Isle of Man cocaine warning as emergency hospital admissions rise
He said the advice to everyone was to "avoid using cocaine or any unknown substance" which may be "stronger than usual or mixed with other harmful drugs".The risk was "particularly high" for those with underlying health conditions, or mixed with other substances. People are also being asked to call emergency services if they know anyone that has become unwell after drug use.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
My friends had to subsidise the cost of running my vital oxygen therapy
I am dependent on long-term oxygen therapy after a double lung transplant. I'm entitled to reimbursement of the excess electricity used by the oxygen concentrator and have received quarterly payments of about £48 from Vivisol, which administers rebates on behalf of the NHS. However, I was forced to stay with friends and family for a year after my house was flooded, and I spent a further two months convalescing at my daughter's house after a heart operation. I received no rebates during that time, and Vivisol told me l would not be reimbursed while I was not living at home, which means my hosts had to subsidise my treatment. SS, East Sussex The rebate scheme is intended to protect eligible patients who rely on an oxygen concentrator from spiralling energy costs. I see that Vivisol's website states, in passing, that patients are eligible for the cost of using the machine at their main address. This strikes me as insufficiently clear, as well as potentially unfair. It's a no-brainer that those with such serious health issues might have to relocate, as you did, for convalescence, for respite care or building work. It seems unreasonable to me to expect friends and family to foot what can be a considerable bill for treatment and, since concentrators record electricity consumption on an integrated meter unconnected to the household meter, it is straightforward to be able to monitor the costs involved. I first approached NHS England to ask if this restriction was NHS policy and whether there were exemptions for cases such as yours. It referred me to the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board, which explained that patients can nominate a temporary address as their main residence via their service provider in circumstances such as yours. In the meantime, Vivisol responded to my contact by agreeing to reinstate and backdate your rebates to cover the period while you were away. A spokesperson said: 'All communication does highlight that the eligibility only applies at the patient's main address. As a result of your email, we will review to identify if that can be made clearer.' We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Free STI vaccines offered at health clinics
The Labour Government is calling on those who are sexually active and eligible to take up a free STI vaccine on the NHS. The world's first gonorrhoea vaccination programme is being rolled out by the NHS and local authorities and is now available at sexual health clinics in England for people at highest risk of infection. From Monday, clinics will be able to offer the free vaccine to those at highest risk of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), including gay and bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners and a bacterial STI in the previous 12 months. Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, said: 'Rolling out this world-leading gonorrhoea vaccination programme in sexual health clinics in England represents a major breakthrough in preventing an infection that has reached record levels. 'This government's world-first vaccination programme will help turn the tide on infections, as well as tackling head-on the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. 'I strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to come forward for vaccination, to protect not only yourselves but also your sexual partners.' The vaccination programme comes at a critical time, with diagnoses of gonorrhoea reaching their highest levels since records began. In 2023, a record 85,000 cases of the disease were reported in England — three times higher than in 2012. The Government says this vaccine will protect thousands of people and save the NHS more than £7.9 million over the next decade. It will also help combat increasing levels of antibiotic-resistant strains of the disease. The vaccine that can now be offered to 'high-risk individuals' at local sexual health clinics is the existing vaccine for meningococcal disease (4CMenB) that also helps protect against gonorrhoea. Eligible patients attending clinics for the gonorrhoea vaccine will also be offered mpox, hepatitis A and B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, which the Government says will provide comprehensive protection against an array of diseases. Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS national director for primary care and community services, said: 'The roll out of the NHS' world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea from this month is a real step-forward for sexual health and I know health service staff, alongside local authority colleagues, have been working hard to hit the ground running. 'This vaccine is already used to protect against Men B and is proven to be effective against gonorrhoea, preventing the spread of infection and reducing the rising rates of antibiotic-resistant strains. 'That is why it is so important that everyone eligible takes up the offer through sexual health services alongside existing jabs for mpox, Hep A & B, and HPV, helping ensure we keep each other safe.' Gonorrhoea is the second most common STI in the UK, and officials are becoming increasingly concerned that it could become 'untreatable' following a rise in an antibiotic-resistant strain from abroad. The programme will primarily target gay and bisexual men with a recent history of multiple sexual partners or a bacterial STI, who are at an increased risk of becoming infected. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data show there was a 9.4 per cent increase in gonorrhoea diagnoses among this group in 2023, with cases rising from 37,095 to 40,586. ENDS
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
World-first vaccine rolled out across England amid record levels of infection
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