Patient safety commissioner for Scotland recruited
The new post will be independent of both government and the health service.The recruitment process for the role, which runs for an eight-year term, was handled by the Scottish Parliament. Mrs Titchener is currently working in the United States in a senior role for a 'hospital at home' programme. Prior to this she had more than two decades of senior leadership experience within the UK health service.This included a role in NHS London where she was part of the team which delivered the world's first reported 'oncology at home' programme delivering acute care in patients' homes.There has been a patient safety commissioner in England since 2022.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump administration wants to end abortion coverage through Veterans Affairs
President Donald Trump 's administration is calling to remove abortion coverage from the list of medical benefits for veterans and their families, saying it's not needed. The Department of Veterans Affairs posted the proposed rule change on Monday and opened a public comment period on it that runs through Sept. 3. The department said in its proposal that it wants to ensure it 'provides only needed medical services to our nation's heroes and their families.' The department says it would still provide abortion in life-threatening circumstances — something state laws allow, even in places where bans are in place. But critics of the change note that abortion would not be provided when pregnancies are the result of rape or incest. Amy Friedrich-Karnik, director of federal policy at the Guttmacher Institute, said in a statement that the change would cut off millions of veterans and their families from services. 'Veterans have historically faced significant barriers to reproductive health care, and with the current patchwork of abortion bans and restrictions across the country, these barriers are even steeper today," she said. Veterans Affairs, which provides health coverage for veterans and their dependents, did not include abortion in its coverage until 2022. President Joe Biden 's administration added it months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and state abortion bans began kicking in. The Biden changed allowed the VA to provide abortion even in states where it was banned. The VA says in its proposal that allowing abortion is legally questionable because Congress has not specifically allowed it. The policy change would also bring the VA's coverage into line with other federal health care plans — including Medicaid and the TriCare coverage for active military members and their families — which exclude abortion in most cases. The VA said in its filings that about 100 veterans and 40 dependents obtain abortions using the benefits each year — far below the projection the department made in 2022 of a total of 1,000 a year. The conservative law firm Alliance Defending Freedom called on the VA to drop abortion coverage in a letter last month, saying the cost or providing abortion takes other health resources away from veterans.
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I've been a personal trainer for 25 years - I avoid this 'healthy' food because it makes you look old
Demand for plant-based meat alternatives, gluten-free snacks and other 'healthy' options has undeniably taken the world by storm. Fuelled by a deluge of alarming reports into the dangers of eating too much processed meat, gluten and refined carbohydrates, supermarket shelves are now packed with 'plant based meat' and grain and nut-packed granolas. But, Tracy Campoli, a certified holistic health coach, warned these so-called "healthy" products could be ageing the body from the inside out, causing chronic inflammation and visible signs of ageing. According to Ms Campoli, some of the most popular plant-based meat-alternatives are seriously lacking in vital nutrients like protein, and are instead packed full of additives, seed oils and salt. In a video posted to YouTube, the fitness coach analysed five different "healthy foods" that are by their very nature highly processed, and concluded that fake meat is one of the worst offenders when it comes to health. 'Just because it's plant-based, it doesn't mean it's healthy—you've got to read your labels,' she warned her 347,000 subscribers. Around 12 per cent of people in the UK eat a meat-free diet, with many choosing to give up red meat in particular because of its supposed link with heart disease and even cancer. But, Ms Campoli warned: 'Some of these so-called "good for you" choices may secretly be sabotaging your skin and even speeding up visible signs of ageing like wrinkles. 'But more plant-based alternatives might actually be causing some fine wrinkles on your face. Ms Campoli continued: 'So many of those mass-marketed plant-based meat alternatives—such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger—all use inflammatory oils which can speed up your cellular ageing.' Seed oils such a canola oil, sunflower and rapeseed oils are high in polyunsaturated fats which, it has long been claimed, are a 'heart healthy' substitute for traditional animal fats. But in recent years, they've also found themselves at the centre of a raging health debate. Detractors refer to seed oils as 'The Hateful Eight' – which also include corn, soybean, cottonseed, grapeseed, safflower and rice bran oil. Critics say these oils—which today make up more than 25 per cent of the calories in our diets—are causing obesity and leading to a host of health problems from type 2 diabetes to depression and even migraines. It's a claim that goes against medical advice of the past few decades: butter, dripping and lard are high in 'bad' saturated fats which raise cholesterol and heart disease risk, while seed oils contain unsaturated fats that can decrease cholesterol levels and protect the heart. But according to Ms Campoli seed oils aren't always the healthier option. 'They may sound healthy, but they are actually really not great for our body, causing more oxidative stress,' she warned in the clip. The main concern us that they are high in omega-6 fatty acids, she explained. 'When we have an excess of omega-6 in our body it creates more oxidative stress, damages your skin cells and it can cause wrinkles.' She added that these alternative products are often packed with higher levels of salt than their animal-derived counterparts, as manufacturers try to mimic the taste and texture of real meat. This, she says, can cause people to bloat and make the skin look more puffy. Eating too much salt can also lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 'It's also not good for your skin because sodium can also lead to dehydration,' Ms Campoli added. 'But it's hydration from the inside out gives us that glowy more youthful-looking skin. 'If you're eating a lot of excess salt, you're going to look dry and dehydrated. She concluded: 'All of these ingredients together can cause inflammation in the body. 'Inflammation is the root cause of so many diseases and health problems so we want to do our best to keep inflammation at bay. 'You're better off eating more whole foods than looking for substitutes.' Wholegrain breads that are full of hidden sugars and emulsifiers, granola, rice cakes and gluten-free snack products also made her blacklist. 'Many of these products breads contain hidden sugars which contribute to glycation—meaning it stiffens and weakens your collagen, making your skin saggy and contributing to the visible signs of ageing.' It comes as new research suggests consuming a diet low in ultra-processed foods could help supercharge weight loss. Additive-laden foods have been vilified for decades over their supposed health risks, with dozens of studies linking them to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Now, British scientists who tracked dozens of adults have discovered those who ate a diet rich in minimally processed foods and avoided UPFs, lost twice as much weight as those who often consumed UPFs. Sticking to meals cooked from scratch could also help curb food cravings, they also found. However, diets high in UPFs had little impact on blood pressure, heart rate, liver function and cholesterol. Researchers argued their findings echoed calls to limit certain types of UPFs but cautioned it also showed that not all UPFs are 'inherently unhealthy'.
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Health officials tell UK to brace for surge of virus that is the leading cause of death in newborns
Britons have been warned to brace themselves for an upsurge in cases of a deadly lung infection amid a global rise. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can be deadly for young children and the elderly, flares up every autumn in the UK—just like the flu. But official surveillance data shows Australia has already logged a record number of cases this year. NHS chiefs believe the Australian winter is a good predictor of how viruses will spread in the UK. Spread by coughs and sneezes, it hospitalises around 30,000 children and 18,000 adults in the UK every year, due to serious breathing complications like pneumonia and lung infections. It said that the virus is a leading cause of death among babies. Around 20 to 30 children die from the virus each winter. It's also estimated to contribute to the deaths of 8,000 adults over the same period, due to the increased strain the infection puts on patient's hearts, causing the organ to fail. Officials have now urged pregnant women and those eligible to get the RSV vaccine. Kate Brintworth, chief midwifery officer for NHS England, said: 'While for most adults RSV only causes mild, cold-like symptoms, for older adults and young children it can lead to serious breathing problems that can end up in hospitalisation. 'Getting vaccinated while pregnant is the best way to protect your baby from the moment they are born. 'Now is the time for mums to act, to make sure their babies are protected ahead of their first few months this winter, when there tends to be more bugs circulating.' Last week, data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also showed the jab for pregnant women can prevent almost three quarters (72 per cent) of hospital admissions for their babies. The antibodies the mums produce in response to the jab are passed to their babies in the womb, protecting them for the first six months after being born. Meanwhile, the vaccine is 82 per cent effective at preventing hospital admissions for RSV among older adults, the UKHSA noted. Pregnant women can get the jab from 28 weeks of pregnancy onwards through their maternity services or GP surgery. Older adults aged 75-79 are also eligible for the jab and NHS England will start inviting people to come forward in the next few weeks. The NHS's jab rollout comes as part of its winter vaccine plans, which also includes Covid and flu vaccines. The lung condition spreads by large droplets and the virus can survive on surfaces for up to seven hours. Children remain infectious for up to three weeks, even after their symptoms have passed. Higher risk babies can receive the nirsevimab vaccine from September—with the single jab replacing five monthly injections previously given to infants classed as being at high risk.
