Cancer Drug Hope For Huntington’s Sufferers
Scientists today raise the first hope of a cure for Huntington’s disease after unlocking the secrets of what goes wrong in the brains of sufferers.
Read MoreScientists today raise the first hope of a cure for Huntington’s disease after unlocking the secrets of what goes wrong in the brains of sufferers.
Read MorePatients with severe arthritis are to be given access to a new generation of drug on the NHS – a decision hailed by campaigners as a “triumph”. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved the “smart drug” MabThera for prescription in England and Wales.
Read MoreThousands of patients could die as a result of Labour’s policy to downgrade accident and emergency departments, research shows today.
{mosimage}A study has found that the further patients travel in an ambulance to reach hospital the more likely they are to die.
Its authors say the findings show Government policy-making “may be driven by anecdote or supposition” rather than based on evidence of what is best for patients.
The policy of providing community-based services and downgrading A&E departments, which was outlined in a White Paper in January 2006, has provoked protests.
Many fear it will mean they have to travel further for emergency care and say it is simply a cost-cutting measure.
Yesterday, David Cameron said the policy would lead to the closure of 29 hospitals.
He said people could not understand why A&E departments were closing when admissions were up and promised to fight to save units.
Read MoreHundreds of dangerous prisoners could be freed from jail because of “disastrous” failings by the Government when it introduced a new prison sentence, a High Court judge said yesterday.
Read MoreJack Straw, the justice secretary, yesterday backed plans to help inner city black youths avoid the temptations of crime by providing them with successful black mentors, including army officers.
Read MoreElderly people could be left without adequate care because changes to migration rules will create a “forced mass exodus” of thousands of overseas workers, an MP has warned. The new points-based system may prevent essential workers from renewing or gaining visas, according to the English Community Care Association, which represents residential homes.
{mosimage}The Philippine embassy has told the government that it will have a particular impact on its nationals, who make up around 25,000 of the senior carers in Britain. Around 10% to 15% of those cannot apply for settlement or permanent residence status because they have been here for less than five years.
Mark Pritchard, the Tory chairman of the all party group for the Philippines, said the changes could force the departure of thousands of Filipino workers. “Their contribution to the care sector is enormous,” he said. “The government have not thought through the consequences of this policy on care homes.
“No one is trying to overrule the government’s new points based system but it is sensible for this major change to be managed in a way that does not cause a staffing crisis. Giving Filipino staff a year’s grace to make arrangements for their return would also allow the care sector valuable time to make alternative staffing arrangements.”
He also questioned the logic of the government giving the Philippine government aid while cutting off remittances – which globally account for 10% of the Philippines’ gross domestic product.
Martin Green, chief executive of the ECCA, said he was “very concerned” by the changes, which will be phased in from early next year. “There is a real issue about getting appropriate staff in the care sector and a lot of shortages are certainly plugged by people from overseas. In the longer term it could mean there was a real problem recruiting staff with the required skills to deal with people who sometimes have very high levels of need,” he said.
Read MoreThe Royal College of Nursing is giving its members in England until mid-September to decide if they want to accept the government’s final pay deal. Some 95% of nurses had voted to go ahead with a ballot on industrial action over the original pay award.
Read MoreAn elderly man who sold his home to pay for a nursing home place is being evicted because his money has run out. Edwin Coglan, 78, of Weston-super-Mare, paid £40,000 in 2000 from the sale of his home to Summer Lane Care which charges £1,000 a month.
Read MoreToo many people are being diagnosed with depression when all they are is unhappy, a leading psychiatrist says. Professor Gordon Parker claims the threshold for clinical depression is too low and risks treating normal emotional states as illness.
Read MoreMore proof is needed that electronic personal health records are safe and effective, some doctors have said. Ministers are pushing ahead with plans to put personal medical records on a national electronic database, which patients can themselves access online.
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