Thursday 28 July 2016

Brain tumour patient assaulted by pregnant woman and mum in Northampton hospital car park

Brain tumour patient assaulted by pregnant woman and mum in Northampton hospital car park A brain tumour patient was left with a black eye after an angry driver and her pregnant daughter assaulted her in the car park of Northampton General Hospital during a road rage incident. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The state of maternity services in England

The state of maternity services in England This policy briefing focuses on the meaning of maternity care and analyses the main characteristics of maternity services in England. It outlines the broader implications of changing quality in maternity care settings and includes suggestions for further actions and policy measures needed to improve the quality of care in English maternity services. Picker Institute Europe

Antibiotic resistance: 'Snot wars' study heralds new class of drugs

Antibiotic resistance: 'Snot wars' study heralds new class of drugs A new class of antibiotics has been discovered by analysing the bacterial warfare taking place up people's noses, scientists report. BBC News

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Drug 'may slow' Alzheimer's brain death

Drug 'may slow' Alzheimer's brain death A drug appears to slow the death of the brain and preserve mental function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, a study shows. BBC News

Mental health research 'being short-changed', academics claim

Mental health research 'being short-changed', academics claim Universities will lose out on tens of millions of pounds as a result of a change to the way mental health research is funded, researchers have claimed.

Campaigners say that the move by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) “flies in the face” of a growing emphasis on mental health by politicians and the public.

The row stems from a decision not to fund clinical and bioscience mental health research at the same level as similarly expensive research into physical health. Times Higher Education

How sexist stereotypes mean doctors ignore women's pain

How sexist stereotypes mean doctors ignore women's pain Research shows hospital staff take women's pain less seriously, spent less time treating them and are more likely to wrongly diagnose physical pain as 'just emotional' The Independent

NHS 'abandoning' thousands by rationing hepatitis C drugs

NHS 'abandoning' thousands by rationing hepatitis C drugs Addaction says NHS England decision to treat just 10,000 people a year with costly drugs is ‘potential death sentence’

NHS England has been accused by a charity of “abandoning” thousands of people to a potential death sentence by rationing drugs that can cure hepatitis C.

An estimated 215,000 people in the UK have chronic hepatitis C infection (160,000 in England), which new but costly drugs can cure. Addaction, a charity that helps people overcome drug and alcohol abuse, says the decision to treat 10,000 people a year is “manifestly unfair”. Continue reading... The Guardian

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NHS spends £87m on paracetamol at 20 TIMES the high street cost

NHS spends £87m on paracetamol at 20 TIMES the high street cost The price per prescription of £3.83 - compared to just 25p a packet from the supermarket - cost tax payers a staggering £87,600,000 last year as GPs in England wrote 22,900,000 for patients. The Daily Mail

Pensioner who broke her pelvis while protesting about local A&E closure is taken to ANOTHER unit 15 miles away for treatment

Pensioner who broke her pelvis while protesting about local A&E closure is taken to ANOTHER unit 15 miles away for treatment Joan Carpenter, 82, was protesting outside Chorley A&E when she fell. Instead of being taken inside, she was driven 15 miles to Royal Preston Hospital. Her son said this was 'absurd'. The Daily Mail

Nuisance caller cost the taxpayer £78,000 by making 408 calls to the ambulance service in two years 

Nuisance caller cost the taxpayer £78,000 by making 408 calls to the ambulance service in two years A woman who cost the taxpayer £78,000 by phoning ambulance service more than 400 times in two years has been jailed.

Mariette Mcharg, 54, also cost the health service a further £94,611 in unscheduled care.

She was sentenced to six months in jail for a number of offences including the assault of an officer and the assault of two nurses. The Daily Telegraph