A survey by independent consumer magazine Which? has shown that 51% of dentists are now only taking on patients if they agree to pay for their treatment privately - reports the Daily Mail.
In some areas the situation is so bad that only 13% of dentists are taking on NHS patients.
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said the figures showed NHS dentistry is becoming 'a thing of the past'.
"What is most worrying is that many people on low incomes are effectively excluded from dental care", he said.
"One 80-year-old woman who came to me needed teeth taking out and new false teeth putting in. She was told that would cost between £500 and £800 to have done privately - because she can't get an NHS dentist."
Researchers from Which? contacted 466 dentists across the country, posing as patients.
Recent surveys by Which? has also highlighted disatisfaction at the state of the NHS. Spokesperson Frances Blunden said:
"The government has ploughed enormous amounts of money into the NHS but on the ground the public are seeing cuts in services and considerable difficulties getting treatment."
Presumably Norman Lamb will be one MP at least who will not be approving the waste of an extra £2.5bn a year on the audit-failing and terminally wasteful EU - at least until this serious public service problem is solved?
As he himself admits - and he will obviously be far from the only MP - his constituents are suffering as a result.
How will he explain to the 80-year-old woman he mentions as being unable to get an NHS dentist that, despite this abject failure of a key public service, he has nevertheless approved upping the EU's grant by a whopping 60%.
Monday, 30 April 2007
Post-natal depression hits 20% of mothers
The Daily Mail reports today that the rate of new mothers suffering depression has doubled to hit 20%.
The rise is being blamed on the distressing experiences suffered by many women during labour at over-stretched NHS maternity units all over the country.
The survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) shows the number of mothers of children up to a year old who have the condition is even higher - at 27% - and also found that the risk of becoming depressed was far higher for women who had a bad experience during the birth.
The survey showed that 41% of mothers with post-natal depression (PND) had endured a bad birth, compared to just 25% of all mothers surveyed.
Only 14% of PND mothers described their birth as good, compared to 37% of all mothers.
The RCM blames a shortage of 10,000 NHS midwives for the problem, as it makes it harder for hospitals to provide a good service to pregnant women. One of the main problems is mothers being left alone too soon after the birth.
Last week official figures showed there were 339 fewer midwives in the NHS in 2006 than in 2005, while the birth rate is rising. Maternity units in some areas are also facing closure, with ante-natal classes being cut or reduced.
The rise is being blamed on the distressing experiences suffered by many women during labour at over-stretched NHS maternity units all over the country.
The survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) shows the number of mothers of children up to a year old who have the condition is even higher - at 27% - and also found that the risk of becoming depressed was far higher for women who had a bad experience during the birth.
The survey showed that 41% of mothers with post-natal depression (PND) had endured a bad birth, compared to just 25% of all mothers surveyed.
Only 14% of PND mothers described their birth as good, compared to 37% of all mothers.
The RCM blames a shortage of 10,000 NHS midwives for the problem, as it makes it harder for hospitals to provide a good service to pregnant women. One of the main problems is mothers being left alone too soon after the birth.
Last week official figures showed there were 339 fewer midwives in the NHS in 2006 than in 2005, while the birth rate is rising. Maternity units in some areas are also facing closure, with ante-natal classes being cut or reduced.
Sunday, 29 April 2007
NHS Direct complaints rise by 50%
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, figures reported by the BBC show.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
NHS Direct complaints rise by 50%
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, figures reported by the BBC show.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
The Patients Association said people were now turning to them for help.
But NHS Direct, which had about 400,000 calls in March, said the situation was improving after a major reorganisation.
We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct
Patients Association spokeswoman
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Performance data from NHS Direct showed that in recent months the service had struggled to answer calls or deal with non-urgent cases quickly enough under its targets agreed with government.
It now means that the number of complaints it is receiving has risen by 50% in the last four months.
The 1.89 complaints per 10,000 calls in March meant there were still under 100 complaints for the month, but the figure is more than twice the target of 0.75 complaints per 10,000 calls.
Service 'scandal'
It is also recognised that it is likely that many more people have been unhappy with the service, but have not lodged formal complaints.
A spokeswoman for the Patients Association said: "We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct.
"It is scandalous that this service is not doing what it should.
"Some are even saying NHS Direct has referred them to us. We are a charity, we should not be picking up the pieces for a publicly-funded service."
A spokesman for NHS Direct said: "We have dropped below the planned targets, but the service is now improving and getting near to the standard it should be.
"There was a major reorganisation last year and it has taken time for that to bed down."
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
The Patients Association said people were now turning to them for help.
But NHS Direct, which had about 400,000 calls in March, said the situation was improving after a major reorganisation.
We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct
Patients Association spokeswoman
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Performance data from NHS Direct showed that in recent months the service had struggled to answer calls or deal with non-urgent cases quickly enough under its targets agreed with government.
It now means that the number of complaints it is receiving has risen by 50% in the last four months.
The 1.89 complaints per 10,000 calls in March meant there were still under 100 complaints for the month, but the figure is more than twice the target of 0.75 complaints per 10,000 calls.
Service 'scandal'
It is also recognised that it is likely that many more people have been unhappy with the service, but have not lodged formal complaints.
A spokeswoman for the Patients Association said: "We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct.
"It is scandalous that this service is not doing what it should.
"Some are even saying NHS Direct has referred them to us. We are a charity, we should not be picking up the pieces for a publicly-funded service."
A spokesman for NHS Direct said: "We have dropped below the planned targets, but the service is now improving and getting near to the standard it should be.
"There was a major reorganisation last year and it has taken time for that to bed down."
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Deadly NHS bug 'continues rising'
The BBC reports that more hospital patients in England are getting the deadly Clostridium difficile bug, according to new figures.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) data showed 55,681 cases were reported among over 65s in 2006 - up 8% in a year.
MRSA cases continued their downward trend, but they are not falling quickly enough to meet next year's target.
The HPA said C. difficile rates were "very high" and the Patients Association called for more to be done to protect patients from bugs.
Patients Association spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said: "Too many people are dying from these infections. We must learn from other countries such as Holland which have got infection rates close to zero.
"That is what we should be aiming for. We need to make NHS chief executives more accountable and ring-fence infection control budgets as it is to easy to raid them when there are cuts."
She also said all patients should be screened - at the moment only those at highest risk are routinely tested as they enter hospital.
The HPA does not look at deaths although figures from 2004 show that MRSA was mentioned on over 1,000 death certificates in England and Wales, while C difficile was listed on over 2,000.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) data showed 55,681 cases were reported among over 65s in 2006 - up 8% in a year.
MRSA cases continued their downward trend, but they are not falling quickly enough to meet next year's target.
The HPA said C. difficile rates were "very high" and the Patients Association called for more to be done to protect patients from bugs.
Patients Association spokeswoman Katherine Murphy said: "Too many people are dying from these infections. We must learn from other countries such as Holland which have got infection rates close to zero.
"That is what we should be aiming for. We need to make NHS chief executives more accountable and ring-fence infection control budgets as it is to easy to raid them when there are cuts."
She also said all patients should be screened - at the moment only those at highest risk are routinely tested as they enter hospital.
The HPA does not look at deaths although figures from 2004 show that MRSA was mentioned on over 1,000 death certificates in England and Wales, while C difficile was listed on over 2,000.
Care funding for aged chaotic, claim charities
The Daily Telegraph reports that one of the biggest charity coalitions of its kind is demanding an urgent national debate on funding long-term care for the elderly, amid warnings that the current system is shambolic.
While one in five people will need care in the future, the system is not fit for current pensioners let alone their children, the coalition claims. Yet few people know at first hand the extent of the chaos.
The "Caring Choices" coalition, run by the King's Fund, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Help the Aged, and Age Concern, and supported by 11 other organisations spanning health and care, is hosting debates across the country to address failings and look at solutions.
Julia Unwin, the director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a social research charity, says: "The current system is neither fair, clear nor sustainable and the time has come to devise a system that is fit for the 21st Century."
While one in five people will need care in the future, the system is not fit for current pensioners let alone their children, the coalition claims. Yet few people know at first hand the extent of the chaos.
The "Caring Choices" coalition, run by the King's Fund, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Help the Aged, and Age Concern, and supported by 11 other organisations spanning health and care, is hosting debates across the country to address failings and look at solutions.
Julia Unwin, the director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a social research charity, says: "The current system is neither fair, clear nor sustainable and the time has come to devise a system that is fit for the 21st Century."
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
The price is smells, flies and asthma
The reduction in the frequency of domestic rubbish collections has led to concerns about public health, reports the Daily Telegraph today.
A recent study found that fortnightly pick-ups can increase the risk of health problems, including asthma and nausea.
Researchers found that the level of bacteria and fungal spores in the air above bins that had not been emptied for two weeks was more than 10 times that in locations where there was a weekly collection.
The report in the journal Science of the Total Environment said that decaying rubbish heated by warm weather provided a fertile breeding ground for spores.
"Exposure to fungi on this level can trigger sore throats, respiratory systems, faintness, weakness and depression, asthma and other allergic reactions," Tom Kosatsky, a medical epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal, has been quoted as saying.
Doretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said that while most supported recycling, fortnightly collections meant residents had to endure smells, flies and maggots.
There have also been concerns for binmen. Scandinavian scientists found that fortnightly collections allowed organic waste to degrade and putrefy. They noticed that during the working week the respiratory tracts of binmen became inflamed.
The Department for Environment said its research found no evidence of health problems linked to fortnightly collections. Common sense measures, such as keeping waste tightly wrapped and bin lids closed, would help deal with potential smells or insects, it added.
A recent study found that fortnightly pick-ups can increase the risk of health problems, including asthma and nausea.
Researchers found that the level of bacteria and fungal spores in the air above bins that had not been emptied for two weeks was more than 10 times that in locations where there was a weekly collection.
The report in the journal Science of the Total Environment said that decaying rubbish heated by warm weather provided a fertile breeding ground for spores.
"Exposure to fungi on this level can trigger sore throats, respiratory systems, faintness, weakness and depression, asthma and other allergic reactions," Tom Kosatsky, a medical epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal, has been quoted as saying.
Doretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said that while most supported recycling, fortnightly collections meant residents had to endure smells, flies and maggots.
There have also been concerns for binmen. Scandinavian scientists found that fortnightly collections allowed organic waste to degrade and putrefy. They noticed that during the working week the respiratory tracts of binmen became inflamed.
The Department for Environment said its research found no evidence of health problems linked to fortnightly collections. Common sense measures, such as keeping waste tightly wrapped and bin lids closed, would help deal with potential smells or insects, it added.
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