Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
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Only one smoker and one business have been taken to court for flouting Scotland's strict anti-smoking laws in the year since they were introduced, it emerged yesterday. Critics of the ban predicted open disobedience by smokers, but Scottish ministers claimed yesterday it had been a "tremendous" success after learning that only 175 people were fined for breaching the law.
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It requires no gym subscription, no spandex, Lycra or legwarmers and is an activity to which even the most fitness-phobic individual might not be averse. So what is the latest exercise trend that we are being encouraged to embrace for the good of our health and the sliminess of our thighs? A daily stroll. Earlier this month, the LA Times predicted that walking would be this year's biggest fitness trend and that we will be taking to pavements in hordes akin to the jogging boom of the 1970s. Indeed, high-profile personal trainers on both sides of the Atlantic can now be spotted marching their clients around parks and pavements.
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The more we travel to Africa, India and south-east Asia, the less seriously, it seems, we take the risks of contracting malaria. Mark Honigsbaum on a new campaign to educate Britain about a disease that all too often proves fatal
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A national inquiry into the scale of bullying should be undertaken by ministers because of fears that the problem is being downplayed by schools seeking to protect their reputations, a report demands today. New guidance is also needed to ensure that victims who dare to fight back are not suspended or expelled.
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Today's adolescents are the first generation to have grown up less healthy than their parents, doctors said yesterday. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, obesity and sexually transmitted diseases have replaced childhood infections of the past, such as tuberculosis and polio, and are exacting a greater toll. The difference is that the modern threats to teenagers' health are preventable.
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Teens of today first in history to be less healthy than their parents - Daily Mail 26th March 2007
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YOU’RE feeling really low, so you visit your GP, who says you are clinically depressed. Not great news, but at least you know what the situation is. Then she tells you that you have just cost the NHS £25 for the consultation. Well, that might just depress you even more. Crackpot idea? Yes, says Dr Hamish Meldrum, chair of the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee. He tells Pulse (March 22): “It’s certainly not going to further the doctor-patient relationship.”
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THE latest weapon in the NHS’s fight against deadly superbugs? Tie pins. Not just any old tie pins, naturally, but ones made of copper. Nursing Times (March 20) says that copper is the latest superbug superhero because of its bactericidal properties. Doctors at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham are wearing copper tie pins, while trolleys, door handles and grab-rails have all been fashioned from the magic metal. A researcher who has been testing copper’s bug-busting powers says that it inhibits respiration in bacteria. “In effect it stops them breathing.”
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A health-conscious female singleton’s good eating habits are often abandoned when she sets up home with a man. Amanda Ursell examines what goes wrong
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Britain’s most successful IVF doctor was cleared yesterday to challenge the legality of warrants used by the fertility watchdog to search his London clinics. Mr Justice Holman, sitting in the High Court, gave Mohammed Taranissi permission to seek a judicial review of the actions taken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The judge ruled that Mr Taranissi, who argues that the warrants were obtained using incomplete and misleading evidence, had a “good prospect” of establishing that the HFEA’s behaviour had been “unjustified, disproportionate and unlawful”.
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THREE years in the making, and much of it dismissed in hours. Having published his long-awaited report on local council funding last week, Sir Michael Lyons must be wondering what he has to do to influence ministers. Local Government Chronicle (March 22) says that they “immediately rejected” his central recommendations. It adds: “Fears are growing that financial devolution may be sidelined.”
Health Service Journal (March 22) is also in a flap — about the correct spelling of “tsar”. Or is it “czar”? With big cheeses in the NHS often dubbed “tsars” — or “czars” — the journal’s diarist has been having fun with other eminent leaders who might adopt the title. A correspondent offers a selection of ideas, including “film tsar” for the head of radiology, “tsars in their eyes” for opthalmology leads, and “tsar sign” for the boss of NHS corporate identity. Other professions could consider something similar, the correspondent suggests. “I’m surprised that we do not have the senior police officer for firearms control as the shooting tsar.”
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When times are hard it’s more difficult than ever to keep your employees’ morale up. Jennifer Taylor gets some tips from specialists on maintaining a happy workforce WITH redundancies, cuts in services and pay rises that were less than hoped for, morale in the public sector workforce is a bit low. So what can HR do to motivate staff?
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Coffee contains caffeine, which stimulates our nervous system and lifts our mood. Now a new range of fortified coffees is about to arrive that the makers claim will boost our clarity and flexibility, our metabolism and immunity. It is made by Boaters Coffee Company, whose general manager, Chris Tarling, says: “We apply a liquid fortified with, for example, gingko biloba. This penetrates the bean and then when you grind the bean the coffee is a source of this herbal extract.”
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Parents who fail to curb their children’s misbehaviour or overeating in order to have a quiet life are “grossly selfish and irresponsible”, according to David Cameron. The Conservative leader said that all adults — parents as well as strangers — should have a duty and the authority to tackle badly behaved youths, as he started an inquiry into the quality of childhood.
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IF YOU ask people in an organisation about their problems, you create more problems, whereas if you ask them what works best, they can learn how to replicate and extend that positive behaviour. That’s the principle behind appreciative inquiry (AI), a technique used by Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust to define its values, reports People Management (March 22). “The normal approach is to talk about the problems, but AI gets you to look at what’s good and then asks how you can make that happen more often,” says Ruth Dunlop, head of leadership and management development. A series of workshops with staff unearthed four values: the centrality of patients; the importance of teamwork in delivering high-quality care; an energised atmosphere; and an emphasis on innovation.
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WORK is good for your wellbeing, says the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Despite the pain of separation from your bed of a morning, going to work is likely to reduce your risk of obesity, heart disease and “psychological distress”, according to an independent report cited by the DWP. Well, as long as being at work doesn’t make you ill. Confused? Then read on.
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CHRIS BROWN director of policy and strategy for the National Decontamination Programme at the Department of Health, on a project to improve sterilisation of surgical equipment After the BSE crisis the Government had advice from the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee that the risk from infected meat was effectively zero after all precautions had been taken. The main risk was person-to-person contact and one vector was surgical instrumentation.
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COMMUNITY TREATMENT ORDER What is it? Any legal order which requires people with mental health problems who are living in the community to comply with specified care and treatment. Nursing Times (March 20) reports that an amendment to the Mental Health Bill has been passed in the House of Lords which, if agreed by the House of Commons, would prevent compulsory treatment being used as widely as initially planned.
“The notion that I have put in place a team with the aim of privatising the NHS in London is nonsense.” Ruth Carnall, interim chief executive of NHS London, defends the appointment of No 10 adviser Paul Corrigan and Lord Warner, the former Health Minister, to her organisation, in Health Service Journal (March 22)
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One way to be less “out of touch” with street violence (letter, March 22) in London is for accident and emergency and public health services to contribute to prevention. They can provide unique intelligence about locations and weapons, much of which is not reported to the police, and their consultants can be powerful and effective advocates for targeted prevention.
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The legal ages for voting and driving should be revised on the basis of scientific evidence, researchers say. Changes in the brain that occur during adolescence suggest that teenagers as young as 15 may be capable of the mature judgment and self-control required to drive a car responsibly or to vote in general elections, the researchers say.
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Children as young as six have suffered signs of eating disorders, according to a study of the under-13s. Figures from the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit show that 206 cases were reported over a 13-month period from March 2005. That equates to 3.5 children for every 100,000. Of those, 37 per cent were said to have anorexia and 18 per cent of all cases were boys.
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Children as young as six suffering from anorexia - Daily Mail 26th March 2007
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Children as young as six suffering from anorexia - Daily Mail 26th March 2007
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Nurses can perform surgical abortions, according to a new interpretation of the law. An analysis of the Abortion Act and subsequent case law suggests that it is legal for a nurse to perform early operations as long as a doctor is in overall charge, but not necessarily present.
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Let nurses carry out abortions, say experts - The Telegraph 27th March 2007
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Let nurses carry out abortions, say experts - The Telegraph 27th March 2007
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NOBODY likes tight-fisted people who never offer to buy a round. Well, local government seems to think that the NHS never buys a round while the NHS says that local government never buys a round. So what’s the solution? David Stout, director of the NHS Confederation’s primary care trust network, tells Health Service Journal (March 22) that more senior management joint appointments would ensure that health is factored in when funding decisions are made. “People’s health is often determined by issues under the control of local authorities, such as antisocial behaviour, employment and housing. A joint appointment ensures [that] public health is on the local government radar.” It would also help to curb tensions between health and local government about cost-shunting.
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The influx of young women from eastern Europe is stretching to breaking point NHS services for pregnancy, maternity, babies and abortion, health professionals said yesterday. Some GP practices, particularly those outside major cities, are reporting a doubling of the number of pregnant women on their lists and the knock-on effect of increased demand for baby services such as routine vaccinations.
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Immigrant baby boom puts NHS under strain - Daily Mail 26th March 2007
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Immigrant pregnanices stretch NHS - BBC Health News 26th March 2007
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Britain's mothers should be encouraged not to have their children too late in life because of the "shocking" record of babies being born underweight, says a report today. The UK has the worst rate of any country in western Europe, except Greece, with 40,000 babies born every year at less than 5lb 8oz.
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More tiny babies being born in UK - BBC Health News 26th March 2007
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Using GM to help the male mosquito to dominate the blood-sucking female could be the key to fighting malaria, writes Roger Highfield The male Anopheles mosquito is a much maligned and misunderstood creature.
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Any American willing to comment on Britain's National Health Service must begin by making two points. First, he must stress that he understands that when the NHS was established it filled a crying need in a society that was reeling from the economic consequences of two wars and a slump. The NHS met the financial needs of the great mass of the decidedly unrich British population in need of healthcare.
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Small amounts of omega-3 derived from algae can help lower blood pressure, according to research out today. Scientists have found far lower doses of algae than of fish oils - the best known source of omega-3 - are needed for a beneficial effect.
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The Alzheimer's Society has won the go-ahead for a High Court challenge over the drugs ban imposed by the NHS rationing watchdog which affects thousands of patients. The landmark legal challenge will be heard over the next few months - thanks to an immensely successful appeal by the Daily Mail which raised £230,000 for legal costs from generous readers and celebrity supporters.
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Drugs watchdog faces legal review - BBC Health News 26th March 2007
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Health in Brief - The Times 28th March 2007
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A patch which it is claimed can help women regain their sex drive is set to become available on the NHS. It is the first treatment for women with low sex drive, but maker Procter and Gamble said it was not promoted as the female equivalent of Viagra.
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A patient with listeria probably caught it by eating a sandwich from a contaminated batch which were recalled from hospitals, officials said. The sandwiches had been distributed by Anchor Catering across the South East.
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Old study could aid mental health - BBC Health News 26th March 2007
A charity believes a 60-year-old study of mental health in Scotland could hold the key to developing new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's. Help the Aged in Scotland is hoping to raise £13.5m by 2015 to pay for long-term research resulting from the Scottish Mental Survey from 1947.
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International News
Staple diet of teenagers but the bane of nutritionists the world over, the humble pizza has been given a make-over. After pondering ingredients and slaving over hot stoves, food chemists at the University of Maryland believe they have a way of turning the pizza into healthier food. They varied oven temperatures and baking times to test the level of antioxidants in the pizza base.
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It takes ten years of abstinence for ex-smokers’ arteries to return to the levels of health seen in people who have never smoked, claims a study in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association (March). Smoking stiffens arteries, increasing the resistance in blood vessels and raises the risk of heart attack, says the study of 554 people by Trinity College, Dublin.
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Desperate mothers are being urged to drop their unwanted babies through hatches at hospitals in an effort to halt a spate of infanticides that has shocked Germany. At least 23 babies have been killed so far this year, many of them beaten to death or strangled by their mothers before being dumped on wasteland and in dustbins.
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Blueberries could help prevent one of the most common cancers, a study has found. The berries - already hailed as an anti-ageing 'superfood' - contain a compound called pterostilbene which could fight colon cancer. It is hoped they could be developed into a preventative pill with fewer side effects than commercial preparations.
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Blueberries tackle bowel cancer - BBC Health News 26th March 2007
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Blueberries tackle bowel cancer - BBC Health News 26th March 2007New Story
Healthy women who take a low to moderate dose of aspirin could reduce their risk of dying early, particularly from heart disease, a study suggests. The US work monitored 80,000 women's use of aspirin for over 20 years.
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More than five years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, thousands of New York's downtown residents are convinced that toxic residues still lurking inside their homes are damaging their health. And it seems that the city's politicians and health authorities are taking their concerns seriously.
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Obese Aussies get big ambulances - BBC Health News 25th March 2007
Australia's obesity crisis has forced health officials to revamp their fleet of ambulances to cope with a sharp rise in overweight patients. Super-sized vehicles have been introduced and new air ambulances will be remodelled to carry heavier people.
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Cheshire and Merseyside News
EVERTON footballers are to spearhead a new campaign against child obesity, due to be launched today. Midfielder Mikel Arteta and Lindsay Johnson, who plays for Everton Ladies, are spearheading the new Shape programme.
“He can’t move at all and just lies there staring. It is heartbreaking for us all.”Eddie Machin, whose son Paul is in a waking coma after being beaten up by thugs drunken attack in September.
A DOCTOR has agreed to work under restrictions for the rest of her career after it was determined her fitness to practise had been impaired. A panel heard claims patients were let down as Dr Pauline Roylance, who single-handed ran a surgery in Tatten-hall until her resignation in October 2003, tried to juggle three jobs at once.
SOUTHPORT Hospital’s Eye Unit, ENT service and Audiology service are moving. The last clinics will take place at Southport General Infirmary on Thursday, March 29, with outpatient clinics taking place either at Southport & Formby District General Hospital or Ormskirk & District General Hospital.
A HEALTH consultant at a Warrington hospital is practising what she preaches when it comes to exercise by taking part in the London Marathon. Anne O'Carroll spends her day advising people to make sure they keep fit and she is leading by example by running her first marathon in April.
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Work better? You're having a laugh - The Observer 25th March 2007
Heard the one about the senior safety adviser who was sent on a six-week course in humour to learn how to communicate with his colleagues? It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but last week a pilot scheme with exactly that aim was launched in Liverpool, partly funded by the NHS. The adviser in question was Laurie McMillan, who helps businesses to solve workplace bullying and abuse. It was, he said, very useful.
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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PLANS will soon go on show for a purpose-built children’s hospice in Wigton. The proposed Siskyn Respite Care Centre will offer care for children across north and west Cumbria.
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EAR, nose and throat provision in Cumbria will suffer if provided by the controversial “quick fix” privately run clinics, an MP has claimed. Penrith and the Border MP David Maclean says the Capture, Assess, Treat and Support (CATS) centres proposed for Carlisle and Workington could take money away from other NHS services in the area and have a knock-on effect.
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A DOCTOR who peppered his CV with lies to get hospital jobs in Blackburn and across the country has been struck off. The General Medical Council said it was in the public interest for Dr Kelvin Chatoor to be banned from practicing medicine.
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A MOTHER whose daughter gave birth 35 minutes after arriving at hospital is outraged by the decision to close its delivery unit. Kirsti Williams, 19, of Hurstwood Avenue, Black-burn, was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital after going into labour with her second son, Alex Easton.
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Hospital parking 'hits so many' - Lancashire Telegraph 23rd March 2007
HOSPITAL car parking has been slammed by an MP who claims that other people are suffering in the process. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said that people living near hospitals were affected by the parking problems as well.
Greater Manchester News
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HEALTH minister Ivan Lewis, MP for Bury South and a health minister, has launched a campaign to encourage more people to get involved in social care. Adverts are appearing on television, radio and in newspapers throughout the coming months with the aim of attracting the thousands of new people needed for the social care sector. Real-life carers and people who use social care services have been used to create the asdverts, which show someone in a wheelchair using a skate park, a pensioner who is being supported in her own home and a man with autism whose carer is teaching him the bus route he will be using when he starts his new job.
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HEALTH services in Bolton are to get a record amount of money as part of an increased investment in the NHS announced in Gordon Brown's Budget. But, despite a big increase in cash available to the local health trust, there will be no reprieve for 95 workers who were told in January that their jobs have to go to balance the books.
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A GOLF club has become the first in the borough to ban smoking ahead of new legislation which comes into effect later this year. Members of Harwood Golf Club are no longer allowed to smoke in the clubhouse - although they can still light up on the course itself.
AN investigation will be launched into the cause of every case of MRSA at the Royal Bolton Hospital, bosses have promised. The number of superbug infections continues to rise.
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Gates affect the disabled - Altrincham Messenger 23rd March 2007
IN June 2005 my mother suffered a severe stroke which has left her paralysed down one side, unable to speak or read or write and in constant pain, among other symptoms. For five months she was in hospital then came home where she pretty much stayed in bed until the spring.
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