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Leading expert expresses concern about lack of research about home drinking

A leading expert on alcohol abuse has expressed concern about the lack of research about home drinking. Dr John Foster from the University of Greenwich is the first UK researcher to review all the research available about the drinking of alcohol by adults at home.

16 Mar 2012

Northern Ireland has higher survival rates for pancreatic cancer, leukaemia

The first audit of leukaemia treatment and survival in Northern Ireland by the Cancer Registry (NICR) at Queen's University Belfast has shown that survival rates for the disease here are at the highest levels since data collection began in 1993.

2 Mar 2012

HIV treatment to be extended to asylum seekers in UK

Now foreign nationals are to be offered free treatment for HIV under the NHS under plans backed by the government. Campaigners say the move in England will reduce the risk of Britons being infected and cut the costs of more expensive later treatment. Currently only British residents are eligible, which excludes migrants.

29 Feb 2012

Cancer survival rates on the rise in Northern Ireland

Despite the rising incidence of cancer in Northern Ireland, the number of people surviving the disease in the country is increasing significantly year on year.

29 Feb 2012

Doctors balloted on industrial action against pension rule modifications

Over 100,000 doctors in the UK are to be balloted on industrial action as the stand-off between the Government and the medical profession complicates further.

27 Feb 2012

Planned NHS reforms face opposition

According to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg the NHS reforms that have been chalked out must go ahead, despite fresh criticism from MPs. The Commons health select committee is expected to say that plans to scrap primary care trusts and other changes are hampering efforts to save billions.

23 Jan 2012

Doctors’ threaten strike for first time in 4 decades over pension cuts

Doctors’ dispute with the Government over planned changes to their pensions yesterday got worse after a British Medical Association survey showed almost two out of three would back some form of industrial action.

19 Jan 2012

Someone, somewhere may understand the government's plan for the NHS

Despite 25 years of experience researching health systems, including writing over 30 books and 500 academic papers, Professor Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine says he still can't understand the government's plan for the NHS.

18 Jan 2012

Study shows how new electronic medication management system reduces drug administration errors

Errors in administration of medication are a serious problem in long-term residential care. New research completed by the University of Warwick and the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) shows how a new electronic medication management system developed in the UK specifically for use in residential and nursing homes, has been shown to significantly reduce drug administration errors.

12 Jan 2012

Thousands of diabetes-related deaths could be avoided with better care: UK Report

According to a new report up to 24,000 diabetes-related deaths could be avoided in England each year, if patients and doctors better managed the condition. This is the first-ever audit of patient deaths from diabetes. It says that basic health checks, a good diet and regular medication could prevent most of the deaths.

15 Dec 2011

True impact of injuries in the UK higher than previously thought

Injuries in the UK are having a much greater impact on peoples' lives than previously estimated, a study has found.

7 Dec 2011

Institutional discrimination and people's attitudes affect disabled children

Many disabled children fail to reach their full potential because they continue to be marginalised in schools, health and social care, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

3 Dec 2011

Socioeconomic status may affect people's physical functioning

A new national study shows that wealthier Americans and those with private health insurance fare better than others on one important measure of health - and this health gap only grows wider as they age.

8 Nov 2011

Exercise programme prevents falls in people with Parkinson's

A study carried out by the Primary Care Research Group at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and NIHR PenCLAHRC, has analysed the results of an exercise programme to prevent falls in those with Parkinson's disease.

13 Oct 2011

Effects of hospital competition on quality of care questioned

More research is needed before conclusions can be drawn about the effect of recent reforms on hospital quality, let alone about the merits of the coalition government's proposals to extend competition, warn experts on bmj.com today.

11 Oct 2011

Many cancer survivors continue to have poorer health years after completion of treatment

Forty-five per cent of cancer survivors in Northern Ireland suffer from physical and mental health problems years after their treatment has finished, according to new research from Macmillan Cancer Support and Queen's University Belfast.

11 Oct 2011

Belfast Health, Social Care Trust license new meningitis test to HiberGene

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has licensed its novel rapid meningitis diagnostic test to HiberGene Diagnostics Ltd, an Irish start-up client company of NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at University College Dublin.

7 Oct 2011

Children of obese mothers more likely to have asthma or wheezing in their teenage years

The children of mothers who are overweight or obese when they become pregnant are more likely to have asthma or wheezing as teenagers according to a team of researchers including Swatee Patel from the University of Greenwich.

30 Sep 2011

Britain’s health workers urged to get flu shots to protect patients

Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is urging its staff to take their flu shots amid fresh warnings that low vaccination rates among health professionals could lead to vulnerable patients getting infected and dying. The NHS's employers, health trade unions and the Department of Health have launched a campaign to tackle low immunization rates among frontline staff such as doctors and nurses.

26 Sep 2011

Two reports reveal sad state of affairs in some UK hospitals

Nurses at some institutions are serving up people’s evening meals at 3pm – just because it is more convenient, inspectors found. And several hospitals do not have enough nurses on wards to feed or wash patients, or help move them to prevent bedsores. Nurses arrive unannounced at elderly patients’ bedsides and strap blood pressure monitors round their arms without telling them what they are doing.

16 Sep 2011