15:10 Women’s brain power is boosted by a good night’s sleep, more so than men’s, reports the Daily Mail.
Scientists said men could get away with having an afternoon nap and experience the same benefits for their intelligence.
Understanding why was less easy, but the researchers looked at bursts of activity in the brain during sleep, the participants’ IQ and the quality of white matter in the brain…
Professor Martin Dresler, from the Max Planck Institute in Munich, said the research showed that the relationship between sleep and intelligence is ‘more complex than we have assumed until now’.
Never a truer word, professor.
11:47 The CQC has appointed a GP as the new national guardian for speaking up freely and safely within the NHS.
Dr Henrietta Hughes, the medical director for NHS England’s North Central and East London region and a practising GP, will ‘help to lead a cultural change within NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts, so that healthcare staff feel confident and supported to raise concerns about patient care at all times’, the CQC said.
The role, which she will take up from October, will include ‘leading, advising and supporting the growing network of “Freedom to Speak Up” Guardians within NHS trusts who are responsible for developing a culture of openness within their hospitals’, according to the regulator.
Dr Hughes said: ‘As a practising GP and with my experience in the NHS, both on the frontline and at leadership levels, I understand the challenges that lie ahead.’
09:45 BMA’s new Junior Doctors Committee chair has responded to health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s decision to impose the new contract.
Dr Ellen McCourt, an emergency medicine junior doctor in Hull, said: ‘It is extremely disappointing that the government is pushing ahead with the introduction of a contract that has been rejected by a majority of junior doctors.
‘Good progress had been made in recent months and I believe agreeing a contract in which junior doctors have confidence is still the best way forward.
‘By choosing this route rather than building on progress made and addressing the outstanding issues which led to a rejection of the contract by many junior doctors, the Government is simply storing up problems for the future.
‘A new contract will affect a generation of doctors and impact on the delivery of patient care. It needs to have the support of the profession and in light of today’s announcement the BMA will need to consult with members before deciding on next steps.
‘The BMA has always been clear in its desire for a negotiated end to this dispute and I am committed to delivering on this.’
