
Work begins on new medical testing centre in Cornwall
Work has started on the construction of a new medical testing centre in Cornwall.The community diagnostic centre on the Camborne Redruth Community Hospital site will offer tests such as X-rays, MRI and CT scans, blood tests, heart checks and endoscopies.NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly chief nursing officer Susan Bracefield said the centre would help deliver services closer to people's homes.She said the site, which is due to open later in the year, was expected to be used by about 75,000 patients.
Ms Bracefield said more than 96,000 tests were carried out at community diagnostic centres in Bodmin and Penzance, "giving quicker access to important scans and tests"."This new centre at Redruth will mean even more patients can benefit from tests closer to home and a shorter wait for diagnosis and perhaps treatment," she said.
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The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Putting cancer warnings on alcohol would help me drink less
Back in the early noughties, the indoor smoking ban led to an outcry over 'the nanny state'. The same happened when cigarette advertising was banned, and when manufacturers were required to plaster packs with images of diseased lungs. Yet over the past 40 years, according to Cancer Research, lung cancer rates in men have dropped by around 60 per cent. We may think we crave the rugged freedoms of the Marlboro Man, but given the facts, it turns out we don't actually want to die. And yet when it comes to alcohol, one of the world's biggest killers, a key driver of cancers, heart disease, strokes and obesity, there are no images of rotting livers on the chilled Sauvignon. The presentation of booze in the supermarket aisles is as benign as kitchen roll and chicken pie. It's described on restaurant menus with biblical reverence, it's advertised on TV in a hazy, golden-hour glow, and every other greetings card carries a hilarious reference to the booze-addled nature of the recipient. It is both normalised and celebrated, despite being the fifth greatest risk factor for death in the UK. Now, a group of major medical and health organisations have signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling for alcohol to carry explicit warnings that its consumption can cause cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund, which spearheaded the letter, cited 'shockingly low' public awareness that alcohol raises the risk of seven types of cancer – these being breast, bowel, stomach, head, neck, liver and mouth – and insisted that 'bold and unambiguous labelling' is urgently need to help save lives. Token efforts have long been made by the industry to toe a wavering line of responsibility – the number of units a bottle of wine contains written in a font the size of a gnat's IKEA instructions, or a glancing mention that pregnant women shouldn't drink. According to the Advertising Standards Authority, 'Lively, but responsible, social interaction or party scenes with alcohol present are allowed but…no behaviour may be adolescent or childish.' If only that diktat held true in real-life 'party scenes.' Initially, like much of Gen X and our wine-necking Boomer parents, I was resistant to the idea of cancer warnings. If I wanted to slowly kill myself in a responsible and socially acceptable manner, I felt it should be my choice to do so. But after another night of drinking slightly too much with friends, waking bathed in shame and a light prosecco sweat, I reconsidered. Women, particularly, are at risk of harm from alcohol, simply because we're smaller. If every time I picked up the wine bottle to top up my glass – over a healthy dinner! So civilised! – it reminded me that I was increasing my risk of cancer, I suspect I might put it back down. Humans like to ignore the dangers when it's something we want to do until it becomes impossible to turn a blind eye. But this time, it's not so much the consumers resisting warnings as the enormously powerful drinks industry. It's already up against Gen Z's wellbeing crusade, with a tsunami of kumbucha and kefir washing away the old-school shots and spirits from nights out. The risk of drinkers murmuring, 'Actually, I don't think I do want seven types of cancer' and switching the kettle on instead is a step too far. A spokesperson for the Portman Group, which oversees UK alcohol labelling in the UK, says: 'Whilst we do not dispute the link between alcohol and certain cancers… blanket cancer warning labels…can create unnecessary anxiety, eroding trust in health advice and alienating the very people who require support.' As an argument, this is weaker than a sixth-form debating point scribbled on the bus. Imagine the motor industry saying, 'Road signs create unnecessary anxiety. Let's not warn people that they might crash, lest we alienate drivers.' The spokesperson added that most alcohol products already include advice to limit drinking to 14 units a week, and claimed that 'most people drink within guidelines.' According to NHS Digital, however, 24 per cent of Brits drink more than this, while the charity Drinkaware has found that 32 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women regularly sink more than the recommended limit – and it is a limit, not a target. Doctors repeatedly warn that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, and in April, the World Health Organisation advised that women should drink no alcohol at all to avoid a heightened risk of breast cancer. I'm aware that even reading this is annoying. I share the general British resentment over finger-wagging admonishments from the Fun Police. I want to say, 'You'll prise my Picpoul from my cold, dead hand.' The only thing is, I'd rather not be cold and dead – and I'm increasingly convinced that warning labels can only be a good thing. Although, of course, we must be careful how we approach this new regime. After all, we wouldn't want to alienate anybody.


BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Update on Guildford paddling pool plagued by problems
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BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Parents of Orlando Davis welcome national maternity inquiry
The parents of a baby who died as a result of hospital negligence have said a national inquiry into maternity services will "unravel a huge wider picture" of injury and midwife Robyn Davis and her husband Jonathan, from Steyning, West Sussex, lost their son Orlando 14 days after he was born by emergency caesarean at Worthing Hospital in September Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an investigation into maternity failings in England, the couple said: "Unfortunately, this is happening everywhere."University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust's chief medical officer Prof Katie Urch, said it was "fully supporting this investigation to help improve maternity care". An inquest into Orlando's death found he had suffered brain damage after clinicians failed to recognise that Mrs Davis had developed hyponatremia - a lower than normal level of sodium in the bloodstream - during couple told the BBC they were told by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust that their case was "really rare".But, after speaking to other families, they discovered "this was not the case whatsoever". "We've very quickly found that, of course, there are multiple families that are not only going through baby loss, they're going through birth injuries, they're going through birth trauma," said couple said they hoped for a wider public inquiry, adding that they wanted to see real change."How many times do we find ourselves hearing of a maternity issue – children dying, mums passing or almost passing or being left with lifelong injuries," said Jonathan."[Then] it happens again."Improvements are also needed in how regulatory organisations support families looking for answers, he said, adding that the process felt like "an endurance race"."Robyn was a midwife at Worthing Hospital... so what chance does a normal member of the public have?" he said. 'Immense courage' Nicola Wise, the Care Quality Commission's director of secondary and specialist care, said: "Safe, high-quality maternity care for all should be the minimum expectation for women and babies – and is what staff working in maternity services across the country want to provide."The Nursing and Midwifery Council's interim chief executive and registrar, Paul Rees MBE, said: "It is vital that when people raise concerns with us, their experience is as positive and supportive as possible. We are working to improve both the timeliness of our investigations and the experience for everyone involved."A General Medical Council spokesperson said: "We take our responsibility extremely seriously and will investigate when there is evidence that indicates a doctor's current fitness to practise could be impaired."UH Sussex's chief medical officer, Prof Katie Urch, said bereaved families "have shown immense courage in sharing their experiences and we remain committed to listening to and learning from them".