Devon nurse honoured with humanitarian medal by King
Devon nurse Paula Tobin has told of her pride at being presented with a Humanitarian Medal by King Charles for her life-saving work in Gaza.Ms Tobin, 57, from Tavistock, was awarded the honour in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.She spent four months in Gaza, over three different deployments, volunteering for frontline medical charity UK-Med, and is due to return again in April.Ms Tobin said: "I found it much easier packing my bag to go out to Gaza than deciding what to wear to Buckingham Palace to meet the King."
Mum 'over the moon'
The field hospitals where she worked in Al Mawasi and Deir El Balah, established with Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funding, have treated more than 300,000 patients. "It is lovely to have my work recognised and my mum was absolutely over the moon when she heard the news," said Ms Tobin."Being able to take her to the palace hopefully goes a long way to making up for all the worry I've put her through over the years."A veteran of humanitarian crises including the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, Ukraine and the Turkey earthquake, she said it was "hardest for your family back home"."Gaza's been a tough one because it is so much in the news," she said. "Each time I come back and I am okay, my family get a tiny bit more relaxed, but they do say 'just don't go again'. "I've told them I am returning in April and my response is always 'you know this is me, it's what I do. I'll be fine'."
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the new medal "recognises the incredible dedication and selfless service of individuals on the frontline of the UK's responses to some of the world's most devastating crises"."I am delighted the first tranche of awards will recognise members of the UK government's emergency deployment teams, for their brave work in Libya, Morocco and Gaza," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Gladiator Giant says prostate cancer blood test could save lives
Gladiators star Jamie Christian has said there are no 'warning signs' for prostate cancer and has urged men to take a blood test that 'could save their life' if diagnosed early. Known as Giant on the hit BBC show, the bodybuilder has been raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and took part in The Big Golf Race where he played 72 holes of golf and walked more than 26 miles in a single day, completing the challenge in just under 15 hours. This comes after his uncle, Colin Tomlinson, was diagnosed and later recovered from prostate cancer eight years ago. Speaking during Men's Health Week, which runs from June 9-15, he said: 'That was just a true example of it can happen to anyone, no matter how fit or healthy you are there are no warning signs for this. 'If people aren't getting the necessary checks, then it could be too late.' Around one in eight men in the UK will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to Prostate Cancer UK. It occurs when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way with the risk of spreading if not detected early. One cancer screening is a PSA blood test which checks the level of prostate specific antigens in the blood and, if high, may be a sign of a prostate condition, according to the NHS website. He said: 'By doing a simple blood test, by going to your GP and having a simple blood test to check your PSA levels, that's like the first step, and it's something really, really easy. 'It could save their life. 'I think men, being men, we're very private individuals especially with certain body parts. So I think the stigma attached to prostate cancer is that men have to go to the doctors and have the prostate exam with the finger up the bum, without being too graphic. I think that puts a lot of people off. 'Having the knowledge of a simple blood test will give you all you need to know that is far, far more beneficial than surely finding out one day that you might have cancer.' Because prostate cancer often does not have any symptoms, it is important to get checked especially for men over the age of 50, black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer who are at higher risk. Christian added: 'It's much more powerful to prevent something than to have to cure it, because the cure isn't something that we can have full control over, but prevention-wise, that is in our control to go and get the necessary checks to look after our lifestyle, our diets, our activities, shall we say. 'When you put it like that, a few minutes of your day, why would you not go and do it? Peace of mind.' The Big Golf Race is the biggest golf fundraising challenge in the UK which encourages participants to choose from the Half Marathon (36 holes and approximately 13 miles of walking), the Marathon (72 holes and over 26 miles), or the Ultra Marathon (100 holes in one day and 35 miles) to raise money and awareness for the charity. Speaking about the sport Christian added: '(The golf course) is a great place where men can be in a safe space and talk to one another. And these conversations on a golf course are private and respected. 'I think the more people that come on board, the more people that listen, more people that talk, more people that go out and play a game of golf and have those conversations with each other, the better. 'And hopefully, the rates of the actual deaths from prostate cancer will start to fall.' Christian is best known as Giant on the sports and entertainment show Gladiators which sees professional athletes take on contestants as they try to complete physical challenges. Prior to being a Gladiator, he was the tallest professional bodybuilder in the world at six feet five and consumed up to 10,000 calories a day. He has since reduced his intake to around 5,000 calories.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Reform's new chairman once called Farage an idiot
The new chairman of Reform UK once called its leader Nigel Farage an 'idiot' and criticised comments by him as 'dangerous'. The remarks by Dr David Bull have emerged after his appointment to the role was announced on Tuesday. He replaces Zia Yusuf, who resigned as Reform's chairman last week before rejoining the party just two days later to take up a different senior position. Dr Bull previously publicly disagreed with Mr Farage over comments he made in 2014 about migrants with HIV. He also shared several posts on his Twitter profile criticising Donald Trump, including calling his first inauguration speech in 2017 'awful'. During his time as Ukip leader, Mr Farage suggested HIV-positive immigrants should not be allowed to come to the UK and receive treatment on the NHS. He said it should not be used as a 'global health service' because of a lack of resources. Sharing an article about Mr Farage's comments, Dr Bull wrote: 'Nigel Farage's comments are ill-judged, prejudiced and dangerous. HIV can affect anyone regardless of sex, race and class'. In the post, still visible online, he added: '#idiot #unhelpful'. Dr Bull, 56, is a long-time ally of Mr Farage and has previously held roles in both Reform and its former iteration the Brexit Party. He served as an MEP for North West England between 2019 and 2020. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Yusuf said he was 'hugely excited' that Dr Bull was taking up the role, adding: 'This party is no longer a start-up. 'I think it's gone to a scale-up phase... the reality is what we need now in a chairman is someone who is an incredible communicator, someone who's loved universally across the party... someone who's going to I think do a better job than me at energising volunteers on the front line.' Mr Yusuf added: 'I wholeheartedly congratulate him, and I know he's going to do an incredible job for us.' Meanwhile, Mr Farage said Dr Bull would come to the chairman's role with 'terrific verve, energy, enthusiasm'. He described him as a 'terrific communicator' and said his 'job is not to get involved with the admin, is not to get involved in the tech' but to 'give leadership to that volunteer army out there of people'. Dr Bull's negative comments about Mr Trump, who is close to Mr Farage, included calling him a 'fool' for saying during the 2016 presidential campaign that he wanted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Commenting on the Republican's first inauguration speech in January 2017, he wrote: 'It's…… um….. awful'. He also condemned Lord Mackinlay, the former Conservative MP, for opposing LGBT-inclusive sex education in schools. Sharing an article by Pink News, an LGBT-led media outlet, in 2017, Dr Bull called him a 'total idiot' and said that 'inclusive' sex education 'must be compulsory'. In 2014, Ukip, when led by Mr Farage, proposed banning sex education in primary schools. But Mr Farage said at the time that he had ' never advocated that policy '. Last year, Mr Farage said there 'perhaps' was not a 'straightforward answer' to what age children should be taught about sex and relationships. In May last year, he told GB News that there was 'little doubt that there are some schools that have been teaching very inappropriate material'.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Common pill is putting millions at risk of life-threatening breathing problems, doctor warns
They are pills prescribed to millions in the UK to treat heart conditions and anxiety. But beta blockers may pose a hidden risk to the 7.2 million people living with asthma, an NHS GP has warned. According to the British Heart Foundation, UK doctors issue more than 50 million prescriptions for beta blockers every year. However, Dr Sooj, a family doctor with over 250,000 TikTok followers, cautioned that the drugs can interfere with the way asthma medications work—potentially putting some patients at risk during an attack. Asthma causes symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. While generally manageable, it can become life-threatening, when severely inflamed airways make it extremely difficult to breathe. Asthma UK reports that around 1,200 people die from asthma attacks each year in the UK, while in the US the figure is over 3,500. In a TikTok, Dr Sooj explained: 'If you have asthma you need to be cautious and we need to make sure you're aware of any of the risks and potential complications of taking a beta blocker.' He continued: 'The medications we use in an acute asthma attack are called beta agonists—these help to dilate the pipes in your lungs.' Dr Sooj explained that these beta agonists, found in many common inhalers, work by relaxing the muscles in the airways, making it easier to breathe. But beta blockers—used to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure—can blunt this effect. 'By doing that, they can worsen the symptoms of asthma,' he said. And it's not just people with asthma who may be affected. Inhalers are also routinely prescribed to those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term covering long-term lung conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These incurable conditions can also cause severe breathing difficulties, and for this group too, beta blockers may pose a risk. The NHS advises patients with asthma or lung disease to inform their doctor before starting beta blockers, to ensure the medication is safe. That said, Dr Sooj added: 'I've seen lots of patients with COPD or asthma who are on beta blockers and they're completely fine with them.' 'But this is a discussion that you should be having with your own doctor.' Dr Sooj added that he still believed beta blockers to be 'excellent medications', and explained developments in the drugs that has improved them. 'We now have cardio selective beta blockers, which... affect the body a bit less.' The new warning follows concerns that a type of beta blocker called propranolol can put patients at risk of 'toxic overdose'—triggering seizures, depression and even cardiac arrest in high doses. Recent research showed the number of prescriptions for propranolol to treat anxiety in the UK doubled between 2003 and 2018. In theory, by keeping blood pressure low, feelings of panic and anxiety are reduced. However some experts have claimed there 'no evidence' that drugs are effective for mental health, and that patients often aren't adequately warned about risk of an overdose. In a recent letter to The Guardian, pharmacist Christopher Sullivan warned that the drug 'is associated with significant adverse outcomes' and urged GPs to exercise 'extreme caution when prescribing these medicines for anxiety'. 'Prescribing these medicines for anxiety is not recommended in national evidence-based guidelines,' he added. It followed comments from GP Dr Amir Khan, who told the newspaper that propananol had been linked to 'higher rates of depression' and warned GPs not to prescribe it to anxious patients who also suffer low mood. 'If you are taking them long term, you can't suddenly stop them,' he added. 'You need to be weaned off them.' The risks are not thought to pertain to those taking the medicine for heart problems and other physical issues like migraine—but experts say patients with mental health troubles are vulnerable to either accidentally or purposefully taking an overdose.
