24/02/2012NICE publishes 'patient standard' to try and prevent neglect in NHS hospitalsAfter significant failings of care in a range of NHS hospitals, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a new ‘patient standard’ to encourage doctors and nurses to treat...
24/02/2012Young, female cancer patients from an ethnic minority face a longer diagnosis from their GPA new study has shown that cancer patients who are young, female or from an ethnic minority face a longer wait to be diagnosed and referred to a cancer specialist. Data from the 2010 National Cancer Patient...
24/02/2012Scientists identify a new gene that increases the risk of breast cancerScientists have identified a new gene mutation that may increase the risk of breast cancer . The two well-known genes that increase the risk of breast cancer are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. It has been known...
23/02/2012Britain's obesity crisis- NHS weight loss operations rise by 12 per cent in a yearA new report shows that the number of weight loss operations performed on the NHS in England has risen by 12 per cent in a year. A report from the NHS Information Centre revealed that 8,087 weight-loss...
23/02/2012GPs being paid millions to treat 'ghost' NHS patients, and the taxpayer foots the billGPs are being paid millions of pounds to treat an estimated 2.5 million patients who do not exist, costing the NHS an addition £162 million a year. Taxpayers are paying GPs to treat patients who do not...
23/02/2012European approval recommended for new skin cancer drug Zelboraf after doubling survival timeA new treatment for skin cancer that almost doubles survival time will soon be available for patients with private medical insurance . New skin cancer treatment could almost double survival time ...
22/02/2012NICE has promised to stop the blacklisting of drugs causing NHS postcode lotteryThe National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has promised to stop the blacklisting of drugs on the NHS because of cost. Last November we reported that GPs were being told not to prescribe...
22/02/2012Smartphone apps to be prescribed by GPs to help patients keep track of their healthGPs will soon prescribe smartphone apps to help patients keep a check on their health, according to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. In August 2011, the Department of Health sent out an invitation for ideas...
22/02/2012Caprelsa, new cancer drug for thyroid cancer, approved for use in EuropeThe European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for a new thyroid cancer pill called Caprelsa. Thyroid cancer is one of the rarer types of cancer, accounting for only 1 per cent of all cancer...
21/02/2012New device for trapping blood clots in stroke victims successfully trialled in the USA new device that traps blood clots in stroke victims and removes them from the brain has been successfully trialled in the US. There are two types of strokes, ischaemic strokes and haemorrhagic strokes. It...