Health experts criticise NHS chief’s remarks that people with flu symptoms ‘must wear face masks’

An NHS leader who said people with flu symptoms “must wear” a face mask in public risks causing “confusion” among the public over official guidance on how to fight the virus, health experts have warned.The number of people in hospital with flu in England is at a record level for this time of year. At least six hospitals across the UK have told patients to stay away due to a surge in flu cases sweeping the country this week.Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said on Tuesday that “if you are coughing and sneezing, but you’re not unwell enough to not go to work, you must wear a mask when you’re in public spaces, including on public transport”. His comments received widespread coverage

Ethical dilemmas raised by the assisted dying bill | Letters

The opinion piece by Dave Sowry, a board member of My Death, My Decision, highlights the risks of treating autonomy as an ethical principle in isolation (I accompanied my wife to Dignitas. The Lords’ filibustering is an insult to all like her who have suffered, 3 December). While it is sad that he was widowed early, he and his wife were able to travel and make choices – choices shaped principally by fear. That does not mean the law should be altered.What his account overlooks are the thousands of patients in the UK denied genuine choice because they lack access to palliative care

Bullying in the NHS results from a systemic problem | Letter

I write in response to your article on Blackpool Victoria hospital (Leaked report reveals culture of bullying and harassment at scandal-hit NHS hospital, 3 December). I joined the NHS as a research fellow at a large teaching hospital after completing my PhD in public health. I wanted to make a more meaningful impact in the most deprived communities in England but, after two gruelling years of continuous bullying by senior leadership, I was forced to leave.If I could describe my time at the hospital, it would be soul-destroying – not from working with extremely poor and marginalised communities, but from the toxic culture imposed by senior management. Bullying was widespread, with senior management (who were mostly consultants that had pivoted to research) being the main instigators

Jailed Welsh women and their children face an additional trauma | Letters

Simon Hattenstone, quoting Ministry of Justice figures, says “the self-harm rate in women’s prisons in England and Wales was at a record high” (Report, 3 December). It is worth remembering that Wales does not have a women’s prison. Women given custodial sentences in Wales are sent to prisons in England (Cheshire or Gloucestershire, for example). This clearly has a negative impact on families, especially children.The Welsh government’s preventive and trauma-informed approach favours the creation of residential women’s centres as a community-based alternative to short prison sentences

One in five women in England say their concerns were ignored during childbirth, survey finds

Almost one in five women feel their concerns were not taken seriously by healthcare professionals during childbirth, according to the “concerning” results of a national survey of maternity experiences.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey of almost 17,000 women who gave birth across England in NHS settings this year found that 15% felt they had not been given relevant advice or support when they contacted a midwife at the start of their labour, while 18% said their concerns had not been taken seriously.One in 10 of the survey’s respondents reported they had been left alone during their maternity care at a time that worried them, 7% of which was “during the later stages of labour”.Valerie Amos, who is overseeing a national investigation into maternity care, said women were experiencing “unacceptable” maternity care, including poor communication, a lack of empathy, and in some cases discrimination against women from ethnic minority and working-class backgrounds.Clea Harmer, the chief executive of the baby loss charity Sands, said the report was “alarming and frustrating to read” and signalled the need for urgent action to follow recommendations made to improve maternity care in England

Scotland’s looser rules on assisted dying could lead to ‘death tourism’, say senior politicians

Senior Scottish politicians fear there could be a risk of “death tourism” from terminally ill people travelling from other parts of the UK to end their lives in Scotland.A cross-party group of MSPs, including the deputy first minister, Kate Forbes, said the looser controls on eligibility written into an assisted dying bill for Scotland could attract people who are unhappy with stricter rules planned for England and Wales.The Scottish bill, which is expected to have its final vote in February, has no time limit on who can apply for assisted dying, although they must have lived in Scotland for at least a year and have “an advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they cannot recover”.The policies for England and Wales, which are being examined in the Lords, stipulate someone must be within six months of death. If Kim Leadbeater’s bill is passed it could take up to four years to be implemented, while Scotland’s measures may come into force several years earlier