 GP and nurse vacancies across the NHS and growing pressure on social car – which are adding to the NHS woes – he said these would be covered in detail in separate plans due later in 2019. Mr Hancock said the government would train, recruit and retain more staff, and will tackle the use of locum staff who do not want full time contracts: “Let’s take the nurses figure, 41,000 vacancies, 30,000 are currently filled by people working through agencies rather than full time. “That can be fixed,” he said. On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show Theresa May was also asked about how she could deliver on preventative care and social care reform while cutting budgets for smoking and obesity services and after delaying social care reforms. “You’re saying there’s only one way you can address a particular issue,” the prime minister said. “That is never the case”. Labour's shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said: "Almost nine years of austerity, cuts and privatisation has meant millions waiting longer for treatment or stranded - often on trolleys - in crowded A&Es. And now the Tories say they need 10 years to clear up the mess they have made. The NHS needs a credible fully funded plan for the future, not a wish list to help Theresa May get through the coming months." | Alex Matthews-King | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nhs-plan-theresa-may-matt-hancock-social-care-mental-health-cancer-brexit-a8713966.html | 2019-01-06 13:08:00+00:00 | 1,546,798,080 | 1,567,553,711 | health | health organisations |
739,257 | theindependent--2019-01-07--Long-term NHS plan Does the UK health service provide value for money | 2019-01-07T00:00:00 | theindependent | Long-term NHS plan: Does the UK health service provide value for money? | The government produced a “long-term plan” for the National Health Service on Monday. This is designed to outline how the £20bn a year funding boost by 2023-24, announced last year, will be spent. Labour, unions and various health group say the plan is underfunded and will not fill widening staffing gaps. The Institute of Economic Affairs, on the other hand, complains that the plan does not allow for greater “competition” or “patient choice” and argues that ministers have refused to heed the lessons from superior and more efficient European health insurance systems. So just how does the NHS compare to other countries’ health systems when it comes to value for money? Should we be learning from abroad? According to the 2018 Budget the UK government will spend £166bn on health in 2019-20. That’s around 7.5 per cent of GDP. Making comparisons with spending with other countries is difficult due to inconsistencies about what is recognised as health spending. Should spending on hospital IT systems, for instance, count? Another complication is that in some countries a substantial share of health spending comes from social or private insurance. But the OECD has attempted to produce comparable figures. And this suggests that in recent years the UK’s total spend has been slightly below the average of other rich countries, and quite a bit below the likes of Sweden, Japan, France, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. And we spend far less than the US, which is a significant outlier, with total spending on health of 17 per cent of GDP. Another relevant piece of context when it comes to spending is that, since 2010, the NHS has endured the most severe squeeze in annual funding growth since its foundation in 1948, with real-terms spending up by 1.4 per cent a year on average, compared with 6 per cent a year in the previous 15 years. Mortality rates for several forms of cancer, stroke and heart attack are worse in the UK than comparable countries. Child mortality around birth is also relatively elevated. “The reality is that the NHS is not doing as well as its counterparts at saving the lives of patients with many of the most common and lethal illnesses,” concluded a report by the Health Foundation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund last year to mark the NHS’s 70th birthday. Almost certainly. Any £166bn budget will have a large number of places where more is being spent than strictly necessary. A review by Lord Carter in 2016 identified £5bn of possible savings in acute hospitals in England. This included savings from better staff rostering practices to sourcing medical supplies more cheaply. Yet other systems will have similar efficiencies. And the OECD research has found that the NHS spends relatively little on overseeing and planning care, relative to other comparable systems. In 2014, the UK spent 1.5 per cent of its healthcare budget on administration. The OECD average was 3.1 per cent, with 4.1 per cent in France, and 7.9 per cent in the US. On drug prescribing the UK also seems relatively efficient. We have the largest share of cheaper generic-product prescribing of all our comparator countries, at 84 per cent in 2015 compared with an average of 50 per cent. The Health Foundation et al report last year concluded that the NHS was “good” relative to peer systems on administrative costs and on antibiotics and generic drug prescribing. In terms of the length of stay of in-patients the performance was “similar”. The NHS is far from perfect. There are undoubtedly practical lessons to be learned, from how to manage staff better, to curbing drugs bill inflation, to improving diagnosis and treatment, to preventive medicine. The question of whether more private provision and moving towards an insurance funding model would drive better health outcomes is a moot one. Simple underfunding in recent years, at a time when the demands on the system have grown, has arguably been a bigger hindrance than these kind of structural or incentive factors. If the goal of reform is saving taxpayers’ money the solution is unlikely to be found abroad given that relative expenditure levels in comparable countries are mostly higher. One thing that we can safely conclude is that those claiming the UK can both have a much better service and also pay less for it are selling political snake oil. | Ben Chu | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/nhs-long-term-plan-value-for-money-health-oecd-outcomes-waste-a8715696.html | 2019-01-07 14:59:00+00:00 | 1,546,891,140 | 1,567,553,585 | health | health organisations |
739,817 | theindependent--2019-01-09--The NHS 10-year plan has cleared a path for total privatisation of our health service | 2019-01-09T00:00:00 | theindependent | The NHS 10-year plan has cleared a path for total privatisation of our health service | The latest strategy for Britain’s National Health Service has made some bold projections and headline-grabbing commitments. The endgame though is a corporate NHS. The 1990s internal market introduced competition into the NHS. The NHS Plan 2000 ramped up outsourcing and public-private partnerships, and gave us the disastrous legacy of private finance initiatives, or PFI. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 doubled private sector outsourcing to 8 per cent of the budget. It also enabled foundation trust hospitals to make up to half their income from private patients. There is a thread running through: a narrative of marketisation and privatisation. To read this week’s pre-launch coverage of the NHS Long Term Plan, one would be forgiven for thinking it had laudable intentions – until the politically expedient rhetoric is peeled away and the narrative revealed anew. In the press release, the phrase “out of hospital” care was mentioned only in passing. However, the actual document devotes its entire first chapter to the 21st century transformation of the NHS into US-style integrated care systems. Building on the 2014 Five Year Forward View, the Long Term Plan is being touted as a way to reverse the damaging competition of the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA). The creation of integrated care combined with devolution will supposedly join up primary, community and hospital services with social care. Integrated care is therefore partly about provision of “care in the community” in order to reduce costs. However, plans to create networks of GP surgeries and chains of super hospitals – accompanied by closures of individual GP surgeries (7,500 surgeries are slated to be reduced to 1,500 networks) and planned closures at over 60 hospital trusts – pave the way for economies of scale and therefore corporate takeovers. If you don't believe me then just have a look at the chains of nursing and residential homes run by private equity and hedge funds. The Dalton Review specifically stated that either private companies or NHS trusts could run these super hospital chains. Integrated care systems (already being rolled out) could ultimately become integrated care organisations with a single provider responsible for regional health and social care. There is presently nothing to stop these multi-billion-pound, 10-year contracts from being won by a private health or insurance company. In other words, far from reversing privatisation, integrated care would consolidate privatisation. The 3.5 per cent average increase per year in funding for frontline services is welcome. However, it is still below the historical average for the NHS. It is also worth noting that the funding issue is useful to the government for the way it frames the debate, and distracts from a discussion around privatisation. As I have previously written, the extra funding – announced as a 70th NHS birthday present – comes with strings attached related to the introduction of those US-style integrated care models. The late Tim Evans – one of the arch-proponents of marketisation – once envisaged – that the NHS would be just “a kitemark attached to the institutions and activities of a system of purely private providers”. But it is true that the major pressures on healthcare costs come not from our ageing population, but from expensive drugs, new technologies and the catastrophic market experiment inside the NHS seeing which has tens of billions siphoned towards marketisation and privatisation. NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens spent the best part of a decade as a senior executive at UnitedHealth – the largest private health and insurance corporation in the US. Previously as health advisor to Alan Milburn and then Tony Blair, Stevens was one of the architects of market expansion. There is a term for it: corporate capture. The phrase was used to describe the effect of the revolving door between the financial industry and regulators before the 2008 financial crisis. Now there is corporate capture of health policy by big banks, private healthcare and insurance corporations, the big three management consultancies and the big four accountancy firms. Meanwhile, digital health and big data could be the new gold rush. Silicon Valley and big tech want to crack open the NHS oyster and then expand globally. Unsurprisingly, the Long Term Plan devotes a section to digital healthcare. It also envisages the expansion of personal health budgets thus potentially enabling top-up co-payments for private health insurance. The government spin centres on the prevention of heart disease, stroke and cancer. It also focuses on mental health, diabetes, smoking, alcohol and elderly care. Yet public health budgets have been slashed. World class care is a tough ask after a decade of almost £40bn of efficiency savings, mass service closures and bed-to-population ratios lower than Eastern Europe. There are 100,000 vacancies across the NHS. The axing of the student nursing bursary and the redesign of the junior doctors' contract have served to only exacerbate these issues. We are told that the Long Term Plan could save up to 500,000 lives over the coming decade. Yet shockingly 120,000 excess deaths have been linked to austerity since 2010. One study found that 30,000 excess deaths in 2015 alone were linked to cuts in health and social care. This reminds us that health outcomes are correlated with socio-economic. Health secretary Matt Hancock tweeted yesterday about personal responsibility for health. This is health illiterate. In fact, health outcomes are directly correlated with socio-economic status. Healthcare is not purely a clinical endeavour. If we want to genuinely improve the health of the nation then we not only require publicly funded, provided and owned universal healthcare. We also need to tackle climate change in order to dramatically curb air pollution, we should impose strong regulation on the food, alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical industries, and we must address inequality and the root causes of the mental health crisis. Youssef El-Gingihy is a GP in London and author of the new, updated edition of How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal. Sign our petition here | Youssef El-Gingihy | http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/nhs-10-year-plan-health-matt-hancock-privatisation-cancer-survival-a8717856.html | 2019-01-09 08:31:00+00:00 | 1,547,040,660 | 1,567,553,256 | health | health organisations |
755,038 | theindependent--2019-04-07--NHS pay gap aposrisks damaging health service beyond repairapos trade union warns | 2019-04-07T00:00:00 | theindependent | NHS pay gap 'risks damaging health service beyond repair', trade union warns | A widening pay gap in the NHS “risks damaging the health service beyond repair”, a leading union has warned. Even the lowest paid NHS staff received a £2,000 pay rise last year but most privately contracted workers did not receive a penny, Unison said, adding that they were being treated like “second class citizens”. The union’s head of health, Sara Gorton, called on the government to ensure that thousands of low-paid cleaners, porters, security guards and catering staff in hospitals across England are given the same pay rise as their colleagues. The raise is part of a three-year deal negotiated by health unions, she said. Patient care and the smooth running of the NHS are already being affected by the growing pay gap as many outsourced staff who have not seen a salary rise in years are forced to leave in search of better-paid work, Ms Gorton said. “All hospital workers are part of the NHS team and should be paid fairly for the important jobs they do,” she said, on the eve of Unison’s annual health conference. “The days of treating them as second-class employees in the NHS must end. Staff employed by private contractors are expected to deliver the same exceptional levels of service and also work under immense pressure. “It’s only fair they receive the same pay as colleagues often doing identical jobs but employed by the NHS. With ministers all-consumed by Brexit, the growing crisis in hospitals across the land is being ignored. The government found the money to fund the pay rise for health staff, now it must do the same for those on private contracts. “A failure to do so risks damaging the health service beyond repair as firms can’t attract or hold on to the staff needed to provide a decent service to the NHS.” According to Unison, many staff employed by private contractors are on the minimum wage, earning just £8.21 an hour, or £16,052 per year if working 37.5 hours a week. This is in contrast with the lowest NHS rate of £9.03 an hour, resulting in £1,600 less each year for “identical” jobs. | Andy Gregory | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nhs-pay-gap-private-contracts-union-unison-a8858581.html | 2019-04-07 10:52:00+00:00 | 1,554,648,720 | 1,567,543,670 | health | health organisations |
779,068 | theindependent--2019-12-11--Stop using the NHS for cheap political stunts – it's an insult to our selfless health service s | 2019-12-11T00:00:00 | theindependent | Stop using the NHS for cheap political stunts – it's an insult to our selfless health service staff | I am appalled at the depths to which political debate about the NHS has sunk to in this election. The NHS faces significant challenges – not least an ageing population causing extraordinary demand – and rigorous debate is understandable. Indeed, it is right. But for opposition parties, and elements of the media, to resort to cheap rhetoric and sensationalist stunts is unacceptable and deserves to be treated for what it is – an insult to the intelligence of the British people and a slur on the selflessness of the staff that work in the NHS. Any voter genuinely concerned about the future of the NHS would do well to reject such amateurism this Thursday. Hold your nose when you vote. It seems a majority of the electorate do not want Dominic Cummings’ Tory Party, a majority do not want Jon Lansman’s Labour Party and a majority do not want Brexit. Given a different voting system there would be a middle of the road government getting rid of Brexit with another referendum. That just might be in reach if voters steel themselves to vote for Labour, confident that they will not get a majority, but instead a coalition that severely tie their hands. Parliamentary deadlock. Whichever way we verbalise it, we’re all thoroughly fatigued, frustrated and fed up with government trying to govern without a majority. But how can we move forward? The only conceivable way is a vote for the Conservatives so we can allow parliament to do its job, with a majority, and wave goodbye to the present political paralysis. The country has voted for Brexit, let’s get it done. Let’s spend time focusing on, and investing in, our NHS, schools, public transport, national security and all the other critical issues that we’re facing as a country right now. It’s now mathematically impossible for Corbyn to even scrape a majority, given the SNP surge in Scotland’s central belt, robbing him of the once safe seats. If Brexit is about taking back our country, then that is what the Labour manifesto does. That is why, 163 economists, proudly signed an open letter on 25 November saying the UK economy needs reform and that Labour deserves to form the next government because it has serious proposals for dealing with Britain’s “deep problems”. In short, Labour is offering a vital plan for change that will benefit the many and it has the backing of countless economists. The Tory manifesto, on the other hand, just offers more stagnation and policies that only benefit the ultra-wealthy. Dr Ha-Joon Chang, a leading economist from Cambridge, advocates a need for “a complete overhaul of the economy” and says the manifesto “points to the right direction”. Just one example, a post-Brexit trade deal with the US would hand wads of public money over to US corporations who want to run the NHS. Labour, meanwhile, would stop this and invest significantly in the treasured public service. Labour want to spend our taxes to invest in Britain and they promise democratic public control of vital services – like healthcare, education, energy, and transport. And it makes economic sense. The current state of our privatised railways and water is a disgrace. Our railways are mostly owned by state-owned rail companies from European countries such as Germany. Therefore, if you are against public ownership, you should be against state-owned companies from other countries that are buying up your own economy. Labour has also pledged a green industrial revolution of massive public investment to tackle the global climate emergency. If we do not do something radical, then the country will be in deep trouble. We need to revive the productive sector of the British economy – the Tories won’t do that, they do not care about us. And to contrast Labour’s proposals on new green technologies with the Tories record in government, what has this country’s government done in terms of promoting these new sectors that are not only necessary but are potentially very, very good in generating productivity, growth, and jobs? The answer, of course, is next to nothing. Countless other economists have also highlighted the Tories’ dismal economic record while backing Labour’s manifesto. Award-winning economist and Green New Deal pioneer Ann Pettifor, for example, has called it “just common-sense economics”. It is. Currency analysts are forecasting the pound to strengthen if the Conservatives win a majority tomorrow. They are also forecasting the pound will weaken significantly if Labour wins a majority. In a very gentle and respectful response to Paul Knowles (Letters, 09 December) and his daughter’s comments – wishing her a full recovery – my husband and I attended an NHS rally in London where speakers included representatives of trusts, consultants, GPs, nurses and midwives, patients and their relatives, and NHS suppliers. The overriding message was “NHS against Brexit” and we have since marched on that. The negative impact of Brexit on the NHS is going to hit us all very hard. So while acknowledging Mr Knowles’ heartfelt comments, please do not assume he speaks for the NHS. The NHS is against Brexit. They are therefore against a Tory government. On the last day of campaigning before the general election, Boris Johnson hid in a fridge to escape Piers Morgan’s questions. This is the latest shameful episode in Johnson’s campaign which has been characterised by cowardice and a refusal to submit his policies to scrutiny. Unlike other party leaders, Johnson has refused to be interviewed by the BBC’s Andrew Neil or ITV’s Julie Etchingham. Last week, Boris Johnson cancelled a public speech he was to have delivered in Rochester because five protesters were present to call him out over his racism and the devastation caused by Tory austerity. The next time Boris Johnson hides in a fridge, the merciful thing to do to such a coward is to shut the door on him. | null | https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/nhs-general-election-boris-johnson-corbyn-conservatives-labour-a9241871.html | Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:46:07 GMT | 1,576,079,167 | 1,576,067,590 | health | health organisations |
783,633 | theirishtimes--2019-01-24--Mental health services to be hit as psychiatric nurses set for overtime ban | 2019-01-24T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Mental health services to be hit as psychiatric nurses set for overtime ban | The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) is to put in place an overtime ban on a number of days in the weeks ahead, starting next Thursday, as part of a campaign for improved pay to tackle recruitment and retention difficulties. An overtime ban will have a significant impact on mental health services across the country, psychiatric nurses have claimed. The PNA said mental health services were very reliant on overtime and staff provided by agencies. PNA general secretary Peter Hughes said the HSE spent €1million per week on nursing staff from outside agencies for psychiatric services and a further €300,000 on overtime. Psychiatric nurses are to escalate their industrial action to a series of strikes towards the middle of February. Meanwhile, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) are to stage a 24-hour strike on Wednesday. The PNA and the INMO are meeting with public service management on Thursday in an attempt to avert the planned industrial action INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said community services as well as hospitals would be affected by the work stoppage on Wednesday. She said public health nurses and community general nurses would deal with emergency calls. Ms Ní Sheaghdha said community nursing day centres would be closed. She also said community nursing units would not operate as normal during the first day of strike but would be involved in subsequent stoppages. Arriving at the talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Mr Hughes said the PNA had held talks with the HSE on contingency arrangements to apply if the overtime ban went ahead next week. “We have given a list to the HSE of the areas where the overtime ban will apply. If there are not sufficient staff to take over a unit, then our members will not be taking over those units,” Mr Hughes said. He said health service management needed to put forward “significant, realistic proposals” . Ms Ní Sheaghdga said the union had had a lot of discussion internally since the first round of talks at the WRC on Wednesday and that its position had not changed. She said there was a “massive crisis in recruitment and retention in nursing and midwifery”. “We have to look at the conditions nurses and midwives are working under and we also have to look at their remuneration. Otherwise we are going to continue with the cycle of constant recruitment but no net increase in your workforce.” | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/mental-health-services-to-be-hit-as-psychiatric-nurses-set-for-overtime-ban-1.3769395 | 2019-01-24 14:53:14+00:00 | 1,548,359,594 | 1,567,551,060 | health | health organisations |
784,156 | theirishtimes--2019-02-06--HSE warns of challenges in ensuring safe mental health services | 2019-02-06T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | HSE warns of challenges in ensuring safe mental health services | The HSE has said it experienced “significant challenges” in ensuring a safe service in several mental health facilities in Dublin, Cork and Galway on Wednesday as a result of an overtime ban by psychiatric nurses. It said it also expected that the situation was “likely to worsen significantly at the change of shift in residential facilities” on Wednesday evening. Members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) have had an overtime ban in place since Tuesday as part of its dispute over pay and staffing issues. However, this was extended to a full 24 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, leading to difficulties being experienced in a number of mental health facilities. The HSE said it was “continuing to engage and negotiate with the PNA in every location to ensure patient safety is maintained”. The PNA said there had been issues in a number of locations on Wednesday morning where there were insufficient staff to take up duty and relieve nurses coming off shifts. Some night duty personnel were unable to leave for several hours after their shift officially ended. The PNA said difficulties were experienced at Phoenix Centre on the North Circular Road in Dublin, at St Ita’s in Portrane, Co Dublin, and in Portlaoise, Mullingar and Ballinasloe. Meanwhile about 50,000 people are likely to be affected by a third 24-hour strike by members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) as part of a similar campaign over pay and staffing. The HSE said as a result of the work stoppage all out-patient, in-patient and day surgery appointments scheduled for Thursday had been cancelled. “Discussions are ongoing with the INMO in relation to securing exemptions to allow for major surgeries, including cancer, to proceed. In the event that any procedures do go ahead patients will be contacted directly by the hospitals,” the HSE said. It also said that as a result of the strike minor injury units would be closed, and that routine community nursing services and health centre nurse clinics had also been cancelled. “Public day centres and day hospitals for older people or people with disabilities will close. All planned admissions, including respite and rehabilitation, to public community nursing units and specified centres for people with intellectual disability, have been cancelled.” There was no indication on Wednesday of any immediate interventions or new proposals emerging aimed at resolving the nurses’ dispute. Informed sources suggested on Wednesday that discussions were still continuing within the Government on new initiatives that could be put forward to try break the deadlock. The Government has insisted that it will not offer additional payments to nurses, although it said on Monday it was willing to discuss staffing, education and other non-pay issues. Nursing unions rejected this proposal. A spokeswoman for Minister for Health Simon Harris said: “The Government continues to proactively seek innovative ways to resolve this dispute. The Minister for Health is eager the two parties engage to seek a resolution to this dispute. Significant numbers of patients will be affected again [on Thursday]. The Minister believes it is imperative this dispute ends.” | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/hse-warns-of-challenges-in-ensuring-safe-mental-health-services-1.3784359 | 2019-02-06 16:53:31+00:00 | 1,549,490,011 | 1,567,549,462 | health | health organisations |
784,196 | theirishtimes--2019-02-07--Irish health service to be hit by multiple strikes next week | 2019-02-07T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Irish health service to be hit by multiple strikes next week | Key parts of the country’s health services are now facing strikes on four days next week as industrial unrest in the sector continues to escalate. Nurses and midwives as well as psychiatric nurses are scheduled to stage work stoppages on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week – following on from today’s strike action – as part of the ongoing dispute over pay and staffing. Last night ambulance service staff said they would go on strike on Friday of next week in a separate row over trade union representation rights. The 500 members of the National Ambulance Service Representative Association, a branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), are to hold further stoppages on February 28th and March 1st. The ambulance personnel already held a 10-hour stoppage on this issue in late January. About 50,000 people are likely to be affected by today’s nurses’ strike, the third 24-hour stoppage by members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation as part of a campaign over pay and staffing. The Health Service Executive said as a result of the work stoppage all outpatient, inpatient and day surgery appointments scheduled for today had been cancelled. The Government has insisted that it will not offer additional payments to nurses, although it said on Monday it was willing to discuss staffing, education and other non-pay issues. Nursing unions rejected this proposal. Separately, an overtime ban introduced by psychiatric nurses has resulted in what the HSE called “significant challenges” in ensuring a safe service in several mental health facilities in Dublin, Cork and Galway yesterday. The HSE said it expected the situation was “likely to worsen significantly at the change of shift in residential facilities” yesterday evening. Members of the PNA have had an overtime ban in place since Tuesday as part of its dispute over pay and staffing issues. However, this was extended to a full 24 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, leading to difficulties being experienced in a number of mental health facilities. The HSE said it was “continuing to engage and negotiate with the PNA in every location to ensure patient safety is maintained”. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/irish-health-service-to-be-hit-by-multiple-strikes-next-week-1.3784683 | 2019-02-07 01:00:07+00:00 | 1,549,519,207 | 1,567,549,341 | health | health organisations |
784,210 | theirishtimes--2019-02-07--Nurses strike Health service is embarrassing says frontline GP | 2019-02-07T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Nurses’ strike: Health service is embarrassing, says frontline GP | Dr Michael McGloin, who heads up the Primary Care Centre in Athenry, 25km (15.5 miles) east of Galway city, says the nurses’ strike action is just another symptom of a crumbling health service. Eight public health nurses, who work at the busy care centre, are on strike along with three nurses who work at the centre’s stretched mental-health day hospital. Services were suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dr McGloin said he does not know what will happen when the service is cancelled for three days next week. “Our public health nurses work here seven days a week. They hold clinics every day, tending to post-surgery patients, carrying out pregnancy and baby developmental assessments, and so on. The service is stretched to the limit already.” He said there will be a strike for three days and patients are being told to go to their GP if there is something urgent. “At the moment, we don’t know what the impact of the strike action will be on hospital out-patient lists locally, but what we do know is that there are already hundreds and hundreds of people waiting. “I had a woman come in to see me yesterday. She had pneumonia and I wanted to send her to hospital immediately but she absolutely refused to go. She said she would take her chances at home rather than face into A&E, where she knew she would be left lying on a trolley and subjected to Dickensian-style treatment due to nursing shortages.” “The whole thing is crumbling and nothing’s being done to stop it,” Dr McGloin said. “Take, for example, the Autistic Spectrum Disorder Clinic, which is based here at the Athenry Care Centre. It offers support to children with autism from counties Galway and Roscommon who don’t have an intellectual disability. At present, children have to wait two-and-a-half years to be assessed and then another two-and-a-half years to be seen to avail of the support. And once they turn 18, they’re discharged with no service after that.” Dr McGloin says he has become embarrassed by the health service. “We have Canadian medical students here regularly and five years ago I would have boasted about how comprehensive and how good our health service was, and now, it’s an embarrassment. There is just no certainty about anything anymore.” He contends the primary-care model is the only thing that works at present. “We are picking up all the pieces but we just do not have the capacity for any more,” Dr McGloin said. “I am close to retirement and I’m working harder now than I ever did.” | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/nurses-strike-health-service-is-embarrassing-says-frontline-gp-1.3786014 | 2019-02-07 19:27:12+00:00 | 1,549,585,632 | 1,567,549,340 | health | health organisations |
785,200 | theirishtimes--2019-03-13--Widespread dissatisfaction with mental health services | 2019-03-13T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Widespread dissatisfaction with mental health services | High levels of dissatisfaction with mental health services provided by the HSE among users and their families and carers are revealed in two surveys published on Wednesday. A poor experience of services, a failure to treat patients with dignity, frequent changes of staff and a high focus on medication are among the issues raised by large numbers of those surveyed. Service users were also unhappy with the complaints process, with half of those surveyed saying they wanted to complain but did not, and half of those who did complain reporting that nothing had been done in response. Campaigners say the results show people using mental health services are not routinely getting the services envisaged in the landmark policy A Vision for Change, published 13 years ago. Mental health services have traditionally been the Cinderella of the health services, and improvements have been slow in coming despite ring-fenced budgets in many years, often because of difficulties recruiting staff. The research was conducted by Mental Health Reform, funded by the HSE and will be launched on Wednesday by John Farrelly, chief executive of the Government’s Mental Health Commission. “These two surveys demonstrate we still have some way to travel to ensure the service user is at the heart of mental health care in Ireland,” according to Mr Farrelly. “Ensuring all people using mental health services are treated with dignity and respect must be a key focus for the country’s services providers.” Just 29 per cent of service users said they had a good experience of HSE mental health services overall, with 42 per cent saying their experience had been poor. One in five users of community services, and one in 10 users of inpatient services, said they were not treated with dignity or respect. Even in crisis care, almost half of those who had gone to emergency departments for help said they did not get the supports they needed. Overall, six out of 10 people reported a high focus on medication as part of their treatment and care, and one-third said they were not involved as much as they would have liked. However, six out of 10 said they had been referred to “talking therapy” by community mental health services. Director of Mental Health Reform Shari McDaid said the findings showed evidence of the “very mixed experience” people have when accessing services. “It is also very concerning that those who support someone with a mental health difficulty, including family members and other supporters, reported high levels of dissatisfaction with the information provided to them by mental health services.” This separate survey of almost 800 people found two out of every three family members or supporters were dissatisfied with the information and advice they received, even in a crisis. Half said none of their views were incorporated into the recovery or care plan of the person they were supporting. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/widespread-dissatisfaction-with-mental-health-services-1.3823424 | 2019-03-13 00:50:16+00:00 | 1,552,452,616 | 1,567,546,446 | health | health organisations |
787,560 | theirishtimes--2019-06-20--Minimal disruption to health services as strike talks begin | 2019-06-20T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Minimal disruption to health services as strike talks begin | There was minimal disruption to healthcare services on Thursday following the deferral of a strike by 10,000 support staff, as talks got underway at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to avert further strikes next week. A 24-hour stoppage by groups such as healthcare assistants, laboratory aides and porters scheduled to commence on Thursday was deferred on Wednesday evening to allow for emergency talks at the WRC on Thursday and Friday. The strike had threatened the cancellation of large numbers of scope procedures and some elective inpatient work, as well as outpatient appointments in some hospitals. But following its deferral, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said hospitals moved to reinstate services and appointments “in so far as possible” and had contacted patients directly to advise of any appointments and procedures that could proceed. A spokeswoman for the HSE said on Thursday that “things are getting back to normal”, but that it had not been possible to reinstate some appointments, such as those which would have required patients to fast overnight. The Mater Hospital said it was proceeding with all previously planned appointments and procedures for patients. Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, and the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group both said its hospitals were “endeavouring to reinstate services and appointments in so far as possible”. The South/South West Hospital Group also said it was “reinstating appointments in so far as possible” but added that outpatient services “have not been affected and are running as normal in all hospitals”. University Hospital Limerick (UHL) said all outpatient appointments and elective procedures were going ahead as planned “with a small number of exceptions”. Most patients whose appointments were cancelled “were contacted and rescheduled”. “A small number of patients who were scheduled for colonoscopy at UHL on Thursday will be rescheduled at a later date as the decision to defer strike action did not allow sufficient time to make the necessary preparations for the procedure,” it said. However, Siptu has warned that preparations for further strikes, scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, would continue. The dispute centres on what the union described as a failure of the Government to implement the findings of a job evaluation scheme for healthcare support staff which could see some staff receive increases of € 1,500-€3,000 a year. Speaking on his way into the WRC for talks with the Department of Public Expenditure, the Department of Health, and the HSE, Siptu’s Paul Bell said he hoped an agreement could be reached. “The WRC has invited us in for discussion with the employer on the basis that they believe there is scope for a negotiated settlement to the ongoing dispute,” he said. “That’s a judgment that the WRC has made. “Hopefully we can reach some sort of agreement where we will not have to take action next week but it’s very early at this stage to say. I also have to wait to see if there has been any movement in the position of the Department of Public Expenditure. “We’re going to give it the best go we can. We don’t want to end up in an unnecessary strike action. We will stay in the process as long as we feel it is a meaningful engagement. We owe it to our members and we owe to the public.” | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/minimal-disruption-to-health-services-as-strike-talks-begin-1.3932463 | 2019-06-20 18:49:59+00:00 | 1,561,070,999 | 1,567,538,590 | health | health organisations |
787,605 | theirishtimes--2019-06-24--Health service strike to go ahead on Wednesday says Siptu | 2019-06-24T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | Health service strike to go ahead on Wednesday, says Siptu | A planned strike by 10,000 healthcare support staff is set to go ahead on Wednesday after talks aimed at resolving the dispute ended without agreement, the trade union Siptu has said. Siptu health divisional organiser Paul Bell said: “Siptu would prefer a negotiated settlement that does not impact on patient services. Unfortunately, we have run out of time and too many issues remain unresolved. Siptu members have acted in good faith at all times during this dispute including by deferring two days of strike action. “We believe that the Government has abused the conciliation process and never meaningfully engaged with Siptu representatives.” He was commenting after talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) between the union and the HSE concluded on Monday. A 24-hour stoppage scheduled for last Thursday was deferred to allow for the WRC talks which began late last week. The strike has threatened the cancellation of large numbers of scope procedures and some elective inpatient work, as well as outpatient appointments in some hospitals. The dispute centres on what the union described as a failure of the Government to implement the findings of a job evaluation scheme for healthcare support staff which could see some staff receive increases of € 1,500-€3,000 a year. Mr Bell said: “Some €16.2 million is owed to our members yet the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has only offered €1.2 million to resolve this dispute. Furthermore, the Department has attempted to frustrate this process by seeking to unilaterally change a crucial element of the job evaluation scheme which centres on the assimilation of pay to new grades as awarded under this independent process.” He added: “A 24 hour strike, involving up to 10,000 support staff, will go ahead from 8am on Wednesday as our members continue to pursue their legitimate claim for recognition, respect and pay justice.” | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/health-service-strike-to-go-ahead-on-wednesday-says-siptu-1.3936033 | 2019-06-24 15:55:03+00:00 | 1,561,406,103 | 1,567,538,320 | health | health organisations |
787,649 | theirishtimes--2019-06-25--HSE says healthcare strike will have significant impact on services | 2019-06-25T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | HSE says healthcare strike will have significant impact on services | The Health Service Executive (HSE) has said a strike by 10,000 health service support staff on Wednesday will have a significant impact on services in nearly 40 hospitals. The health authority said the impact would vary between hospitals. A planned 24-hour strike is set to go ahead from 8am on Wednesday, which the HSE expects to have a significant impact on services in 38 hospitals across the State. The HSE said on Tuesday significant numbers of procedures involving scopes for patients would have to be cancelled. It also said some elective in-patient procedures would have to be deferred. The HSE said as a result of the strike by the support staff, who are represented by Siptu, there would be reduced outpatient services, reduced laboratory services for GPs, reduced catering services for both patients and staff and reduced theatre. “Patients are being contacted by their local hospital or healthcare facility in the event that their scheduled procedure or service will be affected by the dispute,” it said. On Tuesday, the HSE’s national director of community operations, David Walsh, warned that if a further three days of industrial action threatened by health support workers goes ahead next week there will be a significant impact on the HSE’s ability to provide services. He told RTÉ Radio’s News at One that the public should consider that their procedures are going ahead tomorrow unless they are contacted directly from the HSE. The HSE said it will keep the public informed of developments on its social media channels and website www.hse.ie. Minister for Health Simon Harris has said the decision by staff to strike in a row over pay before going to the Labour Court was “absolutely extraordinary.” Mr Harris said it was “bizarre for patients up and down the country that such chaos would be brought to our health service without even trying to resolve this at the Labour Court”. Mr Harris said he hoped the dispute would be referred to the Labour Court on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an emergency medicine consultant warned that while Wednesday’s strike does not pose a significant risk to patients it will cause widespread disruption. Dr Fergal Hickey said there will be delays and inconvenience for patients and staff during the planned strike. Dr Hickey said the strike will cause problems for Emergency Departments as there will be no access to porters to bring patients to their wards or radiology. Cleaning the department will also be a concern as over a 24 hour period there are significant “spills of blood and other bodily fluids.” A spokeswoman for the Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe said the strike’s consequences would be “extremely disruptive and distressing” for many patients. Siptu health divisional organiser Paul Bell said the trade union would prefer a negotiated settlement that did not impact on patient services. A 24-hour stoppage scheduled for last week was deferred to allow for talks between Siptu and the HSE at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Those talks began last Thursday and concluded yesterday without agreement. Mr Donohoe’s spokeswoman said the Government has constructively and positively engaged to try to resolve the dispute and made a significant offer last Friday. This “decent and fair offer” was sufficient for Siptu to call off its strike planned for last week, she said. The dispute centres on what Siptu described as a failure of the Government to implement the findings of a job evaluation scheme for healthcare support staff which could see some staff receive increases of € 1,500 to €3,000 a year. Senior Government sources suggested it was prepared to pay about one third of the job evaluation award next year with the balance in 2021 and 2022. The source said meeting Siptu’s demand would represent a 7 per cent pay rise for the staff concerned next year in addition to increases under the general pay round and the extra remuneration provided by Government to recent entrants to the public service. Mr Bell said some €16.2 million was owed to his members yet the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform had only offered €1.2 million. | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/hse-says-healthcare-strike-will-have-significant-impact-on-services-1.3936905 | 2019-06-25 09:35:04+00:00 | 1,561,469,704 | 1,567,538,193 | health | health organisations |
789,682 | theirishtimes--2019-10-10--PrEP programme to be rolled out in health service from next month | 2019-10-10T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | PrEP programme to be rolled out in health service from next month | Medication preventing HIV infection is to be rolled out through the public health service from the start of next month, the Government has announced. A programme for PrEP, a combination of pre-emptive antiretroviral drugs which help prevent the contracting of HIV, will be offered through the health service from November 4th. The new programme means that those who attend an approved service and are found to be at substantial risk for HIV will be eligible for PrEP at no cost. It will initially be available in several STI clinics and hospitals, with €5.4 million allocated in Budget 2020 this week for the full rollout of the programme next year. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the introduction of the programme “will reduce the number of people who contract HIV in future”. The full PrEP treatment (pre-exposure prophylaxis) will involve the pre-emptive use of antiretroviral medication and regular monitoring and testing, as well as advice and counselling on safer sex practices. A health technology assessment of the drug by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) found PrEP is safe and highly effective at preventing HIV in people at substantial risk, and also found the introduction of a PrEP programme would be cost-saving. Several LGBTQ+ organisations had campaigned for the medication to be available through the public health service in recent years. “PrEP is just one element of our response to reducing HIV rates; we’ve also prioritised increasing awareness and HIV testing,” Mr Varadkar said. Minister for Health Simon Harris said the introduction of the programme was a “really important milestone”, and that PrEP would “save lives”. “For decades we have confined conversations about HIV to the shadows. Those living with HIV have felt stigmatised and shamed; today, all that changes,” he said on Thursday. The programme will initially be available in a number of hospitals, including the STI Guide Clinic in St James’s Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Cork University Hospital, University Hospital Galway, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, and Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. Dr Fiona Lyons, consultant in HIV medicine at the St James’s Hospital STI clinic, welcomed access to the medication “without charge to those who are at substantial risk of acquiring HIV through sexual contact”. Dr Lyons said PrEP was an “important part of the HIV prevention jigsaw puzzle” which should reduce the number of new infections. In recent years the rate of new HIV diagnoses has increased in Ireland. In 2018 there was 531 new cases recorded, an 8 per cent increase on the previous year, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. Male-to-male sexual transmission accounts for more than half of cases, and an estimated 7,000 people are living with HIV in Ireland. Information on the availability of PrEP can be found at www.sexualwellbeing.ie/prep | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/prep-programme-to-be-rolled-out-in-health-service-from-next-month-1.4046960 | Thu, 10 Oct 2019 22:10:55 +0000 | 1,570,759,855 | 1,570,750,510 | health | health organisations |
790,881 | theirishtimes--2019-12-06--More than 200,000 children on waiting lists for health care services | 2019-12-06T00:00:00 | theirishtimes | More than 200,000 children on waiting lists for health care services | Almost 215,000 children are on waiting lists for health care services, according to figures from the HSE. There are 90,000 children waiting for community health care services, which includes 19,000 children waiting for speech and language therapy. The figures were released to Fianna Fáil’s health spokesman Stephen Donnelly in response to a series of parliamentary questions. Waiting lists in North Dublin are the highest in the country, with 2,400 children awaiting speech and language therapy. This compares to just ten children on a waiting list for speech and language therapy in Dún Laoghaire and none in Dublin South East. There are more than 7,000 children and teenagers waiting to see a psychologist, rising by almost 20 per cent in the past year. There are 117,000 children on hospital waiting lists according to the latest information from the HSE, which brings the total number of children waiting for public health care to 214,737. Mr Donnelly said there is a “massive lottery post code” when it comes to children’s health services. The Wicklow and East Carlow TD told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Friday the figures are a “dark stain on the country”. He added that Fianna Fáil has solutions to offer, such as ending the hiring embargo, equalising salaries for new entry level doctors and the need to open up diagnostic services. He pointed out that 30 radiographers had been approved for Temple Street Hospital, but that only 19 had been hired. “The funding is there, but they cannot hire the extra 11 needed,” he said. “Children cannot be allowed wait like this.” When asked about the timing of the next general election, Mr Donnelly said that it would be “in the next few months” and that “the country cannot wait”. He dismissed comments by his party colleague John McGuinness who said he will vote against the Government if a motion of no confidence is brought forward in the New Year. Mr Donnelly said that Mr McGuinness’s position “does not matter.” | null | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/more-than-200-000-children-on-waiting-lists-for-health-care-services-1.4107210 | Fri, 6 Dec 2019 17:41:14 +0000 | 1,575,672,074 | 1,575,678,449 | health | health organisations |
996,051 | thetelegraph--2019-01-16--We need to rethink what the NHS can provide - Telegraph readers on future-proofing the health serv | 2019-01-16T00:00:00 | thetelegraph | 'We need to rethink what the NHS can provide' - Telegraph readers on future-proofing the health service | We've all been there; filled with dread as the receptionist (who is obviously not to blame) informs you that there are no GP appointments available for next three weeks and the only one after that falls, inconveniently, bang in the middle of your working morning at 9:45am. While it's not exactly news to most that waiting times for GP appointments in the UK have become increasingly lengthy, it nevertheless remains an issue that affects large swathes of the country. The NHS requires future-proofing more than ever to continue serving a growing population effectively, so it comes as no surprise that a new generation of tech is being created to help improve it. Last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock unveiled the NHS Long Term Plan and promised the health service would be harnessing new technology over the next 10 years to improve the quality and speed of diagnoses. Skype is one such example. The Microsoft-owned video messaging platform will be used to conduct 90 million outpatient hospital appointments, rather than holding them in person. While it might seem fairly mundane in comparison to some of the futuristic tech on the horizon (like robots that can detect depression, smartphone ultrasounds for diagnosis on the go, and a DNA test to spot cancer), Skype, and platforms like it, could provide a swift solution to a debilitating everyday problem for doctors and patients alike. | Hajra Rahim | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/01/16/need-rethink-nhs-can-provide-telegraph-readers-future-proofing/ | 2019-01-16 12:11:33+00:00 | 1,547,658,693 | 1,567,552,205 | health | health organisations |
999,363 | thetelegraph--2019-02-14--NHS targets have had their day says health service chief as he claims they encourage gaming | 2019-02-14T00:00:00 | thetelegraph | NHS targets 'have had their day' says health service chief as he claims they encourage 'gaming' | NHS targets “have had their day” the head of the health service has said - on the day Accident & Emergency performance slumped to the worst level on record. Lord Prior, chairman of NHS England, signalled plans to abolish the key measure, as records showed just 84.4 per cent of patients treated or admitted in four hours, against a 95 per cent target. The performance for January is the worst since the target was introduced in 2004. Lord Prior - a former health minister - yesterday suggested central ditkats had damaged patient care, encouraging “gaming” so that NHS trusts could appear to perform well, instead of prioritising patients for clinical reasons. “We have had 15 years of this top-down target-driven culture that has driven the NHS. The degree of pressure to hit targets is something I have never encountered in the private sector, the unnuanced level of these targets. “Of course the gaming that has developed around these targets and the bad behaviour…go to any A&E department and everyone measures the time…you get to 3 hours 55 minutes and all hell hits. Everyone runs around like headless chickens to get them out or get them through or discharge them before the four hours,” he told an event by think tank Reform. “Targets have had their day I think,” he said. “They have encouraged this top-down, hierarchical control in the NHS which has been very damaging for the culture, and very bad for getting clinicians involved and engaged.” The Tory peer also said that attempts to encourage competition within the NHS had been “deeply damaging” and had “failed almost totally”. Lord Prior said many had feared that reforms by then health secretary Andrew Lansley would lead to privatisation. In fact, he said there has been little change in NHS use of the private sector, but he said the structures introduced as a result of the changes had created a “dysfunctional” and “deliberately fragmented” system. “I see the NHS long-term plan as putting it back together again. Where people work together not against each other,” said Lord Prior, who said that the NHS would “go bust in 10 years” if it did not invest in efforts to look after people outside hospital. He made the comments as official data for January showed the worst NHS A&E performance on recor, wiht almost 84,000 patients waiting at least four hours. NHS England is currently reviewing its clinical targets including the requirement that 95 per cent of all patients attending A&E are treated, admitted or discharged within four hours. Its chief executive Simon Stevens has said changes are likely to mean a shorter waiting time target for treating conditions such as stroke, heart attack and sepsis, meaning those with less critical needs will need to wait longer. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), which represents 8,000 emergency medicine clinicians, has said that abolishing the four-hour target would have a “near-catastrophic impact on patient safety". Nuffield Trust chief economist Professor John Appleby said the NHS was “fighting a losing battle” in its efforts to provide timely healthcare. "The proportion of patients spending more than four hours in A&E has risen to 15.6 per cent in January - the highest ever in this set of data. "Only two major emergency departments in England met the four-hour target and attendances have risen by an astonishing 85,000 compared with January last year, increasing through the winter when they would usually fall,” he said. "Last year, there was widespread concern as we saw trolley waits balloon, yet today's figures show an even higher level,” he said. An NHS spokesman said thousands more people had been successfully treated in A&E within four hours, amid a 3.85 per cent rise in attendances this December and January, compared with last winter. | Laura Donnelly | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/14/nhs-targets-have-had-day-says-health-service-chief-claims-encourage/ | 2019-02-14 22:00:00+00:00 | 1,550,199,600 | 1,567,548,533 | health | health organisations |
1,077,238 | usnews--2019-11-08--UK Plans Fast-Track Visas for Migrants Working in Health Service | 2019-11-08T00:00:00 | usnews | UK Plans Fast-Track Visas for Migrants Working in Health Service | LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday it would make it easier for migrants to move to the United Kingdom to work in the National Health Service (NHS), helping to offset a possible fall in numbers caused by the exit from the European Union. The Conservative government is planning to bring in an Australian-style points-based system in 2021 after leaving the EU in a bid to get tighter control of immigration, an issue which commentators said was a major factor in Britons voting for Brexit three years ago. The future of the NHS is one of the key issues in the campaign for Britain's general election next month. About 153,000 of 1.2 million health workers are non-British, and critics have said the end of freedom of movement for EU citizens after Brexit would deprive the NHS, one of the world's largest employers, of a vital pool of workers. At the same time, it was feared that many medical staff who come from other areas of the globe, especially nurses, would fail to meet the strict salary requirements of the new system. About 52,000 of current NHS staff are Asian nationals. The government said the new NHS Visa would allow it to control immigration while ensuring there would not be a skills shortage for the health service. "These measures are part of our plan for an Australian-style points-based immigration system that allows us to control numbers while remaining open to vital professions like nurses," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said in a statement. "That means the best of both worlds - attracting talent from around the world so our NHS continues to provide brilliant service while ensuring that it isn't put under strain by opening Britain's borders to the entire world." The plan to relax rules for NHS staff comes after Britain said in August it would relax immigration rules to attract more scientists. | null | https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-11-07/uk-plans-fast-track-visas-for-migrants-working-in-health-service | Fri, 08 Nov 2019 00:04:06 GMT | 1,573,189,446 | 1,573,185,899 | health | health organisations |
1,080,344 | usnews--2019-11-27--Labour's Corbyn Accuses Johnson of Offering up UK Health Service in U.S. Talks | 2019-11-27T00:00:00 | usnews | Labour's Corbyn Accuses Johnson of Offering up UK Health Service in U.S. Talks | LONDON (Reuters) - Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn offered on Wednesday what he described as evidence that access to Britain's health service was being discussed in trade talks with the United States, handing reporters hundreds of pages of documents. Johnson has repeatedly denied that Britain's National Health Service is on the table in such talks, but Corbyn said he had copies of leaked documents from UK-US Trade and Investment working groups that proved otherwise. The NHS, much loved in Britain, has become a key fighting ground before an election on Dec. 12, called to try to break the deadlock in parliament over the country's departure from the European Union that has muddied traditional political loyalties. Corbyn may also be keen to shift the narrative to the NHS and away from criticism on Tuesday over what Britain's chief rabbi said was his failure to stem anti-Semitism in his party that had allowed "a new poison" to take root in Labour. Corbyn, who has argued that Johnson's Conservatives will allow the United States to increase drug prices as part of a post-Brexit trade deal, said he had 451 pages of unredacted documents on talks between the two countries. "Perhaps he (Johnson) would like to explain why these documents confirm the U.S. is demanding the NHS is on the table in the trade talks," he told a news conference. | null | https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-11-27/uks-johnson-in-talks-to-give-us-access-to-health-service-in-trade-talks-corbyn | Wed, 27 Nov 2019 10:28:27 GMT | 1,574,868,507 | 1,574,859,710 | health | health organisations |
339,605 | newsbiscuit--2019-10-16--World Health Organisation names children as most prevalent STD | 2019-10-16T00:00:00 | newsbiscuit | World Health Organisation names children as most prevalent STD | The World Health Organisation today issued a stark warning in a bid to curb the spread of a virulent sexually transmitted disease which it described as having reached ‘epidemic proportions’. This particularly unpleasant and hard-to-shake-off disease is known as ‘children’ (medical name, fuckersi minoris) and it is reported to have caused severe distress and discomfort for billions of people around the world. ‘Every day, we see more and more people suffering from this debilitating condition,’ said Dr Hans Biermann, WHO spokesman for sexual health. ‘We’ve managed to keep some sort of control over the less serious STDs like herpes and chlamydia, but the problem of children just seems to get worse and worse every year.’ Dr Biermann went on to describe the symptoms to look out for if people suspect that they are suffering from children. ‘In women, the first warning signs include early morning vomiting and irritability, but as the disease progresses it causes a large, disfiguring swelling of the abdomen and then an unusual vaginal discharge around nine months after infection. And that’s just the beginning.’ ‘In men,’ he continued, ‘the early symptoms tend to be palpitations and extreme anxiety, but after several years it can cause insomnia, severe financial haemorrhaging, as well as feelings of sexual frustration and murderous rage at the loss of a carefree life.’ Dr Biermann urged people to get checked out for children regularly and to seek urgent medical attention if they suspect they have contracted the disease. ‘The key is to stop transmission,’ he said. ‘Children is an incurable disease, so people should be doing everything they can to stop themselves developing an unsightly growth that gets bigger and bigger and ultimately will remain with them for life. The last thing anyone would want is to pass something like this on to the next generation.’ | Guest | http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2019/10/16/world-health-organisation-names-children-as-most-prevalent-std/ | Wed, 16 Oct 2019 09:00:40 +0000 | 1,571,230,840 | 1,571,228,948 | health | health organisations |
409,864 | pinknewsuk--2019-05-27--World Health Organisation drops transgender from list of mental disorders | 2019-05-27T00:00:00 | pinknewsuk | World Health Organisation drops transgender from list of mental disorders | Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world The World Health Organisation (WHO) will no longer categorise being transgender as a mental health condition, a move which has the potential to “liberate” trans and non-binary people worldwide. The decision was approved on Friday (May 25) by the World Health Assembly, the WHO governing body that represents 194 member states, and should now trickle down into national policies. Human rights groups say that the reclassification could give people an easier route to legal transition by removing any requirements for a medical diagnosis. “The World Health Organisation’s removal of ‘gender identity disorder’ from its diagnostic manual will have a liberating effect on transgender people worldwide,” said Graeme Reid, LGBT rights director at Human Rights Watch. “Governments should swiftly reform national medical systems and laws that require this now officially outdated diagnosis.” Reid argued that while mental health issues play no part in a person’s gender identity, the oppression of trans people can cause suffering. “Transgender people are fighting stigma and discrimination that can be traced in part to medical systems that have historically diagnosed expressions of gender non-conformity as a mental pathology,” he said. “But it’s the stigma, discrimination, and bullying—and not anything inherent in gender nonconformity—that can inflict mental health problems in transgender people.” According to Jack Drescher, a psychiatrist whose work deals with sexuality and gender, “there is substantial evidence that the stigma associated with the intersection of transgender status and mental disorders contributes to precarious legal status, human rights violations and barriers to appropriate health care for this population.” While the WHO’s new stance on gender has been applauded, intersex-led groups have taken offence to its treatment of intersex people. The updated International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) introduces language which describes intersex variations as “disorders of sex development.” “This will cause continuing harm to people born with variations of sex characteristics,” read a joint statement of 65 intersex groups released before the ICD-11 was approved on May 23. The statement goes on to argue that “some current materials in the ICD-11 Foundation are associated with medical procedures that fail to meet human rights norms,” such as surgeries performed on intersex children. The United Kingdom is one of 33 European countries which require a mental health diagnosis in order to change a person’s gender marker, according to Transgender Europe. The Government has pledged to reform the Gender Recognition Act, which could remove this requirement. A consultation was carried out in 2018, with a response expected imminently. LGBT+ groups have campaigned for the UK to follow the lead of countries including Norway, Ireland, France, Portugal and Greece, which permit individuals to self-identify their gender. In the US, trans rights vary from state to state. In California, people can apply for a new ID card or driver’s licence through self-certification. At the other end of the spectrum, states including Ohio will not change a person’s gender on their birth certificate under any circumstance. | Reiss Smith | https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/27/world-health-organisation-transgender-mental-disorder/ | 2019-05-27 13:35:01+00:00 | 1,558,978,501 | 1,567,540,093 | health | health organisations |
633,123 | thedailymirror--2019-05-27--Gaming addiction named as official disease by World Health Organisation | 2019-05-27T00:00:00 | thedailymirror | Gaming addiction named as official disease by World Health Organisation | The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made gaming addiction an official disease. It has been characterised by the public health body as an excessive or compulsive use of computer or video game - to the extent that it affects a person's daily life. The revision to its Classification of Diseases was approved by all 194 members of the WHO and it will come into effect on January 1, 2022. The WHO say a person to be diagnosed with a video game addiction must show behaviour "of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning". It hopes medics will become more aware of the addiction and sufferers will receive better treatment, reports Sky News . The move has been criticised by some in the gaming industry, who say not enough academic research has been carried out on the subject. A statement from the Global Video Game Industry Associations read: "We are concerned [the WHO] reached their conclusion without the consensus of the academic community. "The consequences of today's action could be far-reaching, unintended, and to the detriment of those in need of genuine help." Earlier this year, a Mirror investigation found children as young as 11 are being taken into care over fears they are addicted to games, while recent studies have also revealed that kids are spending twice as much time using gadgets and phones as they do speaking to their parents. Gaming is not just for children though. Around 32.4 million people in the UK play computer games, the vast majority enjoying the stunning graphics and gameplay safely. But fears over their addictive qualities were increased when the World Health Organisation classified “gaming disorder” as a mental health condition last year. The UK games industry has a market value of £5.11billion – a 12.4% rise from 2016 – but it is now being blamed for children blowing GCSE exams, students dropping out of university and adults failing to hold down jobs. Dr Graham, who is clinical director at Good Thinking: The London Digital Mental Wellbeing Service, adds: “The problems develop when it becomes the focus of your life and you prioritise it above anything, getting into conflict with people around you, perhaps deceiving yourself and them as to the extent of it. “It is much harder to break an established habit so it is important to learn how to get the most out of these wonderful technologies while knowing when to stop. “But I don’t demonise game playing because you can be a very enthusiastic gamer and still get up to go to school and do your homework.” | Abigail O'Leary | https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gaming-addiction-made-official-disease-16209808 | 2019-05-27 15:55:29+00:00 | 1,558,986,929 | 1,567,540,122 | health | health organisations |
742,393 | theindependent--2019-01-21--World Health Organisation explodes myth that refugees spread disease | 2019-01-21T00:00:00 | theindependent | World Health Organisation explodes myth that refugees spread disease | The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dispelled the myth that refugees coming to Europe are spreading disease. In its first report on the health of migrants and refugees, the WHO found there was no increased transmission of illnesses between refugees and those living in the countries they settle in. The research, which summarises a review of more than 13,000 documents, was developed in partnership with the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) and also found that migrants are at a lower risk of getting all forms of cancer, except cervical. The report did however say that refugees are at a greater risk of developing diseases because of their exposure to infections due to poor living conditions and the lack of healthcare access during the migration process. In light of the findings Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, the regional director for Europe for the WHO, said political and social systems across the continent were struggling to rise to the challenge of responding to migration in a “humane and positive way”. “As migrants and refugees become more vulnerable than the host population to the risk of developing both noncommunicable and communicable diseases, it is necessary that they receive timely access to quality health services, as everyone else,” Dr Jakab said. “This is the best way to save lives and cut treatment costs, as well as protect the health of the resident citizens.” The research also found that in some European countries citizens were estimating that there are three or four times more migrants than there really are. The findings come amid a recent influx of refugees attempting to travel to the UK on small boats. The small inflatable boat had eight males on board who claimed to be Iranian. The Home Office said the group was given a medical assessment and will now be interviewed by immigration officials. | Shehab Khan | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugees-disease-spread-world-health-organisation-who-migrant-crisis-a8739291.html | 2019-01-21 18:31:13+00:00 | 1,548,113,473 | 1,567,551,496 | health | health organisations |
744,361 | theindependent--2019-01-31--Dozens of children dying of hypothermia at Syrian refugee camp warns World Health Organisation | 2019-01-31T00:00:00 | theindependent | Dozens of children dying of hypothermia at Syrian refugee camp, warns World Health Organisation | At least 29 children are reported to have died in an overcrowded refugee camp in northeastern Syria over the last two months, mostly from hypothermia, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. Around 23,000 people have arrived at al-Hol camp after fleeing fighting in Deir ez-Zor between Isis and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Kurdish YPG militia. The influx has swelled the population of the camp, which is unheated and has a shortage of health care services, tents and sanitation facilities. “The situation in al-Hol camp is heartbreaking. Children are dying from hypothermia as their families flee to safety,” Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Syria, said in a statement on Thursday. The United Nations agency appealed for unhindered access to the camp, saying the situation had become “critical” for 33,000 people, mainly women and children, who now live there in bitterly cold winter weather. Many of those who had been displaced by the fighting walked or travelled in open trucks for days, arriving malnourished and exhausted “following years of deprivation” living under the control of Isis, it said. “Thousands of new arrivals have been forced to spend several nights in the camp’s open-air reception and screening areas, without tents, blankets or heating,” the WHO added. WHO-supported teams are working around the clock in the camp to screen new arrivals, support vaccination and refer severely malnourished children to a hospital in al-Hasakah, it said. “Humanitarian access to the camp and surrounding roads is hampered by bureaucratic obstacles and security constraints,” it added, appealing to all parties to provide unhindered access for to people needing life-saving aid. | Samuel Osborne | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-refugee-camp-child-deaths-al-hol-children-dead-hypothermia-isis-a8756861.html | 2019-01-31 16:46:00+00:00 | 1,548,971,160 | 1,567,550,098 | health | health organisations |
758,054 | theindependent--2019-04-24--Under-twos should not have screen time World Health Organisation says | 2019-04-24T00:00:00 | theindependent | 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 guidance, designed to help national policymakers, also includes advice on physical activity and sleep for under-fives. “For the greatest health benefits, infants and young children should meet all the recommendations for physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep in a 24-hour period,” the report states. “Replacing restrained or sedentary screen time with more moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity, while preserving sufficient sleep, can provide additional health benefits.” Dr Max Davie, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the guidelines are “useful benchmarks” for families, but warned they should be interpreted with caution. Advice published by the organisation in January suggested parents should avoid letting children use their technology an hour before bed time, and recommended parents set agreed screen-time limits. The UK’s four chief medical officers have also advised banning phones from bedtimes and mealtimes. “The restricted screen-time limits suggested by the WHO do not seem proportionate to the potential harm,” Dr Davie said. “Our research has shown that currently there is not strong enough evidence to support the setting of screen-time limits, and that screen use should be considered alongside a range of activities to assess its impact. “Also, it is difficult to see how a household with mixed-age children can shield a baby from any screen exposure at all, as is recommended.” Professor Andrew Przybylski, from the University of Oxford, said the report “represents a missed opportunity” for the WHO. “On the basis of common sense many of the recommendations make sense but in many ways the conclusions drawn about screens are out of step with scientific evidence of harm,” he said. “None would contest the fact that increasing physical activity, sleep, and health are important goals and it is possible that screens impact young people in a wide range of ways but we won’t know that until good scientific studies are done.” The new WHO guidance states that children under the age of one should not have sedentary screen time. Children aged one to two years old should spend at least 180 minutes being active and 11 to 14 hours sleeping, it states. Sedentary screen time is not advised for one-year-olds, and less than 60 minutes is suggested for two-year-olds. Children aged three to four should spend at least 180 minutes being physically active, including 60 minutes at moderate-to-vigorous intensity, and sleep for 10 to 13 hours, the report states. Sedentary screen time should be no more than one hour for those in this age group, and “less is better”. | Sally Wardle | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/screen-time-toddlers-under-two-minutes-who-a8884636.html | 2019-04-24 15:31:00+00:00 | 1,556,134,260 | 1,567,541,890 | health | health organisations |
759,847 | theindependent--2019-05-14--World Health Organisation accidentally endorses anti-vaxx website | 2019-05-14T00:00:00 | theindependent | World Health Organisation accidentally endorses anti-vaxx website | The World Health Organisation (WHO) has accidentally endorsed an anti-vaccination group. The body said it was “supporting the Vaccine Information Network (Vine)”, in a Facebook post which also discussed the benefits of inoculation. “We can stop measles. Measles is preventable through two doses of a safe and effective vaccine,” the post read. The site’s users were quick to point out that the group promoted anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. “Check your support,” wrote one commenter. “They are anti-vaxx.” Vine hosts a range of adverts from groups, including some saying the “modern medical system is essentially mafia-controlled” and others accusing officials of “scientific fraud”. The WHO’s Facebook post was later amended. “Vaccine rejection is a serious and growing public health timebomb,” Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has previously said. Mr Stevens has said he believes social-media firms should take a zero-tolerance approach towards “dangerous and inaccurate scare stories.” Anti-vaccination groups have been blamed for some British parents refusing to allow their children be inoculated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Children need two doses of the combined vaccination to be protected against MMR and the NHS recommends that both doses are administered before a child starts school. The WHO has said that 95% of children in the UK should be vaccinated for herd immunity to be achieved but uptake of the second dose is only at 88%. Outbreaks of measles have risen in the UK in recent years. In 2017 there were 259 cases diagnosed in England. By 2019 the number of cases had risen to 966. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has said he “wouldn’t rule out anything” when asked if unvaccinated children should be banned from schools. The MP has also said that people promoting anti-vaccination myths “are morally reprehensible, deeply irresponsible and have blood on their hands.” | Zamira Rahim | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/world-health-organisation-antivaxx-measles-outbreak-health-facebook-a8913526.html | 2019-05-14 14:15:03+00:00 | 1,557,857,703 | 1,567,540,700 | health | health organisations |
760,608 | theindependent--2019-05-28--aposBurn-outapos recognised as chronic condition by World Health Organisation | 2019-05-28T00:00:00 | theindependent | 'Burn-out' recognised as chronic condition by World Health Organisation | Burn-out is a phrase you might’ve heard banded around over the years to describe feeling physically and emotionally run down. While some could’ve been tempted to dismiss burn-out as millennial jargon, it has now been added to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases, meaning that it will become a globally-recognised medical condition as of 2020. The WHO defines burn-out as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. It characterises the condition with the following symptoms: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy. The WHO only refers to such feelings within work environments and clarifies that burn-out should not be applied to describe symptoms caused by other life situations. A spokesperson for the WHO told Agence Presse France on Monday that it’s the “first time” burnout has been classified as a medical condition by any official health body. The phrase “burn-out syndrome” is credited to German-born psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, who used the term in a 1974 study of the condition. Freudenberger analysed the phenomenon after he observed it in some of his colleagues, who described themselves as being “burnt out” and later also experienced it himself. The psychologist described the state of being burnt out as “becoming exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources”. In January 2019, a Buzzfeed article titled How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation went viral. Writer Anne Helen Peterson was praised for accurately describing how and why the condition is impacting people aged 18 to 34 and in some cases rendering them emotionally and physically paralysed. However, unlike the WHO, Peterson recognises burn-out in areas outside of the workplace, writing: “Burnout and the behaviours and weight that accompany it aren’t, in fact, something we can cure by going on vacation. “It’s not limited to workers in acutely high-stress environments. And it’s not a temporary affliction: It’s the millennial condition. It’s our base temperature. It’s our background music. It’s the way things are. It’s our lives.” | Olivia Petter | https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/burnout-world-health-organisation-medical-condition-chronic-stress-a8932806.html | 2019-05-28 09:26:00+00:00 | 1,559,049,960 | 1,567,539,974 | health | health organisations |
760,777 | theindependent--2019-05-28--Transgender no longer classified as aposmental disorderapos by World Health Organisation | 2019-05-28T00:00:00 | theindependent | Transgender no longer classified as 'mental disorder' by World Health Organisation | The World Health Organisation (WHO) no longer categorises being transgender as a "mental disorder". On Saturday 25 May, the health agency approved an update to its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), a manual used globally to diagnose diseases. The decision to remove transgender identities from the ICD-11's classification of mental disorders was announced by WHO in June last year. The update has now been approved via a vote held by the World Health Assembly, the WHO's governing body which represents the organisation's 194 member states. The changes to the health manual will come into effect on 1 January 2022. The ICD-11 update has re-named "gender identity disorders" to be titled "gender incongruence". "Gender incongruence" is now listed under a chapter on "sexual health", as opposed to "mental disorders". The WHO's decision to no longer classify being transgender as a mental disorder has been hailed by several LGBT+ activists. "The WHO's removal of 'gender identity disorder' from its diagnostic manual will have a liberating effect on transgender people worldwide," said Graeme Reid LGBT+ rights director at Human Rights Watch. "Governments should swiftly reform national medical systems and laws that require this now officially outdated diagnosis." Micah Grzywnowicz, co-chair of the executive board of LGBT+ advocacy group ILGA-Europe, said the update to ICD-11 "represents a monumental shift in the global health for trans and gender diverse people". "Both the old category names and their corresponding content represent a history laden with struggle, oppression, forced medicalisation, stigma, and marginalisation experienced by trans and gender diverse people in the context of healthcare," Grzywnowicz added. However, a joint statement from 65 intersex groups released by Intersex Human Rights Australia states that the update to the ICD-11 manual may cause "harm to people born with variations of sex characteristics". "The ICD-11 introduces normative language to describe intersex variations as 'disorders of sex development'," the statement reads. The intersex groups are calling on WHO to "reform nomenclature and classifications to ensure that they do not facilitate human rights violations". | Sabrina Barr | https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/transgender-world-health-organisation-mental-disorder-who-gender-icd11-update-a8932786.html | 2019-05-28 09:59:00+00:00 | 1,559,051,940 | 1,567,539,976 | health | health organisations |
760,807 | theindependent--2019-05-28--World Health Organisationaposs recognition of traditional Chinese medicine aposcould push specie | 2019-05-28T00:00:00 | theindependent | World Health Organisation's recognition of traditional Chinese medicine 'could push species into extinction' | Conservationists have accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of rubber-stamping the extinction of endangered species by adopting hundreds of traditional Chinese remedies in its international guidelines. Many such remedies make use of animal parts and this has long put pressure on endangered species such as jaguars, pangolins and rhinos. On Saturday the WHO’s World Health Assembly recognised traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnoses for 400 conditions in its influential International Classification of Disease list. Campaigners including big cat conservation group Panthera, the Environmental Investigations Agency and Wildlife Conservation Trust have warned that recognition from a body as influential as the WHO could result in a rapid depletion of species with healthy populations. But the WHO insisted it opposed the use of animal parts and supported international protections for endangered species. John Goodrich, chief scientist and director of Panthera’s tiger programme, said any recognition would be seen globally “as a stamp of approval” for all types of TCM, including the use of wild animal parts. “Failure to specifically condemn the use of traditional Chinese medicine utilising wild animal parts is egregiously negligent and irresponsible,” he added. “Taken with China’s recent proliferation of traditional Chinese medicine around the globe, WHO’s decision could contribute to the end of many species on the brink of extinction, like the tiger.” The WHO decision comes a month after the largest ever shipment of illegally smuggled pangolin scales was seized in Singapore en route to Vietnam, and a 30-tonne haul of pangolin parts was discovered in Malaysia. While leading TCM bodies have phased out the use of wild animal parts, conservationists say that even highly regulated, legal breeding programmes provide cover for the illegal trafficking of endangered species. China recently announced it would drop a decades-long ban on the trade of tiger bone and rhino horn. The change was postponed after international outcry with leading conservation groups warning its effects would be “devastating globally”. Wildlife Conservation Trust president Anish Andheria said the WHO decision “ignored the compelling data” that showed the wildlife trade also increased deaths among rangers and other frontline conservation staff and forest-dwelling communities. A WHO spokesperson added: “Inclusion in the ICD does not mean we recommend or condone the use of animal parts such as rhinoceros horns. WHO recommends the enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which protects rhinos, tigers and other species.” | Alex Matthews-King | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/china-medicine-wildlife-poaching-conservation-world-health-organisation-a8933061.html | 2019-05-28 12:17:00+00:00 | 1,559,060,220 | 1,567,539,974 | health | health organisations |
776,705 | theindependent--2019-11-22--Four in five teenagers not doing enough exercise, says World Health Organisation | 2019-11-22T00:00:00 | theindependent | Four in five teenagers not doing enough exercise, says World Health Organisation | Four out of five teenagers in the UK are not doing enough exercise, according to a report from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Girls were found to lag behind boys in staying active, a trend one of the researcher’s described as “concerning”. The figures are the first global estimates on physical activity among 11 to 17-year-olds, involving 1.6 million students from 146 countries. Worldwide, girls on average were found to be less active than boys, with 84.7 per cent failing to reach the recommended exercise targets, which is slightly lower than the UK figure of 85.4 per cent. Globally, 77.6 per cent of boys were reported as being too sedentary. The UK figure was 74.7 per cent. Dr Leanne Riley, a researcher at the WHO and one of the study authors, said: “The trend of girls being less active than boys is concerning. “More opportunities to meet the needs and interests of girls are needed to attract and sustain their participation in physical activity through adolescence and into adulthood.” The WHO recommends adolescents take part in an hour of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity – which can include walking, cycling or playing games – each day. The new analysis, published in Lancet Adolescent And Child Health, found that 81 per cent of students around the world are not meeting these requirements. Boys in the Philippines (93 per cent) and girls in South Korea (97 per cent) were found to be the most inactive in the study. Although Bangladesh had the lowest levels of inactivity for boys and girls, figures showed two in three children (66 per cent) were not doing an hour a day of exercise. The authors said levels of insufficient physical activity in adolescents continued to be extremely high, raising concerns about their current and future health. Dr Regina Guthold, a WHO researcher and one of the study authors, said: “Urgent policy action to increase physical activity is needed now, particularly to promote and retain girls’ participation in physical activity.” Writing in a linked comment in the journal, Dr Mark Tremblay, of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Canada, said physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for premature death worldwide. He said: “The electronic revolution has fundamentally transformed people’s movement patterns by changing where and how they live, learn, work, play and travel, progressively isolating them indoors. “People sleep less, sit more, walk less frequently, drive more regularly and do less physical activity than they used to.” | Samuel Osborne | https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/teenagers-not-doing-enough-exercise-world-health-organisation-a9214511.html | Fri, 22 Nov 2019 22:01:37 GMT | 1,574,478,097 | 1,574,469,835 | health | health organisations |
3,928 | activistpost--2019-02-02--Amid Civil Unrest Internet Shutdowns are Making Zimbabwes Economic Crisis Worse | 2019-02-02T00:00:00 | activistpost | Amid Civil Unrest, Internet Shutdowns are Making Zimbabwe’s Economic Crisis Worse | Following the January 12 declaration of an official fuel price hike in Zimbabwe, civil unrest and political paranoia has rocked the nation. President Emmerson Mnanagagwa announced that fuel prices at $1.30 USD per liter would go up by 150 percent, making Zimbabwe’s fuel among the most expensive in the world. The next day he left for a five-day tour of Russia and Eastern Europe, purportedly in search of investment deals. Chaos and anarchy broke out the following Monday. The military was immediately deployed to quell protests after angry mobs looted and set ablaze several supermarkets and chain stores. Reports of state agents gunning down unarmed civilians circulated on social media before the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) completely shut down the Internet and all forms of social media from January 14-January 20, 2019. During the 6-day Internet blackout, business literally came to a halt as traders and investors remained uncertain over the economy’s trajectory. Following State Security minister Owen Ncube’s decision to shut down the Internet, human rights lawyers prepared and submitted an urgent court application to rescind the action. The High Court ruled on January 21, 2019, that Ncube did not have the authority to compel mobile operators to cut off services. Judge Owen Tagu told the court that the minister had no authority to make the directive and ordered telecommunications firms “to unconditionally resume the provision of full and unrestricted services to all subscribers forthwith.” The court order cited laws that exclusively endow the president with the right to shut down Internet services. Government spokesperson George Charamba told state-controlled papers that the government would not stand by while “such narrow interests play out so violently.” “The response so far is just a foretaste of things to come,” said Charamba via the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. He continued: The internet was the tool used to coordinate the violence. But is it not interesting how when we are carrying our dead to the cemetery, at a time when we are counting losses that run into millions of dollars, someone is worried about the internet? You expect us to preserve the internet and ensure that there is maximum damage to our society? Dhewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa Director with the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, told Global Voices that the Internet shutdown was a gross violation of human rights as such action disrupts daily life and business transactions. The majority of Zimbabweans rely on mobile money for everyday services. Mavhinga explained: The Internet remains a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s economic activity. With sky-high rates of unemployment and underemployment, most entrepreneurs rely on the Internet and social media platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp to market their products and services. Since the shutdown, Zimbabwean small businesses have lost an estimated $12.5 million a day, according to think tank TheBehaviourReport.com. Social media has remained critical to informing citizens as the state-run media outlets remain biased in favor of the ruling party, ZANU PF. During the course of the shutdown, state media barely reported the disturbances. “I feel that these people in government suppressed our right to freedom of speech and expression,” said Allan Chino, a 21-year-old youth. He continues: Thousands of citizens who just wanted to be safe and stay informed were left stranded. Adolf Mavheneke, a human rights activist, said that it was naïve to think that the recent Internet shutdown was done by the minister without the knowledge, confirmation and acknowledgment from the president. “That a minister appointed by Mnangagwa proceeded to effect the order against legal prudence, confirms how the man is ever prepared to dump the national constitution and proceed with political whim,” he added. Mavheneke said that while acknowledging that freedom of expression as expressed under Section 61 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution is not an absolute right, the Internet shutdown sets a bad precedent and will leave a scar on the future of citizens’ freedom and human rights: In fact, these were and remains self-made attempts to hide state-sponsored violence as everything now happened under the cover of the internet and social media darkness. And the record is also clear on cases where the military and other state security agents went on the rampage during the internet blackout. The future of human rights in Zimbabwe remains a sad reality because we have a leadership that … is prepared to push for legitimacy through the crack of the barrel and the bullet. He noted that in the aftermath of a disputed election in November 2017, Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga authorized the use of military force against protesters, and six civilians who were not part of the protests were gunned down. A Commission of Inquiry exonerated Mnangagwa and his administration but also recommended restraint and observance of the rule of law. Therefore, the recent use of soldiers to thwart anti-government protests is illegal and in violation of Zimbabwe’s constitution. “Sooner or later, if this factor is not kept at bay it will consume even those who unleashed it in the first place,” he said. A young woman who requested anonymity said the violation of citizens’ communicative space by the government was terrifying: You know what the most scary thing is? It’s not the fuel price increases, it’s not the looming hunger. It’s not about the communication shutdown between friends and families. Neither is it about the soldiers going out to maim and kill innocent civilians. No. The most scary thing is that these guys in government are convinced that they are doing a good job of running this country. Kudzai Chimhangwa is an investigative and business journalist with years of experience. He has worked in Zimbabwe and Namibia with independent publications and also participated in international media training programs in Germany and Belgium under the auspices of DW Akademie. He enjoys the thrills and spills that come with media work. This article was sourced from Global Voices. Free ebook How To Survive the Job Automation Apocalypse Free ebook How To Get Started with Bitcoin: Quick and Easy Beginner’s Guide Subscription is FREE and CONFIDENTIAL Free Report: How To Survive The Job Automation Apocalypse with subscription | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/02/amid-civil-unrest-internet-shutdowns-are-making-zimbabwes-economic-crisis-worse.html | 2019-02-02 16:26:51+00:00 | 1,549,142,811 | 1,567,549,807 | economy, business and finance | economic sector |
4,908 | activistpost--2019-07-02--Americas Concealed Crisis Fifty Years of Economic Decline 1969 to 2019 | 2019-07-02T00:00:00 | activistpost | America’s Concealed Crisis: Fifty Years of Economic Decline, 1969 to 2019 | If we consider the long term, it’s clear America’s economy and society have been declining for the average household for 50 years. What if the “prosperity” of the past 50 years is mostly a statistical mirage for the bottom 80% of households? What if whatever real gains (adjusted for real-world loss of purchasing power) accrued only to the top of the wealth-power pyramid, those closest to financial and political power? What if the U.S. economy and society shifted from “everybody wins” to “winner takes all” or at best, “winner take most”? These are not “what if”, they’re reality. The working class, which as I have recently noted, now comprises the entire working populace other than the upper-middle class Misplaced Pride: Most of the “Middle Class” Is Actually Working Class (June 14, 2019), has lost ground over the past 50 years, from 1969 to the present. The keys to understanding the concealed crisis of decline are purchasing power relative to wages/earnings–how many goods and services can wages buy? For the average American household, wages have risen modestly while the purchasing power of those wages has plummeted. Furthermore, the quality of goods and services has in many cases declined sharply, so that even if prices have dropped, what you get for your money has fallen even further, effectively reducing the purchasing power of your wages. Case in point: appliances were once designed and built to last a generation or longer. Refrigerators, washers and dryers lasted for decades. Now the average appliance fails within a few years, and the electronic board–costing roughly a third of the entire appliance price–fails and must be replaced. With labor, the cost of the repair is so high, consumers often send the almost-new appliance to the landfill and buy a new (and soon to fail) appliance. Net-net, low quality reduces purchasing power even if price has declined. Then there’s the big-ticket items: rent, housing, college, healthcare. Anecdotally, I’ve been told a young engineer in Silicon Valley could earn $20,000 a year and rent a modest apartment for $200. Now the young engineer makes $100,000 but rent for the modest flat is $2,500 per month: wages rose five-fold but rent rose 12-fold. This is a staggering loss of purchasing power. As for college, tens of millions of students completed their university training with zero debt–student loan debt as we understand it today simply didn’t exist because it was unnecessary. The scarcity value of that college diploma has fallen precipitously over the decades, rendering most degrees that aren’t part of artificial scarcity schemes essentially valueless. As for healthcare: we now have $100,000 operations that work miracles on one side and people being bankrupted by costs on the other, and tens of thousands dying of opioid drugs promoted by the status quo as “safe” and non-addictive. Where metabolic disorders (lifestyle diseases such as diabesity) were once a relative rarity, now up to a third of the entire population is at risk of chronic lifestyle diseases that are difficult and costly to manage–but oh so profitable to those delivering the meds and care. Bottom line: how much housing, higher education and well-being does the average wage buy now compared to decades past? Not much. The statistics are bleak: wages are basically unchanged from the high water mark 50 years ago, which coincidentally was also the high water mark of U.S. energy production until very recently. Adjusted for purchasing power and quality, the average paycheck buys far less than it did 50 years ago. Wages’ share of the national income has plummeted since the last secular expansion of wages in the Internet boom of the late 1990s. The average household’s ownership of productive capital, and thus of financial security, has declined. There’s fewer assets within reach and those that are in reach have been reduced to a casino of booms and busts that wipes out all but the most agile gamblers. If we consider the long term (la longue duree), it’s clear America’s economy and society have been declining for the average household for 50 years. Nobody wants to admit this because it’s politically inconvenient, to say the least. What do we make of a society in which only the top 5% have prospered in terms of their earnings buying more goods and services? Meanwhile, everyone else has compensated for the sharp decline in purchasing power by going ever deeper into debt while the nation has decayed into a landfill economy. | Activist Post | https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/americas-concealed-crisis-fifty-years-of-economic-decline-1969-to-2019.html | 2019-07-02 00:58:17+00:00 | 1,562,043,497 | 1,567,537,149 | economy, business and finance | economic sector |
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