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130 records found from year 2005

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Page 2 of 13
Thursday, 08 December 2005 09:48
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
LIVER FAILURE WARNING
According to research by scientists in Dallas, Texas, America, taking just 20 paracetamols a day instead of the recommended eight can result in acute liver damage and possible death; this has become the leading cause of liver failure in America.

The annual proportion of cases caused by paracetamol - known in the US as acetaminophen - had risen from 28% in 1998 to 51% in 2003, the researchers said.

The American Acute Liver Failure Study Group, involving researchers from a host of American universities, analysed data on 662 patients treated for acute liver failure between 1998 and 2003.

Among the 275 painkiller-related cases, 48% were unintentional, 44% were attempted suicide, with the rest being unknown. Over a quarter of the cases resulted in death.

Those who had not meant to overdose tended to be taking several products containing the drug.

The scientists found that as little as 10g - the equivalent of 20 pills - could cause liver failure.

Dr Anne Larson, co-author of the report, which first appeared in the Hepatology journal, said there needed to be more education for patients, doctors and pharmacies about the risk the painkiller posed.

And she also called for tighter restrictions in Amercia.

She said: "Efforts to limit over-the-counter packaging size and to restrict prescription of acetaminophen may be necessary to reduce the incidence of this increasingly recognised but preventable cause of liver failure".

John O'Grady, of the Institute of Liver Studies, at London's King's College Hospital, said since the restrictions had been in place in the UK, there had been a 30% reduction in hospital admissions for liver failure related to the drug.

He added the warnings should be considered in the context of the number of people using the painkiller - over 500m tablets are sold each year in the UK.

He said: "Educational initiatives to highlight the range of preparations containing paracetamol, together with advice on maximum daily dosing, have potential benefits, especially with respect to unintentional overdosing”.
   


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Tuesday, 06 December 2005 09:14
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
GOVERNMENT'S 2% TARGET FOR NHS WORKERS
Chancellor Gordon Brown has said that NHS pay must be based on the Government's 2% target for inflation.

In his Pre-Budget Report, he said Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt would recommend the cap on pay rises to the Pay Review Body.

He told the Commons: "These are both signals of our determination to keep public pay costs under control and contribute to continued low inflation in this country”.

However, the British Medical Association (BMA) said doctors should be recognised for working hard to deliver the biggest changes in NHS history.

A spokesperson said: "The BMA would urge the review body responsible for doctors' pay to recognise the enormous contribution that doctors are making to deliver far-reaching reforms across the NHS.

"The UK is critically short of doctors, and low morale may already lead many to consider retiring early.

"Capping doctors' pay will do nothing to help the NHS retain these doctors, or attract new students into medical careers”.

In its evidence to the Pay Review Body the BMA said doctors should get a pay rise of at least 4.5% to maintain a comparable position with other professions.

Josie Irwin, head of employment relations at the Royal College of Nursing, said a pay award based on the 2% inflation target would mean a real terms pay cut because costs such as council tax, mortgage interest and other housing costs would not be covered.

"We call on the Pay Review Body to maintain an even handed approach to evidence submitted by the parties and not to give the Chancellor's warning any greater weight than the evidence from staff organisations, which have highlighted the growing challenge, given an ageing workforce and global labour market, of retaining skilled health professionals”.

Gill Bellord, head of pay and negotiations for NHS Employers, said the organisation would be giving oral evidence to the Pay Review Body over the next week.

"Our written evidence, which was based on what employers have told us, has already stressed that pay increases for the NHS in 2006 must be affordable.

"NHS Employers will be asking the pay review bodies to recognise that the NHS is under some financial pressure and to pitch their recommendations accordingly”.


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Saturday, 03 December 2005 12:00
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
GOVERNMENT LAUNCH CHILD DISABILITY GUIDE
The Government has launched a new guide aimed at improving the care of children with disabilities.

The guide says too few areas are achieving the highest standards of education, health and social care.

The Government also say that services should also be better co-ordinated so children can live the fullest life possible.

Disability campaigners welcomed the guide saying that, although it does not change laws or policies, it did outline what best care should look like.

The guide includes ideas such as hospital discharge plans developed in consultation with parents and the allocation of a key worker to support parents and help them to co-ordinate their interaction with different professionals.

Launching the guide, Care Services Minister Liam Byrne said: "The most disabled children with the most complex needs are at the greatest risk of unequal treatment.

"Our ambition is to create a Britain of equal life chances and key to this is better healthcare for all our children, especially those with complex disabilities who need it most."

Lord Adonis, Schools Minister, at the Department for Education and Skills said: "To improve outcomes for disabled children we must change the way that services are delivered.

"Services must work together and be designed and delivered around the needs of the child and their family.

"The huge programme of change we are undertaking within children's services should make a significant difference to the life chances of children with complex disabilities”.

Christine Lenehan, director of the Council for Disabled Children said: "This is a step in the right direction. We haven't before had an outline of what the life of a child with complex needs should look like”.

She added: "It doesn't change a child's lifespan, or affect laws or policies - but it does give needed practical guidance”.


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Wednesday, 30 November 2005 11:06
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
TALLER CHILDREN HAVE HIGHER IQS
Researchers form the University of Bristol have discovered a link between a child’s IQ and the level of growth hormone circulating in their blood which they say explains why children who grow taller, grow smarter.

The findings could explain why some shorter children do poorly at school. Taller children often have higher IQs and short children treated with growth hormone have seen their IQs improve.

The researchers studied 547 children who completed an intelligence test at age eight and were then measured for levels of insulin growth factor (IGF) in their blood. Higher IGF levels were linked to higher IQs.

IGF is key to physical growth and organ development during childhood and levels are influenced by diet. Children who eat more dairy produce and drink more milk in early life have higher levels.
Professor David Gunnell, who led the study, said: "Poor foetal and post-natal growth are associated with impaired neurodevelopment. Low birthweight babies experience delays in reaching motor milestones and on average have slightly lower IQs than babies of normal weight."
"Short stature - a measure of poor post-natal growth and nutrition - is associated with low scores in tests of cognitive function and poor educational achievement.

"The findings are published in the US journal, Pediatrics.


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Wednesday, 30 November 2005 09:09
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
STUDENT DOCTORS PAINT BLEAK FUTURE
A survey by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the British Medical Association (BMA) claims that the doctors of the future fear that a loss of medical professionalism will lead to many medics leaving the job entirely.

The survey of more than 2,000 future doctors found that 80% felt that a decrease in medical professionalism would mean many more doctors leaving the profession.

It also found that trainees and students were worried that factors external to medicine were affecting the key values that support the doctor-patient relationship.

The main factors judged as having a detrimental effect on medical professionalism included the expectations of the public and politicians set in the context of limited financial resources.

Dr Declan Chard, chair of the RCP's trainees committee, said: "Junior doctors and medical students believe that professionalism is not optional but an essential part of being a doctor - it is at the core of our relationship with patients.

"Sadly many trainees believe that medical professionalism is being challenged to a degree that they may consider leaving medicine.

"Ultimately this will have a negative effect on patient care.

"If the NHS hopes to retain its doctors and fully support them in their work, it should more overtly value medical professionalism”.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The new junior doctors training programme Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is designed to raise the standards of training and improve the relationship between doctor and patient so that patients receive high quality care from skilled, professional, empathic doctors.

"The BMA and all relevant Royal Colleges were heavily involved in deciding the curriculum programme for MMC”.

She said patient safety and care was always top priority adding: "Although European Working Time Directive compliance is a local matter, we gave support through the Hospital at Night pilots which included good practice on shift and role design".

She said NHS funding had also improved and that targets were helping patients to get treatment faster.

Dr Chard said: "While MMC usefully addresses many training issues, it has not necessarily looked at the professional values that underpin medical practice".

"Also, trainees have a number of concerns about shift working patterns, introduced as a result of the EWTD. While shorter working hours allow doctors to be more refreshed and ready to work, patient care and training appears to be more fragmented”.

He said that continuity of care may have been compromised. "Through continuity of care, junior doctors gain valuable educational feedback, and I believe this encourages commitment to individual patients from admission to discharge”.

The survey results come ahead of a report on medical professionalism due to be published by the RCP next week.


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Monday, 28 November 2005 12:07
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
PHYSIOTHERAPY GRADUATES STRUGGLE FOR JOBS
A poll by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has revealed that more than half of this year’s physiotherapy graduates are still seeking an NHS job six months after graduating.

Of the 1,523 respondents, 805 had not secured their first job, despite the government’s wish to increase NHS physiotherapists by 60 per cent between 2000 and 2009.

Phil Gray, CSP chief executive, said: "After months of competing with hundreds of others for just a handful of junior posts, many graduates have had to put their physiotherapy aspirations on the backburner.

"We know of first-class graduates who are working in Tesco, Topshop and TSB just to make ends meet.

Mr Gray said that the agencies responsible for workforce planning had not made sufficient provision for the growing number of qualified physiotherapists, leading to a shortage of junior posts.

"It's shocking that a large pool of newly qualified physiotherapists are unable to get on the first rung of the career ladder, yet there are vacancies at senior level," he said.

"They desperately want to work for the NHS and spent years training at huge cost to the taxpayer."

"Junior physiotherapists undertake a high volume of routine work and without their contribution, patient care will suffer and waiting lists will extend.

"With Christmas approaching and a new batch of students graduating in the New Year, we face the very real possibility of losing physiotherapy talent and over £23m worth of public money to other industries. That would be an utter scandal."

Health Minister Lord Warner admitted some physiotherapists were having difficulty securing their first job but said that steps had been taken to tackle the problem.

"A clearing house for physiotherapy job vacancies will come on-line in early December.

"All graduates will be encouraged to register and all trusts to advertise their vacancies to ensure that where there are posts they are filled swiftly.

"There is no question of wasting taxpayers' money because we recognise physiotherapy graduates are a valuable resource for NHS patients."


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Monday, 28 November 2005 11:44
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
MORE DENTISTS TO QUIT NHS
The British Dental Association has warned that hundreds of dentists could be set to leave the NHS before a new contract is introduced next year because it will not allow them enough time to do preventative work.

The “drill and fill” culture has already caused many dentists to leave the NHS and the BDA has warned that dentists are so opposed to the new contract that, in some areas, up to three quarters are threatening to go private or take early retirement.

The new deal requires dentists to carry out 95 per cent of the courses of treatment they currently do to get the same money, which leaves little time for preventative treatment and oral health education.

The BDA's Lester Ellman said the contract was a move "back to the dark ages".

"Dentists feel very disappointed about the contract. It really is not going to make any difference to what we are doing now.

"I expect significant numbers will consider their positions in the next few months."

The vast majority of England’s 20,000 dentists do a mixture of NHS and private work but there has been a move towards more private work over the last 15 years, despite Tony Blair’s promise six years ago that everyone would have access to an NHS dentist within two years.

Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockcroft defended the new contract, saying: "These reforms will improve dental services for NHS patients, make NHS dentistry more attractive to dentists and promote a more preventive approach to improve oral health."


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Sunday, 27 November 2005 10:18
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
DOCTORS ARE TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO TALK TO MALE PATIENTS
Doctors are to be given training on how to talk to male patients in order to work out what is really wrong with them.

The Royal College of General Practitioners will send an educational package to doctors next year, advising on how to talk to men and spot signs of illness that they might not want to discuss.

Ian Banks, president of the Men's Health Forum and a former GP in Northern Ireland, said: "Men will often come into the surgery complaining about athlete's foot or a sore throat.

"But as they leave the office, they'll often say, "Oh, there's one more thing, doctor", and it turns out they've had a change in their bowel habit, which might actually be something serious. Women, on the other hand, tend to come straight to the point, and don't suffer the same embarrassment".

Peter Orten, professor of medical education at Bath University and also a GP who is helping to produce the package, said: "We are trying to understand how you can talk to men and take a medical history. If they are having a problem with their sex life, how do you initiate that discussion"?


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Saturday, 26 November 2005 10:19
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF LOVING BECOME ANTI-SOCIAL ADULTS
Psychologists have suggested that children who are deprived of a loving, trusting relationship in their early years are more likely to develop anti-social behaviour later in life.

A high incidence of vandalism and petty crime by anti-social youngsters has led to a raft of legislation and education initiatives in Scotland aiming at tackling the problem.

A paper presented at the British Psychological Society conference in Perth said policy-makers should be concentrating on stopping children developing personality disorders, rather than interventions later on.

Earlier studies in the United States found that an unhealthy mother-infant relationship, in which the mother finds it difficult to cuddle her child or communicate, led to aggressive behaviour in the early years and to anti-social behaviour later.

Dr Bjarne Holmes, a psychologist at Heriot Watt University, took part in a 21-year study of 70 mothers and their children carried out by Harvard Medical School. Half the mothers were identified by clinicians and psychologists as likely to have a problematic relationship with their children and the rest were from the same community but without any obvious problems.

They found that the children of mothers who were hostile and punitive showed problematic behaviour at the age of seven.

More recent studies found that, at 20, some 80 per cent of men and more than half of women in the group at risk of having unhealthy mother- infant relationships displayed anti-social behaviour or borderline personality disorders, compared to 41 per cent of males and 9 per cent of females in the other group.

Dr Holmes said: "One of the most fundamental and consistent findings is that a severely unhealthy mother-child relationship, particularly in the first 12 to 18 months of life, is a substantial risk factor for mental health problems in childhood and even in adolescence”.


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Thursday, 24 November 2005 10:23
BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
LAW CHANGE COULD STOP YOUNG PEOPLE SEEKING HELP
Doctors yesterday warned the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee that new laws to allow inspectors access to children's medical records without consent will erode the doctor/patient relationship and could have a drastic influence on whether young people report or seek help when they are at their most vulnerable.

This warning comes as the Scottish Executive is hoping to rush the Joint Inspection of Children’s Services and Inspection of Social Work Services (Scotland) Bill through the parliamentary process by the end of the year.

Speaking after his appearance before the Education Committee today, Dr David Love, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association's Scottish Council, said: "While the BMA supports the aims of the Scottish Executive to improve child protection services, these proposals go well beyond child protection issues and extend into services to children in general.

"We do not believe that allowing inspectors access to patient’s confidential medical records without consent for what is essentially an audit of past cases, is necessary.

"Rather than forcing doctors to break the bond of trust they have with their young patients, we would propose that consent is sought before accessing this sensitive data or, if this is not possible, that records must be anonymised.

"Without these safeguards, we are deeply concerned that this erosion of confidentiality for children and young people will mean that they are reluctant to come forward and seek health advice, treatment and support from their doctor at a time when they most need it.

"It is important to note that these proposals don’t just cover services to very young children, but would allow access without consent by an inspectorate to the medical records of young adults (i.e. 17 year olds).

"Allowing access to confidential patient records is a matter of public interest and we believe that the public, especially young people should have a say in this matter.

"It would be appropriate for the Scottish Executive to seek their views on whether the possibility of inspection teams gaining access to this information without their knowledge or consent, would deter then from accessing care before rushing this Bill through parliament."


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