Author JK Rowling has donated £10m to the University of Edinburgh to set up a multiple sclerosis research clinic. The Harry Potter writer, whose mother Anne had the disease and died aged 45, said the funds were to help attract top researchers to seek a cure for MS. The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will aim to put patients at the heart of the research process. Rowling stood down as patron of the MS Society Scotland last year saying the charity was split by internal rows. Work at the new clinic will also focus on other degenerative neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Motor Neurone Disease.

Sexually transmitted infections near 0.5m a year in UK

Dr Gwenda Hughes, STI expert at the HPA, says young people lack confidence to insist on safer sex.
There were almost half a million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK last year, figures show. Experts at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) say young people are most affected. And one in 10 of 15-24 year olds with an STI become infected again within a year.

Health ministers said they would look at what more could be done to increase young people's awareness of risks.

The 482,696 new cases represent a 3% rise from the 2008 figures, continuing a "steady upward trend" that the HPA said had been seen over the past decade.

Doctor cut lip of Harlequins winger Tom Williams

A doctor has admitted cutting the lip of Harlequins rugby player Tom Williams to enable the winger to pretend to be injured during a Heineken Cup match. A General Medical Council (GMC) panel has been told how Williams became "extremely panicked" after he bit into a fake blood capsule and was challenged about the authenticity of his "injury". He then asked Dr Wendy Chapman to cut him and she agreed, the panel was told.

The "Bloodgate" incident allowed a goal-kicker to be brought on the pitch. Dr Chapman, who was suspended from her post as a consultant at Kent's Maidstone Hospital last September, is appearing before the GMC to face allegations her conduct was likely to bring the profession into disrepute and was dishonest. Her counsel told the hearing that she had made the incision using a stitch-cutter because the player wanted to demonstrate a "real injury".

Non-emergency 111 health number to be piloted

The number will provide advice on out-of-hours care and 24-hour pharmacies Trials of a three-digit telephone number for those needing non-emergency medical care in England have been launched in the North East. NHS County Durham and Darlington Primary Care Trusts are to pilot the free 111 number, to act as an alternative to 999, followed by Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Luton. The government service will not initially replace NHS Direct, but may do so in the longer term if successful. If so, it will be available nationwide.

People calling 111 will be able to get health advice and also information about local services such as out-of-hours GPs, walk-in centres, emergency dentists and 24-hour pharmacies. It is hoped it will take the pressure off 999 calls, amid estimates suggesting that up to half of these calls do not need an emergency response. But anyone calling the number with an emergency will have an ambulance despatched without the need for the call to be transferred.

More smokers quit using NHS help

All quitters are followed up after four weeks NHS smoking services helped a record number of people quit last year, figures show. The NHS Information Centre said 373,964 had successfully given up, an 11% rise from the 337,054 who gave up in in 2008/09. The figures are for people in England who successfully stopped when they were followed up after four-weeks. A separate report from the centre shows around one in 20 hospital admissions for over-35s were linked to smoking. It brought together data from a wide range of previously published material and said smoking accounted for 462,900 admissions.

Kidney transplant policy change 'could save hundreds'

The number of UK kidney transplants could be doubled and hundreds of lives saved by using more organs from those whose hearts have stopped, experts say.

Traditionally kidneys from those who are brain dead but whose hearts are still working have been preferred.

A Cambridge University study of 9,000 transplants found kidneys from "cardiac death" donors - used on a local basis but not nationally - are as good. In the Lancet, experts said the results were "persuasive" about the benefits. It is estimated about 700 people die each year waiting for a kidney. At present, there are 7,000 people waiting for a transplant, but only about 2,500 are performed each year.

Kidneys from those whose brains have stopped functioning but whose hearts continue to beat on life-support are prioritised for transplant as these organs have not been deprived of a blood supply.

Immune genes 'key in Parkinson's disease'

The immune system may have a key role in the development of Parkinson's disease, say US researchers. In a 20-year study of 4,000 people, half with Parkinson's disease, the team found an association between genes controlling immunity and the condition. The results raise the possibility of new targets for drug development, Nature Genetics reports. Parkinson's UK said the study strengthened the idea that immunity is an important driver of the disease.

The team were not just looking for a genetic cause of the disease, but also considered clinical and environmental factors. During their search, they discovered that groups of genes collectively known as HLA genes are associated with the condition. These genes are key for the immune system to differentiate between foreign invaders and the body's own tissues. In theory, that enables the immune system to attack infectious organisms without turning on itself - but it is not always an infallible system.

ChildLine calls prompted by parents' drink and drugs

More than 100 children a week are contacting the ChildLine helpline with worries about their parents' drinking or drug use, according to the NSPCC. It said in the year to March, 5,700 children had called, but founder Esther Rantzen told the BBC there were likely to be many more too afraid to do so. Two-thirds of those callers had mentioned their parents' drinking. The children calling about that issue were also more likely than other child callers to report abuse, it added.

Ms Rantzen said: "These are the children that know our number and ring us, but what about the many, many thousands of children who aren't, alas, familiar with ChildLine's work and who might be fearful of ringing us?"

She added: "I am, in a sense, imploring those people who work with children to be alert to the possibility that the silent, friendless child... may have trouble at home created by alcohol and drug problems."

Breast cancer deaths fall in UK

The fall is being put down to improvements such as screening Breast cancer deaths have fallen in the UK since the 1980s, but mortality rates from the disease continue to be among the highest in Europe, a study shows. The review of 30 countries, led by French researchers, showed the UK rate dropped by about a third, thanks to better care and speedier diagnosis. The number of UK deaths caused by breast cancer fell to 28.2 per 100,000 - equivalent to 12,000 deaths per year. The government said more progress, such as earlier diagnosis, was still needed.

Free Milk for Schools

Former Conservative Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell has downplayed apparent government confusion over the proposed scrapping of free milk for under-fives. The coalition said on Sunday (08/08/10) that the benefit would not go, after health minister Anne Milton suggested plans for such a move were in place. Mr Dorrell said it had been judged that the political risk "didn't merit the rewards". Downing Street said keeping free milk would help the poor and vulnerable. The Nursery Milk scheme allows children under five in approved day care to receive 189ml (1/3 pint) of milk each day free of charge. It dates back to 1940, when milk was issued to pregnant women and young children to protect them against wartime food shortages.

Smoking in the car is child abuse says GP Steve Field

People should accept health advice, says Professor Field Parents who smoke in cars in front of small children are "committing a form of child abuse", a leading GP has said. Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, has condemned society's attitudes to food, alcohol and cigarettes. In a letter to the Observer newspaper, he said parents had to take more responsibility for their children's health - and set a good example. He said irresponsible behaviour led to high levels of disease and early death. He called on parents, mothers-to-be, the obese, smokers and drinkers to turn into healthy role models for their children. "Evidence from the US indicates that more young children are killed by parental smoking than by all other unintentional injuries combined."

New breed of paramedics take to Powys roads

A new breed of super-paramedics are being trained to work on the roads of Powys. The highly-skilled team will not only respond to emergency 999 calls but will also make decisions about a patient’s care. This is the first such scheme in the UK and the first cohort has been chosen from the ranks of the Welsh Ambulance Service’s paramedics and nurses.

Andrew Jenkins, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s consultant paramedic, said: “We’re going to have a new kind of paramedic out there, an ambulance clinician, not just providing immediate emergency care but also making decisions about the sort of continuing care the patient needs.

Web-Addicted Chinese Teens Prone to Depression

The pathological use of the Internet can trigger depression in teens, according to a new study that tracked more than 1,000 Chinese youths to determine how their relationship to the Web affected their mental health. With teens' lives increasingly playing out online -- from socialization to schoolwork -- it's no surprise that many spend hours a week surfing the Internet. But research has already indicated that some teens are at risk of compulsive overuse and dependency. Anywhere from 2 to 18 percent of teens are estimated to be addicted to the Web, with higher rates in Eastern countries.

Internet addiction is usually characterized by an inability to cut back on Internet usage, a fixation with the Web that affects day-to-day activities and withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and irritability. The condition has also already been linked to mental health problems. A study of Taiwanese teens, published last year in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, found that Internet-addicted participants were more likely to exhibit symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression, as well as suffer from anxiety and hostility.

NHS overspends by £50m in first three months of year

THE NHS in Wales has overspent by almost £50m in the first three months of the year, staggering figures today reveal. The huge overspend amassed by the seven health boards is evidence of the impact the tough economic climate is already having on the health service. One NHS insider described the financial position as “gloomier than ever before”.

Some NHS organisations have started introducing cost-saving measures but there will be more pain to come as health boards face four more years of tight budgets.

Figures collected by the Western Mail show three-month overspends range from just £0.9m in Powys to a massive £11.9m in Gwent. The NHS has been told it must find £435m of savings this year alone to ensure it balances the books at the end of the financial year – equivalent to £1.1m a day. It is understood that although each of Wales’ seven health boards has detailed saving plans in place, many of the anticipated savings have not yet been realised.

Sleep deprivation could be cured with the ‘lazy option’

Scientists claim today the weekend lie-in is more than lazy indulgence – it could be vital to your well-being. Tests on a group of volunteers show that lying in provides an antidote to the effects of multiple days of sleep deprivation from Monday to Friday. And with career consultants in Wales claiming the country is in the grip of a long-hours working culture, the new research may be the perfect reason to shun the early Sunday rise for a few more hours in bed.

But for serious sleep loss, even 10 hours in bed may be insufficient to cancel out the negative effects, the research suggests. Study leader Dr David Dinges, who heads the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, said: “The additional hour or two of sleep in the morning after a period of chronic partial sleep loss has genuine benefits for continued recovery of behavioural alertness.

Axed NHS executives get salary protection for 10 years

Senior NHS executives who failed to win top jobs in Wales’ new health boards will have their six-figure salaries protected for up to 10 years, it emerged today. Under the organisational change policy, negotiated with trade unions, more than 120 former NHS directors and managers have been redeployed elsewhere in the health service and the Welsh Assembly Government.

And they will have their salaries – which could be as high as £195,000 a year – protected for years. Those directors who have 15 years of service in the NHS will continue to be paid their old salary, plus benefits, for 10 years, according to information obtained by Plaid Cymru. The revelation comes as the NHS in Wales is facing the prospect of making unprecedented savings of £1.9bn over the next five years as public sector funding is slashed. And it follows the news last week that rank-and-file NHS staff in one of Wales’ largest organisations have had a cap put on overtime payments in a bid to save money.

Moving towards a world free of measles

MEASLES could become the next disease to be eradicated worldwide – if more children are vaccinated. Leading experts around the globe believe measles could follow smallpox, after cases have all but been eliminated from the Americas.

There have been no endemic cases of the deadly disease in the Americas for eight years. And, despite last year’s outbreak of measles in Wales – the largest since the introduction of the MMR vaccine – it is thought levels of protection are returning to those seen before Dr Andrew Wakefield published his controversial research.

Dr Richard Roberts, head of Public Health Wales’ vaccine preventable disease programme, said: “Smallpox shows that it can be done and we’re on the brink of it with polio as there are only four endemic countries left. Measles would be the next one. “It’s a good aim to get rid of a disease completely and this is achievable – it’s been done in the Americas.”

Council ‘failed to investigate abuse claims’

A council failed to investigate serious concerns of child abuse, a damning report today reveals. The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has made a finding of serious maladministration against Merthyr Tydfil Council in relation to two children, named as B and C.

And the ombudsman upheld a complaint from the children’s grandparents – Mr and Mrs A – that the council had not provided any financial support after they took the pair in. The report, which is published today, said social workers failed to investigate after marks were noticed on the children and their behaviour changed. The pair had previously been on the child protection register because their father had two convictions for sex offences against teenage girls.

A healthy NHS that works for the patients is something we all deserve

Veronica German, the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ new health spokeswoman, outlines her vision for the NHS. I WANT to do everything I possibly can to make sure the NHS in Wales remains a great service.

A service, which is free at the point of demand; puts patients first and provides quality healthcare when it’s needed. The NHS in Wales affects each one of us at some point in our lives. There is no argument over the need to deliver a cost-effective, safe, patient-centred service in an efficient and timely manner. The question is how?

The present economic climate gives us an opportunity to think smarter and look at systems as a whole. We know, from a recent Assembly Government report, that NHS organisations in Wales “enter this more challenging period from a less financially secure platform” than England. And yet NHS finance directors have already indicated about a fifth of the NHS budget – £1bn – is spent ineffectively here in Wales. So there is no time to lose.

Out-of-hours GP service to access records

OUT-OF-HOURS doctors are to be given access to patients’ health records electronically for the first time in South Wales. The new system will ensure doctors have access to key details about a patient’s health, including information about allergies and medication.

Patients will be allowed to opt out of the individual health record scheme, which is now being extended to Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. But doctors believe the scheme will help make services safer and speed up treatment times.