Showing posts from March 2014

Smoking bans cut asthma and premature births by 10%, study says

Laws banning smoking in public places have had a positive impact on child health, an international study in the Lancet suggests.

Researchers found a 10% reduction in premature births and severe childhood asthma attacks within a year of smoke-free laws being introduced.

A research team analysed 11 previous studies from North America and Europe.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said smoking bans benefitted adults and children.

Click here to read the full article.

Social Care Workers given £8m training boost

Social care workers given £8m training boost

The Welsh government said it wanted to boost the esteem in which social work and care was held in the public eye.

Training for social care workers in Wales has been given a boost with news of an £8m grant.

The money announced by the Welsh government is part of a package worth £11.6m for this financial year.

The social care workforce development programme aims to increase the take-up of training across the whole social care sector.

Great news that the Welsh government have recognised the importance of investing in training - fingers crossed the English government will soon follow suit.  We at Routes Healthcare believe training is so important and continue to invest heavily in our team -Reg Storey Routes Healthcare Training Dept.

Autism 'begins long before birth'

Scientists say they have new evidence that autism begins in the womb.

Patchy changes in the developing brain long before birth may cause symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research suggests.

The study, in the New England Journal of Medicine, raises hopes that better understanding of the brain may improve the lives of children with autism.

It reinforces the need for early identification and treatment, says a University of California team.

Click here to read the full article.

Child mental health issues 'missed'

Thousands of young people may be "slipping through the net" because adults do not spot the warning signs of mental health problems, experts warn.

MindEd, a new website, backed by groups including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, is being launched to raise awareness.

A survey of 2,100 adults found a third were unsure of signs of depression in children.

More than 850,000 children in the UK have a mental health problem.

The survey, carried out on behalf of the child and adolescent mental health groups behind MindEd, also found half of those questioned would be worried about saying anything if they did suspect there was a problem, for fear of being mistaken.

Two-thirds would back extra government investment in children's mental health services to equip professionals with the skills to identify and treat these children earlier.

NHS fraud and error 'costing the UK £7bn a year'

Fraud is costing the NHS £5bn a year, with a further £2bn lost to errors, the former head of its anti-fraud section says.

The amount lost to fraud alone could pay for nearly 250,000 new nurses, a report seen by Panorama suggests.

The NHS must "get on with tackling the problem", said Jim Gee, co-author of the Portsmouth University study and ex-director of NHS Counter Fraud Services.

The Department of Health said it "did not recognise" the figures.

The amount estimated by Mr Gee, who led the NHS anti-fraud section for eight years, is 20 times that recorded in the government's annual fraud indicator report.

Full more details click here.