Wednesday 21 August 2013

Measles jab claims by Children's Immunisation Centre 'irresponsible

Measles jab claims by Children's Immunisation Centre 'irresponsible'

Some 75,868 unscheduled vaccinations were given to people in Wales to control the measles epidemic

A clinic selling separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines has been told to remove "misleading" claims from its website implying a link between the MMR jab and autism.

Complaints were made about the Cheshire-based Children's Immunisation Centre during the measles outbreak centred on Swansea.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided the clinic's language "could have caused fear and distress".

The centre said it had now complied.

One person died and a total of 1,219 measles cases were diagnosed during the Swansea area measles epidemic, which was officially declared over in July.

As part of the response from public health officials, almost 76,000 unscheduled MMR vaccinations were given to people around Wales who had not been immunised in a bid to bring the epidemic under control.

The Children's Immunisation Centre offered single vaccines to parents, running a clinic in Swansea and others in England.

“Start Quote

We told Children's Immunisation Centre not to promote prescription-only medicines and to remove claims not supported by objective scientific evidence”

ASA report

In its response to the ASA, the centre said it offered a safe alternative for parents who needed to have their children protected from childhood diseases but did not wish to undergo government or NHS programmes such as the MMR vaccine.

It also argued its website information did not constitute advertising.

But the ASA said because the centre "promoted non-government recommended vaccination and because the overall context of the website focused on their claim that a single MMR vaccination was linked with autism, we considered the language used could have caused fear and distress without justifiable reason and we concluded the website was irresponsible".

Three complainants, including a GP, challenged whether the centre's 100% safety claim could be substantiated, while two said the advert was irresponsible and could cause fear and distress because it appeared during the measles outbreak in south Wales.

The ASA ruled that the website breached regulations because it advertised prescription-only medicines.

The centre told the ASA each of its 20,000 patients had a record card and not one had been hospitalised or had regression, autism or other health issues after vaccination.

SWANSEA MEASLES OUTBREAK

Began in November 2012
There have been no laboratory-confirmed cases in the affected area since May and the outbreak was cleared over in July
Some 75,868 unscheduled vaccinations were given to people around Wales who had not been immunised to control the epidemic
In the outbreak area more than 30,000 doses of the MMR vaccine were given
GP surgeries administered 16,500 and drop-in clinics have given more than 8,500
School and occupational health clinics administered more than 5,300 jabs

But the ASA noted that a sample complaint log supplied by the centre confirmed some children had developed minor and major complications as a result of receiving a vaccination ranging from a rash and high temperature to emergency hospital admission.

The ASA said: "Because Children's Immunisation Centre did not have a 100% safety record, we concluded the claim was misleading."

It added: "We considered the website had probably been live for some time before the outbreak of measles in Wales, during April and May 2013.

"However, we noted two links referenced the Welsh measles outbreak."

The ASA said it had not seen robust evidence that linked a single MMR vaccine with autism, concluding that that website was misleading.

It ruled: "The ad must not appear again in its current form.

"We told Children's Immunisation Centre not to promote prescription-only medicines and to remove claims not supported by objective scientific evidence."

Dr Andrew Wakefield's research linking the MMR jab to autism was published in 1998 has since been entirely discredited.

In a statement to BBC Wales, Zoe Miller from the Children's Immunisation Centre said: "We're now fully ASA compliant, everything that was requested has been taken off the website."

Saturday 17 August 2013

Basic rights of mentally ill

Basic rights of mentally ill 'violated'

By Adam Brimelow

Health Correspondent, BBC News

The cross-party group of MPs is urging Parliament to take action

The basic rights of some mental health patients in England are being "violated" because of a shortage of beds in psychiatric units, MPs say.

The Health Select Committee said there was evidence some people are being sectioned unnecessarily to secure hospital treatment.

It also warned safeguards to protect patients who lack capacity are often ignored.

The charity Rethink said the findings were "shocking".

Changes to mental health laws in 2007 were supposed to ease pressure on psychiatric units by extending the treatment available out of hospital.

Legislation provided for Community Treatment Orders so some people previously detained in hospital could be treated - under supervision - in the community.

But compulsory detention has continued to increase.

“Start Quote

It's absolutely shocking that people are being sectioned unnecessarily, just so they can get access to the treatment they are entitled to”

Paul JenkinsRethink

The report said in 2008-09 there were 42,208 detentions in England. By 2011-12 the figure had risen to 44,894.

'Ticket to a bed'

Many wards are at over-capacity. The MPs were told it has become hard to be admitted voluntarily.

One witness said "being detained is the ticket to getting a bed".

Their report said compulsory detention when it was not clinically necessary would be a "serious violation" of civil rights.

It called for an urgent investigation by the Department of Health to establish the prevalence of the practice.

The inquiry also examined safeguards to protect people detained under the Mental Capacity Act. These are often patients in care homes with dementia or severe learning difficulties.

The safeguards include provisions to provide a representative, to offer a right of challenge, and for a regular review of their deprivation of liberty.

The MPs concluded there was "extreme variation in their use" - a situation they describe as "profoundly depressing".

They called for an urgent review of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) together with an action plan for improvement to be presented to Parliament within 12 months.

Paul Jenkins, from the charity Rethink, said: "It's absolutely shocking that people are being sectioned unnecessarily, just so they can get access to the treatment they are entitled to. Being sectioned, although sometimes necessary, can be extremely distressing and should only be used as a last resort.

"Treatment is much less likely to work if it is imposed on patients against their wishes. Health professionals should be aiming to build a trusting partnership with their patients and to take away their liberty unnecessarily like this, completely undermines that trust."

Dr Julie Chalmers, the Royal College of Psychiatrists' lead for mental health law, said: "We share the committee's concerns over the severe pressure on beds, and believe this is an issue that needs to be urgently addressed.

"However it is also important to ensure that there are a range of effective community services to support people who are in crisis before the need to consider hospital admission arises.

Friday 14 June 2013

multiple failings in the home care

CCTV footage reveals domestic care neglect

By Michael BuchananBBC News

Muriel's grandson says he feel guilty for employing the company

The BBC has obtained footage showing multiple failings in the home care provided by a company to one woman - as ministers warn the next abuse scandal may come in the sector.

The videos, recorded by the family of Muriel Price, 83, show carers failing to turn up for visits or turning up late, causing Mrs Price great distress.

The company involved say they were never informed the family had concerns.

They say the care of patients is of paramount importance to them.

Care minister Norman Lamb is hosting a summit with domiciliary care providers and carers on Thursday in an attempt to improve standards within the industry.

Mrs Price's grandson installed two CCTV cameras in her house in Blackpool, Lancashire, to monitor her movements and to provide help should she fall when she was home alone.

'Absolutely disgusting'

Instead they recorded carers failing to turn up when they should and behaving inappropriately on occasions.

One scene shows Mrs Price in great distress prior to her carer arriving. The grandmother, who is incontinent, had been in bed for 13 hours as her carer was nearly one hour late. She had tried and failed to contact her care company, carers, family and neighbours for help.

"Disgusting this is, absolutely disgusting," she is heard to cry out. "It's not good enough, I can't put up with it much longer."

One piece of video shows Mrs Price becoming increasingly distressed as she waits for her carer to arrive

She then quietly sobs before crying out for Les, her husband of 63 years. He was her primary carer prior to his death.

"I'll be here till 12 o'clock until the next one comes along, I bet. It's always the same."

Eventually a carer does appear, 55 minutes late.

“Start Quote

Mosaic go above and beyond their legal requirements when employing carers to ensure all staff are capable of delivering quality care to their clients. The care of patients is of paramount importance to Mosaic.”

Mosaic Community Care

In the footage seen by the BBC, which covers a period of nearly a month, carers turn up late or not at all on at least 12 occasions. Several other visits are much shorter than the one hour the carers are contracted for.

While some carers were professional, the footage shows examples of others who clearly were not.

The footage shows one carer sticking her fingers in food to check its temperature, another changes incontinence pads in full view of the street.

'No dignity'

And though Mrs Price is an insulin dependent diabetic with special dietary requirements, one carers admits to not being able to cook. "I can't fry an egg. I am really that rubbish at cooking. Why they send me to people at dinner time; it's beyond me," she can be heard saying.

"The way they treat old people is wrong, just wrong," says Mrs Price, looking back on her experience. "You'd be waiting for your tea and you didn't get any tea cause they never turned up, they never bothered. And you'd ring them up and they'd say we'll be sending someone along but they never did."

Her grandson, Darryl Price, who arranged for the care company to look after Mrs Price, looks back with regret.

"To see someone in your family treated with no respect, no dignity, you question yourself and in a way you feel guilty. You're the one who's put that home care company in there, you've trusted this company to look after them."

Another clip captures examples of poor care - including this carer, who was later disciplined by the company, who 'mooned' at the camera

The BBC showed the footage to Norman Lamb ahead of his meeting with domiciliary care providers and carers. He said the current system resulted too often in poor care, low wages and neglect.

"It's just shocking and depressing because this is neglect in your own home," said Mr Lamb in reaction to the videos.

Talking about the wider domiciliary care sector, he went on: "We know this is not an isolated case. There is some very good care, and we should celebrate that, but where poor care exists we should not tolerate it."

He later told BBC News: "In a way you're almost at your most vulnerable when it's behind a closed door, it's you and a care worker and potentially poor things, dreadful things can happen in those circumstances."

He said a number of companies were failing to provide a complete service and all too often councils were taking part in a "race to the bottom", choosing the cheapest bid when awarding contracts.

Norman Lamb: "I want to shine a spotlight on this whole sector"

The company who provided Mrs Price's care is Mosaic Community Care, based in Preston. The family say they repeatedly contacted the company with their concerns and have provided phone records to the BBC which indicate that calls were made.

But in a statement, Mosaic said it was an award-winning care provider.

It went on: "At no time were any issues raised with Mosaic by the family. Any concerns would have been dealt with via the appropriate channels.

"Mosaic go above and beyond their legal requirements when employing carers to ensure all staff are capable of delivering quality care to their clients. The care of patients is of paramount importance to Mosaic."

Referring to the telephone records, it says: "The length of a call does not provide conclusive evidence as to the content of the call."

Muriel Price is now happily living in a care home. "I'm lucky I have a family to look after me," she says. "Those that haven't got a family, God help them, poor devils."

Thursday 6 June 2013

Minister Anna Soubry backtracks on women GPs 'burden'

COMMENTS (234)

Are women a "burden" on the NHS?

There are "unintended consequences" for the NHS of training and employing women as GPs, Health Minister Anna Soubry has said in Parliament.

She was responding to a question about the "burden" of female doctors marrying and starting families.

The head of the Royal College of GPs said it was wrong to blame women doctors for problems in the NHS.

Ms Soubry later said her comments were not meant to be "derogatory" and the answer was to hire more GPs.

During a debate in Westminster Hall, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, said: "It's a controversial thing to say, but perhaps I as a woman can say this - 70% of medical students currently are women and they are very well educated and very well qualified.

"When they go into practice and then in the normal course of events will marry and have children, they often want to go part-time and it is obviously a tremendous burden training what effectively might be two GPs working part-time where they are ladies.

"And I think that is something that is going to put a huge burden on the health service."

In response, Ms Soubry said: "You make a very important point when you talk about, rightly, the good number of women who are training to be doctors, but the unintended consequences."

Dr Clare Gerada, the chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, took to Twitter to say: "I cannot believe that women doctors are being blamed for problems in NHS."

In a statement later, Anna Soubry clarified her remarks saying she had "not intended to be derogatory" and was responding to a point made by another MP during the debate.

"The solution is that we need to increase the number of GPs and we are doing that.

"This government supports good working practices such as flexible working, job-sharing and part-time working which help retain female doctors.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

'New law needed' after collapse of care home neglect case

By Fran Abrams

BBC File on 4

A silhouette image of a woman passing a cup of tea to an elderly lady.

Just 170 prosecutions for wilful neglect of the elderly were brought last year.

The collapse of Britain's biggest investigation into elderly care home neglect has prompted calls for a reform of the law.

Former care minister, Paul Burstow wants a new offence of corporate neglect to make it easier to hold those running bad care homes to account.

He is to table an amendment to the government's Care Bill which is currently going through parliament.

Care Minister Norman Lamb says he is considering the issue.

Mr Burstow - who stepped down in last September's reshuffle - said he was determined to ensure the government created the new law following the end of Operation Jasmine.

“Start Quote

We need companies that provide care to realise it's not just about their profits. It's ultimately about the dignity of the people they are looking after”

Paul BurstowMP

Police launched the operation seven-and-a-half years ago following concerns over the death of more than 60 care home residents in six homes in Wales. The investigation by Gwent Police cost £11.6 million and amassed more than 12 tonnes of evidence.

Among the alleged victims were elderly people who became severely malnourished or dehydrated, or who died because of infected pressure sores.

But despite exhaustive inquiries, the CPS said there was not enough evidence to charge key figures - including one of the care home owners Dr Prana Das - with gross negligence manslaughter or wilful neglect.

Later attempts to bring the care home boss to trial for lesser charges under health and safety legislation failed in March when he was deemed unfit to stand trial after suffering head injuries in a burglary.

Mr Burstow said that under the current legal framework often the only option left open to police was to try to prosecute individual carers with wilful neglect. He argues that a new law should be introduced to make it easier for police to hold owners to account instead.

He said: "We need a new criminal offence of corporate neglect which should take its lesson from the legislation on corporate manslaughter.

"We also need companies that provide care to realise it's not just about their profits, but it's ultimately about the dignity of the people they are looking after."

Find out more

An elderly lady's hand on a walking stick.

Listen to the full report on File on 4 on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 4 June at 20:00 BST and Sunday, 9 June at 17:00 BST.

The call is being backed by Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent, Nick Smith who recently challenged David Cameron to ensure the law in this area was fit-for-purpose.

The BBC asked care minister Norman Lamb whether he would consider creating a law of corporate neglect.

In a statement, Mr Lamb said he was considering the issue - but stopped short of agreeing to a change in the criminal law.

"When I first took on this job in September, I identified a clear gap in the regulatory framework - one which I'm determined will be addressed.

"This summer, we will announce proposals to address the gap in the law on effective corporate accountability," he said.

Figures seen by Radio 4's File on 4 programme show that while English social services investigated more than 25,000 allegations of elderly neglect last year, just 170 criminal prosecutions for neglect were brought before the courts.

The Care Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords in May.

Listen to the full report on File on 4 on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 4 June at 20:00 GMT and Sunday, 9 June at 17:00 BST. Listen again via the Radio 4 website or the File on 4 download.

mengele plus

Wednesday 21 August 2013