Children are no more likely to die after being admitted to hospital at a weekend compared to a weekday, according to a study in Scotland which contradicts a widely publicised study earlier this week.
The Independent reports that care at weekends may actually be better, as the percentage of patients requiring readmission is lower, contrary to a BMJ paper that concluded weekend admission significantly increased admission,.
Pulse editor Nigel Praities castigated the widely reported BMJ paper in his column this week, highlighting that the highest mortality rates were found on Thursdays and said the suspect study would be seized on by ministers to push through seven-day working.
Mounting pressure on the NHS this winter is already apparent, with data from A&E departments showing only 88% of patients were treated or admitted within the four hour target, below the 95% target.
The analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine looked at 40 trusts, and also highlighted significant problems discharging patients.
And the BBC reports that college president Dr Cliff Mann predicted the ‘worst is yet to come’.
Currently, MSM are banned from giving blood for 12 months after having sex.
But health minister Jane Ellison has announced it is time to review the rules again.
She told the House of Commons: ‘Donor deferral for men who have sex with men was changed from lifetime to 12 months in 2011, but four years later it is time to look again at the question.
‘Public Health England has just undertaken an anonymous survey of donors and I am pleased that the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs [Sabto] will review the issue in 2016.’
