This week johnson & johnson, obesity and e-nursing week have dominated the news.
Matt Dawson: I had to have heart surgery after a tick bite
Former England rugby player and World Cup winner Matt Dawson had multiple heart operations and 18 months of treatment after he was bitten by a tick in a London park last year. It caused a bacterial infection to spread through his body leaving him feverish and in need of heart surgery. Read more at BBC.
Patients die because nurses are too busy
Nurses are too rushed to offer crucial care and it is causing patient deaths according to a study that has prompted claims of NHS wards being dangerously understaffed. This study only strengthens the argument of previous findings that wards with fewer nurses have higher death rates. Read more at The Times. £
England’s obesity hotspots: how does your area compare?
Across England, some 64.8% of people are of excess weight – this is comprised of 40.4% of people who are overweight and a further 24.4% who are obese. London has the lowest levels of obesity in the country, with just 38.5% of people being classed as overweight. Read more or check your BMI at the Telegraph.
Johnson & Johnson faces payout of over £300m in latest talc case
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) have been ordered to pay a woman who says she developed ovarian cancer after using their talc based products. It is the highest pay-out in a string of law suits against J&J for not ‘adequately’ warning users about cancer risks from talc-based products, J&J will be appealing the decision. Read more at the BBC.
NHS Digital endorses “Every nurse an e-nurse” campaign
The Royal College of Nursing’s campaign to make every nurse an e-nurse by 2020 has been endorsed by NHS Digital. E-nursing week began on Monday, 21st August and has focused on various aspects of e-nursing, including technology at patient bedsides, data-sharing, digital security and the role of apps and wearables.
Janet Davies, Chief Executive and General Secretary at the RCN said the college is pleased to be working NHS Digital for the benefit of the whole nursing community and their patients. Read more on Digital Health.
Quote of the week – Stephen Hawking on the NHS that he believes has given him the time to make scientific discoveries that alter mankind’s understanding of the universe.
“The NHS saved me. As a scientist, I must help to save it.” The Guardian