A best practice guide for consultant job planning

Advice for trusts from NHS Improvement to ensure that their approach to consultant job planning is consistent with best practice.

Anxiety and depression linked to increased cancer death risk

"Depression linked to higher chance of dying from cancer," The Independent reports. Analysis of English and Scottish data found a link between mental distress and cancer mortality, which remained even after other factors such as smoking were taken into account.

However, you definitely should not assume this means lots of people with mental health problems will get cancer, or that mental distress causes cancer.

Read more about the science behind the headlines.

Some psychotic episodes 'may be triggered by immune disorders'

Some psychotic episodes 'may be triggered by immune disorders' The Independent reports

Researchers from Oxford University found around 9% of people presenting with psychotic symptoms also had signs of immune dysfunction.

They found these people had antibodies in their blood linked to a condition called antibody-mediated encephalitis.

In this condition, antibodies made by the immune system mistakenly attack the surface receptors of brain cells, causing hallucinations, paranoia and delusions – a group of symptoms collectively known as psychosis.

New nursing degree apprenticeship

The first apprentice nurses could be working on wards from September, and once established, up to 1,000 apprentice nurses could join the NHS each year.

In a speech at the NHS Providers conference, the Health Secretary annoounced the new role as one in a series of measures to help improve the working lives of staff,  He also announced other new measures to support the NHS workforce:

• Development of a ‘skills escalator’ to progress staff through entry-level apprenticeships to a nursing degree apprenticeship.
• A requirement that, by the end of 2017, all trusts must be meeting the best practice on e-rostering, as outlined in NHS Improvement’s best practice guide. 
• A new programme and review to encourage more clinicians to go into senior managerial roles.
• A major review of the assessment and appraisal process for junior doctors, to make it simpler and more helpful.