Category Archives: Health policy

Government to issue ‘sleep hygiene’ guidance

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Leaked draft says less than seven hours’ sleep can damage mental and physical health

The government could give people guidance on how much sleep they need each night, according to reports.

A leaked draft of a public health green paper, due to be published by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, says the government will review the evidence on sleep and health. It suggests the minimum amount will vary depending on how old someone is, and the paper will give advice on “sleep hygiene”, according to the Times, which obtained the document.

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‘The kidney has a very special place in the heart,’ says Trump – video

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Donald Trump has claimed that ‘the kidney has a very special place in the heart’ as he announced a government plan to tackle kidney disease in the US. The president’s declaration is likely to raise eyebrows among those familiar with human anatomy

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Trump wavers after saying NHS must be on table in US-UK trade talks

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US president says he refused to meet Corbyn, who vows to fight any grab at health services

Donald Trump has declared he wants the NHS to be on the table in any US-UK trade deal and refused to meet the “negative” Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who pledged to oppose US corporations taking over the health service with every breath in his body.

On the second day of his state visit, during which he has been hosted by the Queen and Theresa May, the US president set out his ambitions for a “phenomenal” post-Brexit trade deal with the UK.

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Austerity to blame for 130,000 ‘preventable’ UK deaths – report

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Two decades of public health improvements have stalled, says IPPR thinktank

More than 130,000 deaths in the UK since 2012 could have been prevented if improvements in public health policy had not stalled as a direct result of austerity cuts, according to a hard-hitting analysis to be published this week.

The study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank finds that, after two decades in which preventable diseases were reduced as a result of spending on better education and prevention, there has been a seven-year “perfect storm” in which state provision has been pared back because of budget cuts, while harmful behaviours among people of all ages have increased.

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Severely obese people in middle age 50% more likely to die early, study finds

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High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes among the risks, according to analysis of data on 2.8 million NHS patients

People who are severely obese in middle age are 50% more likely to die early than those of a healthy weight, according to a large study of UK data.

The research shows people with the highest levels of obesity are running a high risk of a range of serious illnesses and premature death, with 12 times the risk of type 2 diabetes, 22 times the risk of sleep apnoea and nearly four times the risk of heart failure compared to those who are of normal weight.

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Home Office gives green light to first drug testing clinic

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‘Life-saving’ scheme, licensed by the government, launched amid rising concern over potentially toxic substances

The first drug-checking service licensed by the Home Office will allow users to have their illicit substances tested without fear of being arrested in a move that could be rolled out nationally if it is shown to save lives.

The year-long pilot project, which had a soft launch in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, last Friday but begins in earnest this week, will allow anyone over the age of 18 to take their drugs to the clinic, run by the charity Addaction. Testing the content will take about 10 minutes, during which time the user will complete a short questionnaire to allow harm reduction advice to be tailored to them.

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Vaping twice as likely as gum to help smokers quit, research finds

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Study shows 18% success rate with e-cigarettes, compared with 10% with other methods

People are almost twice as likely to succeed in quitting smoking if they use e-cigarettes than if they rely on nicotine replacement patches and gums, a new study has shown.

The research, focused on nearly 900 long-term smokers seeking NHS help to quit, was hailed as a landmark by experts in public health in the UK who believe e-cigarettes have already helped bring down the smoking rate. However, there was less enthusiasm in the United States, where there is concern that vaping nicotine is addictive and may cause children to start smoking.

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