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SUMMARY The number of people needing organ transplants outstrips supply--and this is particularly acute in black and minority ethnic groups. A reluctance to talk about the possibility of donation after [...]

WHEN PEOPLE go into a hospital for treatment they expect the standard of hygiene will be better than in their own homes. Sadly, this is not always the case. A [...]

SUMMARY Despite the findings of recent studies, nurse specialists remain supportive of national screening for breast cancer. However, women should be made aware of the pros and cons of screening [...]

SUMMARY Midwives can find it difficult to broach the subject of eating disorders in antenatal clinics, yet they are as important to tackle as obesity. Keywords Eating disorders * Anorexia [...]

SUMMARY Earlier this year a midwife from the UK made the news when she delivered a baby in the middle of Queensland, Australia's, worst-ever cyclone. Keywords Australia * Queensland * [...]

SUMMARY Locked-in syndrome is a devastating result of brain injury. It is rare and specialist care is crucial to help patients have a meaningful life. Keywords Locked-in syndrome * Acquired [...]

SUMMARY When local teams would not offer her client a place, mental health nurse Ann Edwards set up her own. Now 90 players are reaping the benefits. Keywords Mental health [...]

SUMMARY Children with autism are more prone to certain mental health disorders than their counterparts, but services to meet their special needs are lacking. Keywords Autistic spectrum disorder * Asperger [...]

SUMMARY Updated guidelines on stillbirths say that parents should be given the option of holding their baby. Keywords National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) * Stillbirth * Stillbirth [...]

SUMMARY Donating an organ to someone you do not know is a huge decision. But for one nurse, it was something she felt she had to do. Keywords Altruistic donation [...]

SUMMARY Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months gives babies the best possible start in life, but only 2 per cent of UK women achieve this goal. Keywords Breastfeeding * [...]

Continuing concerns about midwife shortages, coupled with perceptions that childbirth is over-medicalised, has increased demand for doulas in recent years. Doula is a Greek word meaning 'woman servant' or 'caregiver'. [...]

SUMMARY Parents may find it difficult to talk to their children about severe illness, but avoiding the subject can be counterproductive. Keywords Anxiety and grief reactions * Children * Parents [...]

SUMMARY Kidbrooke School in south east London faced several health challenges among its students. A service run by a school nurse has set about addressing them. Keywords TeenTalk * Teenage [...]

SUMMARY More women are opting for an unassisted 'freebirth'. But midwives and doctors are concerned about the dangers. Keywords Freebirth * Unassisted birth * Natural childbirth * Midwives * Doulas [...]

SUMMARY An innovative project has enabled people with mental health needs to have a real say in their environment and as a result they have gained in confidence. Keywords Mental [...]

SUMMARY Emotional freedom technique is gaining popularity in the UK for the treatment of psychological problems. Its supporters say it is particularly useful for people who have had traumatic experiences. [...]

Health visiting in the UK recently had its 100th birthday. But rather than being in celebratory mood, health visitors have been worried about their future. An alarming drop in their [...]

SUMMARY Women who are obese have higher risks of complications during pregnancy than their non-obese counterparts, reinforcing the need for health professionals to get healthy eating messages across. Keywords * [...]

SUMMARY Domestic violence and abuse are areas where health professionals often fear to tread, feeling that they have insufficient information and expertise to be able to help. But a Department [...]

SUMMARY There is a growing body of evidence that transferring a single embryo--rather than the current practice of two--during in vitro fertilisation is effective and could result in costs savings. [...]

SUMMARY Gypsies and travelling families face discrimination in access to health care as well as in the wider community, with the result that infant mortality rates remain high and child [...]

SUMMARY Recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence say more people with high cholesterol levels should be prescribed statins. But some professionals have reservations. * Currently 2 [...]

SUMMARY Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a useful approach for helping people to reframe negative thoughts and feelings. With a shortage of available therapists, computer-based treatment is becoming popular among [...]

SUMMARY The FPA--formerly the Family Planning Association--celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Since its inception, the association's remit has broadened from the provision of contraceptive advice to health education and [...]

SUMMARY The Design Council is working with healthcare staff and users to reconfigure services for the 21st century. This 'co-creation approach' has focused on diabetes and motivating older people to [...]

AFTER MANY decades of conventional medicine being the only consideration in the treatment of its patients, the NHS is beginning to embrace complementary therapies. One person who is helping in [...]

THE SAFEST place for babies to sleep in the first six months of life is in a cot in the same room as their parents. New guidance for parents about [...]

THE CHILDREN'S charity ChildLine, speaks to around 20,000 children every year whose lives are made miserable because they are being bullied. These statistics were published last March, but despite policy [...]

THE BENEFITS of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have tended to obscure the potential dangers that come with this treatment. This may well change as a result of the latest findings [...]

SUMMARY Only one in five women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer in the UK have immediate breast reconstruction. Keywords Breast cancer * Breast reconstruction * Breast implants * Mastectomy * [...]

SUMMARY Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose early. However, small improvements in patient outcomes are beginning to be seen because of recent initiatives to streamline care. Keywords Pancreas * Cancer [...]

SUMMARY Vaccination against human papillomavirus could play a part in preventing oral cancer. Keywords Human papillomavirus * Oral cancer * Sexually transmitted diseases * Smoking * Alcohol ********** [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [...]

SUMMARY The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in the over-45s has doubled in the past decade. Keywords Sexually transmitted diseases * Safer sex * Older adults * Risk-taking behaviour ********** [...]

A new technique in assisted conception is creating excitement among fertility experts. Although not yet available on the NHS, its use is unlikely to be too far away. Traditionally, women [...]

SUMMARY Delays in reporting symptoms and in referral to a gynaecologist may result in women enduring the symptoms of endometriosis for a considerable time. Keywords Endometriosis * Women's health * [...]

Approximately one in four of us will suffer from mild to severe bouts of depression at some point in our lives. In the UK, the Depression Alliance reports that more [...]

I WAS SO afraid I couldn't get my breath. I was terrified I was having a heart attack and was going to die.' This experience is fairly typical of someone [...]

A TREATMENT FOR recurrent miscarriages is claiming a high success rate and is even being offered to women before going through full clinical testing in Britain. In a well-reported case, [...]

WHEN 14-year-old Melissa Smith decided to have a termination without her mother's knowledge, the issues of confidentiality and consent to treatment came under the spotlight. Judy McCrae, former chair of [...]

HORMONE REPLACEMENT therapy (HRT) is no longer the first choice of therapy for prevention of osteoporosis in women over 50, according to new advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products [...]

THE BIRTH of Louise Brown following in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in 1977 offered infertile couples new hope. So much so that people came to believe a medical solution to infertility [...]

IT IS ten years since the publication of Changing Childbirth. The report, produced by an all-party parliamentary committee, echoed what many women had been thinking--that pregnancy is not a disease [...]

EVERY YEAR in England and Wales, around 1,300 women's lives are saved as a result of cervical screening. Now, the traditional cervical smear is set to be replaced by liquid-based [...]

JONATHAN ASBRIDGE, one of the country's most senior nurses, has recently been given the challenging role of patient champion for A&E. His aim is to help and encourage staff to [...]

UMA FERNANDES has worked as a community nurse in the London borough of Brent for 23 years and has been a local councillor for the past nine. 'Initially I found [...]

ENGLAND'S HEALTH minister John Hutton has the unpleasant job of persuading us that foundation hospitals are the way forward for a modernised NHS. Yet opposition over these controversial plans shows [...]

THE NHS is never far off the political agenda. Previous health minister Alan Milburn's plan was to make health services more efficient, dynamic and responsive to patients through foundation hospitals, [...]