The Health News United Kingdom March 2 2018

• A boy who was left nearly blind because of medical failures after his birth has won eight point five million pounds in compensation from the NHS.  The child, now eleven, was born extremely prematurely at St. George’s Hospital, Tooting in 2006. Doctors realised he had a condition which posed a threat to his vision and planned to review his sight, the High Court heard — but this did not take place. St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust admitted full liability for his injuries and agreed yesterday to pay a £2.65 million lump sum. It will also make a £55,000 payment every year until his 19th birthday, rising to £62,000 a year after that.
• A new report has revealed that a record number of people made a recovery from mental ill health after receiving NHS talking therapy last year, with almost half of people completing a course of treatment for depression or anxiety recovering.  The annual report on Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services (IAPT) defined recovery as when a person begins therapy as a “clinical case”, meaning their symptoms of mental ill health are severe, but symptoms are no longer classed as clinical by the end of their course of treatment. Symptoms are defined as “clinical” or “non clinical” measured by scores from questionnaires tailored to the patient’s specific condition.
• A report warns that women with breast cancer are twice as likely to die early in some areas of England than in other areas.  It also reveals how 4 in 10 patients are being diagnosed late in certain health trusts, partly because general practitioners are missing symptoms. Experts blame a lack of awareness among family doctors, who mistake the early signs for back pain, depression or even heavy drinking. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK and up to one in eight women will develop it. There are 55,000 new cases a year and 11,500 deaths.
  

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 2nd of March 2018. Read by Tabetha Moreto.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/nhs-to-pay-85m-to-boy-left-almost-blind-in-blunder-at-south-london-hospital-a3776576.html

A boy who was left nearly blind because of medical failures after his birth has won eight point five million pounds in compensation from the NHS.  The child, now eleven, was born extremely prematurely at Saint George’s Hospital, Tooting in two thousand six. Doctors realised he had a condition which posed a threat to his vision and planned to review his sight, the High Court heard — but this did not take place.

Mister Justice Foskett ruled “deficient monitoring” by the hospital meant the child lost the vision in his left eye, and is partially sighted in his right eye. The boy’s barrister, John Whitting QC, said he suffers from “very frightening” episodes of total blindness, and may lose his sight entirely in the future.
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Saint George’s Healthcare NHS Trust admitted full liability for his injuries and agreed to pay a two point sixty five million pounds lump sum. It will also make a fifty five thousand pound payment every year until his 19th birthday, rising to sixty two thousand pounds a year after that.

The judge capped the total payout at just over eight point five million pounds, but said the boy’s lawyers could return to court for more compensation if he were to lose his sight completely.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/record-number-make-recovery-from-mental-ill-health-due-to-nhs-talking-therapies_uk_5a9548c4e4b01f65f59a39ad?utm_hp_ref=uk-health

A new report has revealed that a record number of people made a recovery from mental ill health after receiving NHS talking therapy last year, with almost half of people completing a course of treatment for depression or anxiety recovering.

The annual report on Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services (IAPT) defined recovery as when a person begins therapy as a “clinical case”, meaning their symptoms of mental ill health are severe, but symptoms are no longer classed as clinical by the end of their course of treatment. Symptoms are defined as “clinical” or “non clinical” measured by scores from questionnaires tailored to the patient’s specific condition.

The review, published by NHS Digital, revealed one point four million people were referred for IAPT services during two thousand sixteen and two thousand seventeen. Just under half (forty nine point three percent) of people made a recovery, which is a seven percent increase compared to the period of two thousand twelve and two thousand thirteen, when records for this service began.
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The report on the effectiveness of talking therapies comes a week after a major study found antidepressants are an effective treatment for depression. Talking therapies available on the NHS under the IAPT programme include cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT, individual counselling for depression, couples counselling for depression and mindfulness therapy.  The report found more patients are getting care for mental ill health within six weeks compared to the year before. Of the five hundred sixty seven thousand referrals that finished a course of treatment in two thousand sixteen and two thousand seventeen, eighty seven point five percent waited less than six weeks for their first treatment and ninety eight point two percent waited less than eighteen weeks. This compares to figures from two thousand fifteen and two thousand sixteen, which were reported at eighty one point three percent and ninety six point two percent, respectively.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5438353/Breast-cancer-patients-doubly-likely-die-areas.html

A report warns that women with breast cancer are twice as likely to die early in some areas of England than in other areas.  It also reveals how four in ten patients are being diagnosed late in certain health trusts, partly because general practitioners are missing symptoms. Experts blame a lack of awareness among family doctors, who mistake the early signs for back pain, depression or even heavy drinking.

One woman said she was made to feel like a ‘hypochondriac’ for repeatedly going back to her doctor only to be sent away again. Members of Parliament on the All Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer warn of a postcode lottery in diagnosis and care.

In Newark and Sherwood Clinical Commissioning Group or CCG, in Nottinghamshire, an average of thirty one point nine people per one hundred thousand die from breast cancer before they reach seventy five. This is more than twice as high as in Tower Hamlets CCG in East London where the rate is thirteen point three per one hundred thousand people.
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Across England, up to twenty one percent of women who previously had breast cancer were initially overlooked by GPs when the illness returned. One woman was sent to an osteopath for back pain while others were diagnosed with depression or indigestion.
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Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK and up to one in eight women will develop it. There are fifty five thousand new cases a year and eleven thousand five hundred deaths. But despite a dramatic improvement in survival rates, the report claims that many women are still being denied the best care.