Archived Health News
Voluntary Health Scotland provides a selection of topical health related news stories covering local, national and international issues from a wide variety of sources.
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28th February: JK Rowling condemns MS drug ban ahead of Holyrood debate JK Rowling, patron of the MS Society Scotland, has condemned a decision that denies people affected by aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) access to a new drug on the NHS ahead of a debate in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday (1 March). Read more ... |
27th February: Major new report shows the impact of dementia in the UKToday the Alzheimer’s Society is publishing a major study on the social and economic impact of dementia in the UK. Read more ... |
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27th February: Elderly care homes give 'concern' Poor food and a lack of qualified staff were just some of the hundreds of complaints triggered by old people's homes, according to a new report. Read more ... |
27th February: Exercise can prevent breast cancerRegular physical exercise can help protect women against breast cancer, new research has suggested. Read more ... |
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27th February: Public bodies failing over disability law One in six public-sector organisations in Scotland is facing the threat of legal action amid claims they have failed to comply with a new duty to promote equality for disabled people. Read more ... |
26th February: Deputy health minister Lewis MacDonald opens new rehabilitation centreDeputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald unveiled NHS Lothian's new south-east Mobility and Rehabilitation Technology (SMART) centre, which will be run out of the city's Astley Ainslie, this morning. Read more ... |
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25th February: McConnell opens treatment centreA controversial health centre where NHS patients will be treated by a private company has been opened. Read more ... |
25th February: Charity Turning Point Scotland rolls out abstinence programme across ScotlandA new "abstinence" programme which helps drug and alcohol abusers escape their addictions by promoting a healthy lifestyle is set to be introduced across Scotland. Read more ... |
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25th February: Drinks advert ban for children's replica kitAlcohol adverts are to be taken off children's replica football shirts in a move to tackle youth drinking. Read more ... |
23rd February: Improving opportunities in community learning and development A new Standards Council, for those working in community learning and development, has been announced today. Read more ... |
| 23rd February: University creates electronic pill to detect bowel cancerAn electronic pill that will be used to detect bowel cancer on its passage through the body is the first collaboration between Glasgow University and intellectual property investors with which it struck a deal in October. Read more ... |
23rd February: Dundee team receives grant to study anti-cancer drugs Maths experts at Dundee University have been awarded £160,000 to help investigate how anti-cancer drugs can be used more effectively. Read more ... |
| 22nd February: Drink 'kills twice as many Scots'Men and women in Scotland are twice as likely to die an alcohol-related death as people in the UK as a whole, according to new research. Read more ... | 22nd February: Doctors set to lose power of self-policingDoctors will lose the power to police themselves under proposals published by the government yesterday. Read more ... |
| 21st February: Transcending Poverties conference discusses deprivation and ill-health in GlasgowWhile major efforts have been made to regenerate Glasgow and find a new economic role after the decline of heavy industry, the poor health and lack of opportunities for people living in some of its most impoverished communities remains. Read more ... |
21st February: Drug 'cuts long-term cancer risk'Tamoxifen reduces the risk of breast cancer long after women stop taking the drug, research suggests. Read more ... |
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20th February: Bridging the gap: experts unite to tackle povertyAn action plan to tackle Scotland's growing equality gap will be proposed by some of the country's leading politicians, academics and religious leaders today. Read more ... |
20th February: New Scottish Executive ad campaign encourages men to look after their minds as well as their bodiesWhile research shows that men are more likely than women to keep on top of their physical fitness, many Scottish men still seem to be unaware of how to look after their minds. Read more ... |
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19th February: Autism gene breakthrough hailedScientists have found new autism genes by scanning the largest collection of families with multiple cases of autism ever assembled. Read more ... |
19th February: Danger of too much TV for young childrenWatching television poses an even greater risk to children's health than previously thought, according to a report. Read more ... |
| 19th February: Drinks ‘should show calorie count’The calories in alcoholic drinks, including wine, should be stated on bottles, campaigners said last night. Read more ... | 19th February: Health board improves information on websitePatients in a Scots health authority area are to benefit from a revamped website which gives faster access to vital information. Read more ... |
| 16th February: Report shows growing inequalities in mortality between rich and poorThe Medical Research Council has found that figures showing falling mortality rates across Scotland are masking a more worrying trend: death rates in more deprived areas are falling more slowly than in affluent areas. Read more ... | 16th February: Extra helping of cash for school mealsCouncils across Scotland will benefit from £5 million of new funding to promote healthy eating in schools. Read more ... |
| 16th February: Deprivation link to suicide among youngThere have been many reports on health inequalities that cleave Scottish society in two, but research published today by Glasgow University on death rates across Scotland and Europe is about as bleak as it gets. Read more ... | 15th February: Measures to protect vulnerable adultsA new Bill that offers greater protection to adults at risk of abuse was passed by MSPs today. Read more ... |
| 15th February: Funding for mental health 'lags in NHS'Mental health services in Scotland are losing out financially to other parts of the health service, according to a report published yesterday. Read more ... | 15th February: Better value from Scotland's £1 billion social economy Scotland is already benefiting from buying better value, high-quality services from the social enterprises which also boost Scotland’s economy. Read more ... |
| 14th February: CRE Scotland comments on local authorities and employment monitoringScotland has an ethnically diverse population and we would expect both local authority staff and representatives to broadly reflect the population they serve. However, we know that this is not the case for many Scottish local authorities. Read more ... | 14th February: UNICEF report on childhood in industrialised countriesNew UNICEF report assesses for the first time the well-being of children and young people in 21 industrialised countries; UK ranks bottom in child wellbeing assessment. Read more ... |
| 14th February: NHS warned to deliver on men's health or fall foul of gender lawsThe NHS could face legal action if it fails to tackle discrimination against men when it comes to providing key services, campaigners warned yesterday. Read more ... | 14th February: Local health checks rolled outA £10 million new wave of preventative care programmes is to go live later this year, it was announced today. Read more ... |
| 14th February: Unpaid carer numbers 'may rise'Millions more people will be forced to care for elderly and disabled relatives because of a lack of investment, disability campaigners have said. Read more ... | 14th February: Public show of support for 30,000 homes is needed Shelter Scotland today launched its new 'It's time to get a move in' campaign to secure investment for 30,000 affordable rented homes for 2012. Read more ... |
| 13th February: Coalition urges Executive to combat alcohol use during pregnancy A coalition of charities and expert groups is urging the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive to prioritise research and action to deal with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Read more ... | 13th February: Charity enlists the help of comedians in campaign to raise awarenessSome of the country's top comedians have signed up to play a charity gig to raise awareness of bowel cancer. Read more ... |
| 12th February: TFN Annual Charity AwardsCharities can enter the TFN Annual Charity Awards between now and the end of March. The application process is simple and involves filling in a small form and telling us in 400 words why your organisations should win. Read more ... | 12th February: Alcohol project to tackle abuseGroups tackling alcohol abuse in Angus have launched a drive to find new ways of combating the problem. Read more ... |
| 12th February: New Healthy Working Lives Programme launched A new programme to encourage health promotion in the workplace was launched today. Read more ... | 8th February: NHS pays out £40m in compensationThe Scottish NHS has been forced to pay out almost £40m in compensation in the past five years, according to official figures released to the SNP. Read more ... |
| 7th February: HIV awareness important to us allDavid Johnson, director of Waverley Care, which supports people in Scotland living with HIV, says we must all learn lessons following the case of Giovanni Mola and Miss X. Read more ... | 7th February: Lothian worst for malnutritionLothian has the highest rate of malnutrition in Scotland, new figures revealed today. Read more ... |
| 7th February: Shelter Scotland celebrates home is... campaign by presenting Minister with over 5,000 quotesNine months after launching its home is... campaign, Shelter Scotland today (Wednesday) illustrated to Minister for Communities Rhona Brankin how important home is to the people of Scotland. Read more ... | 6th February: Changes to cut health service bureaucracy on wayHealth bosses are to cut down on bureaucracy by changing the way community services are managed in the Lothians. From April, frontline services such as family planning and care of the elderly will be managed by Community Health Partnerships (CHP). Read more ... |
| 6th February: Staff 'exposed to 86% less smoke'Scotland's bar workers are now exposed to 86% less smoke following the ban on smoking in enclosed public places, according to new research. Read more ... | 6th February: Loneliness link with Alzheimer'sPeople who are lonely are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, a large US study has suggested. Read more ... |
| 6th February: National summit brings people together to tackle suicide in Scotland Choose Life, Scotland’s national strategy to prevent suicide, will host its fourth national summit in Edinburgh this week, which will bring together key people tasked with reducing Scotland’s suicide rate. Read more ... | 5th February: Social class may be considered for heart attack drug prescriptionsDoctors in Scotland could be asked to consider patients' social status when prescribing heart attack prevention drugs. Read more ... |
| 5th February: Brankin announces new affordable homes boost for Perthshire Communities Minister, Rhona Brankin, today announced approval for the development of 50 new affordable homes for Perthshire, with support from Communities Scotland. Read more ... | 5th February: New affordable homes for Dundee Work is underway on a development to bring 21 much-needed new affordable homes to Dundee. Communities Scotland, the Executive’s housing and regeneration agency, has invested over £1.6 million in the project by Abertay Housing Association. Read more ... |
| 5th February: Funding row threatens to close 103 charity projectsMore than 50 voluntary groups will be forced to close projects for the most vulnerable in society after ministers decided to restrict vital European funding. Read more ... | 5th February: Over-the-counter pill plan debateDrug regulators are to consider making the pill available over-the-counter without a doctor's prescription. Read more ... |
| 4th February: Two year wait for hearing aidsAdults in parts of Scotland have been forced to wait an average of almost two years for a hearing aid, according to new figures. Read more ... |
3rd February: Institute for Public Policy Research reports on closures of casualty units Campaigners fighting to retain threatened hospital accident and emergency departments could unwittingly cause unnecessary deaths, according to a leading think-tank. Read more ... |
| 3rd February: Critics attack SNP health manifestoThe SNP yesterday unveiled its manifesto ideas for the health service - unleashing a torrent of criticism from the other parties. Read more ... | 3rd February: SNP gives free drugs pledge to long-term patientsA promise to abolish prescription charges for patients with chronic conditions was among policies put forward by the SNP yesterday. Read more ... |
| 1st February: Scottish Executive announces boards' allocations for 2007-08Funding for NHS Boards will go up by over six per cent next year as NHS Scotland's annual budget reaches more than £10 billion, it was announced today. Read more ... | 1st February: Health chiefs handed £60m to end Lothians 'lifespan lottery'Patients in the Lothians are set to benefit from a £60 million funding boost which bosses say will be used to cut waiting times and tackle the growing health divide between rich and poor. Read more ... |
| 1st February: France's smoking ban takes effectA widespread ban has come into force in France on smoking in workplaces. Read more ... |
1st February: Election plan for health boards is thrown outMSPs yesterday threw out a bill that would have made it compulsory for health boards to have a majority of elected members. Read more ... |