Binge-drinking harms women’s brains more than it does men’s, according to research published yesterday. Tests suggest that excessive drinking undermines cognitive abilities such as memory, problem solving and planning more rapidly in women.

The large disparity in mortality rates in NHS hospitals is exposed today in research carried out for The Daily Telegraph. Patients are twice as likely to die in hospitals with the highest mortality rates than in those with the lowest, according to a report from Dr Foster Research, the independent health information company.

A hearing into the conduct of a Registered Social Worker from Gateshead will be held from 30 April to 3 May 2007 by the social care workforce regulator for England the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

Inner city children from poor families are much more likely to seek emergency care for asthma than their more affluent peers, finds research published ahead of print in Thorax. But the reasons are not the expected culprits of damp housing, overcrowding, or living with a smoker, finds the study.

The Stroke Association urges the public to get their blood pressure tested and avoid being a statistic of the UK’s third biggest killer. The call comes as the charity reveals figures that show nearly a quarter of people in the UK are unknowingly suffering from undiagnosed high blood pressure.

A Class A drug epidemic has triggered a huge surge in the number of young people being treated for mental health disorders, according to a NHS study.