:: Fade - the blog ::

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

:: Saturday, February 01, 2003 ::

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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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A sight for poor eyes

A pioneering treatment allowing long-sighted people to discard their reading glasses has been used for the first time in this country.

Manchester Evening News 01/02/03
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Alder Hey families accept £5m

The families of hundreds of children whose organs were wrongly retained by the Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool have accepted a £5m out-of-court settlement.

The Guardian 01/02/03
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Cash boost for health

Health bosses were today (Friday, January 31) celebrating a £174 million cash boost to cut waiting times in hospitals and doctors surgeries.

Liverpool Echo 31/01/03
Liverpool Echo 31/01/03
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Citizenship test to be practical

A controversial citizenship test for immigrants to Britain should focus on practical issues, such as housing and the NHS, rather than on British history, a Home Office panel recommended yesterday.

The Guardian 01/02/03
The Guardian 01/02/03
The Independent 01/02/03
The Times 01/02/03
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Duncan Smith stands firm on tax as Lib Dems gain in polls

Iain Duncan Smith refused to back down on his pledge to cut taxes last night as a fresh opinion poll showed the Tories almost neck and neck with Labour on the economy.

The Independent 01/02/03

The Independent 01/03/02
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Ex-cancer patient's cash bash

A musician who beat cancer will star in a benefit concert to raise cash for charities that helped him through his illness.

Manchester Evening News 01/02/03
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Heart hospital gets 'lowest score' jolt

Liverpools specialist heart hospital needs to do more to improve patient care, according to a new report.

Daily Post 31/01/03
Hospital Praised - Liverpool Echo 31/01/03
CHI Report in Full
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Sex op surgeon struck off

The career of a cosmetic surgeon who botched two penis enlargement operations was in tatters today after he was struck off the medical register.

Manchester Evening News 01/02/03
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Who cared for Baby X?

SOCIAL services must explain how they cared for a baby found dead in a litter strewn home. Baby X, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was discovered at the Liverpool property 10 days after moving to the city from Halton.

Liverpool, Echo 31/01/03
:: Kieran 2:23 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Asylum raids on illegal workers

Immigration officials have been ordered to launch raids on firms employing illegal workers as Downing Street gave them ten weeks to prove that new laws designed to stem the flow of asylum-seekers into Britain are working.

The Times 31/01/03
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Baby size may provide cancer clue

Baby girls who are big at birth may be more likely to develop breast cancer before they reach the menopause, research suggests.

BBC Health 31/01/03
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Child death 'shortens mothers' lives'

The death of a child can shorten the life of their parents, particularly mothers, a study suggests.

BBC Health 31/01/03
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Cot death can strike twice

Sally Clark was jailed for murdering her sons because it was thought that two cot deaths in one family was highly improbable. But sudden death syndrome can run in families.

The Times 31/01/03
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Disgraced gynaecologist 'raped 50 other women'

More than 50 women who claim they were raped or sexually assaulted by a consultant gynaecologist have joined a High Court action seeking damages against the health authority who employed him.

The Independent 31/01/03
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Doctors review GM crop advice

The British Medical Association is to review its report on genetically modified crops in light of new scientific evidence.

BBC Health 31/01/03
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End of a living hell, sobs mum

Battling Cheshire solicitor Sally Clark was yesterday cleared of murdering her two babies after more than three years behind bars.

Daily Post 30/01/03
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Funding crisis for care

Talks between council officials and Liverpool's care home bosses have failed to find a solution to the funding crisis which has seen 117 homes close their doors.

Liverpool Echo 30/01/03
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Hope on nerve diseases

Scientists have discovered a new approach for treating diseases caused by abnormal build up of misshapen proteins in the body.

BBC Health 31/01/03
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Liverpool wins world heritage nomination

Liverpool's grand waterfront and surrounding civic buildings were yesterday officially chosen as Britain's sole nomination for being added to the list of world heritage sites.

The Guardian 31/01/03
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New surgery offers hope to long-sighted people

Radio wave surgery which can help those with long sight recover normal vision is to be used in Britain for the first time today.

The Guardian 31/01/03
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Patients tell of penis op 'success'

Two patients of a surgeon accused of botching penis enlargements have spoken of their satisfaction with his work.

Manchester Eveneing News 30/01/03
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Plan to monitor patient death rates to stop a second Shipman

Trials to monitor and compare GPs' patient death rates to try to prevent another murder spree like that of serial killer Harold Shipman might begin next year.

The Guardian 31/01/03
BBC Health 31/01/03
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Sally expert faces GMC probe

The pathologist whose evidence helped convict Sally Clark faces an inquiry by the General Medical Council.

Manchester Evening News 30/01/03
Manchester Evening News 30/01/03
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Second pathologist under scrutiny after Clark case

Dozens of convictions for murder and other violent crimes might have to be re- examined because of alleged mistakes made by a second senior Home Office pathologist being investigated by the General Medical Council.

The Independent 31/01/03
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:: Kieran 11:36 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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£3.5m Centre of Excellence

A NEW £3.5m community centre was announced for Kensington today.

The family and lifelong learning centre got the green light after a pledge of £1.66m of European Objective 1 money.

The Liverpool Echo 30/01/03
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Action urged on prostate cancer

More money must be made available to treat men with prostate cancer, leading charities have warned.

BBC Health 30/01/03
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Care home crisis

John Utley, 80, has lived in Liverpool all of his life. But today he is being forced to move 80-miles away to a new care home in Staffordshire. After being born and brought up in Wavertree, he lived in Childwall for 60 years before moving to the Erlscote residential home in Mossley Hill. Now the home is closing down.

The Liverpool Echo 29/01/03
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Contract to scrap over-75 and new-patient checks

GPs have the prospect of no longer having to carry out over-75 health checks and new-patient medicals under the new GP contract. GPC negotiator Dr Laurence Buckman said neither check was in the contract and there were no plans to include them. This news comes as a Doctor survey of 900 GPs found that both routine checks were deemed among five of the most worthless health interventions.

Doctor Update 30/01/03
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Devolution report shows regional differences in healthcare

The four health systems of the UK are moving in markedly different directions, according to a comprehensive review of devolution in the UK.

The Financial Times 30/01/03
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Do shared-access records pose a threat to confidentiality?

If there is anything which can be held up as a symbol of the relationship between GPs and their patients it is the patient record. The trust that goes with sharing often the most intimate details of a person's life can form a powerful bond that many take for granted.

Doctor Update 30/01/03
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Full-colour interiors

Videos of operations help patients to understand procedures.

The Times 29/01/03
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'Grooming' outlawed in abuse crackdown

Ministers are to outlaw "grooming" of children for sexual abuse on the internet and offline, despite criticism that it amounts to the creation of a "thought crime".

The Guardian 30/01/03
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Hospice hits jackpot

One of the North West's best loved children's hospices has finally won recognition from the National Lottery. Claire House in Wirral had been barred from accessing million of pounds in cash for good causes. But last night it was revealed that lottery chiefs have relented and the charity was awarded almost £850,000.

The Daily Post 29/01/03
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Mother's conviction rested on flawed evidence

Sally Clark, was the victim of the failure of two senior doctors to give reliable evidence at her trial, leading to calls for reform of the handling of cot-death cases.

The Times 30/01/03
The Times 30/01/03
The Times 30/01/03
The Times 30/01/03
The Guardian 30/01/03
The Guardian 30/01/03
The Guardian 30/01/03
The Independent 30/01/03
The Independent 30/01/03
The Independent 30/01/03
Daily Post 30/01/03
The Daily Post 30/01/03
Manchester Evening News 29/01/03
BBC Health 30/01/03
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Oxygen helps wounds heal

Exposing wounds to pure oxygen can help them to heal more quickly, according to doctors.

BBC Health 30/01/03
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Pharmacy report could finish doctor dispensing

The debate over deregulation of the pharmacy industry is on and it could sound the death knell for dispensing doctors. A new report from the Office of Fair Trading says the consumer would be better off if the NHS stopped restricting pharmacist contracts and opened up the industry. While the Consumers Association agrees the UK's 5 000 dispensing doctors and independent pharmacies do not .

Doctor Update 30/01/03
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Scan that gives early warning of heart disease

EBT images detect calcium deposits in arteries, an indication of coronary disease.

The Times 30/01/03
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Scientists condemn alarmist official propaganda over bioterrorism

Fears of a terrorist attack using biological or chemical weapons are being overplayed, say senior scientists who believe that the resulting panic is potentially worse than the threat itself.

The Independent 30/01/03
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Success for eye tissue transplants

Transplants using eye tissue from aborted foetuses appear to have improved the sight of two out of four patients involved, say scientists.

BBC Health 30/01/03
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Telephone heart sensor under test

An implanted heart monitor which can send data down a phone line is going on trial in the US.

BBC Health 30/01/03
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The drug that could have stilled voices of insanity

Virgina Woolf and those like her could now be treated with one of the comparatively new atypical antipsychotics, such as Zyprexa olanzapine and the “horrible voices” would be stilled.

The Times 30/01/03
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UK childcare bills 'Europe's highest' at £128 a week

The typical cost of a nursery place for a child under two has risen to £128 a week, an increase of almost 7 per cent in a year, a survey suggests.

The Independent 30/01/03
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Why some people can't bear to stay at home

The stresses of winter commuting can lead us to fantasise about escape. But for some people such fantasies can be a compulsion.

The Times 30/01/03
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Your last chance to have sex in the garden

The old cry of "come into the garden, Maud" could easily end in prosecution under a law banning sex in public as part of the new sexual offences bill published yesterday.

The Guardian 30/01/03
The Independent 30/01/03


:: Kieran 11:08 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Asthmatics learn to breathe easy

Patients may find relief though a series of simple exercises that may help to reduce their reliance on drugs, says our correspondent.

The Times 28/01/03
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Bedside stories

The junior doctor on a particularly depressed patient and the merits of keeping one's mouth shut.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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Blair asylum pledge was a 'tactical grab for headlines'

Tony Blair was under fire from the left and right yesterday when he pulled back from bringing in new measures to prevent abuse of the asylum system.

The Independent 28/01/03
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Bone risk for runners

Long distance running can be bad for your bones, research suggests. Running, as a weight bearing exercise, increases bone density and is therefore cited as an exercise that helps reduces the risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture. But the latest research in the UK suggests that is not the case - and in some cases long distance runners may actually have weaker than average bones.

BBC Health 28/01/03
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Britain 'may abandon asylum rules'

Britain may abandon its obligations under European law for dealing with refugees if new measures to curb asylum-seeker numbers fail, Tony Blair signalled yesterday.

The Independent 27/01/03
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Climbié inquiry will make 100 recommendations

The report of an independent inquiry into the killing of Victoria Climbié, to be published today, will make about 100 recommendations for reform in the biggest shake-up of the child protection service for a generation.

The Independent 28/01/03
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Clues to riddle of cot death figures

A combination of bed-sharing and smoking could be the reason why Wirral's cot death rate is twice the national average, new research has revealed.

The Daily Post 27/01/03
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Do you know how much salt you're eating?

What did you feed your child yesterday? Cornflakes for breakfast, perhaps? Marmite sandwiches for lunch? For supper, beans on toast, with a packet of crisps as a snack somewhere inbetween? The menu will vary from household to household, but the chances are that you will have fed your child, and yourself, at least twice as much salt as the recommended maximum level.

The Guardian 28/01/03
Manchester Evening News 27/01/03
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Doctor 'stunned' by acne tests

A device designed to treat acne has met with great success during NHS trials, delighting the scientific team behind the project. The NLite laser, pioneered at the University of Wales, Swansea, produced significant improvements among a group of volunteer patients.

BBC Health 27/01/03
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Early lung cancer test sought

A blood test which may reveal the earliest signs of lung cancer is being developed by doctors looking after Chernobyl's cancer victims.

BBC Health 28/01/03
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Early warning system for bio-terror

The US is establishing a sophisticated computer system to provide early warning of a bio-terror attack on the country, it is reported.

BBC Health 27/01/03
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Eastern energy boost

As Paul Gascoigne, newly signed to a Chinese football club, gets acquainted with traditional Chinese medicine, our correspondent looks at the ideas behind a 3,000-year-old system that is gaining respect in the West.

The Independent 28/01/03
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England stars back NSPCC campaign

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has asked schools to join a fund-raising campaign that could win them a visit from a top sports personality.

The Daily Post 27/01/03
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Eye concerns prompt additive action

The European Union has limited permitted levels of a food additive given to salmon and poultry, which may damage the eye. The chemical, canthaxanthin, is added to feed. It makes salmon appear more reddish, and chicken skin and egg yolks appear more yellow. But research has suggested that a build up of pigments can damage the retina.

BBC Health 27/01/03
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Facts and myths in the refugee debate

Alarm over the number of people coming to Britain as refugees has risen in recent weeks with old smears about benefit scroungers being replaced by new headlines about asylum terrorists. As the Conservative Party unveils its policies for immigration system reform today, The Independent looks at some of the facts behind the asylum scare stories.

The Independent 28/01/03
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Footballers ravaged by early arthritis

Professional footballers are 10 times more likely to suffer hip arthritis later in life, according to a researcher. Often former players were suffering problems in their 30s and 40s - far earlier than non-footballers.

BBC Health 28/01/03
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GMC told of kissogram's failed penis enlargement

A surgeon advertised as the UK's leading expert in penis enlargement went before the General Medical Council yesterday.

The Guardian 28/01/03
BBC Health 27/01/03
Manchester Evening News 27/01/03
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Go on a mole hunt

A new mole mapping service can help in the early diagnosis of skin cancer. Our correspondent reports.

The Times 27/01/03
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GP shortage worsens

The shortage of GPs is getting worse, doctors' leaders are set to warn. A survey of vacancy rates, to be published by the British Medical Association on Tuesday, will show the situation has worsened since the government's own survey was published three months ago.

BBC Health 28/01/03
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Health threat from computer use

Long haul air travel is not the only activity to pose a risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots - sitting at your computer for too long may also put you at risk.

BBC Health 28/01/03
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In what way is a sperm donor a natural father?

When I was a student, on days that I didn't have the money even for a packet of 10 Park Drive, I occasionally thought about visiting a sperm clinic. Like stories about Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, there were a series of widely believed tales about sperm donation, and none of them (save the one involving an electrical current passed through the back passage) sounded too bad.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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I've got TB - but how?

When Tim Wilson volunteered to be a guinea pig in a medical research programme, he was shocked to learn that he was carrying tuberculosis.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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Lack of national register blamed for failure to protect children at risk

More youngsters have been killed or put at risk because Britain lacks an open national register of child homicides, child experts warned yesterday.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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Long-delayed CSA computer system to go live in March

The long-delayed overhaul of the Child Support Agency will finally begin, 17 months late and having gone £29m over-budget, Andrew Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, announced yesterday.

The Independent 28/01/03
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Lung cancer curbed in thalidomide trial

A trial use of the notorious thalidomide drug to fight lung cancer is to be extended after promising results.

The Guardian 28/01/03
BBC Health 28/01/03
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Mother challenges truancy penalty

A mother convicted of failing to make her teenage son attend school is to challenge the truancy law under the Human Rights Act 1998 in the high court today.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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MPs call for full ban on smacking

MPs led renewed calls for the Government to impose a full ban on smacking yesterday, warning that loopholes in the law were allowing child abusers to escape justice.

The Independent 28/01/03
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NHS takes a lead

The National Health Service set up its leadership centre under the NHS plan of 2000. Penny Humphris, director of the centre - which, unlike the National College of School Leadership, does not have its own building - says the aim is to underpin targets in patient care with improvements in leadership, writes Stephen Overell.

The Financial Times 28/01/03
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Residents fight plan for addicts' home

Residents are to fight plans for a home for recovering drug addicts. The council says it will take another look at the scheme for a refurbished house in Sefton Park.

The Daily Post 27/01/03
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Row over bed blocking fines

Doctors have called on the government to suspend plans to fine social services departments which fail to provide adequate community facilities for patients ready to leave hospital.

BBC Health 27/01/03
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Stop my son's snoring

My 13-year-old son has a serious snoring problem, which makes him unpopular at boarding school. A couple of years ago our doctor told us that his tonsils and adenoids were large but would shrink as he got older. This has not happened and we have been advised to have them removed. How much risk is attached to this, and will it stop the snoring?

The Times 28/01/03
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Tales of neglect amid deprivation

Tara Bolton is rattling on the door of a rundown terraced house in Hornsey, north London. There are boarded-up windows, old tyres and a vacuum cleaner abandoned in the front garden, and the kids have written their names in black marker on the red bricks of the vestibule.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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Tories: lock up refugees, but not in my constituency

Tories are secretly orchestrating opposition to an asylum accommodation centre in the back yard of the shadow home secretary, Oliver Letwin, as the Conservatives prepare today to unveil plans to lock up all new asylum seekers while they are given security clearance.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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Tories want refugees screened on arrival

All asylum-seekers would be held in secure centres on arrival in Britain until they had been screened and cleared by the security services, under Conservative proposals to be announced today.

The Times 28/01/03
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Who would want to be a social worker today?

The 100 or so recommendations to be published today in Lord Laming's two-part report into the Victoria Climbie case will no doubt receive as much scrutiny as all of the other reports that have been carried out in response to the deaths of so many other children. Lord Laming insists though, that this report will be different, and that it will finally signal a change in attitudes towards the protection of children at risk.

The Independent 28/01/03
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Why the UK sees Vermont as the future

The New England state of Vermont is the unlikely location for what British child protection agencies regard as a model of good practice in child protection.

The Guardian 28/01/03
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:: Kieran 11:18 PM [+] ::
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Evil Edna's Corner - Broadcast Health for Next Week
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Health Matters Mon 27 Jan, 20:05 - 20:30
BBC World Service

News and features about health, medicine and fitness.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/h_matters_sci.shtml
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Health Matters Tue 28 Jan, 02:05 - 02:30
BBC World Service

This four-part series looks at the way health care is delivered around the world, from life in an institution to a school or service and explores the help they provide.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/h_matters_sci.shtml
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Health Matters Tue 28 Jan, 15:05 - 15:30
BBC World Service

This four-part series looks at the way health care is delivered around the world, from life in an institution to a school or service and explores the help they provide.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/h_matters_sci.shtml
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Case Notes Tue 28 Jan, 21:00 - 21:30
BBC Radio 4 FM

A guide to looking after your blood pressure from changing your diet to the latest drug treatments. The condition affects approximately ten million people in the UK. [Rptd Wed 4.30pm]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/casenotes.shtml
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Health Matters Wed 29 Jan, 10:05 - 10:30
BBC World Service

A Day In The Life: This four-part series looks at the way health care is delivered around the world, from life in an institution to a school or service and explores the help they provide.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/h_matters_sci.shtml
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Case Notes Wed 29 Jan, 16:30 - 17:00
BBC Radio 4 FM

A guide to looking after your blood pressure from changing your diet to the latest drug treatments. The condition affects approximately ten million people in the UK. [Rpt of Tues 9.00pm]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/casenotes.shtml
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Children's Hospital Wed 29 Jan, 19:00 - 19:30
BBC One

In Accident and Emergency, consultant Jimmy Stewart has to deal with a very sticky problem, and fifteen year old Amy Edwards will hear if she can have a life-changing operation. W/S.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ch/
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Diet Another Day Wed 29 Jan, 20:30 - 21:00
Channel 4

Slimming clubs.
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Crackhouse Wed 29 Jan, 21:00 - 22:00
BBC Two

A disturbing film about crack addiction.
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Campaigning For Health Fri 31 Jan, 04:30 - 04:45
BBC World Service

Dee Palmer looks at the ways health care professionals try to give us the information we need. She also discovers how health campaigns are targeted and planned.
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Sunday Surgery Sun 2 Feb, 21:00 - 23:00
BBC Radio 1

Emma B and Dr Mark Hamilton with help and advice on listeners' dilemmas. Call 08700 100 100 [national rates], or call free on 0800 110 100 to speak to someone off air.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/djs/sunday_surgery.shtml

:: Kieran 1:07 PM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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An evasion of responsibility

Online commentary: The front-line staff who failed to prevent the tragic death of Victoria Climbié have been sacked. But those in charge at the time won't accept their share of the blame, says a former deputy leader of Haringey Council.

The Observer 26/01/03
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Britons swallow cure-all drugs

Britain's status as a nation of hypochondriacs has been confirmed by government figures showing that a record 587 million drug prescriptions were handed out in 2001, a rise of nearly a fifth since 1997.

The Observer 26/01/03
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Cost of strokes added up

Researchers are investigating the burden stroke care can place on families and health services.

BBC Health 25/01/03
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Focus: Part two Strategy, tactics and weapons - How will the war be fought?

If there is an invasion where will America and its allies strike first? Does Saddam have any chance at all of stopping them? Eleanor Goldsworthy explains how the attack might unfold and how Baghdad might fall.

The Independent 26/01/03
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Gypsy women 'forced into sterilisation'

Roma, or Gypsy, women in Slovakia claim they are being subjected to forced sterilisation, according to a new report to be launched in Brussels this week. Research by human rights organisations has found evidence strongly suggesting that many hundreds of Roma women could have been sterilised against their will.

The Independent 26/01/03
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Hospital criticised over scan delay death

A coroner has called for major improvements at Bridlington Hospital after the death of a man who waited seven days for an urgent brain scan.

BBC Health 25/01/03
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How private trade in babies spawned a public tragedy

The short life and terrible death of Victoria Climbie shocked Britain. But an official report into her killing this week will reveal how her plight was overlooked by officials.

The Observer 26/01/03
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Interpreting cancer through theatre

Author Nell Dunn was so inspired by the moving tales of five women whose lives were touched by cancer that she wrote a play about them.

BBC Health 26/01/03
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Losing fat the ultrasonic way

Using ultrasound can speed up the process of liposuction, and make it less painful, according to specialist plastic surgeons using the technique.

BBC Health 26/01/03
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Missing gene 'increases aggression'

People who are over-aggressive or excessively anxious may be missing a gene, say scientists who conducted experiments on mice.

BBC Health 26/01/03
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NHS sued over 'mean' offer to grieving parents

Families whose dead children were stripped of their organs by pathologists have reacted with fury to an NHS offer to pay them each £1,000 in compensation - five times less than the sum offered to families involved in the Alder Hey organs scandal.

The Observer 26/01/03
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Protein 'makes cancer cells self-destruct'

A protein has been discovered which causes cancer cells to self-destruct. US researchers have discovered it destroys up to 70% of cancer cells. It regulates the production of a key enzyme involved in the generation of blood vessels which feed cancer cells' growth. The enzyme is Cox-2, which is already known to play a role in causing arthritis.

BBC Health 25/01/03
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Space-age eye scanner tested

Techniques used by stargazers to get a clearer picture of the heavens are being harnessed by eye doctors.

The Observer 26/01/03
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Sperm donors may lose anonymity

Children conceived with donated sperm could be given the right to trace their biological fathers if sweeping changes in the law go ahead.

BBC Health 26/01/03
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Superbug patients 'barred' from care homes

Older people who contract the so-called "superbug" MRSA in hospital are being prevented from returning to care homes, despite the fact that experts say it is safe for them to do so.

BBC Health 25/01/03
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The scary world of Mr Mintzberg

The Higgs report on non-executive directors, Prof Michael Porter's preliminary findings on UK competitiveness, a new report on management education and far-reaching vocational education reforms - it's been a frantic week for the UK's management sector.

The Observer 26/01/03
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Whistleblower lifts lid on NHS culture of secrecy

A senior health service official who was fired after revealing his hospital's financial problems yesterday lifted the lid on what he claims is the culture of deception now endemic in the NHS.

The Observer 26/01/03
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:: Kieran 2:12 AM [+] ::
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