:: Fade - the blog ::

If you want to understand the origins of the headings go to Friday, November 29, 2002.

:: Thursday, December 19, 2002 ::

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Une valise a ses cotés - Today's Grey Literature
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In October 2002, the government published proposals for changes to the equality laws, and to the three organisations that tackle discrimination and promote equality in Great Britain today: the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), and the Disability Rights Commission (DRC). The Commission for Racial Equality have therefore produced Which Way Equality?a leaflet to explain Government proposals for changes to the equality laws, and to the three organisations that tackle discrimination and promote equality in Great Britain today. Comments are invited prior to the Commission's response being submitted to Government. On a more formal basis they have also produced Towards equality and diversity — CRE response to government proposals.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have produced Public Participation in Local Government: A survey of local authorities - Research report. On going public participation is vital to enhancing the democratic legitimacy of local government, the development of community leadership and in improving service delivery. This report looks at the nature and extent of public participation in local government and how it has changed since the last survey was conducted. Like the health service local authorities viw public participation as a key route to social inclusion. A 4 page summary Public Participation in Local Government: A survey of local authorities - Research summary is also available.

The Housing Corporation have produced Delivering Affordable Housing summary of research which investigates ways to provide affordable housing for owner occupation in high value rural areas, concentrating on the Lake District National Park. It recommends an equity share model. They have also produced Group Structures: A self assesment toolkit for board members of Housing Associations. This document looks at questions that might be asked by Housing Association Board Members, before and after the proposal of a group structure. This toolkit aims to facilitate the process that boards go through to reach an understanding and evaluation of what a group structure has to offer. It aims to equip board members so that they can better contribute to, and decide on, proposals. A group is no more, or less, than the combined activities of a number of organisations that enter into formal agreements to work with each other.


:: Kieran 10:42 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Allan Levy: Something can be done to prevent another Ainlee

The facts in the independent report into the case of two-year-old Ainlee Walker, whose parents starved and tortured her and were convicted of her manslaughter, have a sickening familiarity. The roll call of children who have died in similar circumstances includes Maria Colwell, Jasmine Beckford, Tyra Henry and Kimberley Carlile. We are drowning in recommendations from various inquiries. Where do we go from here?

The Independent 19/12/02
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Ambulances plagued by time wasters

In the last month 194 people phoned the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service control room with complaints which didn't need medical attention.

Liverpool Echo 18/12/02
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Care workers failed to save toddler

Child protection staff left a tortured toddler to die at the hands of her violent parents because they were "paralysed" with fear by the couple, a damning inquiry said today.

The Guardian 18/12/02
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Claire's launch just what the doctor ordered

Claire Sweeney opened a £750,000 special-ist diabetes centre yesterday set up by the doctor who first diagnosed her stepfather with the condition.

Daily Post 18/12/02
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Clean air action

Christmas Parties always take a toll. Too little sleep, too much alcohol and the inevitable cold batter the immune system just when it needs to be fighting fit to deal with the spray of viruses coughed across crowded rooms.

The Times 19/12/02
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Dangers that lurk in a dram of illicit whisky

Fifty years ago I was introduced to poteen — illicitly distilled whisky — by a distinguished Scottish writer. He served it, as befitted a man who had studied medicine before he turned to the arts, from a large medicine bottle. It was almost clear — the amber colour hardly showed. The drink was strong, delicious and, as our host was not only generous but had retained a lifetime’s interest in medicine after his early studies, I assumed that it was safe.

The Times 19/12/02
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Doctor treats cancer outside the body

Doctors have shown that cancer patients may be cured by having organs with tumours removed, treated then reimplanted, after Italian scientists treated a patient's liver cancer by extracting the organ and dosing it with radiation.

The Independent 19/12/02
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Failing Ainlee

For once there was a grown-up response to a devastating report. For once there was no service pointing the finger at others, or seeking to shift the blame. All agencies which contributed to the horrible death of Ainlee Walker - a two-year-old who had 60 scars on her emaciated body, including cigarette burns and scald marks - put their hands up yesterday. Police visited her home 53 times in 18 months but failed to see the significance of even 32 domestic violence calls because different officers were responding. A new computer will solve this shortfall. Social services, which had removed her brother from the at-risk register, failed to visit her for five months. Health visitors stopped going to the home after one of them was seriously assaulted.

The Guardian 19/12/02
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Firms invited to take over 'failing' hospitals

The Government will invite bids today from private health companies, including Bupa, to take over the running of three "failing" National Health Service hospitals.

The Independent 19/12/02
Financial Times 19/12/02
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Inquiry prompts call for a child welfare watchdog

The death of Ainlee Walker brought fresh calls yesterday for the appointment of an independent commissioner to oversee child protection in England.

The Times 19/12/02
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Labour's little impact on health service

Sir, Tony Blair, in his interview with the Financial Times ("Blair tells party to accept public sector diversity", December 10), said that the Conservative party needed to argue that increased spending on the public services was not making any difference because "otherwise their goose is cooked". Perhaps Mr Blair would like to reconsider that mistaken analysis in the light of the article on health spending two days later ("Milburn sets out rise in NHS spending", December 12).

Financial Times 19/12/02
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Magic root makes a return

The Chinese use ginger to treat a variety of conditions including gastrointestinal infections, coughs, colds, chills and headaches. They also use it for circulatory disorders, including, before the days of Viagra and Uprima, those that can cause impotence. This has given it a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

The Times 19/12/02
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Main points of report into Ainlee Walker's death

Child protection staff failed to save two-year old Ainlee Walker from being tortured to death by her parents because they were afraid of the couple, an inquiry revealed today.

The Guardian 18/12/02
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Medics cleared over death of student

Doctors were not to blame for the tragic death of a teenage meningitis victim who had a heart attack just two weeks after both his legs were amputated.

Daily Post 18/12/02
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No cold comfort

I always give my three children daily vitamin C tablets during the winter. It helps me to feel that I’m doing something to protect them against coughs and colds. But do they really work?

The Times 19/12/02
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Saving lives is just child's play

Simple enough to be operated by a nine-year-old, portable defibrillators could save thousands of cardiac arrest victims.

The Times 18/12/02
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'She suffered more pain than anyone could imagine'

An inquiry into the killing of two-year-old Ainlee Labonte in east London in January found yesterday that the health and social workers who should have protected her were "paralysed by fear" of her abusing parents. The girl died in Plaistow with 64 scars, scabs and bruises on her emaciated body. She weighed just 9.5kg (21lb) - about half the normal weight of a child of her age.

The Guardian 19/12/02
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Starved, tortured, killed, because social workers were too frightened to help her

Ainlee Labonte was found covered in 64 scars, scalds, cigarette burns and bruises when she died in January, aged two years and six months. She had not been fed for two days and was half the normal weight of a child her age.

The Independent 19/12/02
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There must be zero tolerance for those who fail to protect children

The outline of the tragedy is oh so familiar. A small child – it is most commonly a girl – is tormented, starved and finally killed by those who are supposedly caring for her. And the social workers assigned to protect her and other children similarly at risk fall down lamentably on the job.

The Independent 19/12/02
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When Santa Claus brings the blues

The season of goodwill can mean despair for people with depression, but a new drug treatment may bring relief to many.

The Times 19/12/02
:: Kieran 12:45 AM [+] ::
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Une valise a ses cotés - Today's Grey Literature
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As Santa checks his Health and Safety Policy in anticipation of the big day the Health and Safety Executive have issued Health and Safety Targets: How are we doing? A supplement to the 2001-02 annual report. It reports on performance against published targets and outcomes. Santa if he's giving away train sets better check out Railway Safety: Health and Safety Executive's annual report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain - 2001-02 an annual report on railway safety made to the Health and Safety Commission and Ministers each year under a Memorandum of Understanding. This year's report covers the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002.

For disabled travellers over the festive period the Department for Transport have produced The Announce System: Making bus travel accessible for all. The aim of the system is to make journey information more accessible for hearing and visually impaired people. It is an audio/visual broadcasting system featuring a speaking voice and visual display, telling passengers what the approaching stop is and, when the bus comes to a halt, informing passengers which stop they are at.

For those concerned with child protection the Report into the death of Ainlee Walker makes sobering reading.
:: Kieran 11:14 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Alliance confident on market changes

Phamaceuticals group Alliance UniChem - owner of high street chemist Moss - said it had nothing to fear from the outcome of an Office of Fair Trading inquiry into the way NHS pharmacy contracts are awarded.

The Scotsman 18/12/02
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Analysis: Judgment reflects desperation of struggle against vCJD

Six years after the new strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, variant CJD, was identified and linked with BSE in beef, it continues to be a threat, despite the low numbers – 119 to date – that have fallen victim to it. Scientists, however, still have no way of knowing what the final toll may be.

The Independent 18/12/02
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A Question of Health: Strange sight

Systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), to give it its full name, is an autoimmune condition that affects many systems of the body.

The Independent 18/12/02
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CJD case teenagers win right to 'unsafe' treatment

A High Court judge ruled yesterday that two families with children dying from variant CJD could seek an experimental treatment that could arrest the progression of the fatal disease, despite warnings from medical specialists.

The Independent 18/12/02
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Midwives call to keep unit open

Midwives say they want maternity services to stay at Fazakerly hospital.

The Liverpool Echo 17/12/02
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Sweeping changes planned for under-fire healthcare trusts

Sweeping changes will be made to healthcare services in Argyll and Clyde under an interim management team sent in to restore public confidence, it was announced yesterday.

The Scotsman 18/12/02
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Tales from the Therapist's Couch: 'Who are the perverts now? And who says so?'

The use of words to communicate our inner worlds is always a double-edged tool. In therapy, in the consulting room, people struggle to find a language with which to articulate and share their private, often previously unspoken experience.

The Independent 18/12/02
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Unions attack pensions plan

Public service unions have condemned proposals that will force most new NHS and local government staff to work an extra five years before claiming their pension.

The Guardian 18/12/02
The Financial Times 18/12/02
The Times 18/12/02
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Why warmth is a danger

It was late on Saturday afternoon and I had just returned from a brief shopping trip with my 23-month-old daughter who was suffering from a winter cough and runny nose. Throughout the day her mood and temperature had been up and down. The on-call doctor told me on the telephone that it was probably a virus doing the rounds in north London – there was nothing to worry about, I should just give her lots of fluids and some Calpol.

The Independent 18/12/02
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£50m for vCJD-free blood

The government has paid almost £50 million for a US company that supplies blood to ensure long-term stocks of plasma that do not carry a risk of variant CJD.

The Scotsman 18/12/02
The Financial Times 18/12/02
:: Kieran 10:59 PM [+] ::
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Une valise a ses cotés - Today's Grey Literature
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If you're after an early retirement check out the green paper from the Department of Work and Pensions Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement. This consultation builds on the 1998 green paper 'A New Contract for Welfare: Partnership in pensions' enabling future generations of pensioners to prepare for their retirement. It sets out the Government's proposals to renew the partnership between the Government, individuals, employers and the financial services industry which has long been a strength of the UK pensions system. Unions warn that proposals in the government's pensions green paper will force most new NHS and local government staff to work an extra five years before claiming their pension. If you can't be bothered reading all 176 pages Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement: summary comes in at 16 pages.

For those worried about the environment the Department for Transport 'Carbon to Hydrogen' Roadmaps for Passenger Cars: A study for the Department for Transport and the Department of Trade and Industry. This report looks at options to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions in passenger cars, by improvements in vehicle technology and its interaction with new fuels, from the perspective of the technology in the vehicle itself.




:: Kieran 11:55 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Alder Hey scandal has hampered child cancer research, says charity

Research into cures for children's cancers is being set back by parents' unwillingness to allow small tissue samples from tumours to be stored for future study and doctors' reluctance to ask them, according to a leading cancer charity.

The Guardian 17/12/02
Daily Post 17/12/02
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A tricky operation

When Tony Blair made a promise to create an NHS university in Labour's 2001 election manifesto, he thought he was on to a sure-fire winner. The new institution would blend education, the passion of his first term, with health, the issue that would make or break his second.

The Guardian 17/12/02
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Compensation claims 'costing UK £10bn a year'

Britain pays out more compensation claims than the rest of Europe, running up a bill of around £10 billion a year, a report reveals.

Daily Post 17/12/02
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Grossman derides the poor quality food in NHS hospitals

Loyd Grossman, the TV presenter leading the Government's attempt to improve NHS food, has found that many patients in British hospitals are malnourished and dehydrated.

The Independent 17/12/02
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Health chiefs in £30m cover-up

A HIDDEN deficit of £30m in NHS finances lay behind the decision to force all four NHS chief executives in one health board area to resign, it was revealed last night.

The Herald 17/12/02
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Heart failure “will become increasing strain on NHS”

Heart failure will become a much bigger burden on the health service over the next 20 years, according to a UK study.

www.health-news.co.uk
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Health services failing homeless

The government stands accused of failing to ensure that homeless people receive adequate health care after a report published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister found services for rough sleepers are badly coordinated and ineffective.

The Guardian 17/12/02
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How to start smoking (again)

I have started smoking about seven times. The best one was the last. It always is. Practice makes perfect, so you have a more textured awareness of what is unfolding. There's the moment of fatal nostalgia, the decision, the dizzy embrace, and, between 10 to 15 minutes later, the desire to repeat.

The Guardian 17/12/02
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NHS pays £50m for US blood plasma firm

The Department of Health has bought an American blood plasma supply company for £50m in an unprecedented move to ensure the long-term delivery of blood plasma to the NHS.

The Guardian 17/12/02
The Independent 17/12/02
The Times 17/12/02
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The scent of a solution

AGITATION, aggression and sleep disturbances are commonly associated with dementia, and heavy-duty sedatives often used to curb these symptoms do so simply by reducing the patient to the state of a zombie. But new research suggests that there are effective and gentler alternatives to the “chemical cosh”.

The Times 17/12/02
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:: Kieran 8:47 AM [+] ::
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Une valise a ses cotés - Today's Grey Literature
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The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have produced
Consultation On Children's Play Review it explains that in October 2002 the Government announced a review of children's play opportunities to inform spending of a proposed countrywide £200 million national lottery funding programme through the 'New Opportunities Fund'. This paper invites views on the proposed funding programme.

For those with an interest in crime and it's prevention the Home Office have published Statistics on Women and the Criminal Justice System 2002 which brings together the key results from recent research and statistics that focus on the treatment of women in the criminal justice system and Probation Statistics England and Wales 2001 which presents statistics describing the work of the Probation Service in England and Wales during 2001 and examines recent trends.

:: Kieran 8:25 AM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Alan Milburn's plans for foundation hospitals criticised

Letter to the Editor

The Times 16/12/02
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Appeal: A journey from self-harm to self-help

Sharon Windsor one of the 220 volunteers who will be staffing SANELINE's phones over the Christmas period.

The Independent 15/12/02
The Independent 15/12/02
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Army doctors cut NHS waiting lists in Ulster

British army medical staff and facilities have been used to perform more than 100 NHS operations in Belfast in an effort to cut Northern Ireland's chronic hospital waiting lists.

The Independent 16/12/02
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Bupa to get go-ahead to run NHS hospitals

The private healthcare giant Bupa is expected to be given the green light to bid to take over and run failing NHS hospitals under controversial government plans to be unveiled this week.

The Observer 15/12/02
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Cuts to leave mentally ill on the streets

Patients with mental health problems could end up on the streets because councils are faced with diverting money into different services to avoid new government penalties.

The Observer 15/12/02
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Dramatic increase in infant disease

The cold weather has begun to take its toll on children's health as cases of bronchiolitis have recently escalated.

The Liverpool Echo
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Legal aid of little use to victims of negligence

HUNDREDS of victims of medical negligence on the NHS are being denied compensation because of failures in the legal system, it was claimed yesterday

The Scotsman 16/12/02
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Nurse shortage nothing to do with cash shortfall

In the sixth year since Labour took power, here we are with nurse understaffing in 40 per cent of hospital wards, and this after "record" increases in expenditure.

The Scotsman, Letters, 16/12/02
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Oxford professor invents self-focusing glasses

An Oxford physics professor is selling 10 million pairs of revolutionary new spectacles to Africa which enable the users to wear them for a lifetime without ever going to an optician.

The Independent 15/12/02
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Rise of Viagra leads to sex therapy boom

The emergence of the impotence drug Viagra is believed to be behind a huge increase in numbers of 30-something men seeking sexual counselling from Relate. According to the charity, for the first time that age group of males now accounts for the greatest number of clients using its services.

The Independent 15/12/02
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Sex trade fears over lost children

Hundreds of children smuggled into Britain by professional gangs over the past few years have been "lost" by authorities who have no idea where they have gone or what has happened to them.

The Guardian 14/12/02
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Sickness rising in dirty hospitals

Fears about the spread of infections in dirty hospitals were compounded today as new figures showed that the number of outbreaks of a sickness bug has doubled in a year.

The Observer 15/12/02
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Small change

NHS staff should ignore the hype and look at the new pay deal for what it is - a small increase over the next three years and a bit more if you can get a fair hearing.

The Guardian 16/12/02
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Stroke victim's 24 hours trapped in hospital cupboard

A stroke victim was trapped for nearly 24 hours in a dark hospital cupboard without food and water after going missing.

Daily Post 16/12/02
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Throwing a new light on cancer

A spectrum of light producing 3-D images may help surgeons to detect tumours earlier and more efficiently than X-rays

The Times 16/12/02
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Violent fathers gain access to children

Many fathers who go to court to seek access to their offspring in divorce cases have been accused of domestic violence and may be a risk to their children.

The Guardian 14/12/02
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Worries over chest illness

MORE than 150 children have been admitted to Alder Hey children's hospital with a potentially fatal lung disease.

The Daily Post 16/12/02
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£347,000 for woman who had healthy breast removed

Overworked pathologist blamed for cancer mix-up that led to anguish, pain and distress 'that can hardly be exaggerated'.

The Guardian 14/12/02
The Independent 14/12/02
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:: Kieran 8:13 AM [+] ::
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