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A 'virtual' ward, with a full range of health specialists, is helping to prevent patients most at risk being admitted to hospital. Being kept under close surveillance might not be welcomed in all circumstances, but if you are a frail 90-year-old anxious to keep out of hospital, it is more than acceptable. "I've never felt so well looked after," says Fred Roberts, a retired bus driver, who is a wheelchair user, has arthritis, heart problems, poor sight, restricted hearing and a history of chest infections. "I have no worries now I know help is there when I need it." The oxygen cylinder in his flat has not been needed for months, he adds, because he feels so much more relaxed.
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For most public servants, the past decade of reform has been about numbers - and critical targets have been about the length of waiting lists and the number of police on the street. It is an approach that yielded some impressive results, but they came at a high price. Labour has been good at creating consensus around goals, but its great failure has been a lack of agreement about how to reach them. Everyone wanted the NHS to get better, but many people were sceptical about using competition as the key tool. The result all too often is a confused public and a resentful workforce.
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Clare Allan: Web-based communities might give a voice to mental health service users - The Guardian 13th June 2007
Inane surveys will never allow policy makers to understand the experiences of mental health service users - but web-based communities might I recently wrote about the problems I encountered attempting to complete the Mental Health Service Users' Survey. The survey consisted of eight pages of multiple-choice questions and offered, for the most part, three possible responses to each: "Yes, definitely"; "Yes, to some extent"; and "No". My chief difficulty lay in trying to fit my experience of mental health services into the options available to me. Did my psychiatrist listen carefully to me the last time I saw her? Was I treated with respect and dignity? Yes, definitely? Yes, to some extent? No? It seemed to me unlikely that such a questionnaire would produce any genuinely useful information about my experiences as a patient.
Risk aversion runs deeper than anyone thought. We knew it was blighting care and support services, wrapping people in cotton wool and stopping them leading independent lives, but it appears now to have infected the highest levels of government. A couple of weeks ago, the Department of Health was all set to publicise the launch of a keenly-awaited report and "tool kit" on decision making and risk in social care. Officials were pleased with it, and Ivan Lewis, the care services minister, was enthusiastic - not least because he is been involved with services for learning disabled people since he was 14 and can doubtless spot over-protectiveness at 100 yards. But then, nothing - no announcement, no press release, not a peep from the minister.
An unlikely partnership agreement has been signed between the King's Fund, the influential charitable institute specialising in health research and policy analysis, and Humana Europe, an offshoot of a giant US health insurer, which is bidding for contracts to improve NHS commissioning. Both partners hailed their engagement as "exciting." An expert from the Kentucky-based Humana, which is a new player on the UK healthcare block, will be seconded to the fund to join a public health project examining how people can be persuaded to live healthier lifestyles. The company will also pay £30,000 to cover the cost of private seminars to discuss the ideas with movers and shakers in the NHS.
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Equality laws enshrine mothers' right to breastfeed in public - The Guardian 13th June 2007
New mothers will gain the right to breastfeed their babies in cafes and shops under proposed changes to equality laws announced yesterday. The move to rationalise 40 years of piecemeal equality legislation, unveiled by the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, would extend protection against discrimination for pregnant women and mothers with young babies beyond employment rights for the first time.
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Bill will allow breast-feeding in public - The Independent 13th June 2007
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Equality Bill gives mothers the right to breast-feed in public - The Times 13th June 2007
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New rights for breast-feeders and golfers - The Telegraph 13th June 2007
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Breastfeeding in public will be a woman's right - Daily Mail 12th June 2007
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'Right to breastfeed' law planned - BBC Health News 12th June 2007
The pharmaceutical industry business model is "economically unsustainable", according to a report by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers. The study suggested drug companies' reliance on heavy marketing of a few drugs in the hope of huge sales meant they were "operationally incapable" of acting quickly enough to produce innovative treatments demanded by global markets. According to Steve Arlington, the main author, drug companies spend twice as much on research and development than 10 years ago, yet produce half as many drugs: 40 to 45% of medicines in phase 3 clinical trials, the last stage, now failed.
Douglas Johnson-Poensgen, strategic director, BT Government BT Government? Should Gordon Brown be worried? Quite the opposite. Delivering better public services to citizens is increasingly a collaboration between the public, private and third sectors. With BT's public sector heritage, we've been through a similar transformation to the one the public sector is undergoing. We're natural partners.
The chief executive of Release, Sebastian Saville, comes clean about his drug-using past and tells Mary O'Hara he is determined the organisation will keep offering its invaluable support to addicts - with or without government backing
The parents of a newborn baby who died due to neglect by medical staff are to sue the hospital involved. Ian Croft and Heather Paterson said baby Riley would still be alive today had he received better care. The couple, both BBC World Service journalists, added they had "no confidence" that mothers and their babies were safe in the care of one of London's top teaching hospitals, the Royal Free Trust in Hampstead, north London.
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The latest data on medications for use in fighting rheumatoid arthritis heralds a new dawn in the treatment of this condition in Britain. It is a dawn that has broken later in England and Wales than much of the rest of Europe, including Scotland, but it should lead to a far greater number of sufferers being able to live a more fulfilling life.
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Arthritis drugs offer fresh hope at a price - The Times 13th June 2007
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Playing in a team has restored hope for mentally ill patients To describe the members of Hackney FC as football-mad would be a provocation rather than a cliché. Eight players in the squad suffer from schizophrenia, three from bipolar disorder and two from psychosis. Several have depression. Two have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, to prevent them doing harm to themselves or to others. All of them have found, to a greater or lesser degree, sanity and salvation on a football pitch.
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A badly-burnt five-year-old girl is to get her hair back thanks to a pioneering operation by plastic surgeons. Sidra Afzal was left with a bald patch on one side of her head when she was badly burnt by hot cooking oil at the age of 2.
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Some of the biggest corporations have been forced to review company policy after campaigns by bloggers nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com “Dr Crippens” experience as a GP working for the NHS. Sample comment: “Massive litigation could force companies to leave the vaccine business, threatening the future of one of medicine’s greatest achievements.” pharmalot.com One entry: “Rosemany Johann-Liang, the FDA medical reviewer who was punished for pushing a black box warning for Avandia, left the agency Friday, becoming the latest in a string of staffers to feel the heat for refusing to back down on safety issues." pharmagossip.blogspot.com Promises to “look beyond the spin of Big Pharma PR”.
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Well done. You're not smoking. If this is your second day, then your body is almost free of nicotine - but you might find today even more difficult, because the desire to smoke will enter your mind frequently. Whether you stay off the cigarettes will depend on how effectively you manage this desire.
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Where to go for a little extra help - The Telegraph 13th June 2007
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'I am surprised by how well I have done' - The Telegraph 13th June 2007
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Employers will be encouraged to spy on staff to enforce the ban on smoking in public places in England under Government regulations made public yesterday. Employers will be encouraged to spy on staff to enforce the ban on smoking in public places in England under Government regulations made public yesterday Businesses will be urged to keep written records of anyone lighting up in defiance of the ban New regulations to implement the ban from July 1 will give the go-ahead for a "snoopers' charter" of heavy-handed surveillance and zealous local authority inspectors, said Eric Pickles, the Tory local government spokesman. The ban will bring England in line with the rest of Britain and covers virtually all enclosed public places including offices, factories, pubs and bars, but not outdoors or in private homes.
People who dream of escaping stressful city lives for an idyllic existence in an English country village could be in for a nasty shock, a study discloses today. A rural village; people who dream of escaping stressful city lives for an idyllic existence in an English country village could be in for a nasty shock, a study discloses today A survey of a home counties village found that it was a haven for gossip, backbiting and social exclusion for those who did not fit the mould of the perfect village resident. A researcher who lived in the village, referred to as "Stonycroft" to keep its true identity secret, found that on the surface life there was idyllic with many residents saying their well-being was improved physically and emotionally for being in the country. However, after digging beneath the surface, it was found that residents who were gay, divorced, childless and even single were victimised and even outcast by other villagers. For these people, life was stressful and in some cases it led to mental and physical health problems.
Given that Gordon Brown had already signalled that one of the first things he planned to do on assuming office as prime minister was to extend the opening hours of GPs' surgeries, it should have come as no great surprise that Nicola Sturgeon yesterday delivered a similar pledge. After all, in devolution-a-la SNP, anything done by the Unionist parties elsewhere in these islands will just have to be bettered by the Nat government in Edinburgh.
More than a quarter of older people say that their quality of life has worsened in the past year, researchers report today. A survey for the second annual report into pensioners' lives by the charity Help the Aged found that more than nine out of 10 of those questioned felt their lives had not improved - and 28 per cent felt they had worsened. The report also showed that more than a fifth of older people were now living in poverty, with 11 per cent in severe poverty.
Keith Hall bristled with anger as he came face to face with two burly security guards at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex. Brandishing a filthy cleaning mop and cloth, he stood firm - he'd done nothing wrong. The hospital was covered in dirt and dust - a breeding ground for the deadly virus MRSA - and all he wanted to do was clean up.
Sales of traditional bathroom scales have dropped as slimmers switch to hightech body fat monitors. These devices not only tell you how much you weigh, but also reveal what percentage of your body is pure fat. It's an important step forward in health terms, as it's excess fat rather than weight that is the problem. When you step on a set of scales, you're not just weighing fat, but also muscles and bones.
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I'm so thin cancer doctors invented a new way to rebuild my breasts - Daily Mail 12th June 2007
Thousands of breast cancer patients undergo immediate reconstruction after their tumours are removed, often using tissue from their stomach or back. But very slim women are usually offered silicone implants. Now a new technique means surgeons can use thigh tissue to create a new breast. Here, Joanne Roberts, 35, a deputy headmistress in Epping, Essex, tells ANGELA BROOKS about her experience, and her surgeon explains the procedure.
We all know what it's like to be at the mercy of doctors. So what happened when this man, a consultant, got cancer and saw life from a patient's point of view. His story provides a fascinating insight into modern health care Medical training is a disadvantage when you're seriously ill, says Andrew Lawson, a consultant at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. Last month he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and as physician turned patient, not only does he know the worst about his condition, but he's uniquely qualified to see what's wrong with our healthcare system. Dr Lawson, 48, lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, a forensic physician, and their three children.
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Hospitals 'risk lives of elderly by sending them home too soon' - Daily Mail 12th June 2007
Elderly patients are being released from hospital too soon, putting their lives at risk, charities have warned. Last year, 147,257 patients over 75 had to be sent back to hospital as 'emergency admissions' within 28 days of being discharged.
It was given to wartime children because its high vitamin content improved their physical health. Now research suggests that cod liver oil can make another claim - that it staves off depression.
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Wealthier people are more than twice as likely to develop the deadliest form of skin cancer, doctors have warned. A study of 23,000 cancer patients has revealed that those living in affluent areas were two- and-a-half more times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than their less well-off counterparts.
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Wealthy more prone to skin cancer - BBC Health News 11th June 2007
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Midwives are under "intolerable" pressure because Labour massively underestimated the number of babies who would be born last year, the Conservatives said yesterday. Almost 40,000 more babies were born in 2006 than officials expected.
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Birth surge 'stretches midwives' - BBC Health News 12th June 2007
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Millions of hayfever sufferers are being denied a new treatment which could cure the condition because of a lack of NHS funds. The £2-a-day pill, which dissolves under the tongue, treats the pollen allergy which is the underlying cause of hayfever - instead of just relieving the symptoms.
My son is sitting his GCSEs in the next few weeks and I wondered if there is anything he should be eating to give him the best chance of doing his best? Katherine Casey, by e-mail. What we eat and drink can have a significant impact on our day-to-day memory. The following suggestions will apply to anyone - even very young children - who needs to maximise their powers of concentration and cope with a mind-taxing day.
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For years Henry Blofeld snored like an elephant - little did he realise it was slowly killing him - Daily Mail 12th June 2007
After an adrenalin-fuelled day commentating on Test cricket for BBC radio, Henry Blofeld would look forward to a good night's sleep - only to find he was waking himself, and anyone sleeping nearby, with his incredibly loud snoring. "There have been several complainers - including my ex-wives and lovers - over the years," says twice-married Henry, 67, who lives in Chelsea, London.
NHS Direct is referring on too many patients to GPs and emergency services, putting strain on the system, doctors and ambulance crews say. They claim to get urgent referrals when patients have minor problems, such as sprains and high temperatures, and have called for an inquiry into the service.
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Debts racked up by hospitals under the Private Finance Initiative (BFI) hit patient care, says a leading member of the British Medical Association (BMA). Dr Jonathan Fielden, chair of the BMA's consultants' committee, told BBC Radio 4's File On 4 that the debts are distorting "clinical priorities."
Specialists working on cell transfer research to help heart attack patients have said the initial results after six months are encouraging. Ron Jackson, 59, a patient from Rutland, Leics, was the first person in the UK to have muscle cell from his leg injected into his heart.
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Many a British baby has been conceived during hot, sultry nights on the Spanish Costa Del Sol. But now there is a new trend for procreation. British couples are flying to Spain to take advantage of Spanish fertility laws by receiving anonymously donated eggs for their in vitro-fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
Body-changing beauty treatments used to be just for the rich and famous like Lulu and Sharon Osbourne - but not anymore. More and more women - from all walks of life - are saving up for anti-wrinkle procedures like Botox.
A 52-year-old award-winning surgeon is quitting Britain to work in Switzerland and blames "disillusionment" with the NHS for his decision. John Petri, an orthopaedic specialist at James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, will leave next month. The doctor cut waiting lists and won a Medical Innovation Award in 2005 for a "dual surgery" technique for the hospital serving Norfolk and Suffolk.
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International News
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Sicko, Michael Moore's latest film, lambasts the failures of America's overwhelmingly private healthcare service. As the cases highlighted here by Ed Pilkington further show, if you're poor or lack insurance, you'll find yourself at the mercy of the world's most expensive medical system
With snipers on their rooftops and doctors and nurses afraid to come to work, Gaza's hospitals are finding themselves on the frontline in the Palestinians' increasingly bloody internal fight. Of the territory's eight hospitals, one closed after three people were killed there. The rest are understaffed and harassed by militants as casualties pour in. Gunmen from the rival Fatah and Hamas movements are engaged in a battle for power that has left more than 80 dead and hundreds wounded in Gaza in the past month. "We ourselves are not secure. How can we look after the lives of others?" said Ayed al-Wahidi, a doctor at Shifa hospital, Gaza's largest medical centre. While fighting raged in the grounds on Monday, the hospital sent an ambulance to pick up a trauma specialist, but the ambulance came under fire, Dr Wahidi said. The doctor made it. But other doctors and nurses have not been able to get to work.
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Test all wells for arsenic, says health expert - The Independent 13th June 2007
Drinking water poisoned with arsenic may be causing cancer on the same scale as passive smoking, affecting millions of people worldwide, a public health specialist has warned. Every private well or borehole in the world used for drinking water should be tested for the presence of the metal, Professor Allan Smith, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Berkeley, said. Research in northern Chile, one of the most heavily contaminated areas, has shown that between 5 and 10 per cent of the population died from arsenic poisoning, most from lung and bladder cancer.
A new type of radiotherapy treatment uses satellite navigation to target prostate cancer cells. The technique could boost the effectiveness of treatment for thousands of men and save many from unpleasant side-effects. Using a form of global positioning software, the technique pinpoints cancer cells rather than healthy surrounding tissue.
Scientists have developed a computerised vest to diagnose mental illnesses such as manic depression and schizophrenia. The high-tech garment is packed with sensors that measure a range of bodily functions, including body movement.
Three independent pathologists have now concluded that the former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was not strangled. The BBC news website looks at how his death may have been mistaken for murder. It is an unusual bone, and one which now appears responsible for nearly three months of speculation that Mr Woolmer was the victim of foul play.
US researchers have for the first time injected human stem cells into monkeys with Parkinson's symptoms, seen as a key step in the fight to find a cure. The stem cells, which have been injected into rodents in the past, initially stopped the monkeys' damaged brain cells from deteriorating.
Chinese investigators say nearly 60 hospitals and pharmacies in north-eastern China have been using fake blood protein in patients' drips. Albumin, or plasma protein, is used to treat patients suffering from shock and burns and during open-heart surgery.
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Condoms for Indian porn watchers - BBC Health News 11th June 2007
A year after a programme was launched to sell condoms at theatres showing porn films in India, health officials say the response has been overwhelming. Officials in Surat, a city in western Gujarat state, say the idea is to spread awareness about HIV-Aids.
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Cheshire and Merseyside News
THE government is to blitz Liverpool bosses with incentives to take on disabled staff. The city is one of four nationwide to pilot the Employ Ability scheme which aims to boost recruitment of talented and eager workers who suffer some form of disability.
PROTESTERS have targeted a new Liverpool office opened to help disabled people find jobs in mainstream employment. Police were called yesterday after locks at Remploy’s new Graham House office in Derby Square were discovered to be super-glued, leaving staff and job candidates unable to gain entry.
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MIDDLEWICH'S MP has vowed to continue fighting after her Bill on abortion was rejected by the House of Commons. Ann Winterton, Conservative MP for Congleton, devised the Bill The Termination of Pregnancy (Counselling and Miscellaneous Provisions) which honours the rights of women to be properly informed before deciding to have an abortion.
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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SMOKE free officer Dianne Richardson will be accompanying cigarette character Cig around Whitehaven town centre today. And tomorrow Cig will arrive in Workington to join Dianne’s Allerdale counterpart Tracey Martin.
A DOCTOR who cheated the NHS out of payouts for check-ups he didn't carry out has failed to be restored to the medical register. Dr Shiv Dey, 54, claimed to have carried out a series of medical examinations on patients at his surgery in Burnley Road, Colne, when they never took place. The GP, who began his career in Oswaldtwistle, was convicted of 14 offences of furnishing false information to East Lancashire Health Authority, at Burnley Crown Court in October 2000, for which he was fined £1,400 with £5,000 costs.
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Support for AIDS sufferers - Lancashire Telegraph 12th June 2007
A BADLY-needed sup-port worker for people living with the spectre of HIV and AIDS is set to be recruited for East Lancashire. For some time the East Lancashire Sexual Health Local Implementation Team has been concerned about a lack of provision for HIV and AIDS in the voluntary sector, according to Lancashire County Council officials.
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Greater Manchester News
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A THIRD of Britain's Euro MPs support the decriminalisation of cannabis, according to a study. They were second only to the Dutch in their support for a change in the law. Research by Manchester University shows a significant proportion of British MEPs who answered a survey believe the drug should be made legal despite growing health fears over its use.
Bolton's top hospital doctor is warning smokers they might not be well enough for surgery unless they stub it out. Mr Ron Hopkins, medical director of the Royal Bolton Hospital, is urging people to quit to make sure they do not have to delay potentially life-saving surgery. While the hospital has vowed it would never refuse to operate on anyone because of a smoking addiction, doctors are warning they could be unable to carry out operations because of the effects of cigarettes.
THE bowel support team at Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust is inviting patients and carers to an information afternoon at Trafford General Hospital. Specialist nurses Sheila Walsh and Nichola Ellis will be on hand to offer advice, and a range of new stoma products.
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Helping those who care - Altrincham Messenger 12th June 2007
TRAFFORD carers are being urged don't suffer in silence'. The message forms a key part of a series of special events taking place to mark National Carers' Week, since Monday. Case work supervisor Kelly Hunter, is based at the Trafford Carers' Centre, on Seymour Grove, in Old Trafford. The organisation, that is part of the Princess Royal Trust, has more than 3,000 carers on their database.
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