I defied my doctors and halted dementia in its tracks - here's how I beat the odds
From dementia to crumbling bones, we spoke to four patients who proved it is possible to stop their health declining and defy their doctors' prognoses, with simple lifestyle and diet changes, helping them to avoid chronic disease and a lifetime of prescriptions.
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The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Beloved grandma who ‘knew everyone' choked to death when care home staff gave her the wrong meal, inquest told
A BELOVED grandmother choked to death after being fed the wrong food in a care home. Joan Whitworth died at the Oaks Care Home in Northumberland after staff prepared her meal in a way which "did not comply with her diet plan". 3 3 3 An inquest heard the 88-year-old had lived with her daughter Gillian but moved into the facility when her dementia progressed. When eating a meal on March 3, 2023, Joan began to display signs of choking. But the inquest heard how a care assistant did not intervene and had to ask another staff member for help to deliver back slaps and abdominal thrusts. And, CPR was not performed due to the "inaccurate understanding of a registered nurse". Following the hearing, Northumberland's senior coroner Andrew Hetherington has written a "prevention of future deaths" report. The care home and NHS trust have 56 days to respond. The coroner concluded Joan died "in a care home as a result of choking". And in his written report, he outlined a total of six "matters of concern". Of these, one was regarding the NHS trust and five were directed to the care home's operator Hillcare. The first issue was found with the speech and language team. Joan's assessment had not been written down in a formal report, meaning observations of her eating had only been passed on verbally. The coroner also concluded that a nurse and care assistant at the home "were not in date with their training in Basic Life Support and First Aid at Work". The coroner added: "I am concerned that a chef in evidence at the inquest was not aware that breaded fish was not a suitable food stuff in the diet identified for the deceased. "I am concerned that other residents could be fed inappropriate food stuffs that are not in line with their identified diet plans." Bryan Smith, Joan's son-in-law, told ChronicleLive: "Right from the start, we knew what had happened - that they hadn't given her the right food. "We knew she hadn't been looked after. "The reason we have pursued this is that we knew what had happened." Bryan added how the family had been "shocked and astounded by the quantity and severity of the mistakes" that were highlighted in the inquest. He told how many families have shared similar "painful and shocking experiences". In a statement on behalf of the family read in court, they paid tribute: "Joan was a well loved character in Blyth. She was manager of Robson's shoe shop and then moved to the Water Board. "When we used to go shopping with Joan, it would take you an hour to get past the car park - as she knew everyone in Blyth with a tap or a pair of shoes!" A Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: 'All referrals to our speech and language therapy service are robustly triaged using a risk and evidence-based approach to inform the most appropriate care for that individual. This includes information on the referral form and discussion with the patient and / or those who care for them daily to gather the most up-to-date information. "We cannot comment further on this case due to patient confidentiality, but would like to offer our sincere condolences to Mrs Whitworth's family and loved ones." A spokesperson for The Oaks Care Home said: "We acknowledge the Coroner's report relating to the death of Joan Whitworth at our home in March 2023. Our thoughts remain with her family and loved ones. "Following the incident, we carried out a full review and made all necessary changes to our practices and procedures. These have been in place for some time and will be reflected in our formal response to the Coroner's report. The safety, dignity, and wellbeing of those in our care remain our highest priorities."
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
BMA rejects NHS claim that less than third of resident doctors went on strike
The doctors union has rejected NHS figures showing that less than a third of resident doctors joined strike action in England last week and 93% of planned operations and procedures went ahead. NHS England said it maintained care for an estimated 10,000 more patients during the latest doctors' strike compared with last year's, while the health secretary, Wes Streeting, seized on the figures and said it was time to 'move past the cycle of disruption'. But the British Medical Association (BMA) rejected the figures, saying complex work schedules and doctors taking leave made it 'almost impossible to know' how many had joined the action. The number that took part in the five-day walkout was down by 7.5% on the previous round of industrial action, according to an early analysis of management information. NHS England said it would publish the fuller data in due course. Resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, went on strike demanding a 29% pay rise and have been embroiled in an increasingly acrimonious war of words with the government, which has refused to negotiate on pay. Streeting said this weekend: 'A majority of resident doctors didn't vote for strike action and data shows that less than a third of residents took part. I want to thank those resident doctors who went to work for their commitment to their patients and to our shared mission to rebuild the NHS. 'I want to end this unnecessary dispute and I will be urging the BMA to work with the government in good faith in our shared endeavour to improve the working lives of resident doctors, rather than pursuing more reckless strike action.' But the BMA said: 'NHS England's claim that the majority of England's 77,000 resident doctors chose to 'join the NHS-wide effort to keep the services open' requires a huge stretch of the imagination, given it is almost impossible to know the exact number of residents working on any given day because of complex work patterns, on-call schedules and the strike spread across a weekend. 'Added to that, in July many doctors are using up their remaining annual leave before their new posts start and would therefore not show up as striking. We look forward to seeing hard and fast data on NHS England's claim. 'The strike could have been averted, as could any future ones, if Mr Streeting had come, and will come, to the table with a credible offer that resident doctors in England can accept.' Resident doctors make up about half of all doctors in the NHS and have up to eight years' experience working in hospitals or three in general practice. Some NHS trusts experienced minimal disruption from the latest strike. The West Hertfordshire teaching hospitals trust carried out 98% of its planned activity while the University College London hospitals trust and Northumbria healthcare foundation trust both carried out 95%. James Mackey, the NHS chief executive, said that care was still disrupted for thousands of people as a result of the strike and that any repeat would be 'unacceptable'. He urged the resident doctors committee to 'get back to the negotiating table'. NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said the walkout took a toll and that trusts were concerned about potential wider industrial action in the health service. Saffron Cordery, the NHS Providers deputy chief executive, said: 'This dispute can't drag on. The union says resident doctors want this to be their last strike. With talks due to resume, let's hope so. Bringing disruptive strikes – where the only people being punished are patients – to an end must be a priority. 'We're concerned, as trusts worked hard to minimise disruption and to keep patients safe during the resident doctors' strike, by the threat of wider industrial action in the NHS.'
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
Fewer than a third of junior doctors went on strike
Fewer than a third of junior doctors turned out to strike last week, NHS England said. The turnout of resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, at the five-day walkout that ended on Wednesday was down by 7.5 per cent (equating to 1,243 doctors) compared to the previous round of of industrial action in July last year, according to an early analysis of management information collected by NHS England. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) disputed the figures, claiming that complex work schedules and doctors taking leave make this information 'almost impossible to know'. NHS England said it maintained care for an estimated 10,000 more patients during the latest doctors' strike compared with last year's walkout, and 93 per cent of planned operations, tests and procedures went ahead as planned. In contrast, during previous strike action, the majority of non-urgent care was postponed. For example, between 2022 and 2024, walkouts led to 1.5 million cancellations. Welcoming the reduced number of doctors on the picket line, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, who is set to resume talks with the BMA this week, said: 'A majority of resident doctors didn't vote for strike action and data shows that less than a third of residents took part. 'I want to thank those resident doctors who went to work for their commitment to their patients and to our shared mission to rebuild the NHS.' He said it is time to 'move past the cycle of disruption', adding: 'I want to end this unnecessary dispute and I will be urging the BMA to work with the Government in good faith in our shared endeavour to improve the working lives of resident doctors, rather than pursuing more reckless strike action.' Junior doctors are seeking a 26 per cent pay rise, which they claim will restore their pay to 2008 levels and restore what they claim has been their 'pay erosion'. Last year, the Health Secretary gave them a 28.7 per cent pay rise over three years in a move, which ended the last round of strikes. However, the BMA union said it recognised the efforts that senior doctors and healthcare workers made during the strike to provide care to patients, but it disputed the figure set out by the NHS. It said: 'NHS England's claim that the majority of England's 77,000 resident doctors chose to 'join the NHS-wide effort to keep the services open' requires a huge stretch of the imagination, given it is almost impossible to know the exact number of residents working on any given day because of complex work patterns, on-call schedules and the strike spread across a weekend. 'Added to that, in July many doctors are using up their remaining annual leave before their new posts start and would therefore not show up as striking. We look forward to seeing hard and fast data on NHS England's claim. 'The strike could have been averted, as could any future ones, if Mr Streeting had come, and will come, to the table with a credible offer that resident doctors in England can accept.' Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of the NHS, noted care was still disrupted for thousands of people and said a repeat of strike action will be 'unacceptable'. He said: 'I would urge the resident doctors committee to get back to the negotiating table and work with us and the Government on the meaningful improvements we can make to resident doctors' working lives.' NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, added that the walkout took a toll and trusts are increasingly concerned about potential wider industrial action in the health service. Saffron Cordery, NHS Providers' deputy chief executive, said: ' This dispute can't drag on. 'The union says resident doctors want this to be their last strike. With talks due to resume, let's hope so. Bringing disruptive strikes – where the only people being punished are patients – to an end must be a priority. 'We're concerned, as trusts worked hard to minimise disruption and to keep patients safe during the resident doctors' strike, by the threat of wider industrial action in the NHS.' Last week's walkouts are the latest example of strike action under the Labour Government, with teachers and nurses expected to ballot on industrial action imminently. Unite, Labour's biggest financial backer, is threatening to cut its political funding to the party. It has also suspended the membership of Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, over her failure to back bin strikes in Birmingham and 'bringing the union into disrepute'.
