Health and Wellbeing Policy News 23-27 May 2016 - Adrian Barker

There's a full list of this week's health and wellbeing policy new items here, but a few of the key ones are:

• David Cameron has said he will take action on antimicrobial resistance (26th).  This follows the publication of Jim O'Neill's report last week.  The measures announced so far include setting targets and £50m towards a fund to incentivise drugs companies to produce new antibiotics. 
• The details of the junior doctors' contract have been published (27th).  At the time of writing, I hadn't seen any detailed analysis of it, but no doubt that will appear over the next few days.
• Delayed discharges are costing the NHS £820m a year, according to a report from the NAO, and the problem has got worse over the last few years (26th).
• There was a big fall in the prescription of antibiotics last year (25th).
• The ban on 'legal highs' came into force on 26th May.
• A new role of 'nursing associate', to fit between healthcare assistants and registered nurses, is to be introduced, with the first batch of trainees starting next year (26th)