Weak upper and lower body physical performance associated with depression and anxiety

Physical fitness is associated with a number of key health outcomes, including heart disease, cognition, mortality, and an overall feeling of well-being. A new study now links physical performance with mental health and emotions, suggesting that weak upper and lower body fitness can cause more serious depression and anxiety in midlife women.  Click here to read further.

The Women’s Mental Health Taskforce: Final Report

The Women’s Mental Health Taskforce was formed in response to a rise in mental ill health among women. The taskforce’s final report sets out how women’s experience of mental ill health can differ to men’s Click here for link from King's Fund webpage

Diet Important for Woman’s Emotional Well-Being

New research suggests women need a more nutrient-rich diet to support a positive emotional well-being. Investigators used social media to discover that unlike men, women are less likely to experience mental well-being until a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are followed. Click here to read PsychCentral article

NIHR Signal Hospital admission rates and costs increase in line with BMI

Each 2kg/m² rise in body mass index (BMI) above the normal-weight threshold in women aged 55-79 leads to a 5% rise in annual hospital admissions and 7% rise in healthcare costs. In England, £662 million of the annual hospital admission costs in 2013 could be attributed to overweight or obesity in women of this age group. 


https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-00575/hospital-admission-rates-and-costs-increase-in-line-with-bmi


From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Guidance on menopause and the workplace

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) has produced guidance on menopause and the workplace. It pulls together the latest information on how menopause affects some women at work.

The guidance is aimed at women going through menopause and offers employers practical guidance on how to improve workplace environments for them.

Strengthening health systems to respond to women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual violence: A manual for health managers

This WHO manual aims to strengthen and enable health systems to provide confidential, effective and women-centred services to survivors of violence. It is intended for health managers at all levels of the health system and supports the implementation of the global plan of action on violence.

Health & Care Women Leaders Network launches

NHS Employers is excited to launch its new-look women leaders network and announce its first full-day conference.

Formally known as the HSJ Women Leaders Network, the network now enters a new phase supported by NHS Employers and the NHS Confederation.

Book now for the Health & Care Women Leaders Conference

Quick Starting Contraception

This update of the 2010 Quick Starting Contraception guideline has been developed by the FSRH and brings together evidence and expert opinion on the provision of contraception to women at any time in their cycle.

Specialised services quality dashboards

These dashboards are designed to provide assurance on the quality of care by collecting information about outcomes from healthcare providers. The dashboards are a key tool in monitoring the quality of services, enabling comparison between service providers and supporting improvements over time in the outcomes of services commissioned by NHS England.

• Women and children's health
• Trauma care
• Mental health services

Annual statistical publication for FGM shows 5,391 newly recorded cases during 2016-17

There were 5,391 newly recorded cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) reported in England during 2016-17, according to the second publication of annual statistics from NHS Digital.

Breast screening: imaging women with breast implants

This PHE document explains how to screen women with breast implants in the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Consolidated guideline on sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV

The starting point for this WHO guideline is the point at which a woman has learnt that she is living with HIV, and it therefore covers key issues for providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights-related services and support for women living with HIV. As women living with HIV face unique challenges and human rights violations related to their sexuality and reproduction within their families and communities, as well as from the health-care institutions where they seek care, particular emphasis is placed on the creation of an enabling environment to support more effective health interventions and better health outcomes.

Supporting the safety of girls and women being treated with valproate

A resource alert has been issued jointly by NHS Improvement and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to support the safety of girls and women of childbearing potential being treated with valproate.

NHS Women On Boards: 50:50 By 2020

This report from NHS Employers examines the steps the NHS needs to take to reach the target of equal gender representation on boards by 2020.

Nurse specialist in menopause

The Royal College of Nursing has published this document on the role of the nurse specialist in managing and supporting women with menopause.

Women who eat their veggies at lower risk of psychological stress

Published in the British Medical Journal Open, the longitudinal study of more than 60,000 Australians aged 45 years and above measured participants fruit and vegetable consumption, lifestyle factors and psychological distress at two time points, 2006-08 and 2010.

Key findings
People who ate 3-4 daily serves of vegetables had a 12 per cent lower risk of stress than those who ate 0-1 serves daily.

People who ate 5-7 daily serves of fruit and vegetables had a 14 per cent lower risk of stress than those who ate 0-4 serves daily.

Women who ate 3-4 daily serves of vegetables had an 18 per cent lower risk of stress than women who ate 0-1 serves daily.

Women who ate 2 daily serves of fruit had a 16 per cent lower risk of stress than women who ate 0-1 serves daily.

Women who ate 5-7 daily serves of fruit and vegetables had a 23 per cent lower risk of stress than women who ate 0-1 serves daily.

Almost all patients satisfied with their anaesthetic care

New research has discovered that almost all UK patients were very satisfied with the care they received from anaesthetists.

The HSRC SNAP-1 study, carried out by the RCoA funded Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) and the University College London Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and surveying 15,040 patients, looked into adult patient satisfaction and experience after undergoing non-obstetric surgery requiring anaesthesia care, in order to identify targets for research and quality improvement.

99% of respondents stated that they would recommend their hospital’s anaesthesia service to their friends and family. Anxiety was most frequently cited as being the worst element of having an operation – reported by 34% of women and 26% of men and a third (35%) of patients reported discomfort after anaesthesia.

However, surprisingly the study found that women are up to three times more likely to experience discomfort than men. The study found that compared to men, women were also:

• almost three times (2.77 times) more likely to experience severe cold or nausea and vomiting
• almost twice as likely to experience severe pain (1.73 times) and drowsiness (1.7) after surgery requiring anaesthesia care
• more likely to experience severe thirst (1.32 times) and sore throat (1.52 times).

Many Anorexics Need Extended Care for Brain Function

New research discovers that even after weeks of treatment and weight gain, anorexic teenagers need additional time to regain normal brain function.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus said persistent brain alteration puts teen at risk for possible relapse.

In the study, investigators examined 21 female adolescents before and after treatment for anorexia and found that their brains still had an elevated reward system compared to 21 participants without the eating disorder.

What Effect Does Prenatal and Postpartum Maternal Depression Have on Children?

The results of a large study do not support the notion that prenatal and postpartum maternal depression is particularly detrimental to children's psychological development. Instead, the most robust effects were found for maternal depression occurring during children's preschool years.

Maternal mental health – women's voices

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
This report is based on the findings of a survey of over 2300 women on their experiences of care in relation to their mental health during pregnancy and in the postnatal period. It provides recommendations for healthcare professionals, managers, providers, commissioners and policy-makers.

• Report
• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists - projects