Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
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Increasing numbers of young people are using ecstasy, cannabis, amphetamines and cocaine to prolong sexual pleasure, government advisers said last night. After taking the drugs, young people were much more likely to engage in unprotected sex. Their use of drugs and alcohol was "fuel for a sexual health crisis", including rising rates of chlamydia, HIV and syphilis. The government's Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV said: "There is an indisputable link between alcohol, drugs and risky sexual behaviour." Public health programmes would not work if they continued to treat sex and drugs as unconnected issues.
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Higher STD rates linked to increase in teenage drinking - The Independent 15th June 2007
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Drink and drugs fuel rise in teen sex disease - The Times 15th June 2007
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Higher STD rates linked to increase in teenage drinking - The Independent 15th June 2007
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Drink and drugs fuel rise in teen sex disease - The Times 15th June 2007
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Teenage crisis? Blame adults' celebrity culture - The Telegraph 15th June 2007
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Teenagers in 'sex health crisis' - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
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Teenagers in 'sex health crisis' - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
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Doctors have made the first breakthrough in the treatment of ovarian cancer in 20 years by proving that a common breast cancer drug can significantly cut relapse rates. Tests using an anti-oestrogen drug on a small group of 44 patients extended some of their lives by up to three years and delayed the use of painful chemotherapy for others. If larger trials repeat the findings it will be the first new therapy since the 1980s for a cancer which is often deadly because early diagnosis is so difficult.
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Hormone therapy drug fights ovarian cancer - Daily Mail 14th June 2007
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Survey finds 4% of older people in Britain are victims of abuse - The Guardian 15th June 2007Additional Story
Hormone therapy drug fights ovarian cancer - Daily Mail 14th June 2007
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At least 340,000 older people are being abused in their own homes by family, friends or neighbours, ministers acknowledged yesterday. The first thorough survey of elder abuse in Britain found 4% of people over 66 are victims of repeated neglect, financial exploitation or physical, psychological or sexual abuse. Ivan Lewis, minister for care services, said the evidence was disturbing and probably only the tip of the iceberg. "Twenty or 30 years ago we began a debate on child abuse. It opened a can of worms for our society. We are now at the beginning of the same process for older people," he said.
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A haemophiliac father and his daughter told yesterday how his diagnosis with HIV and hepatitis C following contaminated blood transfusions took an emotional toll on the family and led to her attempted suicide. The daughter, now aged 25, broke down in tears after the first few sentences of her statement at the independent inquiry into the use of infected blood in the NHS. She sat with her father's arm around her shoulders as it was read out.
Will technology or better-trained people help save an increasingly stretched public sector? On the one hand, May saw a report from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) demonstrating that the use of online auctions to buy IT hardware has helped 14 councils and six NHS trusts save almost £7m by buying together, electronically and bargaining down suppliers' prices.
Academic Benjamin Gray recalls his experiences of dealing with voices that other people could not hear. It is perhaps ironic that in over ten years as an academic and researcher in the field of mental health, I never appreciated the suffering of people with schizophrenia and mental illness until I had a nervous breakdown that kept me under section in a psychiatric acute unit for twelve months.
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IBA Healthcare, the relatively small Australian software developer, appears to be on the verge of winning the race for its troubled rival iSoft despite competition from the US technology giant CSC. IBA has been working on a deal to buy its Manchester-based rival for the best part of a year but the takeover was stymied by CSC last month after the US company, which has admitted that it was mulling a cash offer for iSoft, blocked the deal. CSC is the largest contractor on the multi-billion pound upgrade to the National Health Service's IT infrastructure and, alongside the government, has to approve any takeover of iSoft as it uses the software company's Lorenzo product on the project.
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Obesity has played a part in at least 20 child-protection cases across Britain in the past year, a study has found. Fifty paediatricians were asked by the BBC if they thought that childhood obesity could be a child-protection issue. One doctor spoke of a 10-year-old girl who could walk only a few yards with a stick. He believed that her parents were “killing her slowly” with a diet of chips and high-fat food. Some doctors now believe that extreme cases of overfeeding a young child should be seen as a form of abuse or neglect, according to the report.
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Take obese children from parents, say doctors - The Telegraph 15th June 2007
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Treat child obesity as neglect, say doctors - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
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Infants being treated for obesity - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
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A weight-loss drug that is widely available in Britain has been banned in America because of a heightened risk of suicide. The drug, called Acomplia (rimonabant), was licensed for use across the European Union last June, but on Wednesday an advisory panel to America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously to reject a licence to market the drug for use in the US.
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Popular diet pill is a 'suicide risk' - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
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Many ready meals continue to be laced with high amounts of salt and fat, according to a survey by Which?, the consumer watchdog. Some of Britain’s most popular dishes contain more than four times more salt, almost five times more fat and nearly six times more saturates than others.
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Health lottery of our ready meal choices - Daily Mail 14th June 2007
It’s unlikely that I will ever be asked to list my top ten most disturbing childhood memories, but should it ever crop up, “watching my mother get sectioned” would rank high. Second only to visiting her in the mental health shed – sorry, “unit”. On Wednesday, after the second reading of the Mental Health Bill, the Government announced a new set of amendments, which address some of the Lords’ criticisms that the Bill was too draconian.
A quarter of young cancer specialists in the UK are suffering from stress that could affect their care of patients, researchers have found. More than one in ten oncology registrars also showed clinically important levels of depression, according to the study conducted by the University of Manchester. A total of more than one in twenty-five admitted having suicidal thoughts.
A further warning against the cosmetic use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) comes with research suggesting that oestrogen is a factor in promoting ovarian cancer. One in 48 women is affected by ovarian cancer – one of most difficult cancers to treat. It offers no symptoms and cannot be found by scans or blood tests until it is advanced.
Why is Britain the alleged binge-drinking capital of the world? It might have something to do with the way that our mock-puritan authorities define safe drinking more abstemiously than the rest. It has long been obvious that the Government’s health guidelines – no more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day for men or 2-3 units for women – are arbitrary and unworldly, equating to little more than a pint of strong lager for the lads or glass of wine for the laydees. Just double that amount, and you are officially bingeing. No wonder they think more than seven million of us drink too much.
Nearly half of all British Asians think that the country accepts too many immigrants, a government advisory body said yesterday. Almost seven out of ten people surveyed said that there were too many migrants in the UK, while 47 per cent of Asians and 45 per cent of blacks also felt that there was too much immigration, according to the report by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.
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'We have let in too many immigrants' - The Telegraph 15th June 2007
When the stag male slows down, his cholesterol levels can go up From the age of 50, most men’s testosterone levels begin to fall. The once-rampant stag who raged around the parties and clubs of his youth starts to prefer a comfortable chair near the radiator, a glass of whisky and a newspaper to the pursuit of the pleasures of the flesh.
While I agree with Professor Karol Sikora that using vaccines to prevent cervical cancer is certainly medically worthwhile (letter, June 14), I am less convinced by economic arguments. We do not sit in the Treasury and have daily responsibility for running the NHS. It is too easy for us as doctors to say repeatedly “pay now and save money in the future”. A course of cervical cancer vaccines in private clinics costs £450 per person currently, so the initial spend would be significant.
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Family doctors have delivered a damning vote of no confidence in the Government’s handling of the NHS, accusing ministers of squandering money and “wasting a golden opportunity” to transform the health service. GPs at the British Medical Association’s conference applauded calls for the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, to be sacked, criticising the Government over the junior doctors’ debacle, the introduction of “costly” walk-in centres, and the telephone service NHS Direct.
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Abusers of the elderly should be treated in a similar way to child abusers by the courts, the Government said yesterday as it announced that details of cases affecting older people would be collected officially for the first time. Ivan Lewis, the care services minister, said "I want people to be as outraged by the abuse of an older person as they are by the abuse of a child.
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Elder abuse 'affecting thousands' - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
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Elder abuse 'affecting thousands' - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
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Health: Life-saving drugs that have been denied on the NHS in England and Wales because they are too expensive are available in Scotland. The drugs, for conditions including leukaemia, have been deemed cost effective by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which assesses the cost and benefit of drugs, but not by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which performs the same assessment in England and Wales.
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When George Thomas was eight he walked everywhere. It was 1926 and his parents were unable to afford the fare for a tram, let alone the cost of a bike and he regularly walked six miles to his favourite fishing haunt without adult supervision.
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European laws protecting the health and safety of workers are being applied correctly in the UK, European judges ruled today. They threw out a legal action brought by the European Commission accusing the Government of breaking the rules.
A ten-year-old boy who drinks apple juice to help ease his asthma has been told that it is strictly not allowed at his school, which for years has had a 'water only' policy. Reuben Green, 10, suffers from asthma and when his father heard that apple juice can ease breathing he wanted to pop a carton of it in his lunchbox.
Pesticides were found in more than a third of selected samples of common foods, a report out today says. Apples, aubergines, grapes, flour and yams were among the 30 items which contained chemical traces above the legally permitted limits.
They come with the promise of a perfect smile. But as any child teased for their "railway track braces" knows, the teeth straightening devices are not without their drawbacks. Now a pioneering technique promises to end such playground taunts through the development of "invisible" braces which fit behind the teeth instead of in front.
Thousands of pensioners will go blind every year after the Government's rationing watchdog said a sight-saving drug available in Scotland should not be given to NHS patients in England and Wales. Patients' groups and doctors condemned "cruel" draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
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A baby with a fractured skull and close to death was left screaming in a hospital waiting room for almost an hour and a half. Eventually his distraught parents gave up waiting for their eight-month-old son to be seen by doctors and took him to another hospital.
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Over half of those concerned about a strong family history of cancer are right to be, a study has suggested. Genetic assessment revealed 55% of those worried were deemed at increased risk of developing cancer compared to the average population.
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The NHS is too vast for politicians to hand over to an independent board to run, the health secretary has said. Patricia Hewitt said the proposal, favoured by the British Medical Association, would turn the NHS into a "1960s nationalised industry".
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Nearly 200 women who were being treated for suspected breast cancer have been called for re-examination. The decision came after it emerged the women did not receive the required standard of breast examination at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, in Greenock.
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A review will be held into Scotland's free personal care for the elderly policy, the government has announced. Payments for personal and nursing care in care homes will also rise with inflation from April next year.
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International News
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Almost half of working-age men in Russia who die are killed by alcohol abuse, according to a new medical study which says the country's males die in excessive numbers not just because they drink lots of vodka but because they also consume products containing alcohol, such as eau de cologne, antiseptics and medicinal tinctures. Some products contain 95% alcohol by volume, equating to 200 proof.
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Alcohol blamed for half of Russia's premature deaths - The Independent 15th June 2007
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'Aftershave drink' kills Russians - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
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Mayor brings out bicycles to push drivers off the road - The Times 15th June 2007
The tinkle of bicycle bells will temper the fury of Paris traffic next month when the city puts 10,000 self-service cycles on to the streets. Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor, opened 20-model docking stations this week to aquaint Parisians with le Vélib, the hefty but elegant bicyclette that is supposed to transform the way Parisians and visitors get around. On July 15 more than 1,400 stations will open – one every 300 yards – to supply bicycles that will be almost free for the first half-hour. In the most ambitious scheme of its type in the world, 20,600 Vélib bikes will be on the streets by the end of the year.
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The parasitic worm that causes river blindness may be developing resistance to the drug used to treat it, research has suggested. Resistance could lead to breakouts of the infection in communities where it has been brought under control, a Canadian study in the Lancet reports.
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A substance found in oven cleaner could be used to treat the eye disease glaucoma, US research suggests. Cerium oxide nanoparticles, also commonly used in window cleaner, may help in more effectively delivering an active ingredient into the eye.
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A close-up view of the human genome has revealed its innermost workings to be far more complex than first thought. The study, which was carried out on just 1% of our DNA code, challenges the view that genes are the main players in driving our biochemistry.
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Cheshire and Merseyside News
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THE outgoing chief executive of Wirral Hospital Trust has condemned the troubled £12bn scheme to create electronic patient records, warning many doctors are “beginning to despair”. Frank Burns, who carried a previous investigation into improving NHS computer systems, said the programme was losing the support of clinicians as it fell years behind schedule.
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LIVERPOOL City Council will get rid of more than a third of its home carers, it was announced last night. Unions reacted with fury after the council said it was seeking voluntary redundancy from 150 of its 400 in-house carers.
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AS FOODS to be demonised as “junk” go, the pizza has received more than its fair share of critcisim from healthy eating campaigners. But youngsters at one Southport school have been taught that it is possible to combine the popular Italian export with healthy eating – thanks to chefs at one of Liverpool’s best-known restaurants.
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A GRAN who found her husband dead in a hospital bath is considering legal action. Elizabeth Walmsley could not find husband John when visiting him at Broadgreen hospital. After searching for the 75-year-old dementia sufferer, a nurse helped her open a bathroom door with a coin.
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A CANCER sufferer whose sister refused to give him a life-saving bone marrow transplant has found a donor. Merseyside businessman Simon Pretty, 46, has been saved by an unknown American he will never meet.
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A £100,000 campaign is being launched in Merseyside after fears as many as 17,000 old people in the region could be being abused. Figures released by Wirral Age Concern ahead of a new national report being unveiled tomorrow suggest in Wirral alone 3,000 people over the age of 65 could be being attacked physically, sexually, mentally or financially, often in their own homes.
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THE mother of a teenager who died suddenly of a rare heart condition has donated a heart
monitor in his memory. Colin Hankin died in his sleep just two days after his 18th birthday of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.
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monitor in his memory. Colin Hankin died in his sleep just two days after his 18th birthday of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.
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IMPROVING the skills of disabled people to world class levels by 2020 would boost the economy by £35bn over 30 years, equivalent to 18 months growth, and help tackle child poverty, says a new report. Chief economist Stephen Evans at the Social Market Foundation says: “The size of the challenge is daunting. But the scale of the prize is huge and the cost of inaction is mounting by the day through wasted talent.
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PATIENTS being treated at Ormskirk and Southport hospital have to wait longer for an appointment than anyone else in the North West. Latest government statistics show that 68% of patients don’t get to see a specialist within the government’s 18-week target.
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INCIDENCE of dementia is likely to rise by more than a third in the next 15 years in Halton. The figures were revealed in research for the Alzheimer's Society carried out by the London School of Economics and King's College London. In Runcorn and Widnes the number of cases is expected to soar by 38%. In Warrington, it could be an increase of 43%, while St Helens cases will rise by 30%.
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SMOKERS in Halton have a fortnight to go before the smoking ban ends their days of lighting up in pubs, clubs and restaurants. There will be a ban on smoking in virtually all enclosed workplaces and public spaces in England from July 1.
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A DARING dad-of-two who survived testicular cancer has appeared naked in a women's magazine. Kalvin Evans, 32, of Howey Lane, Frodsham, posed nude for the June issue of Cosmopolitan to raise money for two local cancer charities.
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MORE than 4,200 people protesting against the launch of a secure mental health unit in Widnes have put their names to a petition. Petition organisers are astounded at the staggering number of names they gathered within the space of about eight weeks of people who are objecting to Priory Group's planned mental hospital.
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ASSURANCES that contingency plans are in place to cope with an outbreak of bird flu have been issued following the alleged discovery of cases near Widnes. The Halton Council announcement follows confirmation by Defra last week of a case of bird flu in the 'Merseyside area' - the Government department is staying tight-lipped over claims that the smallholding is located in Rainhill.
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Increasing numbers of young people are using ecstasy, cannabis, amphetamines and cocaine to prolong sexual pleasure, government advisers said last night. After taking the drugs, young people were much more likely to engage in unprotected sex. Their use of drugs and alcohol was "fuel for a sexual health crisis", including rising rates of chlamydia, HIV and syphilis. The government's Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV said: "There is an indisputable link between alcohol, drugs and risky sexual behaviour." Public health programmes would not work if they continued to treat sex and drugs as unconnected issues.
Additional Story
Higher STD rates linked to increase in teenage drinking - The Independent 15th June 2007
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Drink and drugs fuel rise in teen sex disease - The Times 15th June 2007
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Higher STD rates linked to increase in teenage drinking - The Independent 15th June 2007
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Drink and drugs fuel rise in teen sex disease - The Times 15th June 2007
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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AN inquest was due to begin today into the death of a former nurse who died following an operation at the West Cumberland Hospital in 2003. Great-grandmother Jean Mary Rogers, 76, who lived at North Road, Egremont, died a few hours after undergoing surgery at the hospital where she had worked until 1985. Her death, on August 27, 2003, prompted a police investigation after an inquest was opened.
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Ex-smoker died after op - Lancashire Telegraph 14th June 2007
A PATIENT given a 99per cent chance of survival before an operation to remove cancer died less than a month later, an inquest heard. Michele Howarth, of Bevington Close, Burnley, died on June 19 last year from complications after undergoing a tracheotomy operation at Royal Blackburn Hospital, the hearing at Blackburn Town Hall was told yesterday.
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Greater Manchester News
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A BABY who needed emergency surgery for a fractured skull was not checked by a hospital despite waiting nearly an hour and a half, his parents claim. Jonathon and Rebecca Stanton rushed eight-month-old James to Tameside General after he fell off his changing table and banged his head on the floor.
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A MAN whose sister refused to give him a bone marrow transplant has had life-saving treatment thanks to an American donor. Father-of-three Simon Pretty had leukaemia and in January doctors at the Christie Hospital in Manchester told him he had months to live unless he had a transplant.
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Relief as cancer sufferer finds donor - Liverpool Echo 14th June 2007
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Oncologists suffering stress ‘are care threat’ - The Times 15th June 2007
A quarter of young cancer specialists in the UK are suffering from stress that could affect their care of patients, researchers have found. More than one in ten oncology registrars also showed clinically important levels of depression, according to the study conducted by the University of Manchester. A total of more than one in twenty-five admitted having suicidal thoughts.
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