Watch Online Movie - WatchOnlineMovie.co.uk |
- 3D printing used for stem cells
- Genetic patch ‘stops deafness’
- Sunshine may ‘reduce arthritis risk’
- Cardiac guidelines ‘not endorsed’
- Sperm count ‘linked to TV viewing’
- NHS trust tricked in email scam
- Pollution linked to low birth weight
- Warning over NHS doctors’ contracts
- Obesity ‘leads to lack of vitamin D’
- NHS cover-ups ‘should be a crime’
| 3D printing used for stem cells Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:23 PM PST 3D printing used for stem cells : Human Health & Science
4 February 2013 Last updated at 20:05 ET A 3D printing technique that produces clusters of stem cells could speed up progress towards creating artificial organs, Edinburgh scientists have claimed. In the more immediate future it could be used to generate biopsy-like tissue samples for drug testing. The technique relies on an adjustable “microvalve” to build up layers of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). It has been developed by scientists at Heriot Watt University. Those involved in the research said it could pave the way for specially created organs, which might eliminate the need for organ donation. 3D printing technology has been increasingly used in numerous industries, ranging from creating clothes, architectural models and even chocolate treats. Scientists have long been experimenting with the 3D printing of cells and blood vessels, building up tissue structure layer by layer with artificial cells. Dr Will Shu, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, said: “We found that the valve-based printing is gentle enough to maintain high stem cell viability, accurate enough to produce spheroids of uniform size, and most importantly, the printed hESCs maintained their pluripotency – the ability to differentiate into any other cell type.” Animal-free testing Embryonic stem cells, which originate from early stage embryos, are blank slates with the potential to become any type of tissue in the body. 1 "
In the long term, the new printing technique could pave the way for hESCs being incorporated into transplant-ready laboratory-made organs and tissues, said the researchers. The 3D structures will also enable scientists to create more accurate human tissue models for drug testing. Cloning technology can produce embryonic stem cells, or cells with ESC properties, containing a patient’s own genetic programming. Artificial tissue and organs made from the cells could be implanted into the patient from which they are derived without triggering a dangerous immune response. Jason King, business development manager of stem cell biotech company Roslin Cellab, which took part in the research, said: “Normally laboratory grown cells grow in 2D but some cell types have been printed in 3D. “However, up to now, human stem cell cultures have been too sensitive to manipulate in this way. “This is a scientific development which we hope and believe will have immensely valuable long-term implications for reliable, animal-free, drug testing, and, in the longer term, to provide organs for transplant on demand, without the need for donation and without the problems of immune suppression and potential organ rejection.” The research is published in the journal Biofabrication. References
|
| Genetic patch ‘stops deafness’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:18 PM PST Genetic patch ‘stops deafness’ : Human Health & Science
4 February 2013 Last updated at 21:33 ET A tiny “genetic patch” can be used to prevent a form of deafness which runs in families, according to animal tests. Patients with Usher syndrome have defective sections of their genetic code which cause problems with hearing, sight and balance. A study, published in the journal Nature Medicine 1 , showed the same defects could be corrected in mice to restore some hearing. Experts said it was an “encouraging” start. There are many types of Usher syndrome tied to different errors in a patient’s DNA – the blueprint for building every component of the body. One of those mutations runs in families descended from French settlers in North America. When they try to build a protein called harmonin, which is needed to form the tiny hairs in the ear that detect sound, they do not finish the job. It results in hearing loss at birth and has a similar effect in the eye where it causes a gradual loss of vision. Patch Scientists at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, in Chicago in the US, designed a small strip of genetic material which attaches to the mutation and keeps the body’s factories building the protein. 2 Analysis: A spectacular year
There has been something of a flurry of developments in restoring hearing in the past year. It suggests the future of hearing loss may be more than just hearing aids and cochlear implants. Stem cells restored hearing 3 in deaf gerbils, a drug could produce new sound sensing hairs 4 in mouse ears, a genetically modified virus 5 led to deaf mice recovering some hearing and now a genetic patch has done the same. Far more research will be needed if any of these are to be adapted for people. However, they represent a series of landmark moments in attempts to cure deafness. Prof Michelle Hastings said: “Humans are going to be the next hurdle, but it looks really promising.”
When mice with Usher syndrome were injected with the “genetic patch” they grew up able to hear and had no balance problems. For the first couple of months their hearing was close to normal in the lower frequencies, but had started to deteriorate by six months. One of the researchers Michelle Hastings, assistant professor at Rosalind Franklin University, told the BBC: “It was a surprising result that we could treat mice right after they are born and have such a profound effect.” The treatment had to be given early, within the first 10 to 13 days of life. The researchers do not know if this is because the patch needs to be in place during early development in order to make a difference or if the patch struggles to make it into the inner ear beyond a certain point. This could raise problems in designing a similar treatment in people. Humans spend far longer in the womb than mice meaning any treatment might need to be given before a baby is born. Dr Ralph Holme, head of biomedical research at Action on Hearing Loss, said: “It is encouraging that researchers have been able to rescue hearing using an approach which targeted a specific type of inherited deafness. “More research is now needed to understand how this new therapy could be used to treat this particular type of Usher Syndrome in humans and discover whether vision can also be rescued.” References
|
| Sunshine may ‘reduce arthritis risk’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:14 PM PST Sunshine may ‘reduce arthritis risk’ : Human Health & Science
4 February 2013 Last updated at 21:34 ET Living in a sunnier climate may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to US researchers. Their study of more than 200,000 women, published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 1 , suggested a link between sunlight and the risk of developing the disease. They speculated that vitamin D, which is produced in sunlight, may protect the body. Experts warned that people should not spend all day in the sun. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body’s own immune system attacking the joints and it can be intensely painful. It is more common in women, but the reason why a patient’s own defences turn against them is unknown. Sunny side Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed two groups of more than 100,000 women. The first were monitored from 1976 onwards, the second from 1989. Their health was then compared with estimates of the levels of UV-B radiation they were exposed to, based on where they lived. In the 1976 group, those in the sunniest parts of the US getting the highest levels of sunshine were 21% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those getting the least UV radiation. 2 "
However, UV levels had no affect upon the risk of rheumatoid arthritis is the 1989 group. The report’s authors said: “Our study adds to the growing evidence that exposure to UV-B light is associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.” They suggested that “differences in sun protective behaviours, eg greater use of sun block” could explain why the younger group of women showed no benefit from living in sunnier climes. One theory is that difference in levels of vitamin D, which is produced when UV radiation hits the skin, could affect the odds of developing the disease. Low levels of vitamin D have already been implicated other immune system disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Dr Chris Deighton, the president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said it was an “interesting study” which “gives us more clues” about how the environment can affect the chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis. He added: “We cannot advocate everybody sitting in the sunshine all day to protect from rheumatoid arthritis, because UV-B burns people and increases the risk of skin cancer. “The treatment options in rheumatology have transformed the lives of patients with this crippling disease in recent years and anything that adds to our knowledge is welcomed.” Sunshine vitamin Prof Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said: “Studies that have been undertaken have not shown, thus far, that vitamin D is a useful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. “We know that many people with arthritis have low levels of vitamin D and this can have a powerful effect on the types of immune cells which may cause this condition. “We’re currently doing research to find out how this happens and are performing lab studies to find out whether vitamin D can alter the aggressive immune response found in rheumatoid arthritis and turn it into a less harmful or even a protective one. “In the meantime, until we know more, the best thing that people can do is to go out in the sunshine for up to 15 minutes in the summer months and expose their face and arms to the sun to top up their vitamin D levels.” References
|
| Cardiac guidelines ‘not endorsed’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:09 PM PST Cardiac guidelines ‘not endorsed’ : Human Health & Science
5 February 2013 Last updated at 06:55 ET The guidelines used to assess children’s cardiac services in NI were not endorsed by local professional medical bodies, it has emerged. The assessment has led to the future of cardiac services at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children being placed under threat. A national review of children’s cardiac services began in 2011. However, NI Health Minister, Edwin Poots, announced a separate one for Northern Ireland last July. The service, the only one available to families in Northern Ireland, was assessed against the “safe and sustainable guidelines” used to assess units in England and Wales. While the local consultation paper states that those guidelines were endorsed by the relevant professional medical bodies in the UK, it has emerged those organisations believed that Northern Ireland was being treated as a separate case. Last August, the review team concluded that while the service was safe, it was not sustainable. As a result, the Health and Social Care Board carried out its own consultation on how best to cater for these children. Sarah Quinlan, of the Children’s Heartbeat Trust, told the BBC that the families involved were disappointed at this latest development. “Last year, we wrote to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of Surgeons and several other professional bodies,” she said. “All confirmed that the guidelines are not endorsed as best practice in Northern Ireland, and that support given for the guidelines was for England and Wales only.” ‘Seriously flawed’ If that’s the case, the guidelines are seriously flawed. In letters seen by the BBC, Dr Hilary Cass of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health wrote: “As you rightly point out, these were originally drawn up for England and Wales only. “Clearly their application in Northern Ireland would have to be considered in the light of practicalities related to geography and population, and recommendations of the Compton Report on remaining paediatric services, which will have implications for specialist service inter-dependency. ” The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery said: “Our comments have always been based upon the fact that it is directed at implementation within England and Wales. I have not made any comments nor has our executive on its application to Northern Ireland or Scotland. “I can assure you our endorsement as a society applies to England and Wales.” Two surgeons perform around 90 operations in Belfast a year – a number which the review team found “unsustainable”. However, a further 50 cases are sent elsewhere. Around 400 operations is the preferred figure. As part of the consultation six options are being looked at. The service most favoured by the families is to keep the surgery in Belfast as it is. The other options include sending children to England. However, another option includes an all-Ireland service. The BBC understands that the Health Minister, Edwin Poots, has instructed officials to work closely with counterparts in the Republic to find a solution. Mr Poots previously said: “Certainly that fact that the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has moved away from the Kennedy recommendations probably makes it easier for me to arrive at the conclusions that perhaps the parents would be supporting.” Decision A spokesperson for the Health and Social care board said that, at the minister’s request, a working group was established to develop a framework for the commissioning of services for children here who require cardiac surgery or interventional cardiology procedures. “The working group drew on standards developed through the Safe and Sustainable process, but amended the standards to reflect the specific needs of the Northern Ireland population,” they said. “When the framework has been agreed by the minister, it will then be applied to each of the options outlined in the post consultation document, with the aim of identifying a preferred way forward for the provision of services for children with heart disease in Northern Ireland. “The minister is expected to make a decision regarding the future service provision for children with heart disease within coming months.” Meanwhile the Safe and Sustainable programme director, Jeremy Glyde, told the BBC that despite being invited to join the steering group as an observer, no-one from Northern Ireland took up the invitation. “A representative from Northern Ireland was invited to join the Safe and Sustainable steering group as an observer,” he said. “The review of children’s heart services carried out in Northern Ireland is separate to the Safe and Sustainable review of children’s heart services in England. “Commissioning in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland.” |
| Sperm count ‘linked to TV viewing’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:04 PM PST Sperm count ‘linked to TV viewing’ : Human Health & Science
4 February 2013 Last updated at 21:42 ET Men who do little exercise and spend much of their spare time watching TV have lower sperm counts than more active men, a study suggests. Clocking up 20 hours a week of TV time appears to be detrimental, the US authors from Harvard say in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Yet 15 hours or more of exercise a week boosts semen quality, according to the results in nearly 200 college students. The researchers said more studies were needed to explore the possible causes. And some experts say men wanting to conceive need to be selective about the sport they do as some types may harm sperm. Too much time riding a bike or doing long-distance running in tight clothing may not be good, other studies suggest. 1 "
Similarly, wearing tight underwear rather than boxer shorts has been linked with lower sperm levels. Sedentary lifestyle In the latest study, the researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health asked 189 young men who were students at a university in New York to record how many hours they had been spending doing physical activity and watching TV in a typical week. The volunteers, all aged between 18 and 22, were also asked to provide a sperm sample for lab analysis. When the researchers compared the survey findings with the sperm test results they found the link between sedentary lifestyle and low sperm count. Men who were the most physically active, doing 15 hours or more of moderate to vigorous exercise each week by playing football, baseball or basketball for example, had sperm counts which were 73% higher than those who were least physically active. Those who spent lots of time watching TV or DVDs – at least 20 hours a week – had a sperm count that was 44% lower than men who spent little time in front of the box. None of the men had sperm counts so low that doctors would classify them as sub-fertile. Sperm motility (how well it swims) and shape were unaffected. Warm lap The researchers say their findings are not conclusive but suggest that men who want to improve their fertility might want to look at increasing the amount of physical exercise they do if they currently do little. It is not clear why sitting on the sofa watching TV might lower sperm count. It might be down to temperature – sperm prefer cooler conditions and production halts if the scrotum gets too hot. Obesity may also affect fertility – although most of the men were not overweight. Dr Audrey Jane Gaskins and colleagues say more studies are needed to confirm and explore the possible causes behind their findings. Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: “It remains to be seen if coaxing a TV-watching couch potato into doing some regular exercise could actually improve his sperm count. Or whether there exists an unknown fundamental difference between men who like exercise and those who do not which might account for the findings. “This should be a relatively easy study to perform, but before all worried men hunt for their sports bag it’s important to note that other research suggests that doing too much exercise can be harmful to sperm production. “My advice would be everything in moderation – and that includes time in the gym as well as watching TV.” References
|
| NHS trust tricked in email scam Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:59 PM PST NHS trust tricked in email scam : Human Health & Science
5 February 2013 Last updated at 15:35 ET Rotherham NHS Trust in South Yorkshire has admitted it lost more than £680,000 in an email fraud. Peter Lee, chairman of the trust’s board of directors, said it was trying to recover the money which he claimed was lost in a “sophisticated scam.” The announcement comes the day after the trust said it was appointing management consultants in an attempt to deal with its financial problems. The trust needs to save £50m by 2015. Mr Lee said the fraudsters were based overseas, but refused to give any details of the scam due to what he said was possible legal action. He said: “The trust has its own systems and protection to protect it from this very type of scam. “Unfortunately, it was a very, very sophisticated scam and we did lose funds last year.” ‘Very concerned’ Mr Lee also defended the introduction of specialist health management firm Bolt Partners “to lead the recovery and restructure of the trust”. US healthcare consultant Michael Morgan has been appointed interim chief executive of the trust as part of the deal. “I can’t say that with public funds it doesn’t matter what it costs,” said Mr Lee. “We are very concerned to get the best people to fix what we need fixing in Rotherham. “The executive have to run the hospital, provide the services in the hospital and the community. “We need to have people running alongside who can create the recovery plan that we have to create not only to satisfy the trust but also our regulator.” Pam Johnson, Unison union head of health for Yorkshire and Humberside, said she was concerned about the lack of transparency over the appointment of the consultancy firm. She said: “There are lots of questions to be asked yet about what that is costing and where the money is coming from.” |
| Pollution linked to low birth weight Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:53 PM PST Pollution linked to low birth weight : Human Health & Science
5 February 2013 Last updated at 20:46 ET Pregnant women who live in areas with significant air pollution risk having babies of low birth weight, the largest study to date suggests. The study, in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at more than three million births in nine nations. The effect was small and individuals should not be alarmed, but there was a notable impact on the population as a whole, the researchers said. Low birth weight babies have a higher risk of health problems and death. The majority survive but have an increased risk of developing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease as adults. The International Collaboration on Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes (ICAPPO), by Prof Tracey Woodruff and colleagues at the University California, San Francisco, focused on airborne particulate matter small enough to penetrate the human respiratory tract. 1 "
The findings indicated the relationship between birth weight and pollution was dose related – the higher the exposure, the lower the average birth weight. Prof Woodruff said: “What’s significant is that these are air pollution levels to which practically everyone in the world is commonly exposed.” Prof Kevin McConway, a statistician at the Open University said, based on the findings, if Newcastle were to halve its current particulate air pollution level it would lead to two or three fewer low weight babies out of the total 3,500 or so born in the city each year. He said: “That sort of reduction might well be worth having, but it’s not something that pregnant mothers should lose sleep over, I’d say.” Dr Tony Fletcher, senior lecturer in Environmental Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “The study is of excellent quality and the conclusions are clear. While the average effect on each baby is small and so should not alarm individual prospective parents, for the whole population these small risks add up across millions of people.” The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said even though air quality in the UK is “generally good, more needs to be done, especially in the cities, to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution”. References
|
| Warning over NHS doctors’ contracts Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:49 PM PST Warning over NHS doctors’ contracts : Human Health & Science
5 February 2013 Last updated at 21:25 ET The NHS must manage its consultants better to secure improvements linked to a sharp rise in their pay a decade ago, the National Audit Office has said. Pay for senior consultants rose by a maximum of 28% after changes in 2003 designed to lift productivity and career development, the watchdog said. While there had been benefits, it said value for money could still be boosted and performance assessed more widely. Ministers said discussions were under way on possible changes. The watchdog’s report analyses the impact of the contract, negotiated by the then Labour government in 2003, which was designed to provide a more defined career structure and reward consultants who made the biggest contribution to the NHS. The package was approved by senior hospital doctors in England after a ballot in 2004 and about 97% of the 40,000 consultants now working in the health service are still employed under its terms. ‘Clinical goals’ The new arrangements led to a 28% increase in the maximum pay for senior consultants from £68,505 to £88,010 while the lower end of the pay band increased by 24% from £52,640 to £65,035. Average earnings by consultant rose by 12% in real terms in the year after the contract was introduced. 1
The watchdog said desired gains in productivity and performance connected to the pay rise had either been fully or partly achieved. The amount of private work being taken on had not increased, it found, the rate of decline in productivity had slowed, the ratio of full-time consultants to total staff in the NHS had risen and pay rises not linked to performance had slowed. But the watchdog said the anticipated benefits had yet to be “fully realised”, with most trusts continuing to pay consultants for additional non-contractual work on the basis of locally agreed rates – ranging from £48 to £200 an hour – rather than the “clear structure” set out in the contract. ‘Fair rewards’ It also found that nearly a fifth of consultants had not had an appraisal in the past year while 41% of NHS trusts believed the information obtained was good enough to assess individuals’ performance. “Given the size of the pay increase given to consultants under the 2003 contract, it is reasonable to expect trusts to have made progress in improving how consultants are managed and realising the expected benefits of the contract,” its head Amyas Morse said. “Trusts need to get consultants strongly involved in achieving the trusts’ objectives as well as their own clinical goals.” Health Minister Dan Poulter said junior doctors and consultants needed the right training and appropriate rewards to look after patients. “Medical contracts need to reward doctors fairly and support high quality training – change in this area is long overdue,” he said. “That is why we announced last month we are starting discussions on changes to the consultant contract and clinical excellence awards, so we get the best value from the £5.5bn spent on consultant pay every year.” References
|
| Obesity ‘leads to lack of vitamin D’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:44 PM PST Obesity ‘leads to lack of vitamin D’ : Human Health & Science
5 February 2013 Last updated at 20:45 ET Obesity can lower vitamin D levels in the body, a study suggests. The report, in the journal PLOS Medicine, analysed genetic data from 21 studies – a total of 42,000 people. It found every 10% rise in body mass index (BMI) – used as an indicator of body fat – led to a 4% drop of available vitamin D in the body. As vitamin D is stored in fatty tissue, the authors suggest the larger storage capacity in obese people may prevent it from circulating in the bloodstream. BMI it is calculated by taking weight (in kilograms) and dividing it by height (in metres) squared. Those with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. Lead author Dr Elina Hypponen, from the University College London Institute of Child Health, said the study “highlights the importance of monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency in people who are overweight or obese”. Vitamin D is made in the skin after sun exposure and can be taken in dietary supplements. Healthy levels are about 50 nanomole per litre – less than 30 nanomole per litre can cause the softening and weakening of bones, leading to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Prof David Haslam, from the National Obesity Forum, said: “Food intake and genetics all play a part in obesity – but this research is a reminder that physical activity, like walking the dog or going for a run out in the sunshine, shouldn’t be forgotten and can help correct both weight and lack of vitamin D.” |
| NHS cover-ups ‘should be a crime’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:24 PM PST NHS cover-ups ‘should be a crime’ : Human Health & Science
6 February 2013 Last updated at 08:08 ET
 Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
“A story of appalling suffering”: Watch Robert Francis QC’s statement in full
NHS staff should face prosecution if they are not open and honest about mistakes, according to a public inquiry into failings at Stafford Hospital. Years of abuse and neglect at the hospital led to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of patients. But inquiry chairman, Robert Francis QC, said the failings went right to the top of the health service. He made 290 recommendations, saying “fundamental change” was needed to prevent the public losing confidence. His report comes after the families of victims have voiced anger that no-one has been sufficiently punished for their roles. Senior managers were able to leave the trust with little sanction, while most doctors and nurses involved have escaped censure from their professional regulators. Responding in the House of Commons, Prime Minister David Cameron apologised to the families of patients. He said he was “truly sorry” for what happened at Stafford Hospital, which was “not just wrong, it was truly dreadful” and the government needed to “purge” a culture of complacency. Mr Cameron said a full response to the inquiry would follow next month, but he did immediately announce that a new post of chief inspector of hospitals would be created in the autumn. Previous investigations have already established in harrowing detail the abuse and neglect from 2005 to 2008. This inquiry looked at why the system did not prevent the problems or at the very lest detect them earlier. 1 The Mid Staffs public inquiry
In particular, it recommended:
‘Remote’ While it is well-known the trust management ignored patients’ complaints, local GPs and MPs also failed to speak up for them, the inquiry said. The local primary care trust and regional health authority were too quick to trust the hospital’s management and national regulators were not challenging enough. Meanwhile, the Royal College of Nursing was highlighted for not doing enough to support its members who were trying to raise concerns. The Department of Health was also criticised for being too “remote” and embarking on “counterproductive” reorganisations. The report said the failings created a culture where the patient was not put first. 2 "
But the inquiry said the change needed did not require further reform. Instead, it urged everyone from “porters and cleaners to the secretary of state” to work together to shift the culture and adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to poor care. Mr Francis said: “This is a story of appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people. “They were failed by a system which ignored the warning signs and put corporate self-interest and cost control ahead of patients and their safety.” He said the public’s trust in the NHS had been “betrayed” and a change of culture was needed to “make sure that patients come first”. Target driven The “appalling” levels of care that led to needless deaths have already been well documented by a 2009 report by the Healthcare Commission 3 and an independent inquiry in 2010 4 , which was also chaired by Mr Francis. They both criticised the cost-cutting and target-chasing culture that had developed at the Mid Staffordshire Trust, which ran the hospital. 5 Time to care?
James Moore, who has left the NHS after working in A&E for 15 years, said reports of abuse made him “ashamed to be a nurse”. He blamed poor management rather than nurses no longer caring. He drew parallels with being a waitress: “The restaurant gets busier, the waitress works harder and harder with the same resources and things start getting missed, she drops a meal here or there and people don’t get their food on time and complaints are made”. Instead of dealing with the workload he said managers made the problem worse: “They’ll ask the waitress to fill out more forms to tick that she’s done certain things, then the restaurant gets busier and busier and the nurse has more and more forms to fill out.”
Receptionists were left to decide which patients to treat, inexperienced doctors were put in charge of critically ill patients and nurses were not trained how to use vital equipment. Cases have also been documented of patients left crying out for help because they did not get pain relief and food and drinks being left out of reach. Data shows there were between 400 and 1,200 more deaths than would have been expected between 2005 and 2008, although it is impossible to say all of these patients would have survived if they had received better treatment. Royal College of Nursing general secretary Peter Carter described it as a “powerful and monumental” report. He said: “We welcome moves for overarching standards which enshrine what patients deserve from the NHS and from those who work for it. “Appalling care cannot be tolerated and everything should be done to ensure that it does not happen again.” But campaigner Julie Bailey who’s mother, Bella, died in 2007 at Stafford Hospital prompting her to set up Cure the NHS, which had been instrumental in pushing for the public inquiry, called for resignations. “We’ve lost hundreds of lives in the NHS and we want accountability. “We owe that to our society and to the deaths and the respect of all the loved ones that we have lost. “We will go nowhere until we get accountability.” Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients Association, said the report was a “watershed moment” for the health service. She said: “It is clear that he Mr Francis has understood some of the very real failings that patients and their families face day in and day out. “It is clear from the report that there is a lot of blame to go around for what happened in Stafford. Unfortunately too many people have escaped genuine accountability.” BBC West Midlands special investigation, The Hospital That Didn’t Care, on BBC One at 10.35pm on Wednesday, 6 February. References
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Human Health and Science To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
