NHS

Government ministers have unveiled measures that are being considered to further lower the number of smokers in the UK. Numbers have fallen 35% to 21% in the years from 2000, and the target by 2020 is 10%. Some measures being considered are the selling of cigarettes in unbranded packaging and a total ban on cigarette vending machines, witch is to be enforced in Scotland in 2011.

West Midland Ambulance, who supply the North Staffordshire area with it paramedic and hospital Transport service have reported more then 230 verbal and physical assaults on its staff. The last set of figures cover incidents recorded between 1st April and 30th of September 2009 and show a fall compared to the same period in 2008. Numbers have been made public as part of NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service Survey.

Three general wards at UHNS are currently closed to new admissions because of the prevalence of Norovirus and the hospital has today announced a second restriction on hospital visiting times.

Contributed Article By: Button1001

By Matt Taylor Now I know this is liable to cause some hilarity amongst those that know me better, amid slight concern from those who care...whilst relaxing on my recent break, I overdid things a tad more than usual.

Adult cardiac surgery survival rates have improved significantly in the United Kingdom since information on death rates have been made public. Research also suggests the the fear that surgeons would not offer to perform surgery on the more high risk patients were unfounded, as this kind of patient is now treated more and that the numbers empowered cardiac surgeons to take on more and more complicated cases. Data was based on 400,000 operations by the Society for Cardiotoracic Surgery. The su

Source: BBC Patients should be charged £20 to see a GP in a bid to limit demands placed on the health service, a centre-right think-tank says. The Social Market Foundation said forcing people to pay a fee for an appointment could help the NHS cope in the tight financial times ahead. The group said it would not breach the values of the NHS as charges already applied to dentistry and prescriptions But both the government and doctors said they were against such a move. The think-tank sai

Source: The Telegraph An NHS manager who was jailed for lying on his CV has landed another senior role in the NHS. Lee Whitehead was offered the £57,000-a-year service development manager role just months after he was released from prison. He was jailed for 12 weeks in January after admitting he lied about having a doctorate and master's degree to secure a job as director of planning and modernisation with another health care trust. But the 45-year-old father-of-two only served three wee