Monday, December 18, 2006

Contents

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National News

First person: Michelle Mullen - The Guardian 18th December 2006


Michelle Mullen had it all: good job, money, and a busy social life. Then she went to her doctor with numbness and blurred vision, and everything changed ...

First Step opens up new paths with work skills - The Guardian 18th December 2006


Trust offers employment to hundreds with long-term mental health problems

Publishers aim to pile on the pounds with new diet books - The Observer 17th December 2006


As the obesity crisis deepens, the new year will unleash a slew of books offering the perfect guide to shifting the flab. Here are the titles fighting for your cash ...

Nurses in pensions crisis could lose £31m HQ - The Observer 17th December 2006


The Royal College of Nursing may have to sell its London headquarters to developers because of looming financial problems and a £42m pensions deficit. The Georgian building near Harley Street - valued at £31m - may be converted into apartments or a luxury hotel.

Catholic church in new sex abuse row - The Observer 17th December 2006


Diocese is shaken as former altar boy takes legal action claiming that negligence exposed him to priest who was 'a danger to children'

A place to be young, a place to be safe ... - The Observer 17th December 2006


Hundreds of thousands of young Britons live with acute mental illness. Denis Campbell visits one project making them feel wanted and valued

High-dose fertility drugs put mothers and babies at risk - The Observer 17th December 2006


Thousands of infertile women who undergo IVF treatment are risking themselves and their embryos because they are receiving too many strong hormonal drugs, new research reveals today. More than 10,000 children - around 1.5 per cent of all live births - are born in the UK each year using the treatments. For years, clinics have chosen to place several embryos in the womb to give the best possible chance of a pregnancy, often leading to multiple pregnancies that are dangerous in themselves because they can lead to premature delivery.

Brothels and safe red light areas are the only way forward - The Observer 17th December 2006


Prostitution policy in Britain is a disgrace created by the interlinking scandals of political cowardice and public indifference. Sex workers lead difficult and dangerous lives and the truth is that most people, including politicians, don't care what happens to them.


No 10 'blocked move to legalise prostitution' - The Observer 17th December 2006


Mary Riddell: Men: prostitution's driving force - The Observer 17th December 2006

Additional Story
Addiction that drove victims to life on the street - The Guardian 16th December 2006


Harm caused by sex worker stereotypes - The Guardian 16th December 2006


The many reasons to take a Victorian view of prostitution - The Telegraph 18th December 2006

Patients win right to keep records off NHS computer - The Guardian 16th December 2006


The government has bowed to privacy concerns about a new NHS computer system and conceded that patients should be allowed a veto on information about their medical history being passed from their GP to a national database.


How patients' protests forced a rethink on NHS computer records - The Guardian 16th December 2006

Electronic care records go ahead - BBC Health News 16th December 2006

Gym will fix it in any number of ways - The Guardian 16th December 2006


We may have become a nation of gym obsessives, but it is not the dream of abs of steel which draws us in. The huge growth in the popularity of health clubs and gym membership is actually driven by our hunt for friendship and social interaction, according to a new study.

So you want to work in Health and social care - The Guardian 16th December 2006


This is one of the biggest employment sectors in the UK. The roles are varied: from doctors and nurses, ambulance staff and support staff within the NHS, to working in social care in a hospital, an educational setting or a residential home. The graduate starting salary is currently estimated at pounds 10,000 to pounds 25,000, jumping to anything from pounds 19,000 to a wholesome pounds 48,000-plus after training.

Couple guilty of giving cannabis to MS patients - The Guardian 16th December 2006


A couple who gave thousands of chocolate bars laced with cannabis to multiple sclerosis patients for pain relief were found guilty yesterday of conspiring to supply the drug.


Cannabis chocolate makers guilty - The Times 16th December 2006


Cannabis chocolate trio convicted - BBC Health News 15th December 2006

Liver disease from hepatitis C expected to double in 10 years - The Guardian 16th December 2006


The number of people suffering from severe liver diseases caused by hepatitis C will double in the next 10 years, putting serious strain on transplant services, health watchdogs warned yesterday.

Superbug infections could be controlled by isolation - The Independent 18th December 2006


Britain has the worst record for tackling superbug infection among big European nations, according to a report that reveals the full scale of the MRSA crisis. The findings will add to the pressure on the Government to invest hundreds of million of pounds in new hospital beds to help the NHS get back to the low infection rates of 25 years ago.
PVL: New strain of superbug targets the young, and its latest victim is an NHS nurse - The Independent 18th December 2006


A nurse and a patient have died from a deadly new strain of MRSA after a superbug outbreak at a hospital. The Health Protection Agency said three other nurses in the West Midlands hospital were among eight people who contracted the new, more lethal strain of MRSA, four of whom have infections including boils and abscesses. Two have died.


Hospitals on alert for fast strain of MRSA that kills young and healthy - The Times 18th December 2006

MRSA strain kills two in hospital - BBC Health News 18th December 2006

Britain's booziest Christmas ever - The Independent on Sunday 17th December 2006


Price wars in supermarkets and drink promotions in pubs are making alcohol cheaper than ever. And we're lapping it up, as this exclusive survey for the 'IoS' reveals. Which is why police are calling for a ban on advertising aimed at young drinkers and doctors are warning of record levels of liver disease. Sophie Goodchild and Marie Woolf report

Taxi drivers' knowledge helps their brains grow - The Independent on Sunday 17th December 2006


Satellite navigation systems can stunt your brain, preventing it from developing, according to scientists. They have discovered that taxi drivers have actually grown more brain cells because of all the knowledge they keep in their heads. When the scientists compared the brains of taxi drivers with those of other drivers, they found the cabbies had more grey matter in the area of the brain associated with memory.

Bishop 'might have suffered stroke' - The Independent on Sunday 17th December 2006


Doctors are investigating whether a minor stroke may to be blame for the erratic behaviour of the Bishop of Southwark, who was found on his doorstep with head wounds after a night out.
The Right Rev Tom Butler has come under increasing pressure to explain the bizarre events that occurred when he left a Christmas drinks reception at the Irish embassy earlier this month.

Doctors told not to wear ties to stop spread of MRSA bug - The Independent on Sunday 17th December 2006


Doctors have been told not to wear ties on hospital wards because they could spread the MRSA superbug to patients. Hospital consultants, working at Brighton and Sussex Hospitals Trust, have been told that they should leave their ties at home because they are not cleaned as frequently as other clothes and could spread germs. The MRSA bug, which is spread by lack of cleanliness, is responsible for hundreds of deaths. The rules have been introduced to try to reduce one of the highest rates of MRSA infection in the country.


Doctors told to cast off ties - The Sunday Times 17th December 2006


Tie ban for doctors to stop spread of MRSA - The Telegraph 18th December 2006

School obesity tests distorted - The Independent on Sunday 17th December 2006


Parents of fat children are being blamed by ministers for the failure of an attempt to measure the nation's childhood obesity crisis. The results of a survey that was supposed to weigh and measure every reception class pupil suggested children are getting lighter. But data was distorted as not enough local health trusts did the tests and, where they did, parents of fat children refused to give permission for them to be weighed.

Ikea gives staff chance to get on their bikes - The Independent 16th December 2006


Ikea, the Swedish retail chain, showed its green credentials yesterday by giving all 9,000 of its workers a free bicycle.

Cloning benefits oversold, says stem-cell scientist - The Times 18th December 2006


The medical promise of therapeutic cloning has been oversold and its unreasonably high profile risks turning the public against more promising aspects of stem-cell research, according to one of Britain’s most respected experts in the field. Cloning research “clearly upsets the general public” yet it has limited potential for treating disease and adds little to scientific understanding of human biology, according to Professor Austin Smith of the University of Cambridge.

Comment: Jenny Hjul: Let GPs go private to do their job well - The Sunday Times 17th December 2006


General practitioners enjoy special status within the NHS, being the most public face of healthcare because they have most contact with the public. Just about everyone has at some time had reason to see “their doctor” (note the possessive article). People are more likely to know the name of their doctor than that of any other public servant. But though GPs are paid out of the public purse, few of us think of them as public-sector workers. They run their practices very much as private businesses — as independent contractors and for profit, and have done since 1948.

The real experts on underage sex - The Sunday Times 17th December 2006


In all this talk about lowering the age of consent in Scotland, shouldn't we take time to talk to the children. When Paul lost his virginity to an older girl, he never thought he might be committing a crime. Emma, his first girlfriend, was a year older than him at 15 and already sexually experienced. But when her parents discovered the nature of their relationship, it was 14-year-old Paul who was threatened with the law.

Health: Laser eye surgery - The Sunday Times 17th December 2006


For anyone who wears glasses or contact lenses the promise of perfect vision is hard to resist. Corrective laser eye surgery first became widely available in 1988 and has become increasingly popular. An estimated 100,000 people underwent the operation this year — three times the number who did a decade ago. There are 93 clinics in Britain currently offering the operation.


Kit bag: Essential gear for post-operative care - The Sunday Times 17th December 2006

Healthier climes? - The Times 16th December 2006


Choosing to live abroad can lead to problems in medical care
The headline was certainly eye-catching: “5.5 million Britons opt to live abroad”. That’s almost three quarters of London’s population or five Birminghams’ worth.

Ministers deny children braces on NHS - The Sunday Telegraph 17th December 2006


Thousands of children are being denied dental braces and other corrective treatment on the NHS after the Government changed the rules on who is eligible. Orthodontists, who specialise in the correction of irregular teeth and work mainly with children and teenagers, are now turning away more than 7,000 patients a month, patients who, this time last year, would have been given braces on the NHS.

Back from the brink - The Telegraph 16th December 2006


Collingham Gardens is one of the dwindling number of residential psychiatric units for under-14s, a last resort for the parents of severely disturbed children. Angela Neustatter sees how the right treatment can turn despair into hope

Mistletoe and wine? It'll end in tears - The Telegraph 16th December 2006


Christmas is the season of unexpected health hazards. The familiar joys of the festive season are almost upon us: the wine and wassailing, the gift-giving, food and festivity; the stress-related ailments, trips to A & E, weight gain, walloping hangovers and embolism-inducing credit-card bills.

Obese should have health warnings on their clothes - Daily Mail 15th December 2006


Oversize clothes should have obesity helpline numbers sewn on them to try and reduce Britain's fat crisis, a leading professor said today.


Watchdog finds cardiac 'failings' - BBC Health News 18th December 2006

A NHS trust has promised an action plan for the cardiac centre at Swansea's Morriston Hospital after a health watchdog found difficulties remain. A Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) review of the centre found "many failings" over several years.

Kicking causes most severe injury - BBC Health News 18th December 2006


Kicking somebody during a fight can be more dangerous than using a sharp or blunt weapon, research shows. A study of 25,000 people admitted to A&E found use of feet was more likely to inflict serious injury than blunt or sharp objects or fists.

Plea over funds for elderly care - BBC Health News 18th December 2006


Many vulnerable elderly people will be condemned to "isolation and dependency" if the government does not provide extra funds for care, campaigners say.

More baby research funds demanded - BBC Health News 17th 2006


Babies' lives are being jeopardised by a lack of funding looking at the cause of premature births, a charity claims. Action Medical Research said £3.7m - just 0.3% of the total research budget - was spent on research in this subject during the year 2004-2005. However, a Department of Health spokeswoman said research spending in the area actually stood at £6m a year.

Dieters do calories, not exercise - BBC Health News 17th 2006


Twice as many dieters count calories to lose weight rather than exercise, a poll has found. Calorie counting is most popular with women - half opt to count their food intake, compared with a third of men. Yet 59% of the 2,000 people surveyed by GlaxoSmithKline Nutritional Healthcare realised exercise makes the greater contribution to personal health.

Hospital in baby deaths inquiry - BBC Health News 15th December 2006


An investigation is under way into the sudden deaths of four babies at the neonatal unit of Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.

Fears over hepatitis C awareness - BBC Health News 15th December 2006


Thousands of people are still being diagnosed with the severe liver disease hepatitis C in England despite a major awareness campaign, figures show.

Obesity 'could bankrupt the NHS' - BBC Health News 15th December 2006


The rising levels of obesity could bankrupt the NHS if left unchecked, a British Medical Journal report warns.

Donor crisis 'fuels IVF tourism' - BBC Health News 14th December 2006


British couples desperate for a baby are travelling abroad for fertility treatment because of a shortage of egg donors in the UK.

International News

Medics face death while Libya uses HIV children as diplomatic pawns - The Observer 17th December 2006


The death in Libya six weeks ago of nine-year-old Marwa Annouiji from Aids was much more than just another developing world statistic. In her short, life, dominated by illness, the frail child was a pawn in a high-level game of international relations.


Medics await their fate in Libyan HIV case - The Independent 18th December 2006

HIV positive and forced by poverty to breastfeed - The Telegraph 16th December 2006


As she breastfeeds her three-month-old twins, James and John, Asina Ajabu is playing a lottery with lives that have barely begun.

The babies who are murdered to order - Daily Mail 15th December 2006


The plastic bag looks as if it contains meat. But then a right leg is taken from it and placed surgically on the morgue table, followed by the left one. Then the torso. The head follows, a gaping cavity where the brain used to be.

Drug resistant TB 'more severe' - BBC Health News 16th December 2006


The problem of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis may be even more severe than previously thought, experts warn.

Fitness 'cuts colon cancer risk' - BBC Health News 16th December 2006


Keeping physically active can significantly cut the risk of colon cancer, international research shows.

Breast cancer drop linked to HRT - BBC Health News 15th December 2006


A drop in breast cancer cases may be due to women eschewing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), experts say.

Delhi doctors begin hunger strike - BBC Health News 15th December 2006


Doctors from India's most prestigious medical institute have begun a hunger strike in the capital Delhi.

Cheshire and Merseyside News



Canon calls for legal sex workers - Liverpool Echo 15th December 2006


A SENIOR Merseyside churchman last night called for the legalisation of prostitution and drugs to protect women working on the streets. Dr John Elford, former Canon of Liverpool Cathedral, last night slammed the Government's "self-righteous" attitude which he said was criminalising vulnerable young women and putting their lives at risk.

I started drinking at 11 ... by 15 I was on 16 cans a day - Liverpool Echo 15th December 2006


IT'S the time of year when many people drink to excess. Chief feature writer Paddy Shennan speaks to a Merseyside teenager who has come through her own binge-drinking hell

Unit named best in the UK - Ormskirk Advertiser 14th December 2006


IT’S a small specialist unit headed by one doctor, but Ormskirk Hospital’s dermatology unit has beaten established teaching centres in major cities to be named the best in the country.

Super ‘shock’ for Sarah - Ormskirk Advertiser 14th December 2006


EDGE Hill University midwifery graduate Sarah Batt, pictured left, has won an impressive prize for excelling in her studies.

Hospitals plead for cash to halt deadly superbugs - Liverpool Daily Post 14th December 2006


HOSPITALS across the region are to bid for a share of £50m national funding to fight superbugs on their wards. Health executives last night announced they want £300,000 to help stop the spread of deadly MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C-Dif), at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals.


Hospitals in cash bid to fight superbugs - Liverpool Echo 14th December 2006

999 crew could not get to footballer - Liverpool Echo 14th December 2006


AMBULANCE staff have met council officers to come up with a series of contingency plans after a second footballer was left waiting in agony for paramedics on a council sports pitch.

Student's health alert over nurse 'burnout' - Ellesmere Port Pioneer 14th December 2006


A STUDENT nurse from Ellesmere Port says cutbacks at the Countess of Chester Hospital are having a 'devastating' effect on patient care. The woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, says there is a shortage of nurses, which is leading to unsafe working conditions, low morale and burnout.

Cumbria and Lancashire News



Drug Deals or Mercy Missions? - Carlisle News & Star 16th December 2006


Exhausted, angry, and tearful, Lezley Gibson sat in the dock, shaking her head, silently mouthing the words: “It’s just not fair”. The 42-year-old former hairdresser, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 21 years ago, had just heard Judge John Phillips explain a court ruling that effectively scuppered her defence in this week’s gruelling cannabis trial.


Cannabis Choc 3 Guilty - Carlisle News & Star 16th December 2006


Cannabis couple Guilty - Carlisle News & Star 15th December 2006


Couple guilty of giving cannabis to MS patients - The Guardian 16th December 2006


Cannabis chocolate makers guilty - The Times 16th December 2006


Cannabis chocolate trio convicted - BBC Health News 15th December 2006

Mental health officer attacks services - Lancashire Telegraph 15th December 2006


A LEADING mental health officer has launched a stinging attack on the NHS's "cinderella" psychiatric services. Krys Wiczkowska, who has quit Blackburn with Darwen NHS Primary Care Trust, said red tape and low investment were letting patients down. And she said patients were being given too many anti-depressant tablets instead of face-to-face help.

Diabetes girl’s amazing boost - Lancashire Telegraph 15th December 2006


A DARWEN mother is urging children with diabetes to change their diet after her daughter remarkably improved her condition by slimming. Liesl Robinson, who herself dropped three dress sizes, started her daughter Chloe on the diet and her insulin injections have now been halved.

Greater Manchester News



The ‘silent epidemic’ of alcohol abuse - The Bolton News 16th December 2006


AN epidemic of alcohol abuse is sweeping through Bolton's pensioner population.
Research carried out at the Royal Bolton Hospital has revealed residents as old as 90 are being admitted with evidence of serious alcohol abuse. Doctors at the hospital are warning the problem is getting worse.

Tragedy of cancer sufferer Martin - The Bolton News 16th December 2006


A CANCER sufferer died at the age of 34 - just two days after being diagnosed with the disease. Martin Pover was in hospital surrounded by his family when doctors delivered the shattering news. Medics had thought he was suffering from tuberculosis before tests revealed the true nature of his condition.

Fairfield: What's staying - or going - Bury Times 16th December 2006


THE future of Fairfield Hospital's maternity and children's services is set to change dramatically within the next five years. Here are the services that will stay - and those to be axed.

Smoking ban: How it will work - Bury Times 16th December 2006


COUNCIL and health bosses have held talks to ensure Bury is ready to implement the upcoming ban on smoking next summer. The Smoke Free Bury Forum, made up of representatives from Bury Council and Primary Care Trust (PCT), will spend the next few months making plans for how the ban for smoking in indoor public places will work in Bury when it becomes law on July 1.

'Scandal' of OAPs out in the cold - Bury Times 16th December 2006


OLD folk are at risk because they cannot afford to heat their homes, say local Liberal Democrats. They are calling on the Government to increase winter fuel payments and offer better incentives to people to insulate their homes and cut fuel bills.


Wanted this Christmas: A pint of your blood - Manchester Evening News 16th December 2006


THE National Blood Service has launched an appeal asking people in the north west to give blood in the run-up to Christmas. The charity says blood stocks fall by about 10 per cent approaching the festive period, which can often be the busiest time of the year for hospitals.

No reprieve for 'elderly' ward - Manchester Evening News 16th December 2006


A HOSPITAL ward which provides rehabilitation care for the elderly will be the first casualty of a £14m cash crisis.

Town hall to start smoking ban early - Leigh Journal 15th December 2006


SMOKING will be banned by Bolton Council six months before the country is forced to stub it out. Lighting up is already outlawed at most local-authority offices and buildings, but a new smoke-free policy will be expanded to include the remaining premises in the new year.

Leaflet offers advice to stay healthy this winter - The Bolton News 15th December 2006


SOARING rates of illness over the festive and winter period have prompted health bosses to publish a leaflet telling people how to stay healthy. Bolton Primary Care Trust has produced the leaflet, which is full of tips on how to keep well during the cold months, as the extra rates of illness is a huge drain of hospital and GP services.

Bolton people are among the worst for taking exercise - The Bolton News 15th December 2006


PEOPLE in Bolton are among the worst in the country for taking exercise, according to a new survey into UK fitness levels. Sport England has revealed that residents in the borough exercise less than people in most other areas of the country. Of 354 local authorities, Bolton is ranked at 312, with just 18.3 per cent of people taking part in sport or exercise for the recommended 30 minutes, three times a week.

Manifesto for a healthier Bolton - The Bolton News 15th December 2006


A PLEDGE to improve the ailing health of Bolton's population has been signed by borough health bosses.The manifesto for improving health services in the town, entitled Better Health for Bolton, was officially launched at an event at the Reebok Stadium. Falling life expectancy, chronic heart and liver disease, and high rates of cancer have prompted health chiefs to draw up the action plan.

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