Eighteen health quangos will be reduced to between eight and 10 over the next four years. The fertility watchdog the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which deals with infectious diseases, are both slated to disappear in the shakeup.

The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley justifies the cuts on the grounds that it would produce savings of more than £180m over the next four years by streamlining the functions of these organisations and slashing their bureaucracy. Although the Department of Health's overall budget is being "ring-fenced", the ever expanding demands on the NHS each year mean that significant savings must be found.

NHS to double spend on obesity surgery

A FUNDING boost will see more people undergoing NHS weight-loss surgery to help tackle the nation’s obesity epidemic. The budget for bariatric surgery operations, such as gastric banding or stomach stapling, is forecast to almost double to £500,000 this year. The extra cash could also help establish the nation’s first specialist morbid obesity service, operating out of hospitals in Bridgend and Swansea.

By comparison, £520,000 has been spent on weight loss surgery for Welsh patients over the past two years and most of the operations have been carried out in either Bristol or Salford.

Stroke-risk patients in Wales not getting life-saving surgery

PATIENTS who suffer a mini-stroke are routinely missing out on potentially life-saving surgery in Wales, a damning audit reveals. The UK-wide audit found only a fraction of patients who suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA) in Wales underwent surgery to prevent them suffering a potentially fatal stroke. It is thought a lack of awareness about mini-strokes and their seriousness among the public and GPs could be responsible for the low numbers of high-risk patients being referred for surgery in Wales. It is estimated that one in four patients who suffer a TIA will go on to have a potentially life-threatening full-blown stroke. But urgent vascular surgery to widen the carotid arterycan drastically reduce that risk.

Heart Care At Hospital Speeded Up

HEART patients are being discharged from hospital faster as access to life-saving treatments has been speeded up.

Patients admitted to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, no longer have to wait days for an angiogram after suffering a heart attack. A new system, called primary PCI, has been introduced in the hospital, reducing the length of stay for heart attack patients and the time it takes them to recover. In the past, heart attack patients were given clot-busting drugs on admission to increase the chances of survival. But they often had to wait days for an angiogram, which would indicate what treatment was needed.

First All-Wales Community Mental Health Service

The first all-Wales community mental health service for veterans has been set up. The typical veteran referred to the community veterans mental health service is in his 40s and has served in Northern Ireland. He may also have seen active service in the Falklands or in Bosnia and Kosovo.

He’s had several broken relationships and has fathered a few children. He may have been homeless for a while, has problems holding down a job. He has debts and is struggling with some form of substance misuse or dependence – most likely alcohol – and common mental health problems.

This brief description is typical of the background of the people referred to the Cardiff-based service over the last two years since the city was chosen as one of six locations for a pilot project. It is also typical of what the veterans’ therapists will see in each of Wales’ seven local health board areas as the all-Wales service is developed.

But it by no means describes every one of the 200-plus referrals the service has seen since 2008 – a small number of the veterans have been women. And while some will be suffering from mental health problems, which directly relate to their experiences of active service and conflict, many will be seeking help for common problems, including anxiety and depression.

More information about the service is available at www.veterans-mhs-cvct.org. Veterans can also self refer to the service from the website.

Hospitals Eyeing Private Market

All hospitals have been told to go for foundation trust status NHS hospitals will be looking to exploit a host of "exciting" opportunities to move into private health markets, bosses say.Self-governing hospitals - known as foundation trusts - have had their private income capped to date, but this is to be lifted in the NHS overhaul. The Foundation Trust Network believes the move will spark a burst of innovation in the sector. But campaigners said they were worried NHS services would be harmed. To get foundation trust legislation through parliament in 2003, ministers agreed to a cap on private work to ensure the hospitals remained true to their NHS traditions.

Stem cell method put to the test in Parkinson's study

Scientists hope to better understand how Parkinson's develops UK researchers are launching a study into the potential of using a person's stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease. A Oxford University team will use adult stem cells, which have the ability to become any cell in the human body - to examine the neurological condition. Skin cells will be used to grow the brain neurons that die in Parkinson's, a conference will hear. The research will not involve the destruction of human embryos. Induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells were developed in 2007. At the time, scientists said it had the potential to offer many of the advantages of embryonic stem cells without any of the ethical downsides. Three years on, it seems to be living up to that claim.

Low vitamin D levels 'linked to Parkinson's disease'

Having low vitamin D levels may increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, say Finnish researchers. Their study of 3,000 people, published in Archives of Neurology, found people with the lowest levels of the sunshine vitamin had a three-fold higher risk. Vitamin D could be helping to protect the nerve cells gradually lost by people with the disease, experts say. The charity Parkinson's UK said further research was required.

Mental Health at work

Dr Clive Morgan who works in in occupational health advises companies about the mental and physical health of individual employees. he's also involved in broader issues of health, safety and wellbeing in work. A very high proportion of his patients are experiencing some kind of psychological distress or mental health condition, be it low mood, anxiety or a significant mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar. Statistics on mental health conditions vary greatly but at least 10% of the UK population will experience clinical depression in a given year. These people will invariably, with appropriate support, make an excellent recovery. Read more about this article by clicking here.

Big head 'may protect against dementia'

Having a big head may help protect against the worst ravages of dementia, say researchers. They found that people with Alzheimer's with the largest craniums had better memory and thinking skills than patients with smaller skulls.

The Munich University team believe a larger head means there are greater brain reserves to buffer against dementia-related brain cell death. Their findings, based on 270 patients, are published in the journal Neurology. The patients were recruited through research registries or specialist memory clinics in the US, Canada, Germany and Greece.

Free RCT Counselling Sessions

The Carers Support Project based at Heddfan, Rhydyfelin, is now providing six sessions of counselling a week, free of charge, to any carers living in RCT. Sessions can be provided face to face or over the telephone, depending on the needs of the carer. Since the service began feedback from carers has been very positive with them welcoming the opportunity to speak to someone, confidentially, outside their situation. They may want to speak about their caring role or some other issue of concern to them. To make an appointment, or to find out more about the service ring Free phone 0808 100 1801

£20 million Big Lottery Fund AdvantAGE Programme

Big Lottery Fund AdvantAGE- £20 million has been allocated to the AdvantAge programme which aims to improve the quality of life for older people in Wales by providing access to befriending or advocacy services. The programme is aimed at people over 50 in line with the Welsh Assembly Government definition of an older person. Applications are open to voluntary and national organisations including social enterprises with expertise in working with older people. The minimum grant is £200 000 and the maximum £1million with funding for 3-5 years duration. The programme is open to applications until Friday 29th October 2010 and application materials can be accessed from the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or by calling Big Advice Line; 029 2067 8200

Doctors call for NHS to stop funding homeopathy

The NHS should stop funding homeopathy and it should no longer be marketed as a medicine in pharmacies, doctors say. Medics voted on the issue at the British Medical Association's annual conference in Brighton. They dismissed the highly-diluted remedies as "nonsense" and potentially harmful to patients as it can lead them to shunning conventional medicines. The Department of Health homeopathy said treatment was under review.

Homeopathy is a 200-year-old system of treatment that uses highly diluted substances. In some cases none of the original product is left. It is given orally in the belief that it will stimulate the body's self-healing mechanism.

The NHS is thought to spend about £4m a year on the treatment, helping to fund four dedicated homeopathic hospitals and numerous prescriptions. Dr Mary McCarthy, a GP from Shropshire, said there was no evidence from hundreds of trials that homeopathy worked beyond the placebo effect - in which a patient gets better but only because they believe the treatment will work and their symptoms clear up because of the psychological boost.

Pregnant drinking 'affects sperm'

Women who drink during pregnancy may be damaging the future fertility of their sons, research suggests. In a study of almost 350 young men, sperm levels were a third lower in those whose mothers had drunk more than four drinks a week during pregnancy compared with teetotallers. The Danish researchers told a fertility conference these men may have a harder time getting their partner pregnant. UK experts said alcohol may not be the issue, but a marker for other factors. Current advice is to avoid alcohol during pregnancy, but those who do so are advised to have no more than one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week.

Egg screening test 'predicts genetic problems'

A new egg screening technique, which doctors hope will boost the success rate of IVF, can predict genetic problems in 90% of cases, research shows. However, it is not yet clear whether or not it increases pregnancy rates, European fertility experts warned. Some clinics already offer the £2,000 test to older women who have failed multiple attempts at IVF. A large trial is due to start next year to further assess the technology. Up to half of the eggs in younger women and up to 75% in women over 39 are chromosomally abnormal. Fertility doctors want a reliable way of finding which eggs are genetically sound to try to boost the chances of IVF success.

'Forgivable' loan plan for medics

Future doctors could be willing to commit themselves to the NHS in return for having some debt paid off, medical students say. The BMA is proposing the change, dubbed "forgivable loans", as a way of attracting a more diverse range of people to the profession. A typical medical degree costs more than £50,000, which deters people from poorer backgrounds, says the union. The government said it was looking at support for medical students.

Nitrate content 'behind benefits of beetroot juice'

The nitrate content of beetroot juice helps lower blood pressure, research has shown. A study in the US journal Hypertension found that blood pressure was reduced within 24 hours in people who drank beetroot juice or took nitrate tablets. The higher the blood pressure, the greater the impact of the nitrates. This research suggests there is hope of using a more "natural" approach to bring down blood pressure. Nitrates are found in a number of vegetables. A previous study found that drinking a pint of beetroot juice lowered blood pressure significantly in people with normal blood pressure.

Study uncovers new diabetes genes

Twelve new genes linked with type 2 diabetes have been found in a study into the differences in people's DNA and their risk of having the condition. A consortium including Edinburgh University scientists have identified "important clues to the biological basis of type 2 diabetes". It is hoped the findings will lead to better ways of treating the condition. The genes tend to be involved in working cells producing insulin, which controls levels of glucose in blood. The 12 new genes brings the total number linked with type 2 diabetes to 38. The study was led by researchers at Oxford University and forms part of the Wellcome Trust case control consortium. The group of researchers, from across the UK, Europe, USA and Canada, compared the DNA of more than 8,000 people with type 2 diabetes with almost 40,000 people without the condition.

NHS cuts 'haphazard', doctors say

Cuts in the health service are being introduced in a "haphazard" way which could harm patient care, the British Medical Association has said. At the start of its annual conference, BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said it had received evidence of jobs being lost and access to services restricted. The NHS is being asked to make savings because new treatments and an ageing population are raising costs.

The government says front line services must be protected as cuts are made.

Vetting urged for foreign medics

Poorly trained doctors who cannot speak good English must not be allowed to work in the health service, doctors' leaders say. BMA leader Dr Hamish Meldrum said tighter restrictions were needed for European doctors to ensure patients were properly protected. EU rules have led to confusion over what standards the NHS can demand. The debate follows the death of a man given an overdose of painkillers by a German doctor on his first NHS shift. Speaking at the annual doctors' conference, which is being held in Brighton, Dr Meldrum said: "It cannot be acceptable for poorly trained, badly regulated doctors whose knowledge of English is about as good as my knowledge of Chinese to be able to practice virtually unchallenged in the UK." He said the problem had been caused by badly-run out-of-hours GP services.