Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
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The National Audit Office has been asked to investigate whether a £500m underspend by the NHS was caused by political chicanery at the Department of Health. Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, called in parliament's spending watchdog yesterday after the record surplus was disclosed by the Guardian in an analysis of strategic health authority board papers. They showed NHS trusts responsible for hospitals, mental health, primary care and ambulance services ended the financial year in March with £456.8m in spare cash that could have been used to provide extra healthcare. The total did not include a surplus of £75m forecast by NHS foundation trusts.
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NHS policy surplus to requirements - The Guardian 30th May 2007
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NHS may have underspent by £500m - The Telegraph 30th May 2007
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NHS ' is heading for underspend' - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
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NHS may have underspent by £500m - The Telegraph 30th May 2007
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NHS ' is heading for underspend' - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
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The future of NHS software supplier iSoft was thrown into doubt yesterday after a rescue takeover offer for the business was blocked. iSoft now has until November to secure an urgent cash injection or go bust - a move that could be calamitous for the government's £6.2bn NHS IT upgrade. iSoft last month told investors it was recommending an all-share rescue offer from IBA Health, a much smaller Australian rival. The proposed deal was to come with new equity and debt to fund iSoft's urgent need for working capital.
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ISoft left reeling as contractor blocks sale - The Times 30th May 2007
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ISoft left reeling as contractor blocks sale - The Times 30th May 2007
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Why is the forum necessary? It is critical for driving forward social enterprise in health and social care and will lobby and share good practice. What management skills and experience do you bring? People say it's my business acumen, energy and determination to provide quality services that make things happen at out of hours GP service Local Care Direct. I have worked in the NHS and the private sector in finance, marketing and manufacture in a range of roles. I have been there, done it, and am still doing it.
A majority of the public wants the NHS to deny obese people surgery until they lose weight but allow smokers an automatic right to treatment even if their condition stems from the use of tobacco, an ICM opinion poll reveals. The poll, based on a random sample of 1,077 people last month, was commissioned by the journal Nursing Standard, which said it disagreed with the views.
Senior Labour figures admitted last week that the government's market-driven public service reforms have confused and alienated staff and public alike. So can 'choice' stay on the post-Blair social policy agenda?
It is disgraceful that the Guardian supports Remploy's factory closures (Leader, May 28) at a time when the trade unions haven't yet been presented with the business case. You present the proposals as widening access for disabled people in the mainstream economy, but where's the basis for that? Mind, the mental-health charity which bizarrely supports the closures, claims the biggest barrier to work for people with mental-health problems is employers' attitudes to disability - a conclusion recently backed by Remploy's own research and confirmed by disabled jobseekers.
The risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is increased by exposure to pesticides, a study has found. People exposed to low levels of pesticides had a 13 per cent higher risk of developing the disease, and those exposed to high levels a 41 per cent greater risk, researchers from Aberdeen University found.
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Country walk made my illness worse - The Times 30th May 2007
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Pesticides 'up Parkinson's risk' - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
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A baby is among 25 people to have died after a dramatic rise in the number of people infected by listeria so far this year. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued an alert and launched an investigation into the 80 per cent increase in cases over the first 21 weeks of this year, compared with the same period last year.
The Department of Health thinks that printing alcohol units on bottles and cans will provide a warning system for drinkers (report, May 28 ).
What should we make of the failure of the Home Office to operate control orders properly, the MTAS computer fiasco at the NHS, and Ruth Kelly’s climbdown on home information packs? Almost everyone has one of two responses. Some say that these are isolated failures in an otherwise acceptable record, others that they are evidence of a general incompetence that has a simple solution – to put different backsides on Cabinet chairs.
GROUND-BREAKING medical advances are being stymied – not by a lack of technology or ideas, but by red tape. Academics who are trying to conduct studies involving the NHS say that vital health-related research is being thwarted by bureaucracy designed to regulate the quality of their work and protect hospital patients.
A 90-year-old war veteran suffering from ten complaints including bowel cancer, dementia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma has been denied NHS nursing care and told that he must pay the £600-a-week bill himself. Eric Friar, who is almost blind and can hardly walk, served as an RAF navigator in India and Africa during the Second World War. He has been categorised as having “moderate” disabilities by his NHS trust, ruling out state funding for his care.
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Ailing war veteran must pay for care - The Telegraph 30th May 2007
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RAF hero with cancer and MRSA denied free nursing home place - Daily Mail 29th May 2007
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RAF hero with cancer and MRSA denied free nursing home place - Daily Mail 29th May 2007
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So-called 'hidden' waiting lists are to be abolished, Scotlan's new health minister announced yesterday. Nicola Sturgeon said the practice of not including some patients, such as those who miss an appointment or who have medical complications, in treatment targets would be scrapped by the end of this year.
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Team to tackle NHS waiting lists - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
There is no point in having the perfect figure unless you hold it properly. Posture pose: Peta Bee, warming up and exercising Poor posture not only leads to a host of muscular and skeletal injuries, from arthritis to scoliosis, it doesn't look good either. With correct posture we carry ourselves with greater bearing and present a more dashing physique.
In phase three, you'll look inside your mind a little more to learn about how you think and behave in relation to other people and your daily life. You'll get to tailor the No Diet Diet to your own personal needs. Friends laughing together People habits: find out something new about a person you know The tasks you complete in this phase should be determined by whether you need to focus on breaking your ''people habits'' or ''doing habits''. Visit telegraph.co.uk/health and fill in the two questionnaires to help you assess which area needs the most attention, then use your score to create your personalised plan. You should pick a total of seven tasks, one for each day, from the lists below.
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Come in and sit yourselves down. This is my little den where I come to get away from it all. I've got my bar here and every variety of beverage you could imagine. It all adds up to a wonderful collection of official alcohol health warnings. So, Muriel, what can I get you? One G and T coming up. I hope this brand of gin is all right for you. I chose it for the lovely green print on the warning label. It looks so refreshing. Ice? Actually, I've got these rather amusing ice cubes in the shape of skulls. Archie brought the moulds back for me from a trip to Philadelphia. And a slice? I can offer you a fresh leaflet about sensible drinking from Caroline Flint, the Minister for Public Health. Or I've still got a few photos of Patricia Hewitt looking reproachful.
Not so long ago models were curvy, rumbustious and had fun. So what has changed, asks Sarah Mower If super-slender celebrities are not to blame for influencing young women to starve themselves, then does the same apply to super-skinny models?
Levels of drink-driving have reached a ten-year high, with growing numbers of young motorists ignoring the law and getting behind the wheel drunk, say police. After more than 30 years of publicity campaigns, the antidrink driving message appears to have skipped a generation, officers warned.
The Conservatives are the true "heirs to Blair" when it comes to reform of schools and hospitals, George Osborne will insist today. In a provocative speech, the Shadow Chancellor will claim the Conservatives are more in favour of the Prime Minister's plans to give public service chiefs greater freedom to run their own affairs than Gordon Brown.
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Parents of babies and toddlers will be expected to record their child's progress in new 'learning diaries' under a £9million Government scheme. They will be encouraged to log details of every activity attempted by their children, ranging from stacking play bricks to singing nursery rhymes.
When Penny Campbell fell ill over Easter 2005, she contacted her out-of-hours GP service. The doctor diagnosed a viral infection, but as her health worsened she consulted the service another seven times. None of the doctors recognised the seriousness of her condition and Penny, 41, died of multiple organ failure caused by septicaemia on Easter Monday. Here, Penny's partner describes his fury at the "shambolic" state of out-of-hours services.
Rebecca and Colin Gallogly were thrilled to find out they were expecting their first child. Following a normal pregnancy, Rebecca went into labour exactly on her due date and everything went to plan until she had an epidural.
When Joan Galloway wed at 22, she could never have guessed just how binding her wedding vows, "for better, for worse, in sickness and in health" would be. Now, 76, she has carried out those promises to her husband Stan to the letter. For she has spent the past 20 years caring for Stan, 85, who has severe Parkinson's disease.
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Surgeons cooked my varicose veins with lasers - now I'm pain-free - Daily Mail 29th May 2007
The NHS carries out more than 75,000 operations a year to remove varicose veins. Now a minimally invasive laser treatment can dramatically reduce recovery time. Here, Annette Wilby, 31, a nurse, who lives with her husband and their two-year-old son in Doncaster, tells Angela BrooksS about her EndoVenous Laser Treatment, and her surgeon explains the procedure.
One person in 12 suffers from depression at some point in their lives, according to official estimates, but some believe the figure is as high as one in eight. Winston Churchill famously characterised his depression as an ever-present black dog, an image that has become a potent metaphor for the condition. Here, former advertising director Matthew Johnstone, who now works as a cartoonist and has suffered from depression for nearly 20 years, uses the image to illustrate his own feelings. His cartoons will resonate with fellow sufferers and their families.
Fumes given off by Britain's rapeseed crops are causing flu-like symptoms such as headaches, wheezing, streaming eyes and runny noses, according to health experts. With their blazing yellow flowers, rapeseed plants certainly brighten up the countryside.
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Police are investigating two more cases of sabotage on oxygen cylinders at a Black Country hospital. Sandwell General Hospital, in West Bromwich, raised the alarm after nurses discovered three cylinders had been deliberately blocked up in its wards.
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The number of abortions carried out in Scotland is continuing to rise, according to official figures. An all-time high of 13,081 pregnancies were terminated in 2006, compared with 12,603 the previous year.
The idea of getting firms to buy and sell permits to produce alcoholic drinks or fatty foods has been rejected by the Conservative Party. The scheme was floated in January in an interim report from David Cameron's policy group looking at ways to encourage "responsible business".
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Employers may soon be able to use a computer test to find out how easily distracted job applicants are. Professor Nilli Lavie, of University College London, said his test could identify people who find it hard to stay focused on the job.
Hospital patients and staff are being offered treatment by officials fighting a bird flu outbreak in north Wales. Nearly 80 at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd at Bodelwyddan are being offered tamiflu as a health worker is treated.
Some of the health benefits claimed for a new weight loss drug may not be justified, say experts. Rimonabant, launched in the UK last summer, has been shown to aid weight loss by reducing appetite.
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Cancer jab trial patients sought - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
Patients are being sought to take part in tests on a vaccine against prostate cancer. A European trial is being carried out on 84 patients, whose symptoms have to meet specific conditions. About 20 people are needed in the UK.
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Extra workers drafted in to help hard-pressed midwives could actually be putting mothers and babies at more risk, a report has claimed. Maternity support staff are supposed to free up midwives' time by helping with paperwork and non-clinical duties.
Almost half of nurses feel their sex lives are damaged by the emotional stress of their job, a poll suggests. Nursing Times magazine surveyed almost 2,000 nurses, and found 70% said they suffered from physical or mental health problems linked to work-related stress.
Children who drink plenty of apple juice may be less likely to develop asthma symptoms, say scientists. The National Heart and Lung Institute research, published in the European Respiratory Journal, is the latest study to link apples and lung health.
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Teapot 'is the healthiest option' - BBC Health News 28th May 2007
The traditional way of making tea in a pot is healthier than dunking a bag in a cup, according to scientists. Previous research found antioxidants in tea could help protect against things like cancer and heart disease.
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International News
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The disgraced head of China's food and drug agency was sentenced to death yesterday amid a wave of consumer safety scandals. Zheng Xiaoyu, 62, was found guilty of accepting 6.5m yuan (£433,000) worth of bribes from pharmaceutical companies to expedite the approval of new drugs.
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The paramilitary Carabinieri, a tough force which until recently was stationed in Iraq, could be sent into schools to search for drugs. The proposal follows widespread alarm in Italy at what is seen as rapidly growing drug use among the young. Livia Turco, the health minister in Romano Prodi's centre-left government, said the consumption and trafficking of drugs by students had reached the point at which it was time to begin checks throughout Italy. Ms Turco, who has control of a Carabinieri detachment, said her initiative reflected "a sense of responsibility towards parents".
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An international operation began last night to track down dozens of transatlantic passengers who this month flew with a man now quarantined with a dangerous form of tuberculosis. The American ignored advice not to travel on commercial airlines and took a flight from the US to Europe, exposing other flyers to a highly drug-resistant strain of the potentially fatal illness.
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US in TB flight infection warning - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
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In the Netherlands, a reality television show in which three dialysis patients compete for a chance to win the kidney of a terminally-ill woman. In Australia, a Big Brother contestant whose father has died is kept in the dark while she remains in the competition. And in Britain, the fall-out from the Jade Goody-Shilpa Shetty incident continues to reverberate.
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Thousands of women are inadvertently overfeeding their babies because ministers and health advisers have delayed the introduction of new child growth charts. The charts, produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO), have been available for more than a year, but the Government has made no decision on when to introduce them, Tam Fry, of the Child Growth Foundation, said.
Healthcare is consistently rated second only to Iraq on a list of American voters’ concerns. But as Barack Obama became the latest Democratic presidential candidate to unveil reform proposals yesterday, a familiar maverick figure helped to propel it into the spotlight. Michael Moore’s new film, Sicko, which savages the American healthcare industry, is threatening to have a similar impact on the 2008 presidential election as his last effort – Fahrenheit 9/11 – had in 2004 when it galvanised the antiwar movement.
Smoking a hookah may be as dangerous as cigarettes, the World Health Organisation said, adding that more research was needed into the link between the use of the water pipe and several fatal illnesses. It said that a person can inhale a hundred times more smoke – a mixture of tobacco, molasses and fruit flavours – in a hookah session than in one cigarette. Hookah, or shisha, smoking is a tradition in North Africa and the Middle East. (AP)
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Antibodies that could protect against bird flu in humans have been isolated by an international team of scientists. The discovery could lead to treatments that complement flu vaccines in the event of a human epidemic of the virus.
The race to create more human-like robots stepped up a gear this week as scientists in Spain set about building an artificial cerebellum. The end-game of the two-year project is to implant the man-made cerebellum in a robot to make movements and interaction with humans more natural.
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A Chinese woman has been relieved of 64 years of recurrent headaches after doctors removed a bullet that had been lodged in her head since World War II. Jin Guangying, 77, came under fire in September 1943 as she was delivering lunch to her father, a soldier stationed in eastern Jiangsu province.
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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RESEARCHERS are appealing for help in finding patients to take part in a ground breaking cancer vaccine study. The ONY-P trial will test two similar vaccines against prostate cancer in men who are no longer responding to standard hormone treatment. Both are designed to trick the immune system into recognising and attacking prostate cancer cells.
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Plan in for museum drugs centre - Lancashire Telegraph 29th May 2007
PLANS to convert a museum heralded as a vital part of a town's heritage into a centre for former drug addicts have been officially submitted. Blackburn with Darwen Council has applied to itself for permission to carry out a £500,000 revamp of Lewis Textile Museum, Exchange Street, Blackburn.
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Greater Manchester News
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FOUR schemes for adding fluoride to tap water across Greater Manchester are being considered. Health bosses have asked United Utilities to price up four options for the highly controversial scheme to improve the region's terrible dental health. They argue adding fluoride to the water supply could help improve dental health - it strengthens tooth enamel. But some anti-fluoride campaigners claim it is potentially dangerous mass medication.
SALES of all poultry have been suspended by a Cheshire market at the centre of a bird flu outbreak. Chelford Agricultural Centre near Macclesfield opened for business yesterday but with new restrictions on poultry sales in place. Officials believe that chickens bought at the market earlier this month may be linked to an outbreak of avian flu around a small farm at Corwen, North Wales.
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All patients will go on record for link scheme - The Bolton News 28th May 2007
A PIONEERING medical records scheme being trialled in Bolton is to be extended to all patients in the borough. The system, which allows private patient records to be accessed by dozens of health professionals rather than just an individual GP, will be rolled out by next summer.
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