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National News
A 23-year-old British woman is thought to have made medical history by giving birth to three babies in two wombs. In September this year, Hannah Kersey, from Northam in Devon, had twins who were conceived in one womb, and a third daughter who grew in another.
The Yorkshire ambulance service sent redundancy notices to 400 NHS staff yesterday in a move condemned by unions as "cruel and disgraceful." The trust said it needed to reorganise staffing to meet government targets and establish a "best in class" service. It hoped compulsory redundancies could be kept to a minimum and paramedics would not be affected.
The NHS's ill-starred computer project is in the news again. After polls showed that most doctors and patients oppose a compulsory national database of medical records, health minister Lord Warner produced a report on Monday and promised an opt-out. But don't break out the champagne yet. The report was cleverly spun; hidden in an appendix is confirmation that you can opt out of the Summary Care Record, but not the Detailed Care Record.
The first of a new generation of NHS cottage hospitals will be announced by the Department of Health today, kickstarting a £750m programme to move minor operations away from the big general hospitals and closer to people's homes. Lord Warner, the health minister, will sign a deal to build community hospitals to serve patients living on the fringes of Sunderland, Bristol, Gosport and Minehead. They will provide minor surgery, medical tests and follow-up care for about 75,000 patients a year.
A government project to measure and tackle childhood obesity significantly underestimates the problem, partly because overweight children are opting out, an official report warned yesterday. Health campaigners said the study showed the National Childhood Obesity Database (NCOD) was "worse than useless" because of gaps in the statistics.
More than a hundred teenage girls a month go into a hospital or clinic to have an abortion for the second time, figures from the Department of Health reveal. They include at least one girl under 18 who has had at least six abortions. The statistics on multiple abortions in England and Wales, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, will provide fuel for those demanding stricter abortion laws.
An outbreak of a PVL superbug struck the maternity unit of a hospital in Plymouth leaving 10 mothers and their babies with severe infections, The Independent has learnt. Emma Lynch, one of the mothers, developed an abscess almost eight inches long, which required emergency surgery, and her daughter, Daisy, had a boil on her breast which required lancing when she was two weeks old. Daisy has since had 14 courses of antibiotics in an attempt to clear her of the bug, which is resistant to treatment.
An eight-year-old girl who has had cancer for six years may be forced to carry on receiving gruelling radiotherapy treatment against her will, according to her parents. Leah-Beth Richards told her family that she does not want to go through the painful treatment any more and her parents have said that they support her decision. But they say that they have been threatened with legal action by the hospital treating their daughter if they let her refuse radiotherapy.
A mother whose baby died 20 minutes after her delivery because of a shortage of beds in a maternity unit has been awarded £18,000 in compensation. Because of administrative failings, Janine Howarth, 35, had to wait almost three days in an ante-natal ward before being induced. Her daughter, Caitlin, died after contracting pneumonia from an infection in the foetal fluid which could have been prevented had she been born earlier.
Research highlighting the danger of fat around vital organs could change the way we tackle obesity, reports Nic Fleming. MRI scans on four guinea pigs had surprising results Expanded waistlines in the aftermath of mid-winter celebrations are not an invention of the modern Christian age. Over-indulgence was at least as important in the pagan Scandinavian festival of Yule and Roman holiday of Saturnalia as today's overdosing on turkey, mince pies, chocolate and sherry.
The number of girls and young women drinking to excess has risen dramatically in a decade, NHS statistics released yesterday confirm. The figures chart the rise of the "ladette" culture, which emerged in the 1990s.
Fewer women are having repeat smear tests due to inadequate first tests, according to figures out today. The Information Centre for health and social care analysis showed that a new screening test, liquid-based cytology (LBC), has significantly reduced the number of inadequate tests.
Patients in some areas who need hip replacements and other orthopaedic operations are still having to wait more than two years for NHS treatment, figures show. Almost one in four waits longer than 12 months for an operation after referral by their GP. For 3 per cent, the delay is twice that.
The UK's fertility regulator has amended a licence to allow stem cell researchers to recruit egg donors not already having medical treatment. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has been criticised for making the decision during a public consultation on the issue.
Gulf War veterans suffering mystery illnesses after returning from the 1991 conflict were probably not poisoned by pesticides, researchers say. Exposure to chemicals has been blamed for veterans' symptoms such as depression, poor sleep and mood swings.
Inflammatory bowel disease doubles the risk of pregnancy complications, a study says. Researchers found women with disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were more likely to have underweight and premature babies.
A crackdown on junk food advertising to children will not be effective as the programmes most watched by children will not be covered, campaigners say. Unhealthy food ads during TV programmes targeted at under-16s are to be banned from the end of March, Ofcom has said.
A six-week-old boy died after air was mistakenly injected into his bloodstream during a routine operation, a Swansea inquest has heard. Aaron Havard died in April 2002 at the city's Singleton Hospital.
The health advice service NHS Direct is to be made available to 6.4 million homes through a Freeview channel. Viewers will be able to access an interactive 150-page service on Channel 108, it was announced on Wednesday.
Severely disabled Charlotte Wyatt is to be discharged from hospital to go into foster care. Charlotte, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, has spent the first three years of her life in hospital.
Scientists are to use an £84,000 grant to try and "grow" test tube arteries for use in heart bypass operations. The researchers hope to prove arteries can be grown outside the body from human skin cells.
Patients still face a postcode lottery in trying to have dental treatment under the NHS, BBC research has shown. Six of Wales' 22 local health boards were without a dentist offering new NHS places, while others were only able to offer an appointment in 12 months.
No one will face prosecution over the deaths of 10 elderly patients at a Hampshire hospital. The deaths at Gosport War Memorial Hospital between the late 1990s and 2002 were the subject of a lengthy investigation by Hampshire police.
International News
Body weight could be down to more than simply what you eat - according to a new study, how you digest your food is also an important factor. Scientists have found that the bacteria in human guts, which help to break down food, differ in lean and obese people. "Our findings suggest that obesity has a microbial component, which might have potential therapeutic implications," wrote the researchers, led by Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University in Missouri, in today's issue of Nature.
Circumcision can halve the risk of a man acquiring the HIV infection that leads to Aids, US scientists reported last week. Two major trials, in Kenya and Uganda, have confirmed what doctors and campaigners have thought for several years.
A pioneering clinic in India aims to develop a childhood vaccine to prevent heart disease in later life, reports Victoria Lambert Professor Vijay Kakkar has the gentle demeanour of a man into whose hands you would happily entrust your heart, should disease and circumstance require it. And you would be wise to do so. For the professor is a world-renowned vascular surgeon and research scientist whose career has spanned more than 40 years.
Cheshire and Merseyside News
EVERTON stars brought some festive cheer when they visited youngsters at Alder Hey children's hospital. The Blues first team squad spent more than an hour with patients and handed out gifts at the West Derby hospital yesterday.
TWO Wirral NHS trusts have been given backing by the Department of Health in their bid to become foundation hospitals. Wirral NHS Hospital Trust and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust say they are delighted that Lord Warner, Minister for NHS Reform, and Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Health have backed their bids.
CHRISTMAS had been blighted for hundreds of Leighton Hospital workers worried about losing their jobs. More than 300 have been re-interviewed for clerical posts they have held for years as part of a massive shake-up to save costs.
HUNDREDS of Leighton Hospital workers are worried sick about losing their jobs. More than 300 have been re-inter-viewed for clerical posts they have held for years as part of a massive shake-up to save costs.
PATIENTS will be given the chance to comment on the access arrangements at their GP practice. A national survey, Your Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say, has been launched, and next month questionnaires will be issued to a sample of patients from every practice in Mid Cheshire.
THE first phase of money-saving improvements at Warrington Hospital has been completed. Bosses claim that the new 64-bed emergency management unit will mean that patients receive faster diagnosis and treatment.
ELDERLY people in the town are being urged to seek help in the cold weather through the Government's Warm Front Scheme. Under the scheme, households in receipt of certain benefits could be eligible for a grant of up to £2,700 to help pay for central heating and insulation.
Cumbria and Lancashire News
CUMBRIA’S hospitals could be fined for treating patients too quickly, leaked government plans have revealed. The proposals – which would affect trusts nationwide – have been condemned as “ridiculous”.
BLACKBURN Rovers players said they were touched by the stories of children they met while handing out presents at Royal Blackburn Hospital. The squad took time out from their busy training schedule to visit the children's unit at the hospital yesterday
Greater Manchester News
MUMS, midwives and politicians took to the streets in a bid to save Salford's maternity and baby wards. More than 200 people picketed the entrance to Hope Hospital's maternity unit in Eccles Old Road, which is now set to close. This means children will not routinely be born in the city after 2011.
FOOTBALLER Ronnie Wallwork, recovering at home from multiple knife wounds, has praised the "real-life heroes" of the NHS.
DENTAL nurses are being given the opportunity to train towards an NVQ in oral health care dental nursing. The qualification, which is being organised by the Bury Primary Care Trust in collaboration with the Manchester Dental Hospital and the North-west Deanery, will mean nurses can register with the General Dental Council.
FAMILY doctors are urging people suffering from simple ailments to consult their chemist rather than go to their GP. Pharmacists are trained to help people choose the right medicine for conditions like colds and sore throats and can treat many other everyday ailments, such as constipation, indigestion and coughs.
PATIENTS who abuse staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital will be tracked down and fined by the police. Doctors, nurses and security staff will pass on contact details of the patients to the police in what is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in the country.
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