Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
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New Section
National News
One in eight patients waiting over a year for treatment, admits minister - The Guardian 8th May 2007
One in eight NHS hospital patients still has to wait more than a year for treatment, the government acknowledged yesterday in its first attempt to tell the full truth about health service queues in England. A Department of Health analysis of 208,000 people admitted to hospital in March showed 48% were wheeled into the operating theatre within 18 weeks of a GP sending them for hospital diagnosis. But 30% waited more than 30 weeks and 12.4% more than a year.
A new era of genetic testing would leave those who test positive for common serious illnesses open to discrimination from insurers, academics are warning. A catalogue of genetic markers for common illnesses have been revealed in recent weeks after a breakthrough in genomic scanning techniques. Scientists expect genetic testing for people's risk of diseases such as breast cancer, heart disease and bi-polar disorders to follow.
Robert Winston's attack on IVF clinics for exploiting patients for profit "out of their desperation to get pregnant", and by offering tests for which "there was no clinical justification" is unwarranted, misleading and a disservice to patients (Winston: IVF clinics corrupt and greedy, May 31). Lord Winston was particularly critical about a test for chromosome screening which "costs several thousands of pounds, [and] is routinely used to weed out unviable embryos", adding that "most of the people who are doing this work are doing a form of cookery without understanding the science behind it".
Formula promotion in the Philippines leads to a devastating fall in breast-feeding and consequent increase in deaths of babies, as George Monbiot points out (Comment, June 5). However, formula milk promotion in the UK is also rife. Instead of a large number of deaths, we see significant ill health in babies whose mothers would have breastfed had we not exposed them to confidence-sapping advertising produced by the mothers' milk replacement industry.
Thousands of women may have been exposed tofaulty pregnancy tests that wrongly indicate they are not having a baby, The Independent has learnt. Up to 50 hospitals across the country are seeking to trace women who may be unaware they are pregnant because of a faulty batch of the Clearview HGC test.
Even a cursory glance at the figures released by the Department of Health suggests that progress towards meeting the key waiting times target has been hampered by the NHS’s battle with deficits. Ministers have repeatedly denied unequivocally that a strenuous drive to cut costs in the last financial year had an impact on waiting times, with Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, declaring such a claim to be “absolute rubbish”. But the figures tell a different story.
A psychologist argues that suicide victims are isolated, strong-willed but never weak — a theory that has helped Stephen Martin to understand his own father’s death My dad was shot in Peckham. Which, if you’re going to get shot in Britain today, appears to be the most likely place for it to happen. After a violent altercation with another man in a pub, a car drew up alongside my father as he walked home and a double blast from the weapon of choice, a shotgun, shattered his kneecap – and his life. This shooting took place in the Sixties and was to lead, partly, I now believe, to his suicide 16 years later. Until recently I had never seriously considered it a major factor in his death.
Underperforming NHS trusts and care homes face fines and closure under powers for a new health and social care watchdog, a leaked government document suggests. According to the document, a new regulator to be known as Ofcare will replace the bodies that monitor hospitals, care homes and mental health trusts. It will be the fourth regulator of social care in as many years and the third significant shake-up of healthcare inspections in a decade.
A couple who fear losing a second son to seizures that killed his brother will learn today whether they can challenge the planned closure of their local accident and emergency department. David and Lisa-Louise Fitton told the High Court yesterday that their seven-year-old son Jordan-Lee suffers convulsions and reaching hospital quickly for urgent treatment can be a matter of life and death.
The results of genetic tests should be passed on to insurance companies to allow them to assess the health risks of potential customers, a professor of bioethics says today. Prof Soren Holm, from Cardiff University Law School, says that genetic information is no more "sensitive or private" than other information about a person's health, including cholesterol levels and body mass index, which insurers can use to help them to set premiums. His recommendation was immediately rejected by health charities. They said greater openness could lead to "a genetic underclass", with people identified at risk of disease facing higher insurance premiums.
A dramatic increase in hospital admissions for mental health problems caused by cannabis was revealed yesterday. In just a decade, the number of admissions linked to the drug has soared by 85 per cent to almost 1,000, with a 63 per cent rise recorded over the past five years alone.
In a glass cabinet at University College London resides the stuffed body of the 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, the "greatest good for the greatest number" man. His "auto-icon", as he called it, was a genuine attempt at a memorial that would cost less than the elaborate shrines then fashionable. Bentham was convinced his idea would soon catch on. Now, just 175 years after his death, it has. James Watson - he of the double helix - was last week presented with his own auto-icon, a CD containing his entire DNA sequence.
Grandfather devastated at death of girl 'beaten by millionaire father' - The Telegraph 8th June 2007
The grandfather of a two-year-old girl who died after allegedly being beaten by her millionaire City executive father, spoke of his "devastation" yesterday at what had befallen his family. "We are all in shock," said Orlando Barbosa Vicente, 60, just hours after discovering that his granddaughter, Yanire Izaga, had died in hospital from injuries allegedly sustained in the brutal attack.
Council workers are protesting after they were banned from wearing flip-flops in the office. Managers at Oldham council in Greater Manchester have banned staff from wearing the popular summerwear to work due to health and safety fears. They claim that banning the flimsy footwear will help to reduce workplace accidents such as trips and falls.
British hospitals are among the worst in Europe for superbugs, according to figures published yesterday. Hand-washing station: British hospitals 'among worst for superbugs' In a league table of 29 countries only Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Romania have higher proportions of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections.
A dentist took luxury holidays at the taxpayer's expense after he swindled the NHS of £286,000, a misconduct hearing was told. Stephen Carlin, 54, created bogus bills for dead patients at the Carlin Dental Practice in Plymouth, the General Dental Council (GDC) heard.
Keith Barron, the chairman of the Commons health committee, has a nerve to suggest that dentists have "a moral obligation" to give the NHS more of their time (report, June 6).
Insurance firms may use genetic information to increase premiums unfairly, a senior doctor has warned. Dr Richard Ashcroft, professor of biomedical ethics at the University of London, said there was a risk that people would be discriminated against on the basis of a poor understanding of genetics.
The parents of a severely disabled boy have launched a court battle against the closure of their local casualty unit saying the move could lead to his death. Jordan-Lee Fitton, seven, has been taken to accident and emergency dozens of times with life-threatening fits. The unit, which is only five minutes by car from Jordan-Lee's home, is scheduled to be axed in favour of an A&E department half an hour away.
Increased immigration and older mothers have triggered a baby boom, as figures released yesterday put official birth rates at a 26-year high. One in five babies is born to a woman from outside the UK - an increase of 10 per cent in just one year.
A drug addict who killed his baby son by feeding him a heroin substitute and tranquilliser to stop him crying has jailed for a minimum of five years. Nathan Grain, 35, gave three-month-old Luke methadone and diazepam to quieten him after complaining to friends last year that his sleep was being spoilt by the boy's teething.
A glass of cider a day could keep the doctor away, research suggests. Scientists have shown that the drink, currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity, is bursting with health-boosting antioxidants.
Doctors could one day be able to use genetic medicine to predict what illnesses a child will face throughout the rest of their life. British researchers have discovered a dozen genes that raise the risk of seven common conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.
Cholesterol-busting statins are extremely effective and have few sideeffects, a study of tens of thousands of patients has confirmed. The finding will help allay concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the drugs which are taken by up to four million Britons and are designed to cut the risk of heart attack or stroke by lowering cholesterol.
Asda can only advertise its skimmed milks to children A supermarket is challenging a ban on advertising its whole-fat milk during children's television shows. Asda's whole milk narrowly failed to meet new Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidelines which allow only healthy foods to be advertised to children.
The results of genetic tests should be available to insurance companies, a leading medical ethics expert has said. Professor Soren Holm, of Cardiff Law School, says results of gene tests for serious illnesses are no different to other medical data already disclosed.
Overcrowding in jails in England and Wales is creating a "disastrous situation" for the health of inmates, a prison doctor says. Dr Ashok Rayani, who works at Swansea prison, said jail health services were not sufficiently staffed or funded to cope with rising numbers of inmates.
The fertility rate has hit its highest level since 1980 as more women in their late 30s and 40s have babies, official figures show. The Office for National Statistics data revealed women are having 1.87 children on average - up from 1.8 in 2005.
With the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces in England looming, many puffers are looking to quit. But is the ritual of holding a cigarette as addictive as inhaling? It rests there between your fingers, pale and smooth and glowing. You keep it balanced, anticipating your own next move - and only when the time is right, you raise it to your mouth.
More research is needed to unravel the contradictory findings of large studies into the safety of hormone replacement therapy, says an expert. Studies have linked the popular treatment with heart disease, stroke and breast cancer. Shannon Amoils, of the journal BMJ Clinical Evidence, says the "jury is still out" on whether heart risks are less in women who take it in their 50s.
Tesco's policy of sending money-off vouchers to customers who buy a lot of wine has been questioned during a Commons grilling over loyalty schemes. Chairman of the influential Commons home affairs committee, John Denham, said the supermarket giant's Clubcard scheme could encourage alcohol abuse.
The 2012 Olympics in London provide a huge opportunity to promote condom use and awareness of HIV, according to a leading charity. The Terrence Higgins Trust said the competition was a "magnet" for sexual activity and could lead to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases.
How is TV made safe for people with epilepsy? - BBC Health News 7th June 2007
Launch footage for the London 2012 logo sparked seizures, but how is television checked for footage that could harm people with epilepsy? For the organisers of the 2012 Olympics vilification over its logo has taken a turn for the worse with reports that people with epilepsy suffered seizures as a result of watching an animation in the launch video.
New Section
International News
Not all the discussions in Chicago are dependent on high science. Only seven years ago, a study of the overwhelming fatigue felt by many patients with cancer ended with the conclusion that this fatigue is inevitable, unimportant and untreatable. Recent research has questioned all three of these conclusions. It has shown that fatigue is the second-most-often-reported problem for patients with cancer. Fatigue affects 50 per cent of patients with cancer and doesn’t always fade with time. Half of the patients still report extreme fatigue five years after their cancer is diagnosed.
Among many promising new treatments for breast cancer, oncologists also predict a move to scanning by MRI Chicago has skyscrapers that rival the Tower of Babel more closely than anywhere else on earth: the Sears building is the tallest building in the Western world. The resemblance to the problems encountered after the collapse of the Tower of Babel were also obvious in Chicago this week, when more than 30,000 cancer experts gathered from across the world at the annual ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) Conference to exchange ideas on the latest developments in oncology.
Scientists discover 'ethical' stem cells in skin - Daily Mail 7th June 2007
Scientists have found a way of making stem cells without harming embryos, a discovery that could quash the ethical storm surrounding the technique. Researchers have shown that it is possible to create cells identical to embryonic stem cells from skin.
New Section
Cheshire and Merseyside News
PATIENTS have voted a Liverpool hospital the best in the country. Broadgreen’s specialist Cardiothoracic Centre was given the glowing report in a national survey of everyone who received hospital treatment last year.
MALE sex abuse victims are being urged to tell their stories to a university researcher. Mike Hartill, a senior lecturer in sport studies and sociology at Edge Hill, hopes his research will highlight the plight of boys who have been abused and force the government to act.
SOUTHPORT & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust has been named among the top performers in the United Kingdom, according to a new survey. Figures released by independent benchmarking expert CASP Healthcare Knowledge Services (CHKS) reveal that patients treated at a ‘40 Top Hospital’ are safer and less likely to pick up hospital acquired infections such as MRSA.
THIS time last year I wrote a letter to you about the most wonderful way G5 staff at Whiston took care of my husband. They even let me sleep in a chair at the side of his bed. They also gave me tea and food whenever I wanted it. Then he was well enough for me to take him home, but even with good nursing and care I lost him to his cancer.
Help for our carers - Wirral Globe 7th June 2007
PEOPLE in Wirral who care for a relative or friend will be able to get support, information and advice at events around the borough during Carers' Week. This year, Carers' Week will run from next Monday, June 11, to Sunday, June 17. In Wirral, the week's events are being organised by Wirral's Department of Adult Social Services in partnership with other organisations such as WIRED, the independent organisation that supports carers.
New Section
Cumbria and Lancashire News
FOUR new national surveys into the sexual health of England’s adult population are being launched this week and Cumbrians are being urged to take part. They will look at people living with HIV, the sexual health of gay and bisexual men and women, and African people living in England.
Hospital concern over doc’s ‘errors’ - Lancashire Telegraph 7th June 2007
AN ANAESTHETIST accused of botching his role in an operation later failed an assessment, a General Med-ical Council hearing was told. Dr Mariyappan Balasubramanian is accused by the GMC of failing to act promptly when a nine-year-old girl suffered blood loss during a September 2004 op-eration at Blackburn Royal Infirmary. The intervention of another anaesthetist led to her condition being stabilised, the GMC has been told.
New Section
Greater Manchester News
A RUNNER who was told to quit the sport four years ago made an inspirational comeback - to win the Edinburgh marathon. Ian Grime was told to stop running after it was discovered he was suffering from a rare heart condition.
BOLTON MPs have blasted fellow politicians who say they plan to continue to smoke in the House of Commons after the ban is introduced on July 1. David Crausby and Brian Iddon are demanding their fellow MPs set an example for the rest of the country by banning smoking in Whitehall.
An online medical records scheme being piloted in Bolton is not in the best interests of patients according to a GPs group. An independent body representing the interests of family doctors in Bolton is urging GPs to remember it is a pilot project and that participation is optional. The Local Medical Committee has criticised a letter sent to all patients in Bolton from Tim Evans, the chief executive of the Primary Care Trust.
BURY is to become only the second area in the country to launch a new system that allows doctors to access patients' basic medical details online. Health chiefs believe the scheme could save lives by allowing doctors to check crucial information at a glance. Doctors working at Fairfield Hospital or for the borough's out-of-hours service will be able to view information currently only available to patients' regular GPs in detailed medical records.
The former smoker who helped launch The Bolton News Stub It Out campaign cannot wait for the smoking ban on July 1- as it will be the first time he has been able to walk into a pub for more than 12 months. Keith Orton, aged 60, has end-stage emphysema and is forced to use a stairlift, cannot walk more than 15 yards and is hooked up to oxygen for up to 20 hours a day.
MEMBERS of the public were given free blood pressure checks at Boots in Bury's Mill Gate shopping centre, organised by the Rotary Club of Bury in conjunction with Tottington and Bury West Rotary. And Bury North MP David Chaytor and Bury's former mayor and mayoress, Coun Jack Walton and Mrs Pat Walton, were among those checked out.
A couple who fear losing a second son to seizures that killed his brother will learn today whether they can challenge the planned closure of their local accident and emergency department. David and Lisa-Louise Fitton told the High Court yesterday that their seven-year-old son Jordan-Lee suffers convulsions and reaching hospital quickly for urgent treatment can be a matter of life and death.
Council workers are protesting after they were banned from wearing flip-flops in the office. Managers at Oldham council in Greater Manchester have banned staff from wearing the popular summerwear to work due to health and safety fears. They claim that banning the flimsy footwear will help to reduce workplace accidents such as trips and falls.
Disabled boy's parents in historic legal bid to halt casualty closure - Daily Mail 7th June 2007
The parents of a severely disabled boy have launched a court battle against the closure of their local casualty unit saying the move could lead to his death. Jordan-Lee Fitton, seven, has been taken to accident and emergency dozens of times with life-threatening fits. The unit, which is only five minutes by car from Jordan-Lee's home, is scheduled to be axed in favour of an A&E department half an hour away.
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