Latest news with #RoyalCollege
Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Skinny is back in fashion – but it's a trend that could prove deadly to the over-60s
In case you hadn't noticed, skinny is back. Sigh. Both the jeans and the Twiggy physique to slip into them. But while the glossies are full of suggestions on how to style your denim, there's a bit of an information gap when it comes to shedding the midlife pounds without damaging your long-term health. Fail to lose enough and you won't fit into that Hobbs summer dress. Shed too many and you could really be storing up trouble. As we age we lose muscle as well as fat and that places individuals at risk of becoming frail. I thought it was just an adjective, but frailty is actually a medical condition, which is common in older people. Symptoms include reduced muscle strength, fatigue, slower walking pace, lower activity levels, weight loss and increased vulnerability. Research by The Royal College of Anaesthetists and the University of Nottingham has just revealed that frail patients stay an average of three days longer in hospital after an operation than patients who are fit for surgery. Those who are severely frail remain on wards for six days longer. They are also three times more likely to suffer from complications and three times more likely to die in the first year after surgery. No wonder then that experts have called for all surgical patients over the age of 60 to be screened for frailty as standard practice to bolster recovery and slash extended stays in hospital. It sounds like an eminently sensible idea, but it might be better if more emphasis were placed on prevention rather than cure. In the age of the fat jab, a great many older people are reaching for Ozempic and Mounjaro to reduce their appetite and silence the food noise that has plagued them for most of their lives. But it's all too easy to get hooked. Photos of early adopter Sharon Osbourne are enough to put the wind up anyone. The 72-year-old wife of erstwhile hellraiser Ozzy was among the first celebrities to publicly confirm using the diabetes drug Ozempic in December 2022. She lost three stone in four months, but had subsequently admitted it was 'too much'. Her gaunt 'Ozempic face' caused concern among her fans and so she set about gaining a little of her old weight back. But to her consternation, she discovered she couldn't. The pendulum – or its metabolic equivalent – had swung too far. And although she's been off the drug for a while, she remains a shadow of her former self. Then, just last month, Dame Patricia Hewitt, 76, who was health secretary in Tony Blair's government, urged the NHS to tell slim elderly patients to maintain a higher 'buffer weight'. This came after she became severely ill on holiday in Australia, spending six weeks in hospital, during which time her weight plunged 'absolutely catastrophically' to below seven stone. She has since been advised to gain two stone to protect her health in the future. It might sound counter intuitive, but science has identified a 'longevity paradox' in that overweight, older adults are less prone to fragility and actually outlive those who are underweight, especially among women. Supermodel Kate Moss once observed that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. She's 51 and sylph-like as ever. But perhaps any day now she'll conclude that tastes change over time and future-proofing her body is the most delicious treat of all.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Children are facing 'catastrophic' waits for community health care after the backlog surged to almost 315,000
Children are facing 'catastrophic' waits for community health care after the backlog surged to almost 315,000, doctors warn. Long waits can cause 'irreparable harm' and have 'lifelong impacts', according to the new report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. It said the waiting list for children in need for care in the community is growing, with hold-ups facing kids to delay the age at which they start school, hampering their ability to socialise or play sport or harming their mental health. The authors called into question Government plans to shift care from hospitals into the community, saying that without 'urgent action' community waiting lists for children will 'continue to grow'. Community paediatricians care for children with a number of conditions including those with developmental disorders and disabilities; those with complex health needs, including end of life care; children who have neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD. They also see children where there are safeguarding concerns, who are 'looked after' or being adopted. The latest figures show that in March 2025 there were 314,432 children and young people waiting for community health services. This is compared to 272,625 in March 2024. The RCPCH said that children and young people are waiting significantly longer than adults to access community health services, with 22 per cent of those currently waiting for a year or more. Among the children currently on waiting lists, 67,725 had been waiting more than a year, and 15,240 children – or 5 per cent of all children on community waiting lists – had been waiting for more than two years. This compares to 1.3 per cent of adults are waiting for a year for community health services. And while 86 per cent of adults are seen within 18 weeks, only 50 per cent of children and young people are seen within the same timeframe. 'Average waiting times for community child health services are now some of the longest of any part of the health system,', the RCPCH report says. It describes the current state of children's community services is 'unsustainable', and adds; 'Children and young people (CYP) are waiting longer than adults to access healthcare in England. 'Paediatric services are not recovering at the same rates as adult services, and there is a growing gap between demand and capacity.' Addressing ministerial plans to bring care closer to home, the authors said: 'We urgently need transformational change in children's community services. 'The Government should urgently address the current long waiting times in community child health services as a core part of recovery plans, before progress can be made on a wider shift of care into the community.' Dr Ronny Cheung, officer for health services at the RCPCH, said: 'Lengthy waits are unacceptable for any patient but for children and young people the waits can be catastrophic, as many treatments need to be given by a specific age or developmental stage. 'Waits such as these can result in delayed starts to school, limitations on socialising, play sports, increased risk of poor mental health, behavioural problems and distress for both the child and their families. 'We want the NHS's 10-year plan to succeed, but we cannot shift care into the community while children are currently being left behind. 'Without urgent action, these waiting lists will continue to grow — and children will keep missing out on the vital care they need.' The report makes a series of recommendations, including: a waiting time target so children are all seen within a maximum of 18 weeks; work to address the 'investment gap' between children and adult services and efforts to improve the children's community health workforce. Dr Douglas Simkiss, chair of the British Association for Community Child Health, said: 'Community children's services are a vital but often overlooked component of the health care system. 'Implementing the recommendations in this report will have a tremendous positive impact for the children and families that rely on these services and the staff who work in them.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Too many children are not getting the care they need when they need it. 'This Government is committed to shifting care out of hospital and into the community: this is vital for children and their families, but it will take time. 'We are working to transform mental health services for children – hiring more staff and delivering more talking therapies – and putting mental health support in every school. 'We know more must be done and we are working with integrated care boards to understand the extent of the problem in each region so we can reduce waits for community health services.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warning as children face ‘catastrophic' waits for care
A significant number of children are facing 'catastrophic' waits for care in the community, leading children's doctors have warned. A new report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) warns that long waits for care can cause 'irreparable harm' and 'lifelong impacts' in some cases. Experts from the college said the waiting list for children in need of care in the community is increasing as they warned that lengthy waits for children can result in delayed starts to school and limitations on children socialising and playing sports, as well as mental health problems. And the authors called into question Government plans to shift care from hospitals into the community, saying that without 'urgent action' community waiting lists for children will 'continue to grow'. Community paediatricians assess and manage a wide range of developmental, physical and social issues facing children. The latest figures show that in March 2025 there were 314,432 children and young people waiting for community health services. This is compared to 272,625 in March 2024. The RCPCH said that children and young people are waiting significantly longer than adults to access community health services, with 22% of those currently waiting for a year or more. Among the children currently on waiting lists, 67,725 had been waiting more than a year, and 15,240 children – or 5% of all children on community waiting lists – had been waiting for more than two years. This compares to 1.3% of adults are waiting for a year for community health services. And while 86% of adults are seen within 18 weeks, only half (50%) of children and young people are seen within the same timeframe. 'Average waiting times for community child health services are now some of the longest of any part of the health system,' according to an RCPCH report, seen by the PA news agency. The report says that the current state of children's community services is 'unsustainable'. 'Children and young people (CYP) are waiting longer than adults to access healthcare in England,' the authors add. 'Paediatric services are not recovering at the same rates as adult services, and there is a growing gap between demand and capacity.' Addressing ministerial plans to bring care closer to home, the authors said: 'We urgently need transformational change in children's community services. 'The Government should urgently address the current long waiting times in community child health services as a core part of recovery plans, before progress can be made on a wider shift of care into the community.' Community paediatricians care for children with a number of conditions including those with developmental disorders and disabilities; those with complex health needs, including end of life care; children who have neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD. They also see children where there are safeguarding concerns, who are 'looked after' or being adopted. Dr Ronny Cheung, officer for health services at the RCPCH, said: 'Lengthy waits are unacceptable for any patient but for children and young people the waits can be catastrophic, as many treatments need to be given by a specific age or developmental stage. 'Waits such as these can result in delayed starts to school, limitations on socialising, play sports, increased risk of poor mental health, behavioural problems and distress for both the child and their families. 'We want the NHS's 10-year plan to succeed, but we cannot shift care into the community while children are currently being left behind. 'Without urgent action, these waiting lists will continue to grow — and children will keep missing out on the vital care they need.' The report makes a series of recommendations, including: a waiting time target so children are all seen within a maximum of 18 weeks; work to address the 'investment gap' between children and adult services and efforts to improve the children's community health workforce. Commenting, Dr Douglas Simkiss, chair of the British Association for Community Child Health, said: 'Community children's services are a vital but often overlooked component of the health care system. 'Implementing the recommendations in this report will have a tremendous positive impact for the children and families that rely on these services and the staff who work in them.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Too many children are not getting the care they need when they need it. 'This Government is committed to shifting care out of hospital and into the community: this is vital for children and their families, but it will take time. 'We are working to transform mental health services for children – hiring more staff and delivering more talking therapies – and putting mental health support in every school. 'We know more must be done and we are working with integrated care boards to understand the extent of the problem in each region so we can reduce waits for community health services.'
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
We need a Royal Commission on assisted dying
Reasonable people may disagree on the principle of assisted dying. Strong moral arguments have been made for and against, weighing individual sovereignty against the dignity of human life. What is not in dispute is that the process through which Kim Leadbeater MP and her allies have sought to change the law has been utterly shambolic. The Bill presented to Parliament is not fit for purpose, and the debate around it has been unnecessarily rushed, attempting to ram through a highly controversial change without adequate scrutiny. The result is that the Bill that was presented at the Second Reading is quite distinct from that which has emerged from the Committee stage. MPs were promised that a High Court judge would oversee each application. When this proved impractical, their role was removed, with a replacement panel of social workers, psychiatrists and legal figures suggested. Ms Leadbeater has attempted to sell this as making her law 'even more robust'. Many will disagree. Moreover, both the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians have publicly stated that the Bill is unfit for purpose, raising questions over its practical implementation. The row over Dame Esther Rantzen's suggestion that opposition among MPs is driven by ' undeclared personal religious beliefs ' is merely one last indignity in a process filled with them. It would be better at this point to abandon this undercooked effort at reform, and to establish a Royal Commission to examine the matter properly.
Telegraph
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Critics fawned over Britten, but I'd rather have Bliss
Arthur Bliss died 50 years ago this week. He had a profound influence on British musical life but his reputation slipped into decline even before his death, and has only recovered slowly since. The appreciation of his output wavered during his lifetime partly because of his marked changes in style, which left critics surprised or, possibly, confused. Bliss was born in 1891 and in his 20s came under the influence of the radical European composers of the time, Stravinsky and Ravel. After reading classics and music at Cambridge he studied at the Royal College of Music, but left after just one year to fight in the Great War. He was wounded twice and his experience of war, as well as the interruption of his musical training, affected his approach to composition. The radicalism mostly went out of his style, replaced by a deep romanticism that perhaps owed something to the men who affected his idea of music at the Royal College: Vaughan Williams and Holst, from the generation above him, and his contemporary Herbert Howells. After his Colour Symphony of 1922 – which shocked Elgar, whom Bliss idolised, with its modernity – his subsequent major works as well as his ballet and film scores were all rooted in romanticism. But first Bliss had to exorcise some demons of the Great War. Although from a generation that did not parade its feelings, Bliss had been greatly affected by the death of his brother on the Somme. To come to terms with this loss he wrote a choral symphony, Morning Heroes, that had its premiere in 1930. It sets poetry connected to war – including Wilfred Owen's Spring Offensive – that is sung by a chorus and spoken by an orator. Later in the 1930s Bliss wrote his best-known ballet score, Checkmate and, on the eve of the Second World War, his Piano Concerto. The war years were a lean period for him as a composer, for two reasons. American by parentage, and with an American wife, he was in the United States when war broke out and, too old to fight again, taught for a time at the University of California. However, he came home in 1942 and, anxious to do something for the war effort, took over from Adrian Boult as director of music at the BBC. In that capacity, he began the planning for what would become the Third Programme, which launched in 1946. After the death in 1953 of Arnold Bax, Bliss was named Master of the Queen's Music. To many critics this appointment seemed to confirm what an establishment figure he was. Bliss's misfortune in this respect was typified by the virtual disappearance of his choral work The Beatitudes, written for the opening of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962. Also written for that occasion was Britten's War Requiem, which, as much because of the critical sycophancy its composer attracted as for the inherent qualities of the respective pieces, completely overshadowed the older man's work. Bliss is a much better composer than that suggests. In this anniversary year, he merits not merely a revival, but a permanent elevation into the highest rank of our composers.
