Thursday, 25 October 2012

world's best in elderly care


Target to become world's best in elderly care 'at risk'

By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News
Social care services have been cut in the past two years, council chiefs say

Related Stories

Generic image of a pensionerThe government's pledge to try to make England a world leader in elderly care is at risk of becoming "superficial" words, council chiefs are warning.
The Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said the social care crisis had to be solved first.
The target of becoming the "one of the best" in terms of elderly care was made by the health secretary last month.
Jeremy Hunt will be expanding on the aim in a speech later.
He is expected to tell the annual ADASS conference in Eastbourne on Thursday that he wants England to become "one of the best countries in Europe to be old" and that councils "must take the lead".
To help, he will be announcing a £50m fund for hospitals and care homes to help pay for improvements to help patients with dementia.
These could include things such as hi-tech lighting, smells and sound to stimulate those with the condition.
'Danger of collapsing'
But the two groups have warned that mainstream services are under too much strain to achieve the goal.
A joint analysis they have produced has shown nearly £2bn has been trimmed from the social care budget in the past two years - a cut of nearly 15%.

“Start Quote

Unless we see urgent action the growing funding crisis threatens our ability to provide basic daily services that older people rely on, such as help with washing, getting out of bed and meals on wheels”
Councillor David RogersLocal Government Association
It predicts the funding gap will get worse in the coming years, partly because of the growing demands of the ageing population.
And it goes on to say that unless councils are given extra money, other budgets, including those covering leisure, libraries and transport, will have to be raided.
The government is considering reforming the system to cap the costs individuals have to pay. This was an idea put forward by the Dilnot Commission last year.
But the two groups have argued that such a change while helping individuals avoid huge costs, will do nothing to solve the funding problem they are facing.
ADASS president Sarah Pickup said the Dilnot proposals were just "one piece of the puzzle".
In reference to Mr Hunt's call made at the Conservative Party conference earlier this month that England should become the "best in the world" at caring for the elderly, Ms Pickup said if an answer was not found all that talk would be just "superficial" words.
"At the moment [social care] is a minimum wage industry. We have to think about what good care costs and be prepared to pay it."
David Rogers, from the Local Government Association, said: "The current care system is in danger of collapsing.
"Unless we see urgent action, the growing funding crisis threatens our ability to provide basic daily services that older people rely on, such as help with washing, getting out of bed and meals on wheels."
at
Labels:

Friday, 12 October 2012

Conservative conference: Jeremy Hunt puts NHS focus on elderly


 Jeremy Hunt puts NHS focus on elderly


Conservative conference 2012

NHS staff must become the "best in the world" at looking after the elderly, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told the Conservative Party conference.
In his first major speech since taking on the role in the recent reshuffle, he said it was time to change the culture of the organisation.
Mr Hunt attacked Labour, saying no party had a "monopoly on compassion".
He also praised doctors and nurses as "unsung heroes", but added that the NHS should be "honest about failure".
Mr Hunt, who said his father had worked as an NHS manager and his mother as an A&E nurse and midwife, replaced Andrew Lansley in the cabinet reshuffle last month.
This followed the passing of the Health and Social Care Act, which will give GPs greater power over care budgets via clinical commissioning groups, after abolishing strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.
In his speech, Mr Hunt paid tribute to his predecessor, saying: "If Andrew is the health secretary who helped give us the structures for a modern NHS, I want to be the health secretary who helped transform the culture of the system - to make it the best in the world at looking after older people."
'Common decency'
He added: "Since it was set up in 1948 the NHS has come to symbolise a deeply held belief about what it means to be British: a country fit for heroes where everyone should have a roof over their heads, a school for their children and proper treatment for their family when they're sick.

Analysis

Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News
The speech was short. In fact, it was barely 20 minutes long, which is a sharp contrast with the lengthy, policy-heavy speeches made regularly by his predecessor Andrew Lansley.
That in itself is telling about what sort of secretary of state Mr Hunt is likely to be. It is clear Mr Hunt has been brought in to establish a clear and concise message about the government's position on the NHS.
Again and again he talked about improving patient care. His speech was peppered with references to the issue. He mentioned past scandals, such as Mid Staffordshire and Winterbourne View. He talked about making managers accountable for care as well as finances.
He also recognised the wider challenge the NHS faces from an ageing population and the need for better solutions to dementia and social care.
Beyond that there was little detail about how he plans to proceed. But after a health secretary that went after the structure of the NHS, Mr Hunt has his eyes firmly set on its culture.
"That was under the Attlee government. But the NHS does not belong to Labour any more than victory in the second world war belongs to the Conservatives. No party has a monopoly on compassion and it is an insult to common decency for any party to claim it."
Ministers are looking at introducing a cap on the amount for which people are liable when funding their care in old age.
Mr Hunt said: "Last month I visited St Thomas', the hospital where I was born. I met a nurse who had been caring for a dying man who had lost touch with his family 20 years earlier. She searched out the family on Google, found them in Ireland, arranged to fly him back there so he was able to spend his last two weeks reunited with his family.
"So much of the NHS is like that. Unsung heroes who represent the very best of our values.
"But as we celebrate excellence, we must be honest about failure. I'm going to name names now because I don't want anything to be swept under the carpet.
"The shocking failures of care at Mid Staffs where a patient with C-diff was left to lie naked in their own excrement.
"The bullying of a man with Parkinsons at East Surrey hospital. The kicking of disabled residents at Winterbourne View care home. The slapping of an older woman with dementia at Ash Court care home."
Mr Hunt added: "Last month the Royal College of Physicians published a report about the way older people are looked after in our hospitals. It said 'the system continues to treat older patients as a surprise, at best, or unwelcome at worst'. Strong words.
"We have many committed managers in hospitals and care homes. But I need to say this to all managers: you will be held responsible for the care in your establishments. You wouldn't expect to keep your job if you lost control of your finances. Well don't expect to keep it if you lose control of your care."
The conference continues until Wednesday.

More on This Story

Conservative conference 2012

Related Stories

at
Labels:

Monday, 8 October 2012

Carbon emissions target urged by business leaders


Carbon emissions target urged by business leaders

Emissions from a chimney at Eggborough Power Station, near SelbyA recent report by business group the CBI estimates that policy uncertainty over carbon emissions could prove to be costly for the UK's economy

The plea is made in an open letter to Chancellor George Osborne signed by 50 businesses and organisations.Ministers must set a specific target for restricting carbon emissions from power generation, businesses have said.
They want a target for how emissions should be curbed by 2030, arguing that a failure to show commitment to reducing carbon emissions may harm the economy and their commercial prospects.
Mr Osborne has outlined plans to get energy from gas beyond 2030.
Labour Leader Ed Miliband has backed a 2030 target for the power sector and the Liberal Democrats have supported a target under the Energy Bill, to be included in secondary legislation to allow flexibility.
The government's climate advisers have warned support for future gas plants without technology fitted to cut emissions is not compatible with climate change legislation and is harming investment in low-carbon power such as renewables and nuclear.
Companies and investors have joined with trade unions, environmental groups and industry bodies to warn the chancellor that support for gas power into the 2030s is undermining investment in UK electricity infrastructure.
The introduction of a carbon intensity target for the energy sector would, they say, provide investors with the long term confidence needed to transform the electricity market and promote wider economic growth.Such a target would also be in line with recent recommendations from the independent Committee on Climate Change
The letter was signed by 50 businesses and organisations, including Microsoft, Marks and Spencer, Alliance Boots and Asda.
In it, they warn the Mr Osborne that uncertainty over the government's commitment to low-carbon power generation is harming the development of green businesses.
The letter states: "The government's perceived commitment to the low carbon transition is being undermined by recent statements calling for unabated gas in the power sector beyond 2030 and the absence of a specific carbon intensity target."
It highlights a recent report by business group the CBI, which estimates that while a third of UK growth in 2011/2012 came from green businesses, policy uncertainty could lose the UK £400m in exports in 2014/2015 alone.
"It is essential for government to provide investors with the long-term confidence they need to transform our electricity market and make investments capable of driving wider economic growth," says the letter.
Peter Young, chairman of the Aldersgate Group which co-ordinated the move, called for an end to "any political uncertainty surrounding the UK's energy future".
And Andy Atkins, executive director at Friends of the Earth, which backed the letter, said Mr Osborne's support for gas power was looking "increasingly isolated".
Asda, Aviva, British American Tobacco, EDF, Microsoft, Marks & Spencer, PepsiCo, Philips, Sky and the Co-operative are among the businesses to have signed the letter.
at
Labels: , , , ,

a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen


Teenager's stomach removed after

 drinking cocktail

By Amy GladwellNewsbeat reporterChef using liquid nitrogen in New YorkA New York chef demonstrates how to use liquid nitrogen in cooking
A teenager has had emergency surgery to remove her stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.
Lancashire Police say the 18-year-old was out with friends in Lancaster on Thursday 4 October when it happened.
The woman is reported to have become breathless and developed severe stomach pain before being taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary.
Officers say she would have died if doctors had not performed the operation.
The woman, from Heysham in Lancashire, was taken to hospital at 11pm.
She was diagnosed with a perforated, or pierced stomach. The 18-year-old is now in a serious but stable condition.
'Toxic chemical'
Lancashire Police have not named the place where she bought the cocktail, but say it has stopped selling it.
A statement said: "The premises involved have fully co-operated with all agencies and have suspended drinks involving liquid nitrogen.
Alcohol itself is a very dangerous thing if improperly handled and liquid nitrogen is a toxic chemical. It destroys human tissue
John AshtonDirector of public health for Cumbria
"The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts."
The force said they had been warning other bars in the town about what had happened.
Doctor John Ashton, director of public health for Cumbria, said: "This poor girl is the victim of an irresponsible alcohol industry that's now competing on gimmicks.
"Alcohol itself is a very dangerous thing if improperly handled and liquid nitrogen is a toxic chemical. It destroys human tissue."
Other uses
If swallowed, liquid nitrogen can cause cold burns to the mouth, throat and stomach, killing the tissue.
As the frozen vapour hits the stomach it rapidly warms, releasing large volumes of air which can burst the stomach.
Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the 18-year-old's stomach, an operation known as a total gastrectomy.
During the operation the stomach is cut out and the remaining two tubes to and from the stomach, the oesophagus and the small bowel, are connected.
People who have had a gastrectomy will still be able to lead a normal life and eat and drink regular food but they will need to eat smaller amounts and take vitamin supplements to make sure they get enough nourishment.
Heston Blumenthal has popularised the use of liquid nitrogen in cooking, using it to make ice cream.
It is also used in medicine to remove unwanted skin, warts and pre-cancerous cells, while in industry it can be used as a coolant for things like computers.
Additionally it has been used in cryogenics, where scientists find what happens to materials at very cold temperatures
at
Labels:

Sunday, 7 October 2012

Abortion law: David Cameron has 'no plans' for new rules


Abortion law: David Cameron has 'no plans' for new rules


The government has "no plans" to bring in new laws governing when a women can legally have an abortion, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
The PM spoke after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Times he personally favoured a move to halve the abortion limit from 24 weeks to 12.
Mr Cameron said Mr Hunt was "entitled to hold an individual view" but insisted it was not government policy.
The 24-week limit applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland except in exceptional medical circumstances, such as when the mother's health is at risk.
During a visit to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, Mr Cameron said he "personally" favoured a "modest reduction" from the current limit of 24 weeks, "because I think there are some medical arguments for that". But he said he did not agree with the 12-week limit.
'Difficult question'
Mr Hunt told the paper: "My view is that 12 weeks is the right point for it."
The health secretary said he had reached the conclusion after studying the evidence, adding it was his personal view over what remains an "incredibly difficult question".
Responding to his comments, Home Secretary Theresa May told the BBC she "probably" backed a change to a 20-week limit but also said that that was a personal view.
Earlier this week Women's Minister Maria Miller told the Daily Telegraphshe would vote to lower the abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks.
Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski, who wants the existing law tightened, welcomed Mr Hunt's comments.
"The health secretary coming out in favour of reigniting this debate will galvanise the caucus that exists in Parliament, cross-party, on this issue," he said.
But Anthony Ozimic, from anti-abortion campaigners the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said that any new backbench bill on the topic was certain to fail.
"There is a large pro-abortion majority in Parliament which will ensure that any time-limiting amendments are rejected while using the opportunity to push for pro-abortion amendments," he said.
"The real political debate about abortion in the UK should focus... on the right to life of all unborn children and on the way governments bankroll abortion access at home and abroad," Mr Ozimic added.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who speaks for Labour on women's issues, said the statements by Mr Hunt "show the health secretary has given no serious consideration to women's health".
She added: "Perhaps the most chilling part of his interview is the claim that 12 weeks is based on evidence when it undoubtedly is not."
Gynaecologist Professor Wendy Savage, a campaigner on women's rights, expressed concern over the possible re-opening of a debate which was defeated the last time it came to Parliament in 2008.
She said: "The number of abortions that take place over 20 weeks is very small. Of those a considerable proportion are of foetuses which have got a congenital abnormality.
"I think the majority of the population think that if somebody has got a foetus that, if born, will have a severe disability they should have the right to choose whether or not to continue with that pregnancy," she said.
Prof Savage added that ministers should be debating whether to decriminalise abortion altogether.
Elsewhere, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's Clare Murphy said the remarks reflected "a lack of understanding of why women need later services".
There were nearly 190,000 abortions for women in England and Wales last year, 91% of which were carried out before the 13th week of pregnancy, according to Department of Health figures.

More on This Story

Related Stories


at
Labels:

Saturday, 6 October 2012

Glasgow Crimean-Congo Viral Haemorrhagic Fever: Passengers monitored


Glasgow Crimean-Congo Viral Haemorrhagic Fever: Passengers monitored

C130 Hercules aircraftThe 38-year-old patient was transferred to hospital in London on a special RAF isolation plane

Related Stories

Two passengers who sat near a man who has Crimean-Congo Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (CCVHF) on a flight to Glasgow are being monitored as a precaution.
The 38-year-old man was earlier transferred to hospital in London in a special RAF isolation plane.
He had been in Kabul, Afghanistan, and was diagnosed hours after returning to Glasgow on Emirates flight EK027 from Dubai on Tuesday.
Two other passengers contacted do not require follow-up.
The man was transferred from the specialist Brownlee unit at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow to the Royal Free Hospital in London on Friday morning.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) initially said it wanted to contact three passengers thought to have sat near the man on the flight from Dubai.
The health board said a fourth passenger had now been identified as a possible contact of the patient and would be followed up on a daily basis, for two weeks, to monitor for any developments of relative symptoms.
One of the original three passengers is also being followed-up with daily monitoring. The other two do not require follow-up surveillance.

THE DISEASE

  • Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever is a viral fever transmitted from animals to humans by tick-bites or through direct contact with blood or infected tissues from livestock, particularly cattle, sheep, goats, and hares.
  • It kills between 10-40% of people infected.
  • It is rare - but incidence has risen over the past decade.
  • It is present in more than 30 countries in Eurasia and Africa, including northwestern China, central Asia, southern and eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
  • Initial symptoms include headache, high fever, back pain, joint pain, stomach pain and vomiting. Rarer signs include jaundice, severe bruising and uncontrolled bleeding.
  • An anti-viral drug called ribavirin is the most common treatment. There is no safe vaccine.
  • It was first described in the Crimea in 1944 and was found to be responsible for an illness in a human in Congo in 1956.
Public health consultant, Dr Syed Ahmed, who is coordinating the investigations into this case, said: "The risk of person to person transmission of Crimean Congo Viral Haemorrhagic Fever is very low as it can only be transmitted by direct contact with infected blood and body fluids.
"It is not a virus which is transmitted through the air.
"The monitoring of these two passengers is purely precautionary and is in line the national guidance for the management of cases such as this."
The health authority said the risk to all other passengers was "extremely low" and advised anyone with concerns to contact NHS 24.
This is the first case of CCVHF in the UK.
The man was stabilised overnight before being moved in specialist isolation facilities by air with the support of the Scottish Ambulance Service and the RAF.
The NHS 24 helpline number for anyone on flight number EK027 to call if they have concerns is 08000 85 85 31.
The helpline will be available between 08:00 and 22:00 seven days a week.
CCVHF is a zoonosis - a disease found in animals that can infect humans.
Outbreaks are usually linked to contact with blood or body fluids from infected animals or people.
Onset is sudden, with initial symptoms including high fever, joint pain, stomach pain, and vomiting.
Red eyes, a flushed face and red spots in the throat are also common.
As the illness progresses, patients can develop large areas of severe bruising, severe nosebleeds, and uncontrolled bleeding.
at
Labels:

Friday, 5 October 2012

Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever


Deadly 'Congo fever' kills three in India

A rare deadly virus has killed three people in India for the first time ever, health officials said.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed the deaths were caused by the Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, also known as the 'Congo fever'.
The dead included a woman who was infected with the virus, and the doctor and the nurse who treated her at a hospital in the western Ahmedabad city.
Two relatives of the dead woman have also been admitted to hospital.
"This is a very deadly virus, but there is no need to panic," Gujarat state Health Minister Jayanarayan Vyas said.
Two more cases - the husband and brother of the dead woman Amina Momin - are in hospital, Mr Vyas said.
"They are being treated and their condition is stable," he added.
Twenty teams of health officials have been fanned out within 5km area from the Kolat village in Gujarat state and are officials say no fresh cases have come to light.
"We are not leaving any thing to chance. We are confident that with the measures taken we will be able to contain the disease," Mr Vyas said.
Congo Crimea Haemorrhagic Fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by ticks and causes bleeding from the skin, mouth and nose.
The virus can also transmit from animals to humans.
at
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Featured post

More patients in Scotland given antidepressants

More patients in Scotland given antidepressants 13 October 2015   From the section Scotland Image copyright Thinkstock Image ca...