Welcome to the Podcast of Another 15 Minutes, Health News from the Fade Library. Full links to the articles detailed can be found at www (dot) fade the blog 2 (dot) blogspot (dot)com
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National News
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Pfizer blames job losses on NHS cost cuts - The Guardian 24th January 2007
Pfizer is cutting around 250 jobs in the UK, blaming cost reduction measures by the NHS, as the drug maker embarks on a campaign to shed 10,000 staff worldwide. Announcing the UK cuts yesterday, Pfizer said: "Financial deficits in the National Health Service have resulted in a concerted effort to cut medicines' costs through increased use of older, cheaper generics. This shift away from prescription of new, more effective medicines - in particular, the pressure applied by the Department of Health to switch the majority of UK patients to generic statins - has caused Pfizer to reconsider the number of roles required to support the UK business."
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Infected by affluenza - The Guardian 24th January 2007
Blair's encouragement of free market capitalism has boosted spiralling levels of British mental illness.
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Mary O'Hara on the need for a rethink on disability discrimination legislation - The Guardian 24th January 2007
Despite longstanding legislation against disability discrimination, serious prejudice and misunderstanding still exist. With one in five adults classed as disabled, a government rethink is needed. Mary O'Hara reports
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GPs playing government at its own game - The Guardian 24th January 2007
Most GPs, my wife among them, will feel aggrieved at their portrayal by Polly Toynbee as overpaid, money-driven and sometimes dishonest (Comment, January 19). However, she has hit precisely (if painfully) at the heart of the current malaise in general practice. The combination of a government obsessed with creating a business ethic in the NHS, and misguided negotiators at the BMA, has in the space of just a few years created a sorry mess which seriously threatens the future of general practice.
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Natural selection will save the NHS - The Guardian 24th January 2007
Received wisdom has it that introduction of general management in the NHS in the 1980s was a good thing. But Aidan Halligan, the former NHS director of clinical governance who quit the Department of Health last year, has come to the view that putting doctors and nurses in charge is the only way to save the service.
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Get physical: Healthy primary school - The Guardian 24th January 2007
With everything from classroom aerobics to healthy snacks introduced to the school day, St Leonard's primary school near Burnley has seen pupils' health greatly improved. Julie Bradley became headteacher of St Leonard's primary school, near Burnley, in 2000. She immediately noticed that her pupils seemed to lack vitality and stamina and, together with her staff, set about improving things.
Pedometers for 'deprived' pupils - BBC Health News 24th January 2007
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Letters extra - The Guardian 24th January 2007
"These are practices that were out of date 20 years ago," writes David Brindle. When I retired from Buckinghamshire social services 23 years ago, highly trained and supervised people staffed establishments for children, the elderly and people with learning difficulties. There were home advisers who made regular visits, staff were seconded to college courses and there was in-house training. It may be better for social services departments to resume responsibility, with appropriate funding, as suggested in Mr Brindle's article. Practice was of a high standard 23 years ago, so why not now?
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David Walker on why we should embrace data sharing - The Guardian 24th January 2007
"Is this reluctance to embrace opportunities a result of the mistrust fired on all matters of data and IT? " In theory, we can make appointments with GPs. Some practices send or phone a reminder - just as your friendly, neighbourhood (you wish!) dentist and the blood donation service already do. But to issue text messages, or even automated voice messages, surgeries need to store data, names and numbers. And the association of the state - even in the benign form of the NHS - and hard disks gives certain commentators fits.
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Four out of five want to give doctors right to end life of terminally ill patients in pain - The Guardian January 24th 2007
Four out of five people in Britain believe the law should allow a doctor to end the life of a terminally ill patient who is in pain if they wish to die. In a finding confirming that British public opinion is at odds with the law, today's British Social Attitudes Survey reveals strong support for euthanasia, though only in carefully defined circumstances.
80% of public support right to die with doctor's help - The Times 24th January 2007
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Anti-smoking drug triples success - The Guardian 24th January 2007
An anti-smoking drug launched in Britain last month improves the odds of people quitting threefold, according to a comprehensive survey of trials. Scientists at Oxford who pronounce on the effectiveness of new medical treatments by analysing published clinical data, found that varenicline, marketed by Pfizer under the name Champix, reduced smokers' cravings and boosted their chances of giving up over a 12-month period.
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High-fibre diet 'can cut cancer risk for women under 50' - The Independent 24th January 2007
A breakfast bowl of muesli, wholemeal sandwiches at lunch and fruit in the evening could halve a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers have found that younger women who eat a high-fibre diet appear to be protected against the disease - at least until the menopause.
Fibre 'lowers breast cancer risk' - BBC Health News 24th January 2007
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Doctors 'send too many women for hysterectomies' - The Times 24th January 2007
Too many women are having hysterectomies when other treatments are available, the Government’s healthcare advisers said. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance yesterday to the NHS on treatments to treat heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). One in four women in England has menstrual problems during her lifetime, and an estimated 6.5 per cent of women aged 21 to 51 suffer HMB.
No hysterectomy for heavy periods - BBC Health News 24th January 2007
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Is the NHS fit for purpose in a modern Britain? - The Times 24th January 2007
“An honest and open debate about what kind of National Health Service the public wants” (letter, Jan 22) would be dominated by emotional commitments to the existing sacred cow. The question should be, do we want a “national” health service at all; any more than a national steel industry or a national food industry. Admittedly, the current structure is an unholy mess of mixed concepts and unworkable constraints, but this is inevitably because of the prevailing blinkered view.
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Hope for ME - The Times 24th January 2007
Sufferers from ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) should feel more optimistic than ever that researchers will find a solution to this complex neurological illness now that they are talking about brains, drugs and gene studies rather than hysteria and depression, and that doctors will now accept that ME never was “all in the mind” (report, Jan 22).
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The new plastic implant that restores perfect sight - Daily Mail 23rd January 2007
More than 23 million people in Britain suffer from presbyopia - a form of longsightedness which usually affects those aged 40 and over. Until recently, it's been impossible to cure it, and most people had to use reading glasses. But now, lens implants remove the need for spectacles.
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My brother my saviour - Daily Mail 23rd January 2007
On November 30, 2003, Allison and David Hartley were asked to go to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, where two of their sons were being treated for anaemia. Their consultant delivered a bombshell: although the Hartleys' other two sons were apparently healthy, all four boys had a rare genetic disorder, X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome (XLP) which would kill them all within ten years.
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Have we been conned about cholesterol? - Daily Mail 22nd January 2007
Conventional medical wisdom about cholesterol — and the role of statins — is now being challenged by a small, but growing number of health professionals. Among them is Dr Malcolm Kendrick. A GP for 25 years, he has also worked with the European Society of Cardiology, and writes for leading medical magazines.
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What a waste! The NHS spends millions on training, but we are recruiting from overseas - Daily Mail 22nd January 2007
An official document leaked earlier this month predicted huge staff shortages in the NHS by 2010. What makes this so extraordinary is there are thousands of newly qualified health professionals struggling to find work. Meanwhile, hundreds of foreign doctors are being recruited to work in GP surgeries. Not only does this demonstrate an appalling lack of planning, say experts, but it's an enormous waste of NHS money. How has this situation arisen?
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Child diabetes care 'worsening' - BBC Health News 24th January 2007
Many children with diabetes are at risk of losing limbs because the financial problems of the NHS in England are hitting services, a charity warns. Diabetes UK says 80% of children with diabetes have poor glucose control - putting them at risk of complications.
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Safety fears over 'wheelie shoes' - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
An accident and emergency consultant has warned of the dangers of the kids' footwear craze Heelys. Almost a dozen children have turned up with injuries at a Belfast hospital after falling while using the trainers, which have wheels in the heel.
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Rights case over foetus pictures - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
An anti-abortion campaigner is claiming her human rights were breached when she was convicted for sending pictures of aborted foetuses to chemists. Veronica Connolly was convicted in 2005 for sending the "offensive" pictures to chemists in Solihull, West Midlands who sold the morning-after pill.
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Elderly man's fall 'led to death' - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
Hospital procedures in Devon are to be reviewed after the death of an elderly man who fell down at least five times. It follows an inquest into the death of 93-year-old Stan Rogers from Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, who broke his hip in a fall at Whipton Community Hospital.
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Tories ponder nurse job guarantee - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
Graduate nurses could be given a guarantee of one-year employment under a Tory government, David Cameron says. The Tory leader told a nurses conference it would allow them to gain the necessary experience to work elsewhere if there were no NHS jobs.
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Website 'to offer surgery choice' - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
The government has announced that a website is to be set up this year to give patients more choice over the hospitals they use for some surgery. It will contain information and links to help people decide on which centre might suit them best.
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Call to save military hospitals - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
The former head of the British army has called on the government to maintain military hospitals. In an interview on BBC Two's Newsnight, Sir Mike Jackson said personnel were "better off" in dedicated facilities.
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AMs vote for free prescriptions - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
Free prescriptions for everyone are to be introduced in Wales from 1 April following a vote in the Welsh assembly. AMs voted by 39 to none to abolish the charges. Labour and Plaid Cymru supported the move while Conservatives and Liberal Democrats abstained.
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NHS head admits contract mistakes - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
The head of the health service in Scotland has admitted that significant mistakes were made in drawing up the new contract for NHS consultants. The deal has cost an extra £235m - four times the original estimate.
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International News
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Adults' antidepressant bone risk - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
Adults over 50 who use a type of antidepressants are at double the risk of bone fractures, a study suggests. The Canadian researchers focused on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) including drugs such as Prozac and Seroxat.
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Call for deadly TB isolation move - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
South Africa should forcibly isolate patients infected with a deadly strain of TB to stop the disease spreading on the HIV-hit continent, experts say. South Africa's outbreak of the multi drug-resistant XDR-TB has killed at least 74 people in the past few months.
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Man has partial face transplant - BBC Health News 23rd January 2007
French doctors have performed a partial face transplant on a 29-year-old man in the third operation of its type. The patient, who doctors say is doing well, suffered from a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis, which seriously disfigured his face.
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Cheshire and Merseyside News
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Hospital chief quits before £500m plans are finalised - Liverpool Daily Post 24th January 2007
THE chief executive of Liverpool's biggest hospital has resigned two years before £500m plans for it to be rebuilt are due to be finalised. Maggie Boyle announced yesterday she is leaving the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust after four-and-a-half years in the job.
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Royal Hospital is top in food tests - Liverpool Echo 23rd January 2007
THE Royal Liverpool hospital has beaten a private hospital in tough food hygiene tests. Staff were celebrating today after the hospital’s catering facilities got a top five-star rating, while Lourdes private hospital only got three stars under Liverpool city council’s "Scores on the Doors" website.
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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Psychiatrist implied lethal overdose ‘not significant’ - Carlisle News & Star 23rd January 2007
A DOCTOR told a court yesterday how a psychiatrist accused of the manslaughter of a patient gave the impression the overdose that would kill him was “not significant”. Charles Brett also said he did not know Peter Fisher was unregistered, adding he would not let such a person work in his department at Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital.
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Course is big help for doctors and nurses - Lancashire Telegraph 23rd January 2007
HOSPITAL staff have praised a new training course aimed at taking the load off doctors and nurses. They are among the first to complete the two-year assistant practitioner foundation degree programme at the University of Central Lancashire.
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Health bosses defend private operations plan - Lancashire Telegraph 23rd January 2007
HEALTH chiefs have defended plans to send 45,000 patients to a private firm for operations using £23million of NHS cash Bosses from Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust told councillors last night that the move was essential to hit a key waiting time target. They spoke after The Lancashire Telegraph yesterday revealed a letter from East Lancashire's four most senior hospital consultants to the area's GPs which said taking operations elsewhere would see NHS services fall apart.
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Boss is joining health board - Lancashire Telegraph 23rd January 2007
A WHALLEY-based mental health authority has welcomed a new board member. John Cowdall has been appointed a non-executive director of Calderstones NHS Trust.
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GP’s pledge to improve community health - Lancashire Telegraph 23rd January 2007
A BURNLEY GP has been chosen to lead an influential group of clinical experts who advise community health decision-makers in East Lancashire. Dr Swamy Narayana, has pledged to shape the future of community health services for the better with a hands on approach.
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NHS should copy Europe healthcare - Lancashire Telegraph 23rd January 2007
A LONG time ago the NHS was created. The service was the envy of most of the world because it gave support and care to us all at that time finance, and the general overall structure of the scheme was equal to demand made on it.
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Greater Manchester News
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Hospital row lands nurse a £188 bill - The Bolton News 23rd January 2007
A NURSE faces having to pay almost £200 because she left her car in a hospital visitors' space when the staff car parks were full. Sister Denise Leck says she searched in vain for a staff space at the Royal Bolton Hospital. and had no option but to park in the spaces reserved for patients and visitors.
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It’s curtains for superbug in hospital’s new blitz - The Bolton News 23rd January 2007
Curtains which kill the potentially deadly MRSA bug on contact are being installed at the Royal Bolton Hospital. Bosses are spending £300,000 on the bedside curtains as part of their ongoing battle against superbugs.
Full links to the articles detailed can be found at www(dot) fade the blog 2 (dot)blogspot (dot)com, This has been a Podcast of Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from the Fade Library.
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