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12:15 The NSPCC in Wales says young people are facing ‘worrying’ waiting times for help, with more than 1,000 out of 18,000 referred to child and adolescent mental health services waiting more than six months for an appointment this year.
But the the Welsh Government said there had been a 44% decrease in people having to wait for six months since 2015, reports the BBC.
Des Mannion, the head of service for NSPCC Cymru said: ‘These figures lay bare the true scale of delays in accessing mental health services for children and it’s a worrying picture.
‘It does seem pretty shocking that we’re having some young people waiting for more than six months for their first appointment. That can’t be good.
‘Investment in these sort of services for children and young people is actually money that’s well spent both in terms of outcomes for them but also in terms of preventing them needing further intervention support in their adult lives.’
11:40 Lord O’Shaughnessy has been appointed a parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of Health and a government whip, according to a Government bulletin. It adds that the role is unpaid.
James O’Shaughnessy, a former policy director to David Cameron when he was Prime Minister, is a member of the Conservative Party and joined the Lords in October 2015.
Meanwhile, under-secretary of state Lord Prior of Brampton is moving from the DH to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
09:40 Eating cured or processed meat four times a week may worsen asthma, researchers claim, although they are not sure why.
According the the Daily Mail, they belive it could be the nitrites used to process cured meat which triggers inflammation in the airways.
Just over a fifth of trial participants in the French study saw their asthma worsen if they ate sausages or ham four times a week.
The study published in BMJ journal Thorax said: ‘Cured meats are rich in nitrite, which may lead to nitrosative stress and oxidative stress related lung damage and asthma.
‘Cured meat might increase the systemic inflammation, which may have an influence on asthma.
‘In addition, the high content of salt and saturated fat in cured meat might also contribute in part to the association with asthma.
‘Further studies need to be carried out to improve our understanding regarding potential mechanistic processes.’
