With the general election only a couple of months away, it is unsurprising that the topic of NHS political issues/views  is one of the most reported this month. It was led by the story of Ed Miliband, the Labour Party leader, being the first to announce his election pledge for the NHS  and support for health and social care integration, which received mixed reactions from fellow politicians and the media. In other news, the 2014 report from the British Social Attitudes Survey  showed that the public’s satisfaction with the NHS has increased five per cent to 65% since 2013 - the second highest score in thirty years, with dissatisfaction at a record low. Professor John Appleby from the King’s Fund explains the result as a reflection of Britain’s support for the NHS as an institution.

Another topic that has drawn the media’s attention in February is obesity. It continues to be one of the main issues the government is keen to address due to its belt-bursting cost to both the NHS and the welfare system. The Daily Mail  and other outlets reported that a new proposal was drafted by NICE for GPs to be paid bonuses if they weighed patients with a health problem triggered by being overweight. While this is a starting point, we all know that obesity is a complicated condition that may need to be tackled both physically and psychologically to treat the underlying issue, it’s certainly not a quick fix.

A topic that re-entered the top 20 is dementia. The Daily Telegraph  reported that Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary, insisted that the UK will become ‘the best place to grow old’. The Government announced future plans where people showing signs of dementia should be seen by a medical expert within six weeks, alongside a broader commitment of investing more than £300m in research to find a cure by 2025. But the good news doesn’t just stop here, as The Guardian  highlighted that Alzheimer’s UK has celebrated reaching its millionth ‘dementia friend’, a successful campaign to raise public awareness of the condition. 

And finally,  as it’s the February news we are looking back at, we thought it would be nice to end on a ‘digital love story’. It starts with your health, love and wearable technology. By bringing this ‘threesome’ together the makers of an app called ‘Pplkpr’ are hoping to show how good love is for you. It monitors your physical and emotional response to the people around you, and claims to optimise your social life by measuring your heart rate. Have a quick read  here  to find out how heart rates and emotions affect your health and in what way. A truly inspiring romance…