Health news 13th October 2011

[Northerner]

Behind the headlines: Could a pill cure type-2 diabetes?
A pill to 'cure' type-2 diabetes could soon be developed, according to newspaper reports. Researchers reversed glucose intolerance in mice by boosting levels of a naturally occurring metabolic chemical. The team from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis hope to launch a human study on the potential treatment soon. Dr Iain Frame, Diabetes UK Director of Research quoted.

http://www.gponline.com/News/article/1097873/behind-headlines-pill-cure-type-2-diabetes/

Patient care so bad it?s a crime
One in five hospitals is breaking the law in its level of neglect of the elderly, a damning report revealed yesterday. The Care Quality Commission found at least 20 hospitals where care was so poor that patients were denied ?the basics in life? ? eating, drinking and going to the toilet.

This was a fifth of the hospitals investigated by the Government watchdog. It warned that staff in some NHS trusts were ?putting paperwork over people?.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...t-elderly-ONE-FIFTH-hospitals-breaks-law.html

Andrew Lansley forced to assist struggling NHS trusts
Health secretary Andrew Lansley is to provide subsidies to keep essential services going in the health service, as the National Audit Office (NAO) warns that at least 20 NHS trusts are not "financially or clinically viable in their current form". The public spending watchdog points out that the government has challenged the NHS to find ?20bn in savings by March 2015 while hospitals work to achieve foundation trust status. Ensuring that the NHS becomes entirely composed of foundation trusts, charitable providers and private firms is key to Lansley's plans which envisage that hospitals will compete with each other for patients.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/13/andrew-lansley-struggling-nhs-trusts

More NHS competition 'would cut death rate'

Thousands may be dying unnecessarily because the NHS is "too centralised, overly?managed by politicians and too insulated from competition," a lobby group has claimed. Analysis of mortality figures by the TaxPayers' Alliance suggests that there were almost 12,000 extra deaths in Britain in 2008 compared with the average rates for several European countries. It said the underfunding was not the major factor in the country's health care failing to match up to the standards of Britain's neighbours.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8823053/More-NHS-competition-would-cut-death-rate.html

Gene therapy and stem cells unite

Two of the holy grails of medicine - stem cell technology and precision gene therapy - have been united for the first time in humans, say scientists. It means patients with a genetic disease could, one day, be treated with their own cells. A study in Nature corrected a mutation in stem cells made from a patient with a liver disease. Researchers said this was a "critical step" towards devising treatments, but safety tests were still needed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15272081

Want to cure that snack habit? Eat more protein as too little makes you hungry
Too little protein in your diet makes you feel hungry and reach for fattening snacks, an international study shows. Eating more than the average amount of foods such as meat, fish, eggs and nuts can stop you gaining two pounds a month. Researchers found that those whose meals were ten per cent protein consumed 260 more calories a day than those on 15 per cent protein.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...eight-eating-protein-little-makes-hungry.html

 

[Steff]

[COLOR
Patient care so bad it’s a crime
One in five hospitals is breaking the law in its level of neglect of the elderly, a damning report revealed yesterday. The Care Quality Commission found at least 20 hospitals where care was so poor that patients were denied ‘the basics in life’ – eating, drinking and going to the toilet.

This was a fifth of the hospitals investigated by the Government watchdog. It warned that staff in some NHS trusts were ‘putting paperwork over people’.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...t-elderly-ONE-FIFTH-hospitals-breaks-law.html



This is so shocking but not uncommon, I am so pleased my nan did not have to go into a care home her two sons chose to take care of her until the end, I know of course not all families are able to look after there elderley relatives that way and not all care homes are as atrocious as the ones mentioned in this report.That story about mrs Dawson was just hearbreaking

 

[cherrypie]

I think that a basic requisite for nursing is to treat others as you would like you and yours to be treated.

I had the misfortune to be in Hospital last year and was dependant on the nursing staff for basic care. I didn't have a wash for three days and the toilet facilities were such that a toilet was shared between 20 mixed sex patients. I had to be escorted there or face the indignity of a bed pan that was sometimes left at the side of my bed for several hours before it was emptied. I often had to wait at least 20 minutes before I could get a drink of water.

I was a nurse all my working life and cannot believe the standards that exist in some places today.

 

[imtrying]

shocking.

you'd like to think it was second nature or automatic to staff but clearly not. Do we think it's because they don't care? Or are over-worked?

 

[cherrypie]

Good article in the Telegraph today on this subject and the comments are well worth a read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...taff-should-have-respect-for-the-elderly.html