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Your gut, often referred to as your "second brain," plays a crucial role in your overall health and well-being. From digestion to immunity, mood regulation to nutrient absorption, the gut impacts various aspects of our daily lives. With increasing awareness of the gut-brain connection, prioritizing gut health has become a cornerstone of holistic wellness. In this article, we explore effective strategies to support and nurture your gut, empowering you to enhance your quality of life through simple yet impactful practices. Nourish with Probiotic-Rich Foods The gut microbiome, comprised of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms, is a dynamic ecosystem essential for digestive health and immune function. To maintain a healthy balance of gut flora, incorporating probiotic-rich foods into your diet is paramount. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha are excellent sources of beneficial bacteria that promote gut diversity and resilience. These fermented foods not only replenish your gut with probiotics but also provide essential nutrients and enzymes vital for optimal digestion. By regularly including probiotic foods in your meals, you can foster a thriving gut microbiome, fortifying your body's natural defenses against pathogens and inflammation.

In a groundbreaking move, the Department of Education has initiated the first phase of its ambitious childcare expansion plan, offering a lifeline to thousands of working parents of two-year-olds nationwide. Effective from April 1, working parents now have access to 15 hours a week of government-funded childcare, marking the onset of the largest-ever childcare provision expansion in the country's history. This milestone initiative aims to alleviate the financial strain on families and promote workforce participation, with over 150,000 children projected to benefit from government-funded places. By September 2025, the expansion will culminate in working parents gaining access to 30 hours of free childcare, offering substantial annual savings and enabling parents to navigate the delicate balance between work and family commitments. Acknowledging the pivotal role of childcare in supporting families and driving economic growth, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasized the government's commitment to delivering on its promise of expanded childcare provision.

Trauma can turn our world upside down, leaving scars that are not always visible. Whether it's a car accident, the loss of a loved one, or a natural disaster, serious trauma can deeply affect our mental health. Coping with such events is crucial not only for our immediate well-being but also for our long-term recovery. In this post, we'll explore six psychological tips to help you deal with the aftermath of a traumatic event. By integrating these strategies into your life, you can begin to heal and find a path forward. Keep on reading to learn more! Understanding Trauma What Is Trauma? Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events. These events can overwhelm an individual's ability to cope, leading to feelings of helplessness, disorientation, and intense fear. Trauma is not limited to physical injuries; it can deeply affect emotional and mental health. How Trauma Affects the Brain When we experience trauma, our brain goes into survival mode. The amygdala, responsible for detecting threats, becomes overactive. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex, which helps with rational thinking, can become underactive. This imbalance can lead to heightened anxiety, flashbacks, and difficulty concentrating.

Expressing apprehension over the concerning decline in the nursing workforce, Sir Julian Hartley, CEO of NHS Providers, urged the forthcoming government to bolster investment in nursing education and enhance support for student nurses. Recent analysis from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has projected that the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will fall short by 10,000 new nurses by 2025. Commenting on the RCN analysis, Sir Hartley underscored the critical importance of having an adequate number of nurses to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care. "Without enough nurses, the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care is compromised," he said. He cautioned that the predicted shortfall in nurses would exacerbate existing pressures on the NHS, resulting in long waiting times, delayed treatments and staff burnout.

The UK government's proposal to introduce a tobacco and vapes bill received support from the public to create the first 'smokefree generation'. The historic law to ban the sale of tobacco products to children aged 14 and younger from legally being sold cigarettes in England. King Charles delivered his first speech as monarch at the state opening of Parliament on Tuesday, 7 November. The monarch announced the introduction of the "tobacco and vapes bill" in his speech, and it read: "My Government will introduce legislation to create a smoke-free generation by restricting the sale of tobacco so that children currently aged 14 or younger can never be sold cigarettes, and restricting the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to children."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said that it strongly supports the UK government's proposal that individuals born on or after 1 January 2009 should be prohibited from legally purchasing tobacco products. It has also shown its agreement to several other actions proposed by the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) for 'Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping' including: The inclusion of all tobacco products, cigarette papers, and herbal smoking products in the new legislation. Restrictions on the sale and supply of disposable vapes, and vape flavours. RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson, said: "Our recommendations reflect a commitment to creating a future free from the harms of tobacco and youth vaping. It's crucial to prohibit access for the youngest generation, regulate all tobacco-related items, and address the allure of flavoured e-cigarettes."

The National Health Service (NHS) retention programme has benefitted 23 NHS Trusts since it launched in April 2022, with thousands fewer staff leaving frontline roles. NHS data showed that 14,000 fewer staff left the service in the 12 months up to August 2023 (108,890) compared to 122,970 the year before. In a statement released on Thursday, the NHS England said it is expanding the pilot programme across the country to benefit 42 more NHS trusts. The programme is part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan ambition to retain up to 128,000 more staff over the next 15 years in addition to training record numbers of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Under this new initiative, NHS staff are being offered extra flexibility with working hours, clinical 'support squads' have been introduced to help menopausal women at work, and HR 'stay advocates' are designated to identify ways to keep staff on the brink of leaving.

The 'Life and Health Sciences Launchpad' has been introduced to focus on the precision medicine sector. It would help businesses and researchers to level up their impact on economic growth within the region. The launchpad has been funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Kerry Curran, Director of GB & EU Trade in the Department for the Economy hailed the decision to support NI's "trailblazing" sector. She said: "Life and Health Science, including our highly innovative precision medicine cluster, is an area the Department is also prioritising through its 10X Economy Vision, and this Launchpad represents a further endorsement of the world-leading growth potential of precision medicine, and indeed life and health science, in Northern Ireland.

The global company in information and data analytics, Elsevier launched a platform, PharmaPendium for drug candidates. It is an effective tool that provides data including complete Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval packages for drug development. The platform is supported by the FDA, the Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and the top 20 global pharma companies. Olivier Barberan, Director of Translational Medicine Solutions spoke about how "improved access to highly relevant data plus predictive tools enhances regulatory success, safeguarding the massive investments of pharma companies." "Translation of preclinical research findings to humans in an efficient but safe way is one of the greatest challenges facing drug developers. We designed the new PharmaPendium to solve this," he added.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) have reached an agreement on the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG). The landmark deal will save the NHS £14 billion over 5 years in medicines costs, boost the nation's health, and support research investment. The new VPAG scheme, which will be a non-contractual voluntary agreement between DHSC and ABPI, will run for 5 years from 1 January 2024 until 31 December 2028. It will double the annual allowed growth of sales of branded medicines from two per cent per year in 2024 to four per cent per year by 2027.

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which was introduced in England in 2016, is helping hundreds of thousands of people to lead healthier lives. People with pre-diabetes are being identified and offered a nine-month behaviour change programme that supports healthier diet and exercise choices to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. A study funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has found a significant reduction in diabetes risk among patients who had been referred to the NHS programme. Three years after their referral, the participants were 20 per cent less likely to have type 2 diabetes than a similar person who was not included in the programme, the evaluation revealed.

The UK government will lay legislation today (13 December 2023) to allow the General Medical Council (GMC) to begin the process of regulating medical associates to expand their roles in the NHS. This will support plans to reduce pressure on doctors and GPs and improve access for patients, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. Physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) will have the same levels of regulatory oversight and accountability as doctors and other regulated healthcare professionals once the regulations come into force, which is expected at the end of 2024. The GMC will design and deliver detailed regulatory processes for registration, education, standards and fitness to practise for both professions.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the full text of the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG). The 2024 VPAG agreement text sets out the detailed terms of the agreement reached between DHSC, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to support patient access to medicines, the financial sustainability of the NHS and the UK life sciences sector. The new voluntary scheme will come into force on 1 January 2024, following expiry of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme and shall remain in force for a period of five years, until 31 December 2028. Manufacturers or suppliers of branded medicines to the NHS have been given time till 15 January 2024 to decide whether to join the new 2024 Voluntary Scheme, or default to the updated Statutory Scheme.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued an alert to update healthcare professionals on the shortage of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), which are used to treat type 2 diabetes. It has informed that the supply of the drugs continues to be limited, and is not expected to return to normal until at least the end of 2024. An increase in demand for these products for licensed and off-label indications is cited as the cause of the supply issues. "Rybelsus® (semaglutide) tablets are now available in sufficient quantities to support initiation of GLP1 RA treatment in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in whom new initiation of GLP-1 RA therapy would be clinically appropriate," the DHSC's National Patient Safety Alert reads.

NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)'s decision to withdraw gluten free prescriptions for people with coeliac disease across Leeds and Calderdale has disappointed Coeliac UK. In a statement released on Thursday, the charity, which provides support and advice to those living with the disease, has raised "grave concerns" about the decision, warning that it will have a detrimental impact on the coeliac community. The policy is currently implemented across the ICB's other places including Bradford district and Craven, Kirklees and Wakefield district, preventing coeliac patients from accessing gluten free bread and flour mix on prescription. NHS West Yorkshire ICB wants to align its gluten free prescribing guidelines across its five places. But the charity is worried that the additional cost of gluten free staple products will poses a real challenge to maintaining the gluten-free diet, which is the only treatment for the condition.

Hospitals and healthcare providers across the UK have been notified about the shortage of an anti-inflammatory medicine caused by a manufacturing failure. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on Friday (3 May) issued a National Patient Safety Alert stating that Erelzi 50mg solution for injection in pre-filled pen will be out of stock from early May until mid-July 2024. "The supply issues have been caused by a manufacturing failure resulting in delays in production and the implementation of global allocations," it said. However, it noted that homecare providers (Alcura, Healthnet and Sciensus) have sufficient stock to supply existing patients until mid/late May 2024. Although Erelzi 50mg pre-filled syringes (PFS) are still available, they cannot support a full increase in demand, the DHSC warned.

The topic of death is often a sensitive and somber one, but it is also a reality that we must face. When someone passes away, there are many legal considerations that come into play surrounding their assets, property, and final wishes. Before delving into the specifics, you must first understand that laws and regulations surrounding death and inheritance can vary greatly depending on location. Different countries, states, and even cities may have their own unique set of laws and procedures in place. involved. That's why you need a legal overview to guide you through the process of protecting your rights in the case of death. Wrongful Death Lawsuits and Compensation In the unfortunate event of a wrongful death, where a person dies due to the negligence or misconduct of another, the bereaved family may seek compensation through legal action. Hiring a lawyer for wrongful death is the best course of action to navigate the complex legal process and ensure that your rights are protected. Wrongful death lawsuits can cover a wide range of incidents, from car accidents to medical malpractice. The compensation awarded in these cases may include funeral expenses, lost wages, and loss of companionship. Know that each case is unique and the amount of compensation awarded will depend on the deceased's income and potential earnings, their age, and the extent of their financial support to their dependents.

Britain has declined to sign the World Health Organization's (WHO) proposed pandemic accord, citing concerns over the redistribution of vaccines, as reported by The Telegraph on Tuesday. The accord aims to ensure fair distribution of resources during global health crises, including reserving 20 per cent of tests, treatments, and vaccines for distribution in poorer nations. According to media reports the Department of Health and Social Care stated that they would only support the adoption of the accord if it aligns with the national interest and respects sovereignty. However, a DHSC spokesperson refrained from detailing the specific proposals within the accord, emphasising that no agreements had been reached yet. The WHO has not yet responded to requests for comment on this matter.

The UK government on Thursday (8 May) launched a new plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global issue that makes infections difficult or impossible to treat. This is the second phase of a series of 5-year national action plans, aimed at supporting the government's 20-year vision to contain and control AMR by 2040. With the launch of this new national action plan, the UK commits to reducing its use of antimicrobials - such as antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals - in humans and animals. Additionally, it aims to strengthen surveillance of drug-resistant infections before they emerge and incentivise industry to develop the next generation of treatments. There are also plans to expand initiatives such as the world-first 'subscription model' for antimicrobials, launched in 2019 as a pilot.

The government has allocated an additional 350 medical school places in England, making a significant step in delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Supported by more than £2.4 billion in government funding, the plan outlines the strategy for recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years to deliver the future workforce the NHS requires. One of the key commitments of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 by 2031. As part of the ongoing efforts to fulfill this pledge, the Office for Students (OfS) has designated 350 places for medical schools nationwide for the academic year 2025 to 2026, targeting under-doctored areas.