EU Medi Grid

Improving The Diagnosis, Classification And Coding Of Diabetes, UK

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 22:21:35 +0000

A new report, launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS Diabetes, aims to improve the diagnosis, classification and coding of diabetes. It provides advice and support to all clinicians involved in this often complex diagnostic challenge as well as providing free, downloadable practice audit tools to aid accurate diagnosis.

It outlines:

- The results of a systematic review examining existing evidence on misdiagnosis, misclassification and miscoding

50,000 UK hospital staff to lose jobs

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:30:14 +0000

Officials confirmed that 53,150 posts would be slashed across 155 hospital trusts, 126 primary care trusts, 23 ambulance trusts and 54 mental health trusts in England, as well as 15 Scottish trusts, nine Welsh trusts and six trusts in Northern Ireland, according to the most comprehensive survey of health cuts released as part of Freedom of Information requests.

Almost every trust in the UK admitted that they planned to dismiss staff over the next four years, with some losing up to one in five employees, according to the study.

The rise and rise of allergies

admin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:34:10 +0000

There is little doubt within the medical profession that the number of allergies in the UK is increasing.

Research published in 2007 showed the number of hospital admissions for food allergies had increased by 500% since 1990.

Meanwhile, cases of hay fever, asthma and eczema have been rising for three decades, meaning as many as one in three people are thought to be affected by an allergy at some point in their lives, according to the charity Allergy UK.

MSPs vote to axe NHS prescription charges in Scotland

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:42:03 +0000

MSPs have voted to scrap NHS prescription charges in Scotland, a key SNP pledge in the 2007 elections.

The Scottish government won the approval of Holyrood’s health committee to remove the current £3 charge.

A last-ditch Conservative and Lib Dem move to block the plan failed.

The price paid by patients for prescription medicine has been reduced each year since 2008 and the final vote will see charges removed on 1 April.

Mouse heart ‘re-grows when cut’, study shows

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:45:27 +0000

Scientists in the United States have found newborn mice can re-grow their own hearts.

The mice had a large chunk of their heart removed a day after birth, only for the heart to restore itself within three weeks.

Fish and amphibians are known to have the power to re-grow heart tissue, but the study in Science is the first time the process has been seen in mammals.

Mobile phones ‘affect the brain’

admin — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:58:28 +0000

A study by the National Institutes of Health in the US suggests that mobile phones could have an effect on the brain.

They reported higher sugar use in the brain, a sign of increased activity, after 50 minutes on the phone.

The research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said the clinical significance was unknown.

David Cameron orders probe into 1,200-deaths Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust hospital

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:06:32 +0000

The Government will finally grant a long-awaited public inquiry into a hospital where up to 1,200 patients needlessly died.

PM David Cameron has bowed to demands from relatives of those who died in the care of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust.

A full public inquiry could be announced as early as Wednesday and follows a damning report which said hospital bosses put savings and targets before care. A spokesman for the Department of Health said last night: “Any announcement will be made first to Parliament.” However, an independent inquiry by Robert Francis QC in February found the safety of sick and dying patients was “routinely neglected”.

Click here to read more

Quango and NHS staff given £37m in bonuses

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:04:17 +0000

Almost £37 million was paid out in bonuses to staff at quangos and in the NHS last year.

The Liberal Democrats said that answers to Freedom of Information requests showed £36.969m was paid out to public sector bodies in the 2008-09 financial year.

Of that, £26m was paid out in so-called “distinction awards” for senior NHS doctors. Scottish Water paid out almost £4.3m and the Scottish Prison Service £1.3m. Almost £1.9m went on core Scottish Government bonuses.

The Lib Dems called on the Scottish Government to get tough on bonuses during the economic crisis.

Click here to read more

Get the muscle gains you want – fast

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:30:03 +0000

Going to the gym can become quite a tedious task… particularly when you aren’t getting the results you want. So, how can you improve your workout to get the muscle gains you want… fast? It’s not actually as hard as you may think, and providing you put in the effort, you could see effects within four weeks.

First of all, think about how you’re lifting the weights themselves. Are you lifting them with rhythm, or are you simply jerking them up and down without any smooth movement? If you are doing the latter and not lifting weights in a rhythm, not only will you be preventing yourself from getting the results you are after, but you’ll be damaging your body too. However, if you simply slow down your reps and lift the weights more slowly and in a more controlled manner, you’ll find you feel much more resistance much sooner – which is exactly what you want when lifting weights – that way, you know you’re doing the right thing.

A simple tip to help you lift in a controlled manner is to count slowly while lifting. This will help you keep in time and under control. Lifting more slowly like this will help to tear more muscle tissues – which is exactly what you need to do in order to build muscle.

Secondly, think about the weights you are lifting/the exercises you are doing. Are you going into the gym and lifting any old weight you can find, or are you lifting weights under a strict workout plan. If you are doing the latter, you’re doing the right thing. Knowing what you’re doing when it comes to lifting weights is crucial, and if you just head into the gym and lift anything, you won’t be getting the results you want.

Finally, think about your diet. What are you eating that’s giving you energy for the gym and helping your muscles repair and grow at a faster, more efficient rate? If you aren’t sure of the answer, then the chances are, you won’t appreciate how important your diet is to getting the results you want in the gym.

Basically, when you work out, you are tearing your muscle tissues, and in order for them to repair and grow, you’ll have to feed them with ample amounts of protein. The best way to do this is to add a protein shake to your diet. Protein shakes are packed with high-quality protein… and this is exactly what your muscles need to repair and expand.

It is important that you find the best protein shake for you before you go out and buy one, so make sure you do your research. Figure out what you want to achieve, and then think about how much you want to spend and look around for the right protein shake for your needs.

For more information on protein shakes, and reviews on some of the best protein shakes on the market, such as Nutrisport 90+.

NHS spends £39m on National IT Programme lawyers

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:13:48 +0000

The NHS has spent over £39 million pounds on lawyers to support the National Programme for IT, which has so far lost half of its lead suppliers.

The troubled programme is over four years late and has seen two out of four main suppliers exit after tough contract negotiations.