December 2003

I have recently been diagnosed as suffering from slight tendonitis in my upper arm. The leaflet accompanying my prescription painkillers warns that possible side-effects might include:

Blood disorders, bronchospasms, chest pain, congestive heart failure, constipation, diarrhoea, dizziness, double vision, drowsiness, faintness, fits, fluid retention, giddiness, hair loss, headaches, hearing loss, heartburn, hepatitis, hypertension, hypotension, impotence, inflammation of the colon, inflammation of the pancreas, inflammation of the tongue, jaundice, loss of appetite, loss of memory, mood changes, mouth ulcers, nightmares, palpitations, pneumonitis, skin rashes, sleeplessness, stiff neck, stomach ulcers, swollen ankles, tinnitus, vasculitis and vertigo.

Still at least my arm should get better.

I have the honour to remain

(For the time being anyway)

Letter to The Times – December 30th 2003

A Fishponds GP is calling on the Government to improve health care for asylum seekers in Bristol. Dr Simon Atkins, based at Fishponds Health Centre, says that asylum seekers are being let down by a system which fails to cater for their health needs. He believes that funds should be set aside for this work rather than coming from the already overstretched budgets of local primary care trusts.

Public health doctors in Bristol are urging vulnerable people, who haven’t yet had a ‘flu jab, to contact their local surgery for a vaccination. Dr Sarangi said – "It is not too late to have a vaccination to prevent ‘flu…"

Professor Alastair Campbell, Professor of Medical Ethics in the University of Bristol, has said that the trade in human body parts is wrong. His remarks were made following the proposal that an ethical and regulated market could be established.

A study commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer of Health has compared 9 English regions across a number of key public health indicators. Life expectancy in the South West is the highest in the country for women at 81.5 years and equal highest for men at 76.8 years.

Patients in Bristol who dial 999 for an ambulance could soon be treated in their own homes by a team of super-para medics. A year long research project is due to start in the New Year to determine which procedures would be appropriate. The sum of £25,000 is being allocated for the work.

John Reid, Health Minister, plans to increase choice in the NHS for those who are dying. He has announced an additional £12 million to train staff who work with terminally ill people so that more patients can choose whether to die at home, in hospital, or in a hospice.

Bristol NHS Primary Care Trust wants to demolish Fishponds Health Centre and build a larger centre with a car park. The plan is set to be approved.

Professor Ken Fox, of the University of Bristol, made a plea for people to take more exercise – "There needs to be a serious shift in attitude so that exercise is no longer seen as an enemy but as the friend." His remarks were made following a report by the Chief Medical Officer.

Some of Bristol’s public buildings are to be modified with ramps and handrails so that disabled people find it easier to use. Improvements have already been made at such sites as the City Museum, the Art Gallery, and the Central Library. Work has been carried out so that the Council complies with the Disability Discrimination Act which comes into effect this year.

Nearly £1 million was paid out by Bristol City Council last year in insurance premiums against personal injury claims. Each year – hundreds of people claim from the council for injuries that they have received – particularly tripping on uneven pavements.

The NHS in Bristol and South Gloucestershire will this month start a consultation process on the future of health care services locally.

The mother of a seriously disabled teenager said that she had to wait nearly 24 hours before her daughter was able to see a General Practitioner after calling an out of hours emergency line. (This letter caused much interest and was the subject of an Editorial in the Evening Post.)

A new common room for medical students at Frenchay Hospital, costing £138,000 has been opened. The facility is part of an ongoing project to modernise and expand North Bristol NHS Trust’s provision for medical students.

The Health Minister, John Hutton, has announced that 11 new NHS Walk In centres are due to be set-up around the country – bringing the total to 64. "Although none of the new centres will be in Bristol – the success of the Broad Street and Knowle Walk In Centres has been one of the reasons for the continued development."

A pharmacist in Bristol has started a programme in his chemist shops to help people lose weight. Each patient signs up to a weight management plan.

Special centres where drug addicts can inject themselves under medical supervision may be introduced into Bristol. The plans were discussed in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal. The Director of the Bristol Drugs Project, a charitable organisation – said "I think it would be interesting to look at a pilot scheme for particular groups of people. Bristol has a drug problem and we have to recognise that people who are homeless, sleeping rough, or staying at a hostel where drug use is not allowed are injecting drugs in very unsafe places".

A long letter in the Evening Post (January 9th) discussed the matter of water fluoridation. It appeared that the campaign for Clean Water is about to step up a campaign to "rid the nation of the ominous threat of tap water fluoridation"

A series of articles in the Times discusses the huge increase in the use of alternative therapies. A quarter of those surveyed in a Populist Pole had tried complimentary therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy and a third believe that such therapies have as much chance of curtailing illness as conventional medicine.

There was discussion in the Evening Post about the availability of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. A study carried out by the pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer, shows that while some parts of the UK spend £10 per head on anti-dementia drugs for the over 65s, other areas spend less than £1 per person. Bristol was ranked in the middle in terms of distribution and level of access to drugs. Professor Gordon Wilcock said that there are 3 main drugs available at the moment. These are available in Bristol and we will always try our best where appropriate to provide the drugs as and when they are needed. He said that it is important to make clear that the drugs do not work for everyone and only about half of those who try them benefit.

Bill Moyes, the independent Foundation Hospitals regulator, said that some of the hospitals nominated by the Government were unlikely to be good enough to run their own affairs. So far the Government has given the initial go ahead to more than 50 Trusts to be awarded foundation status. Mr Moyes has started a detailed analysis of every hospital’s financial plans. Mr Moyes was hopeful that the Government target for all hospitals to achieve foundation status by 2008 would be met.

Department of Health statistics revealed earlier this month that Weston super Mare had one of the highest rates of MRSA infection in the country. However, Weston Area Health Trust claimed that the figures were misleading. Some of the cases were from other medical centres and residential homes. Liberal Democrat, Brian Cotter, has now launched a campaign to keep Weston General Hospital and other local health care facilities clean.

A plan to cut 200 beds at 2 City hospitals "defies belief" according to Steve Webb, North Avon MP. He says that the proposed cuts could mean even longer waiting lists and more cancelled operations. He is urging the Secretary of State for Health to veto any plans that involve a major cut in beds. The plans are due to go out to public consultation in the New Year. (This matter was the subject of an Editorial in the Evening Post which pointed out that it was anticipated that there would be a population growth of 20% in the relevant area and that more, and not less, beds would be required.) "Look, we are going to give you a far better service in future. One of our first steps is to get rid of about 200 beds."

A Department of Health’s report has examined the waiting lists and duration of time in hospital in Bristol. The typical length of time spent as an in-patient at a UBHT hospital is 6 days whereas at North Bristol it is almost 10 days. Waiting lists for out-patient treatment averaged 89 days at UBHT and 125 days at North Bristol NHS Trust.

A new 28 bed ward has been completed at Weston super Mare General Hospital. The Hospital’s Education Department has been converted into a ward which will be officially opened shortly.

Professor Ian Learmonth, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, said that he believes the use of foreign surgeons is putting hospital patients at risk. He cited the fact that Swedish doctors were being flown in to work at Weston General Hospital for 3 weeks at a time. The hospital had previously said that it would bring in overseas teams to help its 5 surgeons carry out 600 extra operations. Professor Learmonth said that whilst Swedish surgeons had a good reputation, because they were only in Weston on a temporary basis, any complications following surgery meant that patients would be "compromised".

Mr Graham Nix, acting Chief Executive at the UBHT, wrote to the Evening Post on the 7th January about staffing problems. Significant progress had been made over the last couple of years. From a vacancy level of around 250, 3 years ago – the level was now about 50 across all 9 hospitals.

Mr Graham Nix also said that the decision to extend rather than to build on a new site, was based on a rigorous assessment of pros and cons of location – including cost and key clinical factors such as the proximity to the specialist facilities provided by other hospitals close by. If the BRI was situated elsewhere – all the City centre residents and consumers of the local night life would have to seek urgent medical care elsewhere or, frankly, go without.

Research, based on the Children of the 90s Project, showed that one in 3 children have suffered from eczema by the time that they are 3 ½ years old. This represents a huge increase since the 1970s when only 1 in 10 children suffered with the condition.

Doctors from Mongolia are being helped by the University of the West of England to carry out a major study into the health of children in their country. UWE’s Faculty of Health and Social Care is providing PhD courses for 4 Mongolian students with 2 more arriving next year.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, based in Bristol, has just launched a website for people to find out more about their work. The creation of this will be a support for children and families who are living with the condition.

The Evening Post carried a full page article on the dangers of high heels for women. This work was reported by Professor Margaret Thorogood, from Warwick University and was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. "It is very unlikely that prolonged wearing of high heeled shoes represents a risk factor.Women who smoke, or are overweight and do a lot of heavy housework, are more likely to develop painful knees later in life. Women who wear stiletto heels will be reassured to learn that their choice of fashion before comfort footwear will not lead to knee problems.. (Editor’s notes – But what is the effect of these shoes on the feet?).

RL-H