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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| 29th June: Aberdeenshire councillors vote to close "out-of-date" care home for the elderlyThe fate of a north-east care home was sealed yesterday by councillors who voted to close an "out-of-date" building despite a long campaign by protesters. Read more ... | 29th June: Guideline delivers hard evidence for autism care Clear guidelines on the care children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) should receive are available for the first time today with the publication of SIGN clinical guidelines. Read more ... |
| 27th June: Donation for Motor Neurone centre A centre for research into Motor Neurone Disease is to be set up with the help of £1m from businessman Donald MacDonald, whose son has the disease. Read more ... | 27th June: Cost of free care risks running out of control The cost of free personal care for Scotland's elderly people has risen by 60% since it was introduced, bringing a renewed warning yesterday that it risks running out of control. Read more ... |
| 26th June: Online drug treatment directoryA new online directory to help drug users and their families get the treatment they need was launched today. Read more ... | 26th June: See Me campaign reveals reports on progress on mental ill-health stigma Thousands of Scots with mental health problems continue to suffer discrimination, according to the most extensive survey of its kind carried out in the UK. Read more ... |
| 25th June: Doctors lobby government to end Scotland’s drink problemDoctors published a five-point plan yesterday which they want ministers to put into practice to tackle Scotland's deadly alcohol problem. Read more ... | 24th June: Health gap between rich and poor wider than 20 years agoThe gap in standards of health between people in the richest and most deprived areas of Scotland has grown rather than diminished in the past two decades. Read more ... |
| 21st June: Health board cash for MND ‘derisory’Ministers were last night urged to find more money to help fund the treatment of a debilitating disease which claims the lives of more than 100 Scots every year. Read more ... | 21st June: National meeting discusses ways to protect children’s health from dangers of second-hand smoke in home Reducing the harm to children and young people caused by second-hand smoke will today be the subject of a national meeting of those concerned with reducing the harm caused by tobacco in Scotland. Read more ... |
| 21st June: Scotland opposed to private competition in NHSThe Scottish government is opposed the use of public money to help the private sector compete with the NHS, a special conference was told today. Read more ... | 21st June: Fire chiefs back fresh drive to reduce number of alcohol-related firesScotland’s eight Fire and Rescue Services joined together today to drive home the dangers of fuelling fire with alcohol and appeal to people to stay in control when drinking excessively. Read more ... |
| 20th June: Key hearing loss gene identifiedA gene responsible for the single most common cause of hearing loss among white adults has been identified. Read more ... | 19th June: UK families in severe poverty live on an average of £7000 a yearNearly 1.3 million children living in severe poverty in the UK, the fourth richest country in the world, according to a new report. For a couple with a child that means living on an average of £7000 a year, or less than £134 a week. This is well below the national average income of £19,000 a year. Read more ... |
| 19th June: Campaigners turn up the heat on Holyrood in call for fuel poverty inquiryCitizens Advice Scotland is one of 13 leading Scottish charities who are urging the Scottish Parliament to hold an inquiry into fuel poverty as a priority of the forthcoming term. Read more ... | 19th June: Alcohol-related liver disease rises fourfold in Scots hotspotsCases of liver disease caused by alcohol have increased almost fourfold in some Scottish areas over the past 10 years, according to new figures. Read more ... |
| 18th June: Disabled children bullying claimsMore than 90% of children with learning disabilities are bullied, according to a report from Enable Scotland. Read more ... | 18th June: Call for more NHS funding for motor neurone careThe Scottish Parliament will be asked this week to support a charity that cares for sufferers of one of nature's cruellest diseases. Read more ... |
| 17th June: Shocking HIV figures prompt urgent pleaExperts have called for an urgent renewal of HIV prevention efforts in Scotland after new research revealed that four out of 10 gay men who have the virus are unaware they are infected. Read more ... | 16th June: Researchers find link between diabetes and Parkinson's Keeping fit and active could have a double benefit - preventing diabetes and Parkinson's disease, researchers have found. Read more ... |
| 15th June: Ministers to link elderly cash to inflationMinisters yesterday promised to link elderly care payments to inflation from next spring, while setting up a nine-month review of the flagship policy by the man credited with designing it. Read more ... | 14th June: Public health minister Shona Robison outlines Executive's plans to improve Scotland's health Better health across Scotland can break a cycle of illness, unemployment and poverty, an executive minister said yesterday. Read more ... |
| 14th June: Battle won to abolish 'illness tax' that piled on agony for thousandsThousands of chronically-ill patients are to have their prescription charges scrapped by the Scottish Executive in a major victory for the high-profile campaign led by The Scotsman. Read more ... | 13th June: One in 10 families too poor to pay for medicine Over one in 10 British families have gone without medicine (11 per cent) or food (10 per cent) because they didn’t have enough money, according to a survey released today by leading children’s charity NCH and Barclays. Read more ... |
| 13th June: Older people's lives are getting worse, finds CharityNearly one in three older people say their lives have got worse in the last year, and 93 per cent say their lives have not improved, according to a landmark report launched today by Help the Aged. Read more ... | 13th June: Health secretary vows to keep up the fight against alcohol misuse Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon vowed yesterday to give the fight against alcohol misuse the same prominence that measures to combat smoking have had in recent years. Read more ... |
| 13th June: Arthritis 'hope' over new drugsA new generation of drugs could revolutionise treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis, experts believe. Read more ... | 12th June: Scotland's GP leader responds to proposals to extend surgery opening hours In response to media reports of a proposal by Scotland's Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, to extend GP surgery opening hours, Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish General Practitioners Committee replies. Read more ... |
| 12th June: Green Paper on Single Equalities Act ‘fails to measure up’The Green Paper on the future framework for single equalities legislation published today fails to remedy deficiencies in existing anti-discrimination law, the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) says. Read more ... | 12th June: Coalition support grows as 24-strong group take housing message to ParliamentFive further organisations have joined a rapidly growing coalition made up of organisations from all corners of Scottish society that is demanding the new Government place housing at the heart of its political agenda. Read more ... |
| 12th June: Ministers urged to provide more money fo tackle homelessnessMinisters have been urged to provide more money for affordable housing after official figures revealed homelessness is still on the rise. Read more ... | 12th June: 'Right to breastfeed' law plannedWomen would get the legal right to breastfeed in public, under a new law being proposed by the government. Read more ... |
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11th June: Drug offers hope for Parkinson'sThe progression of Parkinson's disease could be slowed or even stopped by a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, a study in Nature suggests. Read more ... |
11th June: BMA Scotland calls for healthy decision making to reduce inequalities Responding to a report that found Scotland to be the “worst small country”, particularly with regards to its performance on health, Dr Peter Terry, chairman of the BMA in Scotland responds. Read more ... |
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10th June: Mental health charity to stage ‘Mad Aid’ concertThe controversial idea comes from the chief executive of Scotland's leading mental health charity, and already the concert has received support from psychologists and the Scottish band Mogwai. Read more ... |
10th June: Concern over 'poor' dementia careSome dementia patients are being kept in their wards 24-hours a day for years on end. Read more ... |
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9th June: Cancer unit to remain at Sick KidsHealth Secretary Nicola Sturgeon today signalled under-threat cancer services for children will remain at Edinburgh's famous Sick Kids Hospital. Read more ... |
7th June: Public services must respect fathers’ involvement in family lifeFather’s footsteps, a special Children in Scotland conference to be held on Monday 11 June 2007, will discuss the impact of the Gender Equality Duty on public services’ treatment of fathers. Read more ... |
| 7th June: Smokers in deprived areas struggle to quitTens of thousands of Scots have given up cigarettes since the smoking ban was introduced last year but the new legislation has had little impact on those living in deprived areas. Read more ... |
7th June: Brain injury victims in care plightA Glasgow charity has called for more support services for young people recovering from brain and spinal injuries. Read more ... |
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5th June: Secondary pupils developing taste for healthier school mealsPupils in Scottish secondary schools appear to be developing a taste for new healthier menus after a three year slump in the uptake of school meals. Read more ... |
5th June: Cigarette buying age to increaseThe Scottish government has decided to increase the legal age for buying tobacco from 16 to 18 in October. Read more ... |
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4th June: Fears over chronic shortage of blood in Scotland Scotland faces a chronic blood shortage this summer with supplies running low despite an appeal for fresh donors just six months ago. Read more ... |
4th June: Professor David Kerr criticises health secretary Nicola Sturgeon over NHS reforms Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon is under attack today over plans to reverse the closure of Ayr and Monklands accident and emergency units. Read more ... |
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4th June: Young adults with depression encouraged to ask for help A new national campaign is being launched today with the aim of encouraging young adults with depression to ask for help rather than suffer in silence. Read more ... |
4th June: Experts predict dementia epidemicA £15m investment is urgently needed to deal with an epidemic in Alzheimer's disease, according to a new report. Read more ... |
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3rd June: Free school meals 'for deprived'The Scottish Executive has unveiled plans to provide free school meals to children living in some of the most deprived areas of the country. Read more ... |
2nd June: Doctors oppose reprieve for A&Es, says Kerr A decision by the Scottish Executive to save threatened accident and emergency departments would endanger patients and ignore the views of the medical establishment, former Health Minister Andy Kerr said yesterday. Read more ... |