Study by Dr Kirby, Southport & Ormskirk Dermatology Dept published in the July edition of the British Journal of Dermatology
An ethical dilemma: malignant melanoma in a 51-year-old patient awaiting simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplantation for type 1 diabetes.
Malignant melanoma is a high-risk skin cancer that, in potential transplant recipients, is considered a substantial contraindication to solid organ transplantation due to significant risk of recurrence with immunosuppression. Current guidelines stipulate[…]

Trusts must double efficiency savings to avoid ‘crude rationing’, report warns – Health Service Journal
NHS trusts will have to make efficiency savings of 4 per cent to hit their financial targets, despite this “never being achieved” before and being widely deemed unachievable, a detailed analysis has found.

Capsticks podcast with Danny Mortimer – NHS Employers
Listen to the third in our series of podcasts produced by NHS Employers for Capsticks’ Business Solutions (CBS) to discuss the HR issues facing the workforce of 2020.

What are the biggest challenges in making the funding settlement work? – Health Service Journal
This was the question tackled by our expert panel in a recent roundtbale debate. Report by Alison Moore. This roundtable, the second in HSJ’s top chief executives series brought together leaders from the acute and mental health sectors with experts – including NHS Improvement chief executive Jim Mackey – to talk about whether the proposed funding was going to be enough.

Connecting professionals – Dr Simon Woodworth. NHS England Blog
Dr Simon Woodworth of the Stockport Together vanguard writes about listening and responding to the concerns of GPs in his area and adding a service to connect them with consultant colleagues to allow real time access to advice and reduce the level of GP to hospital referrals. Stockport Together vanguard is a partnership between Stockport’s health […]

Stroke prevention
The Kings Fund has published What if everyone over 55 was offered a pill to prevent heart attacks and strokes? This is another essay from the King’s Fund ‘What If hypothetical scenarios series’ exploring the future of health and healthcare.  In this latest essay the author argues that offering a polypill to everyone over 55 could dramatically reduce the number of deaths from stroke and cardiovascular disease.

What if everyone over 55 was offered a pill to prevent heart attacks and strokes? – The King’s Fund
‘The NHS if’ is a collection of essays that explores hypothetical scenarios and their impact on the future of health and care. This essay, written by Richard Smith, looks at the cost of cardiovascular disease and whether prescribing polypills as a preventative measure could save lives.

Cost of diabetes to NHS increases by 86% in last decade – NHE
The cost of diabetes drugs has increased by 86.1% between 2005-06 and 2015-16 and has now reached nearly £1bn. New figures from NHS Digital, formerly the Health and Social Care Information Centre, show that the cost of diabetes drugs has grown from £513.9m to £956.7m.

DoOD to set up a new virtual design group – NHS Employers
A new opportunity for OD and HR practitioners to get involved in new ways of thinking.

Avoiding unconscious bias: a guide for surgeons –  Royal College of Surgeons (RCS)
This guide aims to encourage surgeons to be aware of this, and sometimes adjust their behaviour so that their trainees and fellow staff do not misinterpret their actions. It outlines the impact on of unconscious bias on equality and diversity in relation to recruitment and workplace harassment in particular.

Delivering differently: how to deliver change – Policy Exchange
This report argues for a bottom-up and localised approach to solving longstanding challenges in welfare, health, criminal justice and education. It suggests that redistributing the Civil Service across the country would push the devolution agenda, bring decision-makers closer to the people and provide local communities with the additional capabilities that they might need to manage new financial and administrative powers.

New workplace wellbeing index launched by Mind – NHS Employers
Find out all about the new Workplace Wellbeing Index to help your organisation celebrate its successes and identify the gaps where it could support employees more with mental health issues.

The Prevent programme: an ethical dilemma for teachers as well as psychiatrists. BJPsych Bull. 2016 Apr; 40(2): 85–86. 
The UK government’s Prevent programme affects professionals and the people who rely on their services across the public sector, particularly now that workers are legally bound to report their concerns about individuals they believe to be at risk of radicalisation. This article discusses the risks that the strategy presents to the work of teachers and the bonds of trusts between staff and students.

Integrating health and social care –  Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
An ageing population and the increasing prevalence of long-term conditions are putting pressure on health and social care services. The four UK nations have committed to better integration between health and social care as one solution to these challenges. This briefing outlines what integration is, examines policies to enable it and gives examples of integration in England. It also looks at the evidence on the challenges of achieving integration and assessing the effectiveness of approaches.

Public Health England data and analysis tools updated
Public Health England has published updated analysis tools for: child and maternal health and mental health. It has also added new links to its PHE data and analysis tools: A to Z in the following areas: mental health crisis care profile; dementia profile and data catalogue; neurology data catalogue; crisis care data catalogue; teenage parent outcomes modelling tool; child health clinical indicator summaries; Knowledge hub: best start in life.

Centres of global digital excellence – NHS England
Twenty six of the most digitally advanced trusts have been invited by NHS England to apply for a £100m+ funding pot to become centres of global digital excellence and drive forward better use of technology in health. Once established, the centres will lead the way for the entire system to move faster in getting better information technology on the ground, delivering benefits for patients and sharing learning and resources with other local organisations through networks.

NICE guidance and advice
Quality Standard
QS127   Obesity: clinical assessment and management

Clinical Guidance
CG140    Palliative care for adults: strong opioids for pain relief (Updated)