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Podcast
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
UK Health News
Monday, March 03, 2008
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Library Blog
The easiest way to keep up-to-date with latest publications, electronic resources and top tips on using information to best effect. Or just visit to see what the Fade Library crew are up to!
The easiest way to keep up-to-date with latest publications, electronic resources and top tips on using information to best effect. Or just visit to see what the Fade Library crew are up to!
Cancer checks screen 70m in 20 years - The Guardian 3rd March 2008
Seventy million women have been screened for breast and cervical cancer in the 20 years since the programmes were launched, figures show today. More than 100,000 breast cancers and what are described as 400,000 "significant cervical abnormalities" have been detected since work began in 1988. Figures show that 18m sets of mammograms have been taken, with more than 100 breast cancers found every week.
Welsh hospitals to scrap car parking charges - The Guardian 3rd March 2008
Charges for parking at NHS hospitals in Wales are to be scrapped after a campaign by cancer patients who could not afford the cost of frequent visits for treatment. The Welsh assembly is today expected to set a timetable for introducing free parking in a further break from NHS policies in England. Parking for patients, staff and visitors will become free at most Welsh hospitals from April 1, the first anniversary of the abolition of prescription charges in Wales. Other Welsh hospitals, which have contracted out control of car parks, will be instructed to follow suit as soon as the contracts permit.
Letters: Parenting stakes and career ladders - The Guardian 3rd March 2008
It strikes me after reading about the survey of women's working patterns before and after childbirth (The baby blues: study finds a third of mothers slip down the career ladder, February 27) that none of the writers has addressed a key problem: the attitudes of many women themselves. I am the mother of a four-month-old baby and a professional researcher. I am going back to full-time work in a month, with my son going to nursery on-site. I have encountered shock from women of all ages. They generally assume I am only going back part-time and ask why I want to return full-time. I can go through several reasons, such as I want to, I love my job, I like being financially independent, but the only one that washes is when I say I'm the breadwinner. My choice is only accepted when it's perceived to be a no-choice situation. Until these entrenched social attitudes are changed women will be forced off the career ladder, without any help from government or men.
Third of nurses frequently attacked at work - The Times 3rd March 2008
Almost one in three British nurses suffers frequent violent attacks at work, according to new research. The study, based on a survey of 39,894 nurses, suggested that violence had wide-reaching effects, including problems with recruitment and nurses leaving the profession, increased amounts of sick leave and “burnout”. Out of ten European countries -including Belgium, Italy and Poland - only France had higher rates of violence, where the figure was 39 per cent. In Germany it was 28 per cent.
NHS hires ex-chief from 'superbug hospital' - The Telegraph 3rd February 2008
A former hospital chief executive who was at the centre of a superbug outbreak which left 33 people dead is working for the NHS again, despite receiving a £140,000 pay-off just over a year ago. Ruth Harrison is being paid £52,000 on a short-term contract to head a review into maternity and children's services at Epsom and St Helier Hospital in Surrey, which could lead to the closure of wards.
Max Pemberton: Finger on the Pulse - The Telegraph 3rd February 2008
Welcome to my new-look column about life on the NHS frontline. As I am no longer a fledgling in the medical profession, and with the publication of my book Trust Me, I'm a Junior Doctor, based on my previous Telegraph columns, I felt it was time for a change. I hope you'll agree that this is just what the doctor ordered Medicine is full of rules, regulations and guidelines, and these seem to proliferate on a daily basis. Thanks to Whitehall, quangos, hospital managers, primary care trusts (PCTs) and health-and-safety officials, a list of dos and don'ts governs every activity in healthcare, and beyond.
Elderly couples 'can stay together in care' - The Telegraph 3rd March 2008
Elderly married couples will be able to stay together when they go into residential care under plans announced yesterday. The measure was unveiled by Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, at the Labour Party spring conference and comes as the Government is planning a transformation of the lives of older people and their carers.
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Additional Story
Johnson wants 'personalised' NHS - BBC Health News 2nd March 2008
Trapped... then I discovered that I was claustrophobic - The Telegraph 3rd March 2008
After a terrifying event in the Channel Tunnel, psychotherapist Andrea Perry decided to help herself and others As the warm car sped towards Folkestone where we were to board the Eurotunnel train, I drifted off, tired and happy. We'd had nine months of job changes, house moves and bereavement, so were looking forward to a holiday in France.
Drive against consumption of saturated fats - The Telegraph 3rd March 2008
Shoppers are to be warned about the hidden health dangers of snacks such as cheese sandwiches and buttered toast under plans being drawn up by food watchdogs. As obesity figures soar, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a drive aimed at cutting the consumption of saturated fats, which can clog arteries and lead to heart disease. The agency commissioned consumer research which showed that shock tactics such as graphic images of furred blood vessels and fat deposits were the best way to change people's diet.
Council leaders attack 24-hour drinking laws - The Telegraph 3rd March 2008
The introduction of 24-hour drinking laws has been a catastrophic "mistake" which has turned Britain's town centres into no-go areas during the evening for everyone except young drunks, council leaders say today. A man suffering the effects of too much alcohol 'sleeps' on a bench The controversial reforms have failed to introduce a continental café-style culture to Britain's streets and have instead simply fuelled increased levels of late-night drunken violence.
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Joint clinic, by osteopath Kristian Wood - The Telegraph 3rd March 2008
Week 1: Protecting your knees Too many people live with pain, needlessly. They put off seeking treatment for a niggling ache or strain, either because they are in denial or are too busy. But in many cases, a visit to a GP or specialist can be avoided if the patient "listens" to their body, and acts at the first sign of stiffness or pain in the joints. Simple exercises can often prevent a slight twinge developing into a serious problem.
Doctor's Diary - The Telegraph 3rd March 2008
James LeFanu on the effectiveness of Prozac, ear infections and more The common-sense take on the controversy over the effectiveness (or otherwise) of Prozac et al is that they work for some, but not all - and by a wide margin. These drugs are now so widely prescribed that virtually everyone knows somebody who has taken them with, in general, good results.
The boy whose phobic father tried to kill him before he was even born - Daily Mail 2nd February 2008
Safe in his mother's arms, Matan Abraham has everything to look forward to. But a year ago, his very existence hung in the balance after his father tried to kill him in the womb. Gil Magira, who had a phobia of fatherhood, decided to take matters into his own hands when his wife refused to terminate their child.
Husband discovered he was a father of two after estranged wife forged his signature in IVF deception - Daily Mail 2nd February 2008
A husband is threatening legal action after his estranged wife twice gave birth without his consent by using frozen embryos created while they were still together. The woman deceived a world-renowned IVF clinic into fertilising her on two occasions by forging her husband's signature on a consent form.
Nurses: Yes, it IS ok to seduce the patients - Daily Mail 2nd February 2008
Thousands of nurses think it is fine to have an affair with one of their patients, according to research. Almost one in 10 nurses think breaking the age-old taboo of starting a relationship with one of their patients is acceptable while one in six said they knew of a colleague who had a sexual relationship with a patient they were looking after.
NHS smoking ban 'flouted daily' - BBC Health News 3rd March 2008
Smoking bans are routinely flouted in many NHS hospitals, researchers say. Researchers spoke to three-quarters of hospital trusts in England last year, with two-thirds reporting non-smoking rules were being broken daily. And spot checks by a team at Nottingham University uncovered staff and patients lighting up even though hospitals should have been smoke free since 2006.
Healthy eating plan for toddlers - BBC Health News 3rd March 2008
An initiative to cut out young children's fussy eating and help combat rising obesity levels is to be rolled out nationally. The 10-week "Mini-Mend" programme will be open to all families with children aged two to four, not just those overweight and obese.
Frog skin diabetes treatment hope - BBC Health News 3rd March 2008
Skin secretions from a South American "shrinking" frog could be used to treat type 2 diabetes, researchers say. A compound isolated from the frog, which unusually starts life as a 27cm tadpole before shrinking to 4cm in adulthood, stimulates insulin release. A synthetic version of the compound - pseudin-2 - could be used to produce new drugs, delegates at the Diabetes UK annual conference heard.
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Nanomagnets 'could target cancer' - BBC Health News 2nd March 2008
Tiny magnets made by bacteria could be used to kill tumours, say researchers. A team at the University of Edinburgh has developed a method of making the nanomagnets stronger, opening the way for their use in cancer treatment.
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UK Health News RSS Feed
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Leader: Dying for change - The Guardian 3rd March 2008
It was Mothers' Day yesterday, and in those 24 hours about 1,500 women will have died giving birth, as they do every day of the year. Almost all the deaths will have been in the world's 75 poorest countries. Most would have been preventable in more affluent nations. Maternal health is a bald and unforgiving indicator of the state of a country's medical services - and its civil society. After all, most women give birth. A society that neglects their needs is a society that institutionally discriminates against women.
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Podcast
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UK Health News
Sunday, March 02, 2008
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Library Blog
The easiest way to keep up-to-date with latest publications, electronic resources and top tips on using information to best effect. Or just visit to see what the Fade Library crew are up to!
The easiest way to keep up-to-date with latest publications, electronic resources and top tips on using information to best effect. Or just visit to see what the Fade Library crew are up to!
Cameron rage at peer in 'dirty nurses' attack- The Observer 2nd March 2008
A Conservative peer who caused outrage by describing the nurses who cared for him as 'grubby, drunken and promiscuous' has been told by party leader David Cameron to think before opening his mouth. Lord Mancroft, a hereditary peer and deputy chairman of the Countryside Alliance, said last week during a debate in the House of Lords that it was 'a miracle' he was still alive after he was admitted to an NHS hospital in Bath. The peer went on to describe how the nurses had talked across him 'as if he was not there' about what they had done the previous night.
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Additional Stories
Anger over peer's 'sex and booze' nurses slur - The Guardian 1st March 2008
Nurses: we do seduce our patients - The Sunday Times 2nd March 2008
Nurses denounced as dirty, lazy drunks - The Times 1st March 2008
Nurses: the angels who fell from grace? - The Sunday Telegraph 2nd March 2008
'Sexist' Tory peer brands NHS nurses 'grubby, drunken and promiscuous' - Daily Mail 29th February 2008
Anger over grubby nurses 'slur' - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
NHS test to cut rate of premature births - The Observer 2nd March 2008
Thousands of women at risk of giving birth dangerously early are receiving a new test on the NHS to help ensure they deliver a healthy baby. Hospitals in England and Scotland have introduced a cervical swab known as the foetal fibronectin test in an attempt to cut the number of babies who die or suffer injury because they are born very prematurely. One in 13 women who gives birth does so before 37 weeks, a total of 45,000 a year. Premature babies run a much higher risk of dying, being disabled or having sight, hearing or behavioural problems.
Link to Article
Dirty scalpels bring 5,000 ops to a halt - The Observer 2nd March 2008
Surgery is being cancelled, sometimes as patients lie anaesthetised, after outside cleaning firms return theatre equipment unsterile and broken Thousands of hospital operations are being called off because surgical instruments are dirty, missing or broken. In some cases anaesthetised patients have been woken up and returned to the ward, says the organisation representing many of Britain's senior surgeons.
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Drug firms pressed on secret pill data - The Observer 2nd March 2008
The big pharmaceutical companies are to be 'shamed' into handing over their secret data on the effects of antidepressant medications, amid growing concern that the 'sunshine pills' may not work as well as originally promised. A government minister has taken the unprecedented step of calling on the drugs companies to give the data to the body that will review the current depression guidelines, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice). Ivan Lewis, the minister with responsibility for mental health, said that 'a failure to do so would leave the inevitable impression they had something to hide'.
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Additional Stories
Leader: Reveal the true value of drugs - The Observer 2nd March 2008
Don't laugh, sugar pills are the future - The Guardian 1st March 2008
Study clears social workers of 'snatching children' - The Observer 2nd March 2008
A government-commissioned report will this week lift the lid on the scale of the abuse suffered by children who are taken into care to be protected from their families. A review of family court cases involving 682 children found there were overwhelming reasons for social services taking the children into care, with an average of seven different risk factors being found in each case.
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For women, rolling your own is cool - The Observer 2nd March 2008
As sales of packeted cigarettes fall, the old workingman's way with tobacco is a new female fashion trend The ban on smoking in public places has taken its toll on sales of cigarettes but there is one tobacco market that is flourishing: young people, women in particular, are taking a leaf out of Andy Capp's book to start rolling their own cigarettes.
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Web lifeline for mums is big business - The Observer 2nd March 2008
An explosion in the popularity of parenting websites has sparked interest from big business, book publishers and even the government, who all want to reach out to the millions of mothers who log in every month. Bloomsbury will announce a six-figure book deal with Mumsnet.com this week, while Hodder Headline recently secured an agreement with Netmums.com for a five-book series inspired by discussions on its site. Meanwhile, Mothercare has launched a parenting website called Gurgle and Disney also has its own family site.
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Pink Floyd star's plan to aid homeless hits brick wall - The Observer 2nd March 2008
David Gilmour sold his £3.6m London mansion to fund houses for the city's destitute. Five years on, opposition has turned his dream to dust When Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour sold his London mansion for £3.6m, he was putting into practice his 'house for a house' philosophy: the belief that the wealthy should sell one of their palaces to provide hundreds of homes for those who are less well-off.
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Supermarket alcohol price 'fix' to curb binge drinkers - The Guardian 1st March 2008
Ministers are preparing to approve plans that would allow supermarkets to collude in alcohol price rises as part of efforts to stem Britain's binge drinking epidemic. The new arrangements, which would be secured through amendments to licensing laws, will enable supermarkets to get around existing competition rules that impose hefty penalties for price collusion. The price of alcohol in shops has halved in real terms in 20 years, leading to a large increase in home consumption and, health experts say, Britain's problem with alcohol abuse. Shop sales of alcohol have more than doubled from £6.4bn to £13bn since 1996.
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Malaria drug off market over side-effect fears - The Guardian 1st March 2008
An anti-malarial drug which was once lauded as offering new hope for Africa has been withdrawn by the British manufacturer because of its side-effects. GlaxoSmithKline's announcement that it was taking Lapdap off the market and recalling it from pharmacies in Kenya came more than three years after the World Health Organisation warned it could cause severe anaemia in children, which would require a blood transfusion. In most of Africa, that would not be possible.
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Anne Karpf: The state wants my daughter to be vaccinated, but I want to know more - The Guardian 1st March 2008
I like to start worrying early. You may be anxious about next week, but I did that ages ago and am already on September. Yet reading the parent message-boards over the past few weeks, I've realised that I'm not the only one worried about the HPV vaccination programme to be introduced into schools by the Department of Health in September. It's targeted at 12- to 13-yearold girls, and I have one. The vaccine, made by Merck, is called Gardasil. If it's administered before a girl becomes sexually active, it's effective against four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer. Put like that, unless you're a Christian Scientist, an abstinence campaigner or an activist against "Big Pharma", why wouldn't you be happy?
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Being obese made me feel like a social outcast - The Guardian 1st March 2008
We were on the ferry, returning from a break in Ireland, queueing for food. When I saw my husband's fish and chips, I decided I fancied some, too. But instead of the generous portion Evan received, I got a handful of chips and a piece of fish half the size. I didn't put the plate on my tray because I assumed the man at the counter hadn't finished dishing up. But instead of supplementing my chips, he told me, in an "all mates together" kind of way, that I shouldn't expect any more, as, by the looks of things, I'd had quite enough already. As those waiting to be served looked on with interest, I stood rooted to the spot, red-faced and deeply humiliated.
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Letter: No fat-cat pay for salaried GPs - The Guardian 1st March 2008
Yet another report on the grossly inflated earnings of GP partners under the new contract (GP practices earning 58% more, February 28). What is not reported is the growing gulf between GP partners and salaried and locum GPs. It is only the partners that have received an average pay rise of 58%, while those of us not already in partnerships are being forced into salaried posts paid on average at a salary 50% lower than their earnings. This is despite the fact we see the same number and often more patients each day.
Additional Story
You can't beat our National Wealth Service - The Sunday Telegraph 2nd March 2008
Junior doctors shortage hits NHS - The Independent on Sunday 2nd March 2008
Doctors' leaders will this week present the Government with "compelling evidence" of a widespread shortage in their numbers. Junior doctors are being forced to work extra hours, often unpaid, to fill gaps in rotas left by colleagues who have completed their training. Many are on maternity or long-term sick leave. The British Medical Association (BMA) says a controversial new recruitment system is largely to blame. The system creates a fixed start and end date for jobs, greatly reducing staff flexibility, says the BMA.
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Britons drink more heavily than Russians - The Sunday Times 2nd March 2008
BRITONS are heavier drinkers than the Russians, according to official data from the World Health Organisation. Alcohol consumption per head is greater in the UK, and England on its own tops the European table for child and teenage drunkenness. Opposition politicians seized on the disclosure to demand that the government should reconsider its liberal policy on alcohol, as it prepares to publish a review of 24-hour drinking laws.
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Tories plan alcopop taxes- The Sunday Times 2nd March 2008
ALCOPOPS and other strong drinks will face higher taxes, under plans from the Conservatives to curb the binge drinking culture. David Cameron’s Tories are planning to increase excise duty on a range of products associated with problem drinking, it was reported last night. As well as alcopops, such as WKD, strong lagers such as Tennent’s Super, and White Lightning, the 7.5% alcohol cider, will be targeted in the tax rise.
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Wife’s embryo fraud makes estranged husband a father- The Sunday Times 2nd March 2008
A MAN has discovered two children he did not know existed after his estranged wife gave birth using embryos the couple created together. When the couple separated, she forged his signature on consent forms so she could have the frozen embryos implanted in her womb. The woman then had two children from separate pregnancies without her husband’s knowledge. He found out only when one of the children became seriously ill and a relative contacted him to tell him about the offspring he never knew he had.
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‘Loner’ husband tried to abort child by hiding pills in wife’s breakfast - The Times 1st March 2008
A husband who put crushed pills in his wife’s breakfast to make her abort their unborn child was jailed yesterday in the first case of its kind for 40 years. Gil Magira, 36, who was described by his counsel as a bizarre and neurotic “Woody Allen character”, bought drugs unavailable in Britain over the internet when he learnt that his wife had become pregnant.
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Additional Story
Jail for man who slipped abortion drugs into wife's sandwiches in bid to kill his unborn baby - Daily Mail 1st March 2008
Foreign GPs flown in for one in ten areas - The Times 1st March 2008
One in ten primary care trusts is flying in GPs from abroad to cover out-of-hours shifts because of a shortage of willing local doctors, an investigation by The Times has found. Although there are often qualified GPs within the local area, trusts have spent more than £1 million in the past two years on GPs from all over Europe, including Germany, Poland and Lithuania.
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Additional Stories
Hospitals ask Poles to fill locum shifts as reforms worsen shortage - The Times 1st March 2008
NHS facing locum doctor shortage - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
Handle with care: genetic tests are risky, and I’ve got the proof - The Times 1st March 2008
A new online service uses your DNA to assess your risk of developing disease. Our correspondent paid £500 to learn his fate Genetic screening is coming to the masses. While medical science has long been able to test for rare mutations that cause disorders such as Huntington’s disease or cystic fibrosis, recent discoveries have started to explain how everybody’s health is affected by DNA.
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Additional Story
Results may mislead you, experts say - The Times 1st March 2008
Conservatives divided over NHS spending - The Sunday Telegraph 2nd March 2008
David Cameron faces a damaging split in his frontbench team after a senior member criticised a pledge to spend more on health than Labour. Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, spoke out after Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, signalled that a Conservative government would fund a rise in health spending that would mean an extra £28 billion being poured into the NHS.
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Additional Story
Tories predict rising NHS spend - BBC Health News 28th February 2008
'Yummy mummies' make mothers depressed - The Sunday Telegraph 2nd March 2008
Celebrity "yummy mummies" are making ordinary mothers feel "saggy, baggy and depressed" about their own bodies. Only one in four mothers are satisfied with their appearance, with most so self-conscious they would not wear a bikini on holiday, according to a survey
Adoption: 'How can you give away your baby?' - The Sunday Telegraph 2nd March 2008
The emotional fallout from learning you are adopted can last a lifetime. And many women feel it most when they themselves give birth. Eleni Kyriacou meets four adoptees for whom motherhood brought about a huge change in their attitudes When Zara was pregnant with her first child, Zachary, she was unprepared for the emotional upheaval that would follow. 'I'd wake up howling,' she recounts. 'I kept dreaming that the baby would be taken away from me.'
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Each call to 'ineffective' NHS Direct costs £16 - The Telegraph 1st March 2008
Every call answered by NHS Direct costs taxpayers more than £16 despite attempts to cut costs at the health helpline.# A single telephone query is almost as expensive as a visit to a GP, official figures show. The 24-hour service, which was started in 1998, was designed to dispense simple medical information and help prevent patients clogging up GPs' surgeries, saving money.
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The 18-year-old girl who is on her THIRD heart - Daily Mail 2nd March 2008
At the age of 18, Leanne Nicholson has already had three hearts. She is making a good recovery after her second transplant operation. "The families who gave me my hearts have saved my life twice," she said yesterday. "I've been very lucky and without the two transplants I would not be here today."
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Recipes to guarantee top marks: Healthy food for youngsters to boost their brain power - Daily Mail 2nd March 2008
It's that time of year when your child trudges off to their room to slog away at revision for hours - only to emerge grumpy and ready to eat their own body weight in snacks. And although they provide instant comfort, sugary or salty snacks won't boost the brain over long periods of time. With figures on childhood obesity reaching almost epidemic proportions, it is important to encourage your children to create a healthy relationship with food and eat the right things rather than giving them free rein with the biscuit tin and packets of crisps.
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What is your face telling you about your health? - Daily Mail 2nd March 2008
Your face is a mirror of your mind, and of your general health. The different parts reveal your state of health, and your facial expressions readily disclose your emotional state. During the day, your skin produces extra oil to protect it from temperature changes, dirt and micro-organisms, as well as oxidation caused by UV light and pollutants.
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Should we use plastic surgery to make our Down's daughter beautiful like us? - Daily Mail 1st March 2008
Chelsea Kirwan is brutally frank about the moment she learnt her newborn daughter had Down's syndrome. "I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach by the world," she says. The news also devastated her husband Laurence, a plastic surgeon well used to the horrors of working in burns units and with victims of earthquakes. "This was the first time I'd seen him actually need to sit down because he was so shaken," says Chelsea.
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Adverts target organ donor rise - BBC Health News 2nd March 2008
A TV advertising and poster campaign aimed at encouraging more people to donate their organs is to be launched by the Scottish Government. Fewer than one in three Scots is on the organ donor register, despite research indicating 93% of adults back donation. More people are on the organ donor register in Scotland than in any other part of the UK, but rates remain among the lowest in Europe.
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One-stop shop tackling smoking - BBC Health News 2nd March 2008
It is just over a week since Rachelle Moore had her last cigarette. She has given up before, but is adamant that this time she is quitting for good, thanks to help from London's first one-stop smoking shop - set up in her home area of Barking and Dagenham. The 21-year-old, who says she has been smoking about 10-a-day for 10 years, knows it will be a struggle, but insists she wants to get fit for her three-year-old daughter Kezeah.
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How military conflict helped save babies - BBC Health News 1st March 2008
World War II may be remembered as a time of hardship and privation. But it was also a time of incredible technological advance. And - thanks to the dedicated efforts of a group of British researchers - it sowed the seeds for a revolution in medical care.
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Baby milk firms win court fight - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
Baby milk manufacturers have won a High Court battle to delay introducing stricter labelling rules. The Food Standards Agency and the UK government wanted tighter rules on marketing and promoting all formula milks brought in last month.
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Ghanaian boy gets free kidney op - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
A 14-year-old Ghanaian boy is to receive a life-saving kidney transplant free of charge on the NHS. Felix Yeboah, who has six weeks to live, was offered the operation after he spoke at a conference attended by University Hospital Birmingham doctors.
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Memory issue 'hits 10% of pupils' - BBC Health News 28th February 2008
One in 10 children might have a "working memory" impairment that causes them to do less well than expected at school, research suggests. A Durham University team identified the problem in 10% of more than 3,000 schoolchildren, across all ages.
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Doctor arrested on return to UK - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
A doctor charged with killing a patient with an injection of adrenalin almost 10 years ago has arrived back in the UK from Texas. Priya Ramnath, 39, who moved to the US in 1998, is accused of causing the death of Patricia Leighton, 51, from Staffordshire.
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UK Health News RSS Feed
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If you don't know how to use RSS ask your local health Librarian to show you MyUpdate on the MyLibrary section of the National Library for Health.
Fighting Aids: Raped, pregnant, infected with HIV – and happy to help - The Independent on Sunday 2nd March 2008
What could be worse than being raped? To be raped and to find yourself pregnant by your rapist. Or to be raped, pregnant and discover you've got HIV. And for the unborn child to be at risk of contracting HIV. Three months after being raped by her boss, unemployed and sick, 21-year-old Mathakane Metsing was in her local clinic in Mafeteng, Lesotho. There she underwent two tests.
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Vitamin E supplements 'could cause up to 27 per cent increase in lung cancer' - Daily Mail 1st March 2008
Vitamin E supplements may raise the risk of lung cancer, doctors have warned. A study of more than 77,000 people found that taking moderate to high doses of vitamin E led to a "slight but significant" increase in risk of the cancer that kills on Briton every 15 minutes.
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Additional Stories
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Additional Stories
Vitamin E linked to lung cancer - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
MPs issue maternal deaths warning - BBC Health News 2nd March 2008
Up to one million pregnant women worldwide die each year from largely avoidable causes, MPs have warned. A Commons international development committee report said there was a lack of political will to improve maternal health in developing countries. It warned that for every woman who dies in childbirth in the UK, up to 1,000 die in the poorest countries.
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Snoring 'linked to heart disease' - BBC Health News 1st March 2008
New research suggests there is a strong link between loud snoring and both heart disease and strokes. Hungarian scientists did interviews with more than 12,000 patients. They concluded that heavy snorers were significantly more likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared to the rest of the population.
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Blood test hope for mood disorder - BBC Health News 1st March 2008
Scientists have found that the presence of certain chemicals in the blood may be a sign of mood disorders. Concentrations of the key "biomarkers" were directly linked to the severity of the disorder. The researchers are hoping the breakthrough may lead to simple blood tests and a much faster way to assess the impact of medication.
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Race differences in immune genes - BBC Health News 29th February 2008
Researchers have found the behaviour of immune system genes varies from race to race - potentially affecting how they respond to infection. The Chicago University team looked at over 9,000 genes in 180 people, half Caucasian and half from Nigeria.
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International Health News RSS Feed
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Cheshire and Merseyside Health News
Articles relating to mass media Health news about the Cheshire and Merseyside patch of the NHS in the North West of England.
Mersey smokers best at quitting - Liverpool Daily Post 1st March 2008
SMOKERS in Merseyside are giving up the habit at three times the national average, new figures revealed last night. The tide may finally be turning in Merseyside’s long-running battle against lung cancer and heart disease, with the region now leading the way in the numbers quitting. New figures reveal Knowsley and Liverpool rank first and third in England for the percentage of people who have given up cigarettes.
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Hopes rise for a healthier region as smokers quit - Liverpool Daily Post 1st March 2008
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Additional Story
Workers shocked as two city care homes face closure - Liverpool Echo 1st March 2008
CARE WORKERS today spoke of their shock after they were told that two Liverpool care homes were set to close. Liverpool council has revealed that Leighton Dene residential home, in Fazakerley, and the Boaler Street rehabilitation unit, in Kensington, will be axed.
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Wirral Maternity unit’s 100% safety score - Liverpool Daily Post 29th February 2008
WIRRAL’S maternity service scored 100% in every category used by NHS insurers to assess the safety of a hospital. The results mean the maternity unit at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the safest in the country. The Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) is an insurance scheme, run by the NHS Litigation Authority, that covers NHS organisations for incidences of clinical negligence.
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Maternity service’s top marks - Liverpool Echo 29th February 2008Link to Article
Additional Stories
Commitment to safety for childbirth at Women’s hospital - Liverpool Daily Post 29th February 2008
Alder Hey: The terrible toll of parent smokers - Liverpool Echo 29th February 2008
ALMOST half the youngsters treated at Alder Hey hospital suffer from ailments caused by their parents’ smoking habits. A top doctor today accused adults of ruining their children’s health and development by lighting up around them.
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Advice day set for brain clinic - Liverpool Echo 29th February 2008
NEUROSUPPORT is hosting a Brain Injury Advice Day on Thursday March 13 at their Neurosupport Centre in Liverpool. Taking place during Brain Awareness Week, the day will provide practical advice and information on the issues which effect people with brain injury. Neurosupport is a registered charity and offers advice and support to people with neurological conditions, their families and friends.
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Seven held in crackdown on underage drinkers - Liverpool Echo 29th February 2008
SEVEN people were arrested in a crackdown on underage drinking. The fortnight-long blitz saw officers patrolling the streets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings in St Helens. The crackdown resulted in: 515 units of alcohol being seized.
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GP aims for good practice - Chester Chronicle 29th February 2008
A FORMER Frodsham GP has been given the task of turning round a scandal-hit surgery on the Wirral. Dr Kathy Ryan, who worked at The Rock Surgery, High Street, Frodsham for four years, has left to take charge of a Wallasey surgery blighted by alleged errors. She said: “I’m taking the
view that I’m starting off with a blank piece of paper.
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Bikes help patients recover - Chester Chronicle 29th February 2008
PEDAL power is the latest initiative to help patients at Bowmere Hospital on the road to recovery. Officers from Chester Inner Neighbourhood Policing Unit have donated four bikes to the hospital to aid with the rehabilitation and fitness of people at the specialist Rosewood Rehabilitation Unit.
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Charity provides financial help to cancer sufferers - Chester Chronicle 29th February 2008
FIVE cancer sufferers in Frodsham and Helsby were awarded Macmillan Cancer Support grants of more than £1,420 last year. Nationally 23,000 people received Macmillan Grants to the tune of £8.5million. Area Fundraising Manager Marie Travers said: “People affected by cancer have told Macmillan that financial worries come second only to pain in causing them stress and anxiety.
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Child health expert to fight incinerator - Chester Chronicle 29th February 2008
AN EXPERT on the effects of pollution on children’s health will give evidence at the public inquiry into the proposed incinerator at Ince. Campaign group Residents Against Incineration (RAIN) has enlisted Dr Gavin ten Tusscher, a paediatrician from Holland, to give evidence at the planning appeal which opens in April.
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Flushing out city’s dirty little secret - Chester Chronicle 29th February 2008
What have the toilets in Chester’s Town Hall, Crown Court and Tesco got in common? They are all used to snort cocaine. LAURIE STOCKS-MOORE lifts the lid on Chester’s hidden habit. A Chronicle investigation has revealed the class A drug cocaine is being snorted in the halls of power and justice.
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Against surgery proposals - Widnes and Runcorn World 29th February 2008
I AM a recently retired schoolteacher and I am writing to tell you that I am against the proposed changes to the opening hours for patients. I value my local surgery, which I have had to attend frequently recently owing to ill health that has resulted in early retirement from my chosen profession.
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Cheshire and Merseyside Health News RSS Feed
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Cumbria and Lancashire Health News
Articles relating to mass media Health Stories about the Cumbria and Lancashire patch of the NHS in the North West of England.
Concern over dog attack injuries - Carlisle News & Star 1st March 2008
THE number of people being treated for dog attacks in Cumbria continues to soar. In just 12 months 116 people in Cumbria and Lancashire were seen at accident and emergency departments – the equivalent of two attacks a week. A New Year’s Eve party in Carlisle last year turned sour when four men were savaged by a dog.
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Trust lost patient data - Carlisle News & Star 1st March 2008
THE personal information of Cumbrian NHS patients has been lost – and they have not been told. A computer memory stick containing the names and addresses of patients suffering from ME was lost by Cumbria Primary Care Trust, it emerged this week.
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Hospitals clear hearing aid waiting lists - Preston and Leyland Citizen 1st March 2008
Hospitals in Chorley and Preston have cleared waiting lists a month ahead of schedule and fitted more than 12,000 hearing aids. It's part of a half-a-million pound initiative to upgrade old analogue aids with a modern digital piece. The new digital aids fit behind the ear and look very similar to the sets they are replacing but can process sound better, are specifically set to compensate individual hearing needs and are more reliable.
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Buckshaw not preferred site for mental health hospital - Chorley Citizen 29th February 2008
A new super mental health hospital looks set to be sited at Ribbleton, Preston, and not Buckshaw Village as many residents had feared. Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust chose Ribbleton Hospital, in Miller Road, as the preferred site, over Buckshaw and the former Sharoe Green Hospital, in Fulwood.
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Prince’s interest in improving health - Lancashire Telegraph 29th February 2008
A CAMPAIGN to help improve the health of residents in East Lancashire has been given a boost by Prince Charles. East Lancashire Primary Care Trust chair Kathy Reade met the Prince during his visit to Burnley last week, and highlighted the trust's campaign to slash health inequalities in Burnley, Hyndburn, Rossendale, the Ribble Valley and Pendle.
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Celebrity chef visits school to promote healthy eating - Lancashire Telegraph 29th February 2008
A CELEBRITY chef whizzed up some healthy treats after school children invited him to their first ever cookery club. Primary school children, aged five, six and seven, were given the benefit of celebrity chef Andrew Nutter's experience when he followed Jamie Oliver's lead by visiting St Anne's Church of England Primary School yesterday (Friday).
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Cumbria and Lancashire Health News RSS Feed
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Greater Manchester Health News
Articles relating to mass media Health Stories about the Greater Manchester patch of the NHS in the North West of England.
Cancer care survey extended - Manchester Evening News 1st March 2008
A CHANCE for the public to have their say on the future of a hospital's breast cancer care services has been extended after there were just 38 responses in three months. Breast care services at Trafford General Hospital were closed two and half years ago after a doctor misread scans, mistakenly giving 20 women with cancer the all-clear. Hospital bosses suspended radiologist Dr Amjad Husien in April 2005 after discovering the errors.
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£10,000 thanks for saving mum - Manchester Evening News 29th February 2008
A SCHOOLGIRL will say a special 'thank you' to the doctors who saved her mother's life by presenting their specialist unit with £10,000. When Carolyn Smith, 40, was diagnosed with breast cancer, her 16-year-old daughter Lucy was distraught. But when her mum pulled through, the teenager was so grateful to the medics and researchers at The Nightingale Centre and Genesis Prevention Centre she launched a major fundraising drive.
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Meeting for future of hospital - Altrincham Messenger 29th February 2008
THE future of Altrincham General Hospital will be discussed at an Altrincham South and North Neighbourhood Forum meeting. The meeting will be held at Altrincham Town Hall on March 25.
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Greater Manchester Health News RSS Feed
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Friday, February 29, 2008
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