New Belfast maternity hospital could be delayed a further 28 months
The opening of Belfast's new maternity hospital could be delayed by another 28 months.Nike Nesbitt told the assembly he couldn't "soften the news" and has asked for an external expert to review if the decision taken is the best one and if parts of the hospital could be opened in the meantime.The minister also said that he is "far from finished" on the matter and he also needs to better understand why some experts have disagreed with the option taken by the health trust.During last Thursday's health committee, it emerged that the health trust faced three options to try and fix the water system which included ongoing testing of individual water taps across the building; installing a "discreet checking system" for high-risk areas including the neonatal unit and finally pulling out the entire water system which was described by management as "excessive".
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
NHS has ‘culture of cover-up' over failures, Health Secretary says
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS has a 'culture of cover-up' as he apologised for failures that are said to have left a woman permanently disabled. He told MPs there is 'too much of that happening' in the NHS, and that reputations are protected instead of patients being told the truth. The minister's comments came after Labour MP Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) told him about the experience of a woman in his constituency who suffered from nerve damage after a hip operation, but was told her pain was 'common'. Mr Moon said: 'A couple of weeks ago at my constituency surgery, through the tears, my constituent Amy explained how, following a hip operation in 2008, she suffered progressive nerve damage due to repeated failures in diagnosis, referral and treatment. 'Despite raising concerns for years, she was told her pain was common. 'A nerve test in 2015 confirmed damage and further tests last year showed a significant deterioration. After 17 years, she's only now been offered surgery. 'All Amy wants to know is what steps are being taken to ensure that no other patient is left permanently disabled due to such long and systemic failures.' Responding, Mr Streeting said: 'Can I first of all, on behalf of the NHS, apologise to his constituent. 'That is a totally intolerable situation, but sadly not rare or exceptional. 'There's too much of that happening and a culture of cover-up and covering reputations, rather than being honest with patients about failures. 'We are changing the culture, safety is at the heart of the 10-year plan, and I'd be delighted to talk to him further about his constituent's case.' Elsewhere during health and social care oral questions on Tuesday, the Government was challenged on the difficulties that pharmacies are facing. Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden (South Devon) told MPs the 'current funding model doesn't take into account the lower footfall and the limited referral rates that are common in rural areas'. She said: 'If a pharmacy in a small market town closes, it can cause extreme difficulties for people to access advice and medicines, particularly where there is little or no public transport and they have to go a long way.' Conservative shadow health minister Dr Luke Evans raised the cap on funded consultation appointments that pharmacies can schedule through the Pharmacy First Scheme. He said: 'Once they hit that cap, they are no longer paid the £17 per consultation. 'That, in turn, may mean patients will either be turned away or the pharmacist has to take the hit and has to pay for it themselves.' Care minister Stephen Kinnock replied: 'The pharmacy sector is facing huge challenges after massive cuts over the last 14 years. We're beginning to rebuild, but there are particular challenges for rural pharmacies. 'We are looking at comprehensive reform in the pharmacy sector around better use of technology, hub-and-spoke dispensing and a range of other options which would enable better remote dispensing for rural pharmacies.' He told Dr Evans that the 'record uplift' of £3.1 billion for the pharmacy sector was coming in 'after years of underfunding, incompetence and neglect' from the Conservatives, and that the allocation of funding will be looked at in their reforms.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Why eight glasses of water a day is a myth when it comes to hydration and heat stress
Last year was the hottest year on record and all the signs are that 2025 will be even hotter. Swathes of southern Europe have battled unseasonably hot temperatures and after months of frequently wet and cooler weather, temperatures are now hitting an annual high in the UK with temperatures soaring to 35 degrees in the South East. With this comes new health concerns. A recent analysis showed that heat-related deaths in Europe have increased by about 30% over the past 20 years. In 2023 alone, nearly 48,000 people died from heat-related causes — a huge rise from previous years as the human body struggles to cope with heat stress. 'Generally, humans die after a few days without fluid intake,' says Alex Ruani, a researcher in nutrition science at University College London (UCL) and chief science educator at the Health Sciences Academy. 'But in extreme heat where fluids and electrolytes [essential minerals, like sodium, calcium, and potassium, that are vital to many key functions in the body such as balancing blood pressure, regulating nerve and muscle function, and hydrating the body] losses are greater, death from dehydration comes a lot sooner.' At the less extreme end, Ruani says that chronic or severe dehydration can lead to urinary tract infections, kidney stones and a decrease in physical and mental performance. Add in constipation, delirium, seizures, and a drop in blood pressure (fluid loss leads to low blood pressure, which can lead to lightheadedness and fainting) and you can see why staying hydrated can not only help avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke but is key to staying healthy. So, how much should we drink? Our body is composed largely of water (about 50 to 70 per cent) and this includes our cells, which need water to function properly. However, a 2023 study from the water bottle brand AirUp found that 45 per cent of British people drink the equivalent of just one glass of water per day, despite official NHS guidelines advising six to eight glasses. This needs to be increased in hot climates, during exercise, or when you're pregnant and breastfeeding. 'The benefits of staying properly hydrated include enabling your brain to work properly, regulating your body temperature, keeping a steady and rhythmic hormone production, fomenting cell longevity, aiding proper digestion, and helping to eliminate toxins,' says Ruani, who says that proper hydration should be given the same priority as our sleep and exercise habits. A 2023 study found that people who drink more water live longer and develop fewer chronic illnesses. The research, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studied 11,255 adults and found adults with the lowest fluid intake were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological ageing compared to those with healthy fluid intake. Natalia Dmitrieva, the study author at the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which is part of the NIH, said: 'The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down ageing and prolong a disease-free life.' Ruani says many of us don't drink enough throughout the day to replenish the water we lose through urinating and sweating (roughly 2.5 to 3 litres per day, for a healthy adult). 'We tend not to think about drinking water, or even feel thirsty, until we are already a bit dehydrated.' By the time you feel thirsty, she says, you're probably already about 1 to 2 per cent dehydrated. She adds that while it's easy to treat a mild case of dehydration simply by drinking more water, as the recent European heatwave have shown, chronic or severe dehydration can be life-threatening. When someone experiences heat stroke, the body stops sweating and they may experience seizures or hallucinations. In these extreme cases, it is imperative the person gets an IV drip to rehydrate. Signs you are chronically dehydrated are feeling weaker and experiencing frequent headaches, she says, adding: 'But instead of drinking a large amount of water in one go, it's best to consume water throughout the day.' It is also possible to drink too much, she says, although this is more rare. 'Drinking too much water can dilute the blood while causing levels of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes to fall. This is called hyponatremia, or water poisoning, and can occur when you drink too much in a short space of time, or when there's an underlying medical condition where the kidneys can't process it all.' Several factors, like your weight, activity levels, and how hot it is will affect how much is too much but as a guide, a 2021 study published in the British Medical Journal suggested that drinking 5.3 litres of water over four hours can lead to water poisoning. When it comes to how much water we need to stay healthy, eight glasses – roughly two litres – is seen as the standard. However, a study in 2022 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US found this may be a myth. Researchers measured the water intake of over 5,000 people from 26 countries, ranging in age from babies to 96-year-olds, and found the amount of water needed to stay healthy varied considerably. The body will tell you if you need to drink more and when Professor Tim Noakes 'The science has never supported the eight glasses thing, if only because it confused total water turnover with water from beverages and a lot of your water comes from the food you eat,' said Dale Schoeller, an emeritus professor of nutritional sciences who co-led the study. How much water we need depends on many factors. Professor Tim Noakes, emeritus professor in the Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town and author of Waterlogged, says there is only one rule when it comes to fluid intake: if you're thirsty, drink. 'The body will tell you if you need to drink more and when,' he says. 'Men are generally larger so they will need to replace more fluid on a daily basis than smaller women. Any cause of fluid loss from the body, including menstruation, will increase the fluid requirements. But the body will indicate what it needs.' That said, some elderly people may have an impaired thirst mechanism and need to be encouraged to drink more than their thirst directs. 'As we get older, our sense of thirst is reduced, putting us at a higher risk of dehydration,' adds Alex Ruani. 'Some elderly adults may also be on medications that increase urine output, so they need to be more cautious.' Sam Rice, a nutritionist and author of Supercharge Your Diet: Ten Easy Ways to Get Everything You Need From Your Food, says it is worth remembering that 'tea, coffee, and milk all count' but adds that we should avoid shop-bought soft drinks as they can be very high in sugar, which has a hypernatremic effect, 'meaning it draws water from your tissues and so depletes your body of fluids'. As for coffee, while it's often thought to be a diuretic – a 2016 study found that the hydrating effects of water, coffee and tea were almost identical – it contains caffeine so it should be drunk in moderation. Rice says that water in food also counts, especially fruits and vegetables with a high water content, such as melon (especially watermelon), strawberries, cucumber, lettuce and celery. 'In truth, the simple rule to make sure you are getting enough is to drink a glass of water with every meal in addition to what you usually drink', says Rice. Another gauge is how often you pee, which should ideally be five to six times a day. Less than that and you probably need to drink more water.' Ruani suggests checking that your urine looks light and clear, like the colour of pale straw, throughout the day (the first urine of the day will be darker because you haven't consumed any water during the night). 'Another indicator is the 'skin turgor test',' she says. 'This might not work with older adults because their skin is less firm. But if you pinch a bit of skin on the back of your hand, does the skin go back down immediately after you release it, or does it stay up a bit? It may be a sign of dehydration if the skin stays up after you let it go.' In which case, go and pour yourself a large glass of water...
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
'I get paid to cuddle babies and help hundreds of women give birth - this is my best advice for expectant parents'
If you've ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each week, our Money team speaks to someone from a different profession to discover what it's really like. Today we chat to maternity doula Trudi Dawson... There is no typical day for a doula... which is part of the beauty of the role. Some doulas work every day. For example, I am also an infant feeding specialist, sleep coach and antenatal teacher. So every day, I am working on something to do with someone having a baby! If I am on call for a birth, I will be keeping a close eye on my phone day and night; I could be asked to go and be with a family at short notice. When I have a postnatal doula client, I will usually be with them during school hours, which works well around my family. Doula costs vary... depending on experience and location. A family might only need some birth preparation sessions, virtual support or full birth and postnatal services. Sometimes, postnatal clients just want help settling at home (which is usually charged by the hour), and others would like regular hours over a period of months. Doulas can charge whatever works. Doulas tend to be a... very supportive and collaborative bunch. Particularly when being part of an organisation like Doula UK. Often, doulas work in pairs, either with a backup doula or partnering to make sure a family is never let down. I have never had two clients go into labour together, but I have been at two births within 24 hours, which was a great day! When I am booked for postnatal doulaing in advance of the baby being born, I have to be very careful what other clients I put in around that time. It can be a bit of a juggling act but we get very good at it and make sure that, if we've committed to be with you, we will move heaven and earth to fulfil that promise I teach... antenatal, offer home visits for feeding issues and sleep, plus I support at an NHS breastfeeding clinic, so my clients run into the hundreds. Other doulas might only attend births and do as little as two or three a year. It's a very flexible job that you can scale up and scale down to suit. Doula UK members are required to submit an annual return of how many clients they've worked with so that we can know exactly how many families they have supported. It's rising every year, I'm pleased to say. Some of the best perks are... the freedom of who I work with and when I work. I am in charge of my own time and that makes me really happy and works well for my family. I'll be honest, there aren't many freebies, although I have been given some really fantastic presents by my clients, which is always so lovely. I'm usually crying tears of joy... I'm not often crying outright, but I do get a huge emotional lift from my job. The connection I feel with my clients is incomparable to any other relationship. It's very special and unique, and I am always so honoured to be a part of the family for that short time. I often get to share in a woman's first moments as a mum, I get to see her experience her baby's first smile, and sometimes she'll confide in me at her most vulnerable or happy moments. I'd honestly find it a challenge to think of any other job that does all that. The biggest problem in UK maternity care services is... funding, obviously. But also, I think there is a societal misunderstanding and huge underestimation of the role of birth and bonding in long-term health outcomes. I honestly believe that we could change the world both in terms of physical health and economic wealth if society and the maternity care services were set up to support birth and bonding. But don't start me ranting, I'll be here all day! British women are not well looked after in the UK... I think society just doesn't honour the child birthing years and their impact as much as it should. But, while I'm here, I think women's issues in general are under-represented, under-researched and under-funded. I think it all starts right at the beginning with our own birth stories. I don't get clingy clients... being a doula is a real chemistry thing and we often talk about the right jobs finding us. I usually tell someone looking for a doula to look beyond experience and price and go with who they really get on with. This works both ways, so the relationship usually just works okay at the very least. More often, though, you end up working with someone you get on so well with. Some of my clients have ended up friends. Perhaps I'm the clingy doula! My toughest interaction with a client was when I... doula'd for a woman who knew her baby had passed away already. It was incredibly tough, but also one of the most amazing births I have ever supported. It was deeply powerful and life-affirming, and I was so honoured to be able to support her at such a unique and impressionable time. I definitely cried at that one. The first birth I ever attended as a bona fide doula after my training... will always stay with me. I was so nervous and felt such a huge sense of imposter syndrome. It was an amazing birth and I'm so lucky my first couple were so trusting and made it such a wonderful experience for me. More and more people are realising... the power of a well-supported birth. And that, sadly, sometimes the only way to ensure that support is to outsource it. That isn't the same as ensuring a particular type of birth (doulas support ALL births), but our support is continuous, assured and personalised, always. At Doula UK, we've noticed a year-on-year increase in families choosing to birth with a doula or use a doula after the birth for postnatal support at home. I've also noticed much more collaboration with maternity services on the whole, which is wonderful. We're all supporting the same thing and to work together will only benefit the families. To people who think doulas are a waste of money... I'd probably save the talking for some of my previous clients. Some of whom had their first baby without a doula, and so can compare experiences. I'm confident not one of my previous clients in the last 19 years would consider me a waste of money. To be fair though, before I had my first baby, my sister had a doula and I thought it was all a bit weird when she told me I should have one. I had my baby and regretted it entirely! For my third baby, despite having been a doula for eight years by then, I had two doulas. So greedy! I like to think of doulas as a... blank canvas, we will provide whatever it is that that family needs. We come with no preconceived notions of what is right or wrong. We help the couple decide what's right for them, we get all the latest evidence-based information we can for them, then we support and advocate for them. As an added bonus, a Doula UK doula also works to a Code of Conduct and a Philosophy to ensure we are all working to the family's best interests at all times. The best piece of advice I would give an expectant parent is... don't be afraid - to ask questions, to speak your mind, to do it your way, to go with the flow, to disagree or to feel all the feels. Think about after the birth, not just the birth itself. And to book a Doula early! What's really interesting about trauma is... that it's not often what happens, but how that person feels about it afterwards. I had two births very close to each other. On paper, one was very traumatic, but the mother came out of it feeling amazing, she said she felt like she had "really earned the medal", so to speak. The other mother had a dream birth on paper, but felt utterly traumatised by something a midwife had said to her during her second stage. It really hurt her and affected her experience of her birth and, sadly, how brilliantly she had done throughout. I think the important lesson here is that the idea of trauma lives with the person going through it, not the bystander. The biggest misconception about my job is... that I do it because I want to cuddle babies. I mean, obviously, that part of it is a great perk. But I do it because I want to help mothers and fathers during this pivotal and defining time. Being a doula is sometimes referred to as "mothering the mother", and that's the part I love. Oh, and that we're all hippies - Doulas come in all flavours! My first official doula job was for a celebrity... so that probably added to the nerves. In the UK, you don't actually need any training to call yourself a doula. However, to become a Doula UK doula, you need to do an approved training course, then serve a mentorship with one of our Doula Mentors until you become a Recognised Doula UK Doula and agree to a Code of Conduct and a Philosophy. We also provide CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and a resolution process. Along with other things like community circles, an annual conference, insurance discounts, doula connections, etc. Doulas are absolutely not only accessible to rich people... some doulas also work for free (or maybe one job in four, for example), others also work for organisations that provide free support to those at risk and Doula UK has an access fund that all members contribute to that tries to provide support for marginalised, low income and at-risk pregnant women. I, personally, volunteer one morning per week for the NHS and am part of my local NHS Trust Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), so I like to think I'm giving back some of my expertise and experience to those who might not be able to afford it.
