The controversy over PIP breast implants shows no signs of abating though, over the weekend, the government tried to take a lead on the issue by running a national press campaign advising women on what to do if they had the implants.

As well as appearing in national newspapers and websites, the adverts will also appear in GP surgeries and other parts of the NHS, stressing that there is no need for the women to have the implants removed unless they are suffering pain or tenderness. It also emphasises that there is no link with cancer, despite eight French women who have the implants, having been diagnosed with the disease and it also says there is no evidence to show that there is an increased risk of harm from the PIP implants compared with other brands.

Women can find out whether they had PIP implants by checking their medical notes free of charge; those who had them on the NHS will be able to have the implants removed and replaced free of charge and will receive a letter within the next few weeks, while for those women whose private clinic refuses to pay for the treatment, they will be able to have the implants removed on the NHS but not replaced.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said that the ad campaign aimed to give women clear advice on what type of action they can take. He said that private companies should all provide the aftercare that their patients need and deserve and said it was not fair to the taxpayer or other NHS patients for the NHS to foot the bill.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/13/breast-implant-advertisement...

The Health Secretary is set to respond to fears that patient care is poor in many care homes and hospitals by announcing a series of spot checks.

Andrew Lansley is due to announce, in a major speech, that a programme of unannounced checks by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which took place over the summer, are to be extended and he will promise tough action in circumstances where they find the standard of care to be unacceptable. He will say: “Where there is great care, we will celebrate it. But whenever there are pockets of poor performance, we will root it out.”

He says that around 50 hospitals, 500 care homes and 150 centres for people with learning difficulties will face the checks and ministers have told the CQC to get tough with those who fail, with action possibly leading to the closure of services if necessary.

In the same speech the health secretary is expected to announce a new scheme to assist hospitals which are struggling financially with a bail-out for about 50 NHS trusts with fresh support for those trusts which are being faced with bills from private finance initiative (PFI) schemes. This help follows an audit, ordered by the Department of Health, into the finances of NHS trusts throughout the country.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8849566/Hospitals-face-spot...

New research has shown that doctors are too often failing to spot the side-effects of cancer treatment. The study, which was conducted by the government’s National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, shows that up to a quarter of those who have had treatment for cancer, are later diagnosed with another serious medical problem which has not been picked up by their GP.

It says that with about two million people in the UK having had some treatment for the disease, there will be up to half a million who will have suffered a debilitating side-effect, which includes osteoporosis, heart disease and bowel problems. A leading doctor has said that the research highlights a basic lack of knowledge about cancer as well as a lack of communication between GPs and hospital specialists.

Professor Jane Maher, medical director of Macmillan Cancer Support, said that patients were being put at risk through vital information not being communicated and the patient’s medical records not being marked clearly enough. As examples, she says that too many doctors are seemingly unaware that some forms of breast cancer can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, while a third of patients, who have treatment for cervical, bowel, prostate or bladder cancer are known to have later problems with their bowels or their urine function.

Professor Maher says that the survey shows that GPs are not recording whether a patient has had cancer treatment, partly because of a lack of communication with hospitals and also because they are failing to realise the importance of recording such information. An improved treatment summary is currently being trialled by the NHS and Macmillan which would see the oncologist explain more clearly the treatment and the risks associated with it.

Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/25/cancer-patients-side-effects-treatment

Five hospital patients have settled claims out of court which all related to hip and shoulder surgery conducted by the same surgeon.

The five men were all treated by Mr Manjit Bhamra who worked as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Rotherham General Hospital between 2005 and 2007 and who has since left the hospital.

The claims, against Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, total over £750,000 and lawyers representing the five men say that more patients may have been affected. One of the five, Wayne Pickering, had hip revision surgery in 2006 and alleges that during the procedure Mr Bhamra fractured his pelvis and damaged his sciatic nerve.

Mr Pickering’s representatives say that the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has accepted liability for the negligent surgery and that the settlement received by Mr Pickering will cover his ongoing care and rehabilitation costs as well as his lost earnings.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/regional-news/payouts_agreed_for_surgeon_errors_1_3656261

A new drug has been launched, which will give hope to the 2,500 children in the UK who suffer from severe arthritis.

Systemic juvenile arthritis, which can affect children as young as 18 months, can last into adulthood and can cause death from heart failure if not treated. However in tests two-thirds of youngsters with the disease, who took the drug tocizilumab, were able to return to a normal life.

The trial involved 112 children and showed that after three months treatment with the drug almost three-quarters had shown a 70% improvement in their condition, while after a year two-thirds were able to show a 90% improvement. The emergence of the new drug gives hope to all sufferers of the condition who previously had to rely on anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids, which had significant side effects and were often ineffective at slowing down the progression of the disease.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool has treated 12 children with tocizilumab and all have made a good recovery. Dr Eileen Baildam, consultant paediatric rheumatologist at the hospital said: “I hope and expect it will be approved and I think it should be given to children as soon as they are diagnosed to limit the disability caused by this dreadful disease.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2026135/Tocizilumab-Arthritis-drug-allows-bedridden-children-return-normal-life.html

The widow of a man who died after he was given painkillers six times more powerful than the ones he was prescribed, has said that she is to sue for compensation.

Eileen Bradford-Fawson, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, blames surgery and pharmacy staff for a “catalogue of medical negligence errors” that led to her husband, John’s death. An inquest heard that a doctor had prescribed 60 x 10mg of morphine sulphate tablets for pain relief but a dispenser, Lynn Coddington, had handed out a box clearly marked 10 x 60mg.

A barcode system failed to pick up the error and a community nurse, who visited the couple’s home, also said that it was the correct prescription. Eileen gave her husband one of the pills and he died three days later in hospital without regaining consciousness.

The coroner at Spalding Magistrates Court, Maureen Taylor, recorded a verdict of death by natural causes but Eileen said that she cannot accept the verdict and is to take legal action. The surgery has said that it has changed its procedures for dispensing controlled drugs since the death of Mr Bradford-Fawson.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014204/Grandfather-dies-GP-surgery-hands-morphine-pills-SIX-times-stronger-normal-dosage.html