NAPC News 25 January 2012

Lansley Hits Out At Self Defeating Cuts To Patient Services

Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has criticised ‘self-defeating’ cuts in NHS services.  He strongly defended his reforms and the £20 billion efficiency drive.  He also described a critical report by the Commons Health Select Committee as ‘unfair’,

The report said hospitals were resorting to ‘salami slicing’ as they tried to find huge efficiency savings by 2014/15.

Doctors May Treat Emergency Cases Only In Industrial Action

The British Medical Association is drawing up plans for industrial action over pension reforms, which could include doctors flooding hospitals with referrals, refusing to fill in forms and resort to treating emergencies only.

Care Quality Commission Accused

The Care Quality Commission, the watchdog charge with protecting NHS whistleblowers, asked at least six former employees to sign confidentiality agreements to sop them criticising the organisation.

Police Confirm Investigations Into Two More Deaths At Stepping Hill

Greater Manchester Police this week confirmed that they were investigating the death of a fifth and sixth person, due to suspected tampering with saline drips at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport.

The patients are two of 21 people thought to have been deliberately contaminated with insulin.

Police said that tests are continuing to establish the exact cause of death in each of the most recent cases.

Council Pension Funds Urged To Stub It Out

Local authority employee pension fund have at least £1.3 billion invested in tobacco companies, according to an investigation by The Independent.

The news has prompted condemnation from public health groups, particularly as councils will take on responsibility for public health next year.

Organ Donations Will Not Hit Target

According to a head of a leading charity, patients in need of life-saving kidney donations are dying because of a failure by the Government to encourage people to donate their organs when they die.

Tim Statham, chief executive of the National Kidney Federation, launched a stinging attack on the Government this week for falling short of a target to boost organ donation rates by 50 per cent.

Study Finds Women Feel Pain More Than Men

New research indicates that men do not feel pain more acutely than women.

Scientists studied the pain scores of more than 72,000 patients across 47 common health problems, and discovered that, on average, women reported feeling more pain in 39 of them.

The biggest differences were associated with joint pain, digestion, circulation problems and breathing disorders.

Iron Deficiency In Women

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey, conducted by YouGov for industry body, MeatMatters, found that a quarter of British women teenage girls suffered from a low intake of iron.

TV doctor and health campaigner, Christian Jessen, said: ‘The high rate of iron deficiency among women in developed country like the UK is a real concern.  The side effects are subtle and can creep on you – you can end up feeling tired, lethargic with no get up and go.’

The Happy Pill That Won’t Make You Fat

A new pill has been launched for bipolar disorder that halves the rate of weight gain compared to other treatments.

Trials show that patients gained 4lb on Syncrest, compared with 9lb for those on the widely used antipsychotic, olanzapine.

Research involving almost 1,000 patients found Sycrest started working within two days.  The drug, which costs £3.42p daily, can now be prescribed by doctors, but the NHS rationing body has yet to decide whether it will be available on the NHS.

Gastric Balloon Quick Fix Could Help Thousands Avoid Surgery

Doctors in London are pioneering a new 15 minute treatment which could save thousands of dangerously overweight people from the trauma of gastric surgery.

Researchers at Imperial College Healthcare say patients treated with Endobarrier are shedding weight without experiencing the side-effects of a major operation.

The Endobarrier is a balloon-type device which lines the intestine and prevents food being absorbed.  Initial trials suggest that, while Endobarrier is not a effective as a gastric bypass, patients benefit from not being exposed to the risks of surgery.

Chemical In Personal Care Products Linked To Childhood Obesity

A group of chemicals found in personal care products may contribute to the onset of childhood obesity, scientists claim.

Scientists at the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York say that phthalates, which are found in a range of products and food processing materials, may increase the risk of obesity in youngsters.

The research team studied 387 children in New York City and found that more than 97 per cent had phthalates in their urine.

They also observed that overweight children with a high body mass index tended to have higher concentrations of these chemicals than other youngsters.

The findings, which are published in the journal, Environmental Research, raise concerns about the effects of these hormone disrupting chemicals on children’s health.

Lead author, Dr Susan Teitelbaum, associate professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, noted that previous research has suggested a link between phthalates and impaired neurodevelopment, but commented that this was the first evidence demonstration that they might contribute to childhood obesity.

Review Highlights Importance Of Treating Insomnia

Patients with insomnia should be identified and treated accordingly to reduce their risk of developing other illnesses, experts say.

According to a review in the Lancet medical journal, insomnia often goes unrecognised and untreated, placing patients at risk of depression, diabetes, hypertension and other illnesses.

The paper points out that about one in four adults have sleep related problems, with up to ten per cent suffering from insomnia.

Nearly half of people with insomnia still experience problems up to three years later, while the condition is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, congestive heart failure, diabetes and death.

Insomnia results in poor productivity and absenteeism; yet many patients are not diagnosed or are not treated according to clinical guidelines.

Parents Urged To Make Cars Smoke Free

A national charity is urging parents to avoid smoking n vehicles when children are present.

The British Lung Foundations wants adults to keep their cars smoke-free whenever they carry child passengers, as the chemical in cigarette smoke can put their health at risk.

According to research, smoking just one cigarette inside a vehicle, even with the window open, raises the level of second hand smoke to higher concentrations than those found in pubs prior to the smoking ban.

New Bird Flu Death In China

Bird flu has claimed its second Chines victim in a month.  A 39 year old man died this week after falling ill on 6 January. 

The health ministry could not confirm whether the man, from Guizhou province, had the highly contagious H5N1 strain of the disease.

Nine Die After Swine Flu Outbreak In Mexico

Nine people have died from an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico, with the number of cases almost doubling in a week.

Health officials have identified 573 cases of A(H1N1) flu, up from 33 instances on Thursday.

Single Over-40s Are Ignoring The Risk Of Cervical Cancer

A rise in the number of single older women is said to be putting more at risk of cervical cancer, the charity, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, has warned. 

Many think that the smear test is ‘irrelevant’ for them because they wrongly think the cancer is caused by promiscuous behaviour.  Despite the perception that it is a cancer of young women, six out of 10 cervical cancers are diagnosed in the over-40s.