Doctors to decide if Alfie Evans can go home
Yesterday doctors met to decide if Alfie Evans can go home, after being removed from life support earlier this week. Judges rejected further appeals on Wednesday to allow his parents to take him to Italy for treatment. The toddler has a rare degenerative neurological condition and is considered to be in a semi-vegetative state. He has been off his ventilator for three days and has shown no signs of deterioration. His parents will work with doctors to ensure he has the “dignity and comfort he needs”.
Read more on the Sky News.
Secretary of State open to introducing an NHS tax
A cross-party group of MPs have responded to a letter from Jeremy Hunt asking for suggestions on how to fund the NHS with the possibility of a hypothecated tax. They are asking the Health Secretary to create a ‘health and social care tax’ through National Insurance revenue to fund the NHS. Nick Boles, Norman Lamb and Liz Kendell were interviewed on BBC Radio Four’s Today Programme where they discussed their idea, which Boles called a “new Beveridge moment”.
Read more on The Telegraph.
NHS faces judicial review over accountable care organisations
NHS England faces its first legal challenge over its changes to the way the health system is set up. Campaigners opposed to accountable care organisations are concerned the changes could force doctors to make decisions around the provision of care based on funds available rather than what is best for patients. The case will be heard by the high court in Leeds and is the first of two judicial reviews that judges have granted to explore ACOs and their legality.
Read more on The Guardian.
Seven-year-old boy receives five organs in transplant
Jay Crouch has received five organs in a rare multiple organ transplant. The seven-year-old was given two kidneys, a liver, small intestine and pancreas, which were removed from the donor in one block. This meant only six connections were needed to attach the organs to Jay’s blood supply.
Read more on ITV.
New research links dementia risk with some routine medications
Research from the University of East Anglia found more cases of dementia in patients who had previously been taking anticholinergics. There are currently likely to be 1.5 to two million people taking the drugs, which are prescribed for depression, Parkinson’s and bladder problems. The research was funded by the Alzheimer’s Society and was published in the British Medical Journal, looked at the medical records of over 40,000 people aged between 65 and 99.
Read more on the BBC.
Quote of the week – Eileen Parkes on doctors burn out:
“…the answer, we are told, is resilience. Fix the doctors, get them to manage the workload. That the workload is not manageable is not addressed. An epidemic of burnout has not driven critical appraisal of the system, but instead a focus on the perceived deficiency of character in doctors.”
Read more on The Guardian.