NAPC News 26 January 2012

Gagging Of Whistleblower Doctors Banned

New guidance issued by the General Medical Council has said that doctors will be banned from signing gagging clauses that stop them raising concerns about patient safety.

Niall Dickson, the CEO of the GMC, said: ‘Doctors must not sign contracts that attempt to prevent them from raising concerns with professional regulators such as the GMC.  Those who promote or sign such agreements are breaking their professional obligations and putting their careers at risk.’

Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust , Lewisham NHS Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust all inserted gagging clauses into settlement agreements signed by doctors when they left their trusts.

Baby Death Bug Found In Hospital Taps

An infection that killed three babies at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast has been traced to taps in a neo-natal unit,

Pipework is to be removed from the room while experts eradicate the pseudomonas bacteria.

End Of Life Plans Cut Hospital Cost

A study conducted by GPs in Scotland has suggested that asking people to draw up plans for how they want to be treated in their final days can halve the number of unplanned hospital admissions.

Hospital About Turn On Using Army Doctors

Pontefract Hospital has rejected its plan to consider using Army medical staff to restore a 24 hour emergency service,

Recall Takes Its Toll

Johnson and Johnson reported an 89 per cent fall in earnings in the last three months of last year, as a recall of its ‘metal on metal’ hip replacements and litigation wiped out almost all of its profits.

The US pharmaceutical company said that it earned $218 million in the fourth quarter, down from $1.9 billion in the same period in 2010.

Genzyme Receives Approval For New Massachusetts Plant

Sanofi’s Genzyme unit said the US Food and Administration had approved its new manufacturing plant in Framingham, Massachusetts, clearing the way for the production of Fabrazyme, a treatment for Fabry disease.

US approval of the factory, which won clearance from the European regulator last week, is a critical step in resolving manufacturing problems that have hampered Genzyme since before French drug maker, Sanofi, acquired the US based biotechnology company last year.

Quarter Of Young Children Lack Vitamin D

Research has warned that one in four young children in Britain is lacking vitamin D.

Dr Benjamin Jacobs, a consultant paediatrician at the Royal National Orthopaedic  Hospital, told BBC: ‘We see about one case of rickets a month in our hospital, but that is the very severe end of the disease.  There are many other children who have less severe problems – muscle weakness, delay in walking, bone pains – and research indicates that in many parts of the country, the majority of children have a low level of vitamin D.

Chemicals In Plastic Are A Threat To Children’s Health

Research at Harvard University shows that exposure to chemicals commonly found in plastic containers and food packaging could make vaccinations received during childhood less effective.

The man-made chemicals, known as PFCs, are found in items such as non-stick frying pans, waterproof clothing and fast food wrappers.

Researchers studied 587 children from the Faroe Islands, measuring levels of antibodies after the children had tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations.  The study showed those with a two-fold increase in elves of three major PFCs had a 49 per cent lower level of antibodies.

Fried Food Link To Heart Disease A Myth – If Olive Oil Used

Frying food in olive or sunflower oil is not bad for the heart, researchers say, debunking the ‘myth’ that all fired food is unhealthy.

Researchers from Autonomous University of Madrid, who studied 40,757 adults over 11 years, observed no association between the consumption food fried in ‘Mediterranean’ oils and the risk of coronary heart disease or death.  The study is reported in the British Medical Journal.

How Happy Thoughts Can Cure You

The power of staying positive, or even just thinking of simple pleasures, could help patient tackle a range of serious illnesses, scientists have found.

Researchers in New York found that patients were asked to think of things which made them happy were more likely to stick to their treatment.

Dr Mary Charlson, who led the research at Weill Cornell Medical College, said: ‘This simple approach helps them fulfil their promise to themselves to do what’s needed for their health.’

Rise In Number Of Younger Knee Replacements

Data suggests that there has been a big rise in knee replacement operation rates, particularly for younger patients.

Figures for the UK, US and Finland show an emerging trend of requests for arthritic ‘baby boomers’ in their 50s.  UK experts think the nation’s growing obesity problem is partly to blame for the rise, putting a strain on the knees.

A report in Arthritis and Rheumatism says work is urgently needed to check that replacements in this age group are wise given the product’s unknown shelf life.  The durability of the replacements knee joints has only been assessed in patients in their 60s, 70s and 80s, not in their 50s.

Best estimates suggest that joint last for about 15 years in these ‘older’ and often less physically active recipients.  Surgeons say it is possible younger patients might wear out their replacements fast than this.

Arthritis Research UK is currently investigating the success rate of knee replacement surgery in this younger age group.  The charity wants to ensure that the artificial knees being implanted today can last 30 years or more.

Its Medical Director, Professor Alan Silman, said knee replacement operation carried out in the UK now outnumber hip replacements, with almost 90,000 operations performed in 20102, an increase of 5.7% on the previous years.

How Will Games Lanes Affect Olympics

The delivery of blood to London hospitals may be impeded by Olympic transport restrictions, a UK delivery firm has warned.

Increased congestion and restrictions on access, parking and delivery times could cause delays, said TNT Express.

Couriers like TNT supply a third of the 11,700 units of red blood cells sent to 41 hospitals within the M25 each week. 

Transport for London said any emergency transportation of organs was done by blue-light vehicles to minimise delays.

Blue light vehicles will be allowed to use the 35 miles of Games Lanes in London reserved for athletes, officials, sponsors, VIPS and media during the Olympics to ensure the events run smoothly.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which is responsible for the supply of blood, organs and tissues in England and northern Wales, said it was considering how to mitigate any risks posed by the additional Olympics congestion.  This includes routine deliveries in night time hours, working with hospital to try and reduce the demand for deliveries and ensuring their vehicles have unrestricted access when making emergency journeys, a spokesman said.

NHSBT also fears blood stocks may be hit by a ‘perfect storm’ dramatically lowering the amount of donated blood during the cluster of major events this summer.

Approximately 40 organs are transported around London each week, mainly by medical couriers, some of which are blue-light equipped, said NHSBT spokeswoman.

But while the NHS uses its own fridge vans and specialised cars to deliver most of its blood supplies, couriers like TNT are used for 35% of red blood cell deliveries.  TNT said it delivered around 7,800 organs and 50,000 blood packages for the NHSBT each year.

A London 2012 spokesman said steps were being taken to ensure providers of vital delivery services could work with minimum disruption.

The Games Lanes will operate on London’s 109-mile Olympic Route Network, which has sparked anger form businesses and residents fearing chaos because of traffic management measures, including the closure of side roads, the banning of turns and the suspension of parking bays.

Guidelines On Preschool Food From School Food Trust

New guidelines on nutrition for preschool children, aimed at reducing obesity, have been published.

The advice includes information on what food young children should et, recipes, and help for fussy eaters.

The report said that more than a fifth of children were overweight to obese when they started school.

The School Food Trusts said the new voluntary guidelines were a nationally recognised source of information on food for young children, aimed at nurseries, child minders and other providers of service for preschool children.