Paddy Power
Good luck, St Patrick today....
Tags:
St Patrick's Day
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Bark at the Moon
Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
New Section
National News
New Story
The number of young children with early-onset diabetes has soared dramatically in the past 20 years, according to figures released by researchers today. A study found that cases of type 1 diabetes among under-fives increased fivefold between 1985 and 2004, with one in 1,000 now affected by the disease.
Diet and virus come under the microscope - The Times 16th March 2007
Huge increase in cases of diabetes among children - The Times 16th March 2007
Doctors training system at 'breaking point' - The Telegraph 16th March 2007
New Story
Two in three councils say their social care services have been hit by knock-on effects of the NHS cash crisis, which include the referrals of people who should be getting healthcare for long-term needs. A survey published last night covering 95 of the 150 councils with social care responsibilities, found that 68% reported an "adverse effect" due to deficits. Of the 68%, half said there had been hospital bed closures and a fifth pointed to cuts in district nursing.
Cuts hit elderly in NHS cash crisis - The Telegraph 16th March 2007
Social care hit by NHS deficits - BBC Health News 15th March 2007
New Story
Detectives are investigating seven deaths among residents at an elderly people's home, which was closed yesterday following the arrest of a nurse and a chef on suspicion of poisoning. The couple were released on bail after police questions about the death of 97-year-old Lucy Cox at the 16-bed private Parkfields home, in the Somerset village of Butleigh, near Glastonbury.
Care home closed amid inquiry into seven ‘suspicious’ deaths - The Times 16th March 2007
Care home closed as managers arrested - The Telegraph 16th March 2007
New Story
Fathers should be encouraged to bond with their young children by working together on an allotment, visiting sports grounds, playing music or taking photographs, the education secretary, Alan Johnson, said yesterday as he launched the government's new parenting strategy. "The involvement of fathers is crucial, whether or not they live with their children. Once fathers become involved, they tend to remain involved," he said. "Fathers' involvement is associated with children's better educational outcomes, school attendance, behaviour, higher educational expectations and better social and emotional outcomes."
New Story
The chaotic selection system for junior doctors is threatening British medical science as well as leaving thousands of trained doctors without jobs, leading clinical researchers said yesterday. The online application process for specialist training posts will lead to a shortage of medically qualified scientists, because it does not give credit to the academic and research achievements of junior doctors, senior scientists said.
New Story
Private midwives may be forced out of business next year when changes to the medical insurance rules come into effect. The Government has given notice that all health practitioners will be required to carry professional indemnity insurance after problems with an underinsured orthodontist.
New Story
Nearly half of family doctors are ignoring rules saying they should not prescribe drugs to themselves, a poll suggests. The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors, has urged GPs to obtain a prescription from a professional colleague if they are ill.
Half of doctors 'self-medicate' - BBC Health News 15th March 2007
New Story
Britons, especially women, have developed a taste for game as a healthy, low-cholesterol meat. Sales of venison, pheasant and grouse soared 46 per cent to a market value of £57 million from 2004 to last year. Sales are forecast to increase by a further 47 per cent by 2011 and to be worth £84 million.
New Story
Householders could lose their weekly visit from the binmen as councils come under mounting pressure to switch to fortnightly refuse collections. Rubbish waiting for collection: ouncils given green light to empty bins every 2 weeks One third of waste authorities are trying reduced collections A Whitehall-funded study published today concludes that concerns about overflowing bins attracting vermin are misplaced provided the waste is dealt with "in a clean and efficient way."
New Story
Researchers have found a clue to the cause of the most common forms of autism. An international team has linked a number of small but important spontaneous genetic changes to the disease.
New Story
A couple who allowed their 11-month-old daughter to slowly starve to death have been jailed. Health experts who examined baby Kimberley Baker's body described her as looking like "a famine-ravaged Third World baby."
New Story
Children as young as 13 who are sexually active should not automatically be reported to the police, the Children's Commissioner for England said yesterday. Prof Sir Albert Aynsley-Green said nurses, teachers and youth workers must follow Government guidelines published last April which state that while there is a "presumption" that information is passed on to social workers or police, decisions should be made using individual discretion on a case by case basis.
New Story
Recent statistics show that 22,000 people die in Britain each year through alcohol-related illness, and there are 350,000 serious drug users. Increasingly, the answer for many is costly rehab in a private clinic, or NHS treatment which costs the State millions.
New Story
Advising first-aiders to give the "kiss of life" is off-putting and unnecessary, say medics. Not only are bystanders less likely to help someone who has collapsed if they have to do mouth-to-mouth ventilation, many are unable to perform it properly.
New Story
Patients are set to be able to look at their medical records on their home computer, it has been announced. The plan was set out by Connecting For Health, which is overseeing the introduction of the new NHS IT system - The Spine - which will cover England.
New Story
A diet rich in fruit juice could cut the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other diseases, according to research. A team at Glasgow University has carried out one of the first studies into the benefits of antioxidants.
New Story
After 42 years of marriage, a wife has solved the problem of what to give her husband for Christmas or his birthday - by giving him one of her kidneys. John Eddy from Helston was seriously ill and receiving dialysis treatment when it was discovered his wife Nanette was a suitable match.
Cardiologists in Bristol have become the first in the UK to use a new technique to correct potentially dangerous irregular heartbeats. The medics at the city's Infirmary have pioneered a new technique using a "freezing balloon".
New Story
Stem cells used for eye disorder - BBC Health News 15th March 2007
People suffering from a rare genetic eye disorder which results in loss of vision are being given stem cell therapy by specialists in West Sussex. A team at the Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead, said four patients had so far reported an improvement in their condition following treatment.
New Section
International News
New Story
A man thought to be the oldest living person in the world is celebrating his 116th birthday. Hryhoriy Nestor was born in what is now Ukraine. The authorities are to mark the occasion by officially recognising him as the oldest person in Ukraine.
New Story
Ireland has the highest rates of binge-drinking in the European Union, a survey exploring attitudes to alcohol has indicated. Finland and Britain came second and third in the Eurobarometer survey.
New Story
Poor sleep clouds moral judgement - BBC Health News 15th March 2007
A couple of sleepless nights can cloud a person's moral judgement, study findings suggest. Army researchers found soldiers struggled to make snap decisions in emotionally charged situations after being deprived of sleep for two nights.
New Section
Cheshire and Merseyside News
New Story
A GARDEN specially designed to help people with brain injuries has blossomed in a Merseyside hospital. Wirral Neurological Rehabilitation Unit created the space for patients with severe head injuries or neurological problems to relax. But it will also play an important part helping patients be independent.
New Story
A NEW drug for pancreatic cancer is to be given a trial in Liverpool. The move came as news was released that New Avengers TV star Gareth Hunt had died at the age of 65 of the disease
New Story
A HEALTHY living initiative involving two 'street doctor' style events held in Halton, has been hailed a success. Patients in Runcorn had the opportunity to quiz health professionals at the Stay Active, Stay Well events at Hallwood Health Centre, on March 1, and Murdishaw Health Centre on March 6.
New Story
A CAMPAIGN has been launched in a bid to drive home the message patients in Halton have the right to choose which hospital or clinic they are treated in. Buses depicting the slogan 'It's your Choice - You Decide!' are currently travelling throughout Runcorn, Widnes and St Helens.
New Story
Angry reaction to respite care cuts - Runcorn Weekly News 15th March 2007
CARERS of people with severe learning disabilities in Halton have had their respite time slashed following the reduction in size of a Runcorn respite centre. The Croft respite centre in Halton Village is due to undergo work to transform it from a six-bed unit to a four-bed unit after the Commission for Social Care Inspection raised concerns regarding space at the centre.
New Section
Cumbria and Lancashire News
New Story
WEST Cumbrian smokers swapped their cigarettes for smoothies yesterday as part of national No Smoking Day. Staff and students at Lakes College West Cumbria were encouraged to kick the habit with a cigarette amnesty and were rewarded with the healthier option of fruit smoothies.
New Story
TAI chi, head massages and reflexology were on offer at Carlisle’s Civic Centre yesterday as the council marked National No Smoking Day. The healthy living roadshow featured Ian McNichol, council Renaissance officer and employee health champion, who was one of those lining up to get their blood pressure taken.
New Story
Play area to be sold for hospital parking - Lancashire Telegraph 15th March 2007
COUNCIL bosses have agreed to sell part of Rakehead Recreation Ground so it can be turned into a hospital car park. Burnley Council's executive approved selling the children's play area to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust so that it can be turned into a 147-space car park for Burnley General Hospital.
New Section
Greater Manchester News
New Story
GPs 'should care at weekends too' - Manchester Evening News 15th March 2007
FAMILY doctors are being urged to start caring for their patients during the evenings and weekends, rather than opting into on call services. Dr Bernard Newgrosh is the only GP in Greater Manchester who still provides 24-hour medical cover for his patients . . . out of 573 health centres.
New Story
Life is one big drag - The Bolton News 15th March 2007
HEALTH staff proved how life can be a drag for smokers, when they hauled an inflatable cigarette through the streets of Bolton as part of No Smoking Day. Surprised motorists and pedestrians watched as the huge cigarette made its way from the Reebok Stadium to the Royal Bolton Hospital with the help of stop smoking workers Tracey Holliday and Gary Bickerstaffe.
New Story
Call for ban on acne drug - The Bolton News 15th March 2007
AN ACTION group against the controversial acne drug Roaccutane is calling for it to be taken off the market. Roaccutane Action Group is an international network which supports families who have been affected by the side effects of the drug.
New Story
Move into library is the healthy choice - The Bolton News 15th March 2007
A HEALTH resource library has a new location within Bolton's central library. The Primary Care Trust library provides information for health staff and students as well as holding information for the public on health-related issues and healthy lifestyles.
New Story
Meningitis survivor Regan leads charity walk - The Bolton News 15th March 2007
PLAYING happily with her family, it is hard to believe little Regan Barlow "died" twice just weeks ago. Doctors had to resuscitate the desperately ill youngster when her heart stopped twice, as she battled the deadly brain disease meningitis last month.
New Section
Podcast
Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Aaargh!
Been shite at keeping this up-to-date of late, feel dog tired of an evening and just headed to bed or the family have taken priority.
Stoopid prove something to yourself news this morning sees me dash to Reggie, do my news thing, leave a note for Tracy and dash to pick Mo up for our trip to a day on the subject of Commissioning in the Land of Lanc. Yes for a change this week I find myself in Lancaster. The day is good and I meet a kindred spirit in the commissioning world in Nick. Top geezer and fellow feedreader user! also a rare event because I heard someone speak who made data sound interesting! Home, Aaron is round playing with the boy. Drag him home, fetch food from the Siam Garden, catch up on the blogging. Bed beckons.Wednesday no Sheffield
Draft some guidance on an FoI request I've yet to see. Need to scribble a model initial response. Freaky, also recieve some crap from a stalker. Refuse to respond immediately it needs reflection. News. Dash out the door, need to spend more time with Helen because I answer a query in a frantic hurry as I dash out the door and she deserves more.
Back to the Land of Manc for the afternoon. PCT Librarians which is always a delight because it's a bunch of good folk. So off I toddle to South Parkway, return to Gateway House, meet Beryl on the way in. Subject of the sesh is the proposed Primary Care Hub on NLH. Makes sense to me, it's coould be the Primary Care shelf of said gaff..... Home, feed the family and then a monster sesh of Disney themed 'Clue' or Cluedo as those of us this side of the pond know it. Bit odd, but Cal played well and it was a fun family time of jolly japes and deep joy.
Tags:
Clue,
Cluedo,
Disney,
FoI,
Gateway House,
Land of Manc,
PCT Librarians
This is What She Said
Morning at Reggie, news and non-existent deities knows what, it seems a long time away now. PM and off to my fave station in Liverpool, South Parkway. There I participate in some sort of travel survey and leap onto a train bound for the Land of Manc and Gateway House. Once there I meet with Mildred around the delightful subject of FoI but along the way bump into Andy M. formerly of C&M but now of WC PCT. Pleasant chat, meeting goes well and I return to South Parkway by way of Warrington.
The Oldie
National News
The government's plan to put the medical records of every NHS patient in England on a central electronic database will begin first trials tomorrow at two carefully selected GP practices in the north-west. About 14,500 patients in Bolton will be told their confidential medical details will be uploaded to a national data warehouse known as the Spine, unless they object.
Additional Story
Spring is traditionally a time of new beginnings and partnerships, and today the Acevo spring conference, Health and social care: the third sector cure?, will bring together experts from all three sectors to discuss how to create new partnerships that can tackle the problems facing the NHS. The conference will argue that the third sector has a vital role to play, and that existing structural and cultural problems must be resolved if the sector's potential as a provider and advocate is to be realised.
We have just received an eight-page missive from our local primary care trust detailing all the procedures and operations which will not now be available on the NHS in our area. These include surgery for varicose veins, haemorrhoids, lipoma, sebaceous cysts, gallstones, carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger, plus many others. Neither will they offer physiotherapy ultrasound, spinal fusion for chronic back pain nor infertility investigation and treatment
Additional Story
Additional Story
Parents who fail to control what their children are eating, because of their busy lives, social pressures or lack of knowledge, are the focus of a new anti-obesity campaign launched by the government today. It follows a report from the Medical Research Council's human nutrition research centre linking bad parenting to obesity in children
Additional Story
Parents 'don't recognise obesity' - BBC Health News 15th March 2007
People with a rare genetic condition causing them to have no irises are having their sight improved thanks to stem cell therapy being pioneered in a British hospital. Sheraz Daya, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and director of the corneoplastic unit at Queen Victoria hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex, has treated four patients born with aniridia by transplanting into their eyes cells grown from those of dead donors. The stem cell transplants trigger production of new cells in the patients, leading to the hope that such techniques could help grow even hearts and livers.
My husband smokes everywhere and all day long, and I can't persuade him to stop. He has done it throughout our marriage, but now I fear it will spoil our retirement
If you think a glass of breakfast orange juice is the best way to start the day, think again. Grape juice could be more beneficial. Scientists have carried out the first scientific analysis of fruit juices to measure their antioxidant activity - the anti-ageing compounds that protect against heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Additional Story
Additional Story
Additional Story
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of poisoning following an inquiry into the care of elderly residents at a home in Somerset, police said. They have been given police bail while a joint investigation with the Commission for Social Care Inspection continues.
Additional Story
Care-home staff held on suspicion of poisoning - The Times 15th March 2007
Thousands of jobs were cut from the NHS at the end of last year in what nurses called a dramatic reduction in the workforce by stealth. Official figures on public sector employment showed that the health service lost 11,000 jobs in the final quarter of last year. These job losses accounted for half of the cuts across the whole of the public sector in that quarter, according to data from the National Office of Statistics
Additional Story
Labour speeds up state job cuts - The Telegraph 15th March 2007
Additional Story
NHS workforce 'falls by 11,000' - BBC Health News 14th March 2007
Patients will be able to use mobile phones in hospitals within weeks after ministers admitted they can be used safely. Health service trusts banned the phones over concerns that electromagnetic radiation would interfere with medical equipment.
Additional Story
'No need' for hospital mobile ban - BBC Health News 14th March 2007
Your first reaction is to check the date. Surely, you think, it must be a spoof. Surely they cannot be serious. But no, it’s not April Fool’s Day, and it’s not a spoof. Incredible as it may seem, the Government is proposing — with an entirely straight face — to give babies marks for crying, gurgling or babbling, under a new curriculum for infants aged from birth to five years old, which all nurseries will have to follow.
Children with congenital heart failure may be at risk from discrepancies in doses of a heart drug designed for adults, researchers have warned. The amount and formulation of captopril vary widely across the UK when it is given to children, a study shows - and may mean the amount given is incorrect.
Moving care from hospitals into the community - a key government policy - will not always save money and may put patient safety at risk, a report warns. The National Primary Care and Development Centre report is described in Pulse magazine.
More and more badly behaved children are being diagnosed with conditions like ADHD. Latest figures show global use of ADHD drugs has nearly tripled since 1993.
Scientists are developing an artificial vein for use in patients with circulation problems. The device, which encourages blood to flow in its natural spiralling fashion, has produced highly promising results in clinical trials.
A bid to force doctors offering abortion or contraception advice to under-16s to inform the child's parents has been rejected by MPs. Tory MP Angela Watkinson argued that current sex education encouraged girls to have sex before they were ready.
Compensation for Caesarean delay - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
A 10-year-old boy left disabled after a delay in his caesarean delivery has won the right to receive compensation. Jac Richards suffered oxygen starvation before his birth at Swansea's Singleton Hospital, causing brain damage.
International News
The US agriculture department has given a preliminary green light for the first commercial production of a food crop engineered to contain human genes. The plan calls for large-scale cultivation in Kansas of rice that produces human immune system proteins in its seeds.
Birthrate fear as Japanese prefer sleep to sex - The Guardian 15th March 2007
Exhausted couples who prefer a good night's sleep to fumbling on the futon could be to blame for Japan's rapidly declining birthrate. A survey by the health and welfare ministry found that 39.8% of men and women between 16 and 49 had not had sex for more than a month, up by about five percentage points from 2002. The figure for married couples was 34.6%.
Cheshire and Merseyside News
THIS hearse will be touring streets with a stark message – stop eating saturated fats or the next funeral could be yours. The black, horse-drawn Victorian carriage will be travelling around Bootle and Southport next week.
A NURSE worked while stoned and asked colleagues if they had seen her drugs pipe, an inquiry heard yesterday. Lesley Fletcher, 38, left her post twice to smoke drugs while on duty at the Oxton Grange Nursing Home, Bidston Rd, Birkenhead, the Nursing and Midwifery Council was told.
Additional Story
Nurse: Have you seen my pot pipe? - Liverpool Echo 14th March 2007
PROPOSALS for a Warbreck hostel to be turned into a drugs rehabilitation centre were last night rejected after more than 200 residents crammed into Liverpool Town Hall to object. Planning committee members said the sheer amount of protest was on a scale not seen in the city for a long time.
PEOPLE power is hoping it can win the day when it comes to a major decision about the future of the town. Two public meetings have been organised for next week in a bid to mobilise opposition for the proposed health waste incinerator off Winwick Road.
Doctor touched patient’s breasts, hearing told - Warrington Guardian 14th March 2007
A DOCTOR who worked at Warrington Hospital has denied carrying out unnecessary and indecent' examinations on two female patients. Dr Shakir Hasan Laher, is the subject of a General Medical Council hearing - expected to last 12 days - to decide whether he is fit to continue practising as a doctor.
Cumbria and Lancashire News
Drug addict nurse stole medication - Carlisle News & Star 14th March 2007
A DRUG addict nurse who stole medication from a Carlisle care home has had her nursing registration suspended. Clair Hugill received a caution from Cumbria Police for theft in June last year and now faces a full disciplinary hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, a hearing heard yesterday.
Greater Manchester News
ONLY one family doctor in Greater Manchester now provides a 24-hour service for his patients. A government report today attacks the spiralling cost and poor performance of new out-of-hours GP arrangements.
AS hundreds of smokers prepare to stub it out on National No Smoking Day, two health workers are dragging a giant cigarette from the Reebok Stadium to the Royal Bolton Hospital. Gary Bickerstaffe and Tracey Holliday, two advisers with the Bolton Stop Smoking Service, will be pulling the huge, plastic cigarette for six miles to promote the message that "smoking is a drag".
SCHOOL dinners in Bolton are to undergo a Jamie Oliver-style healthy overhaul. More than £500,000 is being made available to the local authority to improve the standard of meals by the end of the year.
A CONTROVERSIAL acne drug linked to mental health problems is being prescribed by doctors at the Royal Bolton Hospital. But the hospital has refused to comment on its safety despite a Bolton Coroner's Court hearing on Monday which found that Adam Long, aged 22, from Car Bank Street, Atherton, took his own life in January 2006 after being prescribed the drug Roaccutane.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Scream if you wanna go sideways
Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
New Section
National News
New Story
A reorganisation of NHS services for patients needing medical attention outside normal working hours was shambolic and ran hugely over budget, a cross-party committee of MPs says today in a caustic report on one of the government's key health reforms. GPs in England were allowed three years ago to opt out of responsibility for looking after patients during evenings, nights and weekends. But arrangements for primary care trusts to organise alternative medical cover were poorly prepared and cost £70m more than forecast, the Commons public accounts committee found.
Additional Story
Out-of-hours GP service 'good news for doctors and no one else' - The Independent 14th March 2007
Additional Story
Reform of GP out-of-hours service an expensive shambles, says report - The Times 14th March 2007
Additional Story
Mother who died after falling ill at the weekend - The Times 14th March 2007
Additional Story
GPs' out-of-hours service 'shambolic' - The Telegraph 14th March 2007
Additional Story
Don't you dare be ill out of hours - Daily Mail 14th March 2007
Additional Story
Out-of-hours GP reforms attacked - BBC Health News 14th March 2007
Union leaders have appealed for nurses in England to be given their annual pay rise immediately, after it emerged that nurses in Scotland are to receive theirs in full next month. Ministers in the Scottish executive have unexpectedly defied a decision by the chancellor last week to stagger this year's pay deal for health workers across the UK in two stages, and will increase salaries in Scotland by 2.5% from April 1.
Additional Story
Nurses will earn more if they go to Scotland - The Telegraph 14th March 2007
Additional Story
English nurses will get 0.6 per cent lower ruse than Scottish staff - Daily Mail 13th March 2007
Additional Story
Scots nurses to get full pay rise - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
Choose & Book, the IT programme that allows GPs to book hospital appointments electronically at a time convenient to their patients, is set to miss a key target. The government wanted 90% of referrals by GPs to run through the system by March, but usage is well below that. However the figures hide a more complex picture, with some GPs enthusiastic about the system and others critical.
Once upon a time, in an altogether more innocent age, a reporter's job was to turn up at a politician's speech and, well, report it. These days, the journalist waits by the phone to be favoured with a call from the politician's press people, who will offer a taste, or "trail", of what their boss is to say for publication before it is actually said. For media purposes, the speech itself becomes largely redundant.
Coming new to campaigning after 20 years as a career civil servant does not stop the new chief executive of the charity Rethink spelling out exactly where the government is going wrong on mental health, finds Mary O'Hara
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will." In thinking about the numbers of older people in our society dying by suicide each year, her words seem highly appropriate. A recent review reveals that despite the wealth of research now available about the problem of suicide in older people, it is not being translated into action on the ground.
There is no doubt about it, dementia frightens us. Our images of it hit us where we live, stirring up nightmares of blank, helpless, incontinent misery. It is no surprise we'd rather not think about it, or that trying to get the subject into the mainstream media feels like trying to sell condoms to convents.
New Story
Subjecting someone with severe paranoia to the intense scrutiny of a fly-on-the-wall documentary seems a less than sensible idea, but filmmaker Martin Hicks has pulled off the challenge with impressive results. Hicks' film, It's a Mad World (tonight, 10.40pm, BBC One), charts the experiences of five people with enduring mental health problems. Commissioned by Comic Relief, it features those who use facilities run by the Stoke-on-Trent housing association Brighter Futures, which is among the organisations that have benefited from the £6m donated by Comic Relief to mental health projects since 2005.
New Story
Women's prisons have become our social dustbins. They are now seen as a stopgap, cut-price provider of drug detox, mental health assessment and treatment - a refuge for those failed by public services. Twelve years ago, there were some 1,800 women in jail. Today there are 4,300.
New Story
It's Tuesday afternoon and I'm supply teaching in a reception class in Bristol. Seated on an impossibly small chair, I'm surveying a page of colourful felt-tip scribbles. They're presented to me by a five-year-old boy we'll call Theo. "That's the fox, and that's the green grass," he says proudly, his words difficult to understand due to language delay. I marvel at his enthusiastic description and commend him on his work. Buoyed up by praise, he says "I done five stories today", and indeed he has.
New Story
Babies will be assessed on their gurgling, babbling and toe-playing abilities when they are a few months old under a legally enforced national curriculum for children from birth to five published by the government yesterday. Every nursery, childminder and reception class in Britain will have to monitor children's progress towards a set of 69 government-set "early learning goals", recording them against more than 500 development milestones as they go.
New Story
A hospital in Birmingham in which a young British squaddie wounded in Iraq was infected with MRSA has been chosen for a clinical trial into whether transmission of the superbug can be reduced by using fittings made of copper Although its anti-microbial qualities have long been known - the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used copper to treat wounds - the metal and its most common alloy, brass, have all but disappeared from modern hospitals in favour of spick and span stainless steel, even though germs can remain active on steel for days.
Additional Story
Comment: No copper-bottomed guarantee against MRSA - The Times 13th March 2007
Additional Story
Additional Story
Copper tested in MRSA fightback - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
New Story
The husband of a woman who died from blood poisoning six days after giving birth to their second child received £600,000 in compensation yesterday after two NHS trusts apologised for a series of blunders that led to her death. Ben Palmer's wife, Jessica, was 34 when she suffered a cardiac arrest in the operating theatre, leaving him to bring up their two children, Harry and Emily, now five and two.
Additional Story
My children still cry every day for the mother taken from them by NHS blunders - Daily Mail 13th March 2007
Additional Story
Damages awarded over mother death - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
New Story
Angela Watkinson wants to ensure that parents or guardians are not kept in the dark if their child has become pregnant or is sexually active. The Upminster MP - who will present a 10-minute rule Bill to the Commons - said a rethink was needed after a report found 40 per cent of under-16s were sexually active.
Additional Story
Teen abortion 'right to know' bid - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
New Story
Age Concern wants an army of volunteers to feed elderly patients who might otherwise go hungry because nurses are too busy to sit with them at mealtimes. The Government is considering introducing a "red tray" system for patients who need help with their feeding. It would signify that the tray should not be removed until a patient had finished eating or has had help to finish a meal.
New Story
Health and social workers were criticised yesterday for failing to remove a baby from the clutches of her father, who repeatedly sexually abused her and murdered her aged just seven weeks. Andrew Randall, 33, abused Jessica - who was born five weeks prematurely with a heart defect -from the "moment she left hospital" to the day he killed her by throwing her headfirst into a settee.
New Story
The scandalous treatment of battle-scarred British troops was laid bare when it emerged there are just 13 psychiatrists to cover the whole Armed Forces. Only days ago the Ministry of Defence admitted that 2,100 soldiers have already returned from Iraq suffering mental health problems.
Additional Story
General angry at hospital critics - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
New Story
A young man committed suicide after taking a controversial anti-acne drug which has been linked to depression. Adam Long, 22, an engineer, had been prescribed a course of Roaccutane to treat his acne but later developed schizophrenia.
New Story
As Leah Beth Richards lay sobbing in her bed, her mother Kathryn could hardly bear to look at the pitiful little scrap that her once lively, happy daughter had become. The eight-year-old had been the picture of health, dashing about on her quad bike, enjoying horse riding and playing with the other children in the close-knit Welsh community of Beddau, north of Cardiff. She loved school, her terrier Charlie and following her older sisters around. But, after seven months of gruelling cancer treatment following surgery to remove a massive stomach tumour (the third in her short life), Leah Beth was at breaking point.
New Story
Julie Mason hates it when people comment on how well she looks. 'It's as if they're questioning why I'm making such a fuss,' she says. In fact, Julie has had to become pretty good at making a fuss. For years, she's suffered from chronic pain in her lower abdomen after having surgery, but it's been a battle convincing medical professionals she needed help. At one point, she was visiting her GP surgery almost every day for a month, to insist on extra medication to get rid of the pain.
New Story
The idea of being able to tuck into a plateful of chips without feeling guilty sounds too good to be true. We tend to think of chips as junk food - yet now you can buy 'healthy' oven chips. Low in fat, low in salt, low in sugar and high in essential nutrients, these chips could almost be considered a health food.
New Story
Linda Robson, 48, is well-known as Tracey from Birds Of A Feather. Here, the actress frankly discusses how the menopause has affected her career and how she battled with the potentially fatal condition pancreatitis.
New Story
A new mouthwash test can predict a woman's risk of breast cancer years before the disease sets in. It works by collecting DNA samples from the lining of the cheeks and studying them for genetic activity linked with the development of cancer.
New Story
Going into hospital for an operation is scary enough, but these days you have something else to keep you awake at night - the worry of contracting one of the deadly 'superbugs'. A record number of people - around 5,400 - were killed by superbugs in 2004, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
New Story
'Size zero' has become one of today's most contentious phrases. To some women it's the Holy Grail, to be attained whatever the cost to their long-term health and even fertility. To others, it's the terrifying obsession of an influential few which will lead impressionable young girls to develop eating disorders. Here, two women - one size 0, the other size 18 - pose for these dramatic pictures and defiantly defend their very different body shapes.
New Story
Cancer of the bone affects a few hundred people in Britain each year. When it attacks the face or skull, major surgery is required. Retired businessman Barry Giles, 69, from Ascot, Berkshire, had two-thirds of his cancerous jawbone removed and replaced with part of his shoulder blade. At the same time - a surgical first - a replacement set of teeth was implanted. He tells MARTYN HALLE his story, while the surgeon explains the procedure
New Story
Hospitals face snap inspections and improvement orders in the fight to cut death rates from superbugs. Trusts could also have their performance ranking downgraded if they fail to control outbreaks under the plan from the Health Commission.
New Story
Every Tuesday, Britain's leading nutritionist explains how to eat your way to good health. This week she tackles constipation and easing osteoarthritis: For the past two months I have been suffering from severe constipation. I really don't want to start taking laxatives. What would you suggest?
New Story
Almost half of children whose mothers smoke have asked them to quit, a survey has found. The poll of 500 smoking mothers also found two-thirds felt guilty about spending money on cigarettes which could be used for their children
New Story
Many primary care trusts in England have cut their budget for stop smoking services, according to figures from the Conservative Party. A survey found that 44 of the 115 PCTs surveyed had cut or frozen funding during this financial year.
New Story
Workers who spend excessive amounts of time at their desk could be putting their lives at risk, research suggests. The Medical Research Institute in New Zealand found they may have a higher risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots.
All patients coming in to hospitals for operations should be tested for the MRSA superbug, leading experts say. The Nottingham University team say this, along with better isolation procedures, could cut MRSA rates to the Scandinavian levels within six years.
New Story
There really is something in the way she moves, according to researchers. An hourglass figure has long been perceived to be the ideal figure for a woman to have. But New York University researchers have found that to be found attractive, a woman had to move in a feminine way - swaying her hips.
New Story
Medical tests at the top of the world - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
If you want to research intensive care medicine the top of Mount Everest may seem an odd destination, but for a group of doctors from University College London it represents the ideal laboratory. These mountaineering medics are interested in the effects of oxygen deprivation on the body - a critical problem for ICU patients - so what better location than the highest point on Earth, where there is just one-third the amount of oxygen that exists at sea level.
New Section
International News
Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and middle-age memory loss, claims new research. Tests on mice have shown them to grow new brain cells in a brain region called the dentate gyrus, a part known to be affected in the age-related memory decline that begins around age 30 for most humans.
New Story
A battery-powered electrical device worn on the knee may ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Researchers testing the gadget, which uses an electric current to stimulate the joint, say seven out of ten osteoarthritis patients could benefit.
New Story
If your parents have lasted to a ripe old age, it is double cause for celebration. It means that you, too, are likely to enjoy a long innings even if you don't have a healthy lifestyle, say researchers.
New Story
A single episode of severe stress can be enough to kill off new nerve cells in the brain, research suggests. Rosalind Franklin University researchers believe their finding may give new insights into the development of depression.
New Story
Scientists in Egypt are examining the possibility that the deadly H5N1 Avian flu virus could be changing into a deadlier strain. Dr Suhir Hallaj, director of the World Health Organization's communicable disease programme says there is particular concern that previous victims in Egypt have suffered from respiratory problems.
New Story
Study reveals US veterans' trauma - BBC Health News 13th March 2007
A quarter of US veterans treated by doctors when they return from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer mental health problems, according to US research. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at 103,788 personnel between 2001 and 2005.
New Section
Cheshire and Merseyside News
New Story
THE company which runs Merseyside's GP out-of-hours service has come in for a barrage of criticism in recent months. Last year, the Daily Post revealed Urgent Care 24 was being investigated, after whistleblower Roy McNally raised concerns about the patients not being properly prioritising of cases.
Additional Story
Safety fear as doctor picks up drug forms - Liverpool Daily Post 13th March 2007
New Story
CASES of the superbug clostridium difficile are falling in the region as hospitals invest in battling the potentially deadly bacteria. Figures obtained by the Daily Post under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that there has been a drop in the incidence of C. difficile in four Merseyside hospitals between 2005 and 2006.
Additional Story
Additional Story
PARENTS and staff lost the battle to keep open a special needs unit yesterday, after an independent adjudicator ruled that it should merge with a mainstream school. Greenways special school, in Beechwood Road, Dingle, will be merged with neighbouring Matthew Arnold Primary from September.
Additional Story
Special needs unit must close - Liverpool Echo 13th March 2007
New Section
Cumbria and Lancashire News
New Story
A £1 MILLION renal dialysis unit will be opened at the West Cumberland Hospital this week. The Dalegarth Renal Unit replaces a renal dialysis service run at Cockermouth’s Community Hospital, which operated from a prefabricated building for 30 years.
New Story
RELATIVES of an 87-year-old woman who died last week say a stressful and unnecessary ambulance journey contributed to her death. Elsie Greene, of Little Corby, had to endure a four-hour trip from Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary to Brampton Cottage Hospital wearing nothing but a nightie.
New Story
Cheaper operations lead to plastic surgery boom - Lancashire Telegraph 13th March 2007
MORE people are having cosmetic surgery at an East Lancashire private hospital than ever before, bosses have revealed. In 2006, 82 people underwent surgery at Beardwood Hospital, Preston New Road, Blackburn, compared to 34 in 2005, a rise of 141 per cent.
A FIREFIGHTER has been docked a week's wages for taking time-off to donate life-saving bone marrow to a teenage girl. Mark McCracken, 43, of Colne, who works at Blackburn Fire Station, applied for leave to travel to London after being told he was a match for the leukaemia victim.
A DOCTOR has been accused of carrying out "unnecessary and indecent" examinations on two women patients. Dr Shakir Hasan Laher, of Pringle Street, Blackburn, denies all the misconduct allegations against him.
New Story
Hospital lifts failure ‘sorted’ - Lancashire Telegraph 13th March 2007
LIFT failures said to be causing delays at Royal Blackburn Hospital have now been repaired, bosses have said. Three of the seven lifts at the hospital had broken down, the Lancashire Telegraph reported last week.
New Section
Greater Manchester News
New Story
PATIENTS at four major hospitals in Greater Manchester are to be offered help to quit cigarettes. Every in-patient will be asked if they smoke and offered a referral to local 'stop smoking' services - no matter what treatment they are receiving - from the start of next month.
New Story
DRUGS designed to treat athlete's foot could be used to fight TB, according to Manchester scientists. TB is a highly contagious lung disease which kills almost two million people a year. New strains of the disease have grown resistant to traditional drugs.
New Story
An acne sufferer killed himself by lying in front of a train after being given a controversial drug to treat his condition. Adam Long, aged 22, had taken a course of Roaccutane and later developed depression.
New Story
THE future of Bolton's baby and children's super-centre is to be decided by a panel of experts. After winning the battle to be named as one of the region's three centres of excellence for neonatal, baby and children's services, hospital bosses must now await the outcome of a review into the decision by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.
New Story
NEWS the national smoking ban could be delayed has been greeted with mixed reactions in Bolton. Human rights lawyer Jaswinder Gill, of the London law firm Ormerods, has launched an application for a judicial review on behalf of the Freedom To Choose group, which is opposed to the ban.
New Story
MEDICAL staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital have been forced to create a rehabilitation service for patients with chronic lung disease because they cannot get funding to launch one. The hopital's chest experts admit the service offered is not as good as one that has specific funding, but said they had to do something as the service was desperately needed.
New Story
HOSPITAL bosses are working with Age Concern to ensure pensioners are fed properly while they are patients at the Royal Bolton. Special trays were introduced into all the wards at the hospital last year to ensure those who needed help at meal times were given it and there are no visitors allowed during breakfast, lunch and dinner times. Food for patients who need help eating is sent up from the kitchen on a red tray, mustard trays are used for those patients who need supplements and green trays are for normal meals.
New Story
SCHOOLGIRL Amy Morris is to realise her dream of swimming with dolphins and riding a rollercoaster for the first time. Because she was born with a rare heart defect, the 12-year-old twice needed emergency surgery and had a pacemaker fitted to her original heart before, in October 2003, she received a life-saving transplant.
New Story
WHEN father-of-two Paul Jones turned 40 last year his father had already given him the perfect present - a new kidney. In the month that Kidney Awareness Day is looking to raise the profile of the transplant programme, the delivery driver told how, aged 14, he was diagnosed with henoch-schonlein purpura, an autoimmune reaction in which the body attacks its own blood vessels.
New Story
WHEN someone you know spends time in hospital, it is inevitable that the subject of food will crop up. Hospital food has undoubtedly improved over the years - but can you guarantee that your friend or relative is receiving any in the first place?
New Story
NHS shake-up review begins - Manchester Evening News 13th March 2007
MEMBERS of an independent panel considering the future of maternity and children's services in Greater Manchester were today visiting some of the hospitals affected by the shake-up. Health bosses want to cut overnight care for mums and babies from 13 hospitals to eight, but Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has stepped in after complaints and asked the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to investigate.
New Section
Podcast
Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
