Should schools take a long summer break – or is it detrimental to children's learning?
Should schools still be taking a long summer break – is it detrimental to children's learning? Or should they go year-round with shorter breaks? Julia Phillipson, Corby
Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday.
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Can I donate blood and how do I do it? Urgent call for donors amid low stocks
The NHS needs 200,000 more regular blood donors to sustain a safe and sufficient supply. Low blood stocks in 2024 prompted an "amber alert', but blood stocks have remained low ever since. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is now urging more people to donate to avoid a "red alert", which is a critical situation where public safety is threatened. It described the past year as "challenging" for blood stocks, noting that just under 800,000 people are supporting the entire blood supply in England. How do I donate blood? The whole process of giving blood takes just one hour. When arriving at a blood donation centre, you are asked to complete a safety check to make sure you can give blood. You will be given 500ml of fluid to drink – drinking this will help the body maintain blood pressure, prevent dizziness and help the body replenish the donated blood. Then, to ensure it is safe to donate blood, medics will confirm your identity and information in your health check. In some cases, a registered nurse will follow up. A drop of blood from your finger is then checked for iron levels. If these levels are too low, the appointment will be rescheduled. Those able to donate will be seated in the waiting area before being called to a donation chair. Here, a cuff will be placed on your arm to maintain a small amount of pressure during the donation before a suitable vein is found and the area is cleaned. Then, a needle will be inserted into your arm to collect your blood into a blood bag, which has your unique donor number on it. A scale weighs the blood and stops when you have donated 470ml - that's just under a pint. The needle is then removed from your arm, and a dressing is applied. The NHS says the process of giving blood should not hurt and should only take about 10 minutes. Who can donate blood? Although more donors are needed, there are some health, travel and lifestyle reasons that may stop you from donating blood. Donors need to be fit and well, aged between 17 and 65, weigh between 7 stone 12 Ibs (50kg) and 25 stone (158kg) and have suitable veins. However, you can't donate blood if you have cancer, some heart conditions, have tested positive for HIV or are a hepatitis B or C carrier. If you have received blood platelets, plasma or any other blood products after January 1980, or if you have injected non-prescribed drugs including body-building and injectable tanning agents, you also cannot donate. If you've had anal sex with a new partner in the last three months you may have to postpone your donation. If you feel unwell, are pregnant or have had a baby in the last six months, have had a tattoo or piercing, or have recently travelled to certain countries outside the UK, you may also have to wait before you can donate blood. Where can I donate blood? There are thousands of blood donation venues across England, some are permanent and others are pop-ups. Church halls, sports centres, mosques, football stadiums and hotels are all used as pop-up venues. To check where your closest one is, visit the Give Blood website. What type of blood is needed? There is a 'critical' need for more donors who have the so-called universal blood type, O negative blood, which is needed for treatment in emergencies. The NHS said there is also a need for more Black donors, who are more likely to have specific blood types which can help treat people with sickle cell disease.
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cambridge University professor, 64, accused of deliberately flunking IQ and memory tests in bid for £1million NHS compensation claim
A University of Cambridge professor has been accused of deliberately flunking IQ and memory tests in a bid to boost a £1million brain damage compensation claim over botched treatment for a stroke. Dr Mohamed Atef Hakmi, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon and Cambridge school of medicine lecturer, was left with permanent disabilities and had to give up surgery after suffering a stroke at home in November 2016. The 64-year-old claimed that a failure to promptly diagnose his stroke meant he missed out on vital treatment, leading to brain damage and physical disabilities. The educator is now suing the NHS for more than £1million in damages. However, during a hearing at London 's High Court, Dr Hakmi was forced to deny claims he had exaggerated his health complications in a bid to up his compensation. It comes after he scored a 'very bad' 84 on a pre-trial IQ test as part of the case - putting him well below the UK average, despite continuing to teach at one of the world's most prestigious universities. Dr Hakmi, who specialises in foot and ankle surgery, as well as lecturing in the UK and abroad, has been forced to deny deliberately throwing the tests to boost his claim. The Hertfordshire-based medic is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and an affiliated assistant professor at Cambridge, where he performs a teaching role, the court heard. He first suffered a stroke in September 2016, but was given clot-busting thrombolysis treatment and made a good recovery, returning to the operating theatre within weeks. But his barrister, Robert Kellar KC, told Judge David Pittaway KC the surgeon suffered a second stroke two months later, first spotting the symptoms while he worked late at night on paperwork. When the symptoms returned again in the early hours, he went to Lister Hospital, in Stevenage, calling ahead and telling staff he was having a stroke, said the barrister. However, he was not given the same treatment as before after being examined by an A&E doctor and then having spoken to a stroke specialist on the phone in line with the NHS' remote stroke treatment system. He says he was told he would not be offered thrombolysis because he was 'not having a stroke,' with the remote doctor suggesting it could be simply a migraine or epilepsy. It was not until 9am that day that his stroke was diagnosed at the hospital, at which point it was too late to be treated with the same drugs as before. Dr Hakmi accuses the NHS of 'cumulative and inter-related' failings, including a 'cursory and sub-standard examination' in A&E and the fact he was only able to speak to the remote stroke specialist on the phone due to the NHS' Telemedicine system malfunctioning. Mr Kellar said Dr Hakmi had been left permanently disabled by the stroke, but that the worst of the injuries could have been avoided but for the negligence of staff at Lister and on the remote stroke line. As well as a limp and reduced sensation in his fingers and toes, he suffers from fatigue in his right arm, hand and grip, which prevents him performing complex tasks for long periods. He was also left with a brain injury, resulting in short-term memory impairment, difficulty with concentration, reduced processing speed and 'executive deficits.' 'His confidence is low, and he is experiencing significant depressive symptoms due to physical, cognitive, speech, and language issues resulting from his second stroke, which are negatively affecting important aspects of his life,' he said. 'Thus, Dr Hakmi presents with cognitive deterioration, including intellectual functioning, memory, the speed at which he is processing information and executive functioning. 'At the time of the index incident, he was undertaking full-time NHS employment and had a busy private practice. 'He no longer has any private practice. He has returned to his NHS employment but is undertaking restricted duties because of the issues arising from his second stroke. 'He no longer does any surgery. But for the breach of duty, the claimant is likely to have made a good recovery. He would have been able to return to all types of surgery that did not require a high degree of manual dexterity.' But NHS barrister John de Bono KC denied Dr Hakmi is due any compensation and accused him of hamming up his symptoms while being assessed by experts before the trial. As well as the 'very bad' IQ score, he had scored at the very bottom of the range in memory tests, the barrister told the court. He said Dr Hakmi had scored only 84 on an IQ test, putting him below 86 per cent of the general population, adding: 'That's very bad - it suggests it would be hard to function as a surgeon or as an educator at that level.' He had also been assessed by two neuropsychologists, who had performed memory tests, with 'very surprising' and sometimes 'astonishing' results which he said raised a 'serious concern about whether he was putting forward his best effort' in the tests. Dr Hakmi was unable to recall more than four single digit numbers in a row during one examination and scored so low in the tests that in some respects he was below 99 per cent of the population, despite continuing to work as a university 'educator'. 'You scored astonishingly badly for someone operating at the level you are describing this morning,' he said, referencing the fact Dr Hakmi had spoken with pride in the witness box of his work with Cambridge. 'I understand you feel very strongly that you have suffered greatly as a result of this second stroke,' he continued. 'I understand that you feel the reason you have suffered as badly as you have is because of mistakes or negligence. I understand it must make you angry.' He went on to suggest Dr Hakmi's 'sense of injustice' may have led to a desire to make sure that 'people fully understand the impact this has had on you.' 'Is it possible when you went to be tested that you performed worse than you should have done because you were trying to demonstrate to them just how big the impact had been? 'One possibility which I put to you is that you were deliberately underperforming.' But Dr Hakmi denied playing up for the medics who assessed him pre-trial, telling the court he had found the tests 'exhausting.' He denied being dishonest with the doctors, telling the judge, 'it was an exhausting environment when the tests were done in a lengthy and not organised manner. 'Anybody can fail a test but they must be given the best chance,' he continued. 'I definitely have a memory problem, slow effort. I have done everything to mitigate my losses. I know definitely I'm not as before I had the stroke.' Mr de Bono pressed on, referring to a 'memory and malingering' test which had resulted in a score 'very nearly at chance level,' telling Mr Hakmi: 'Someone giving random answers would nearly have scored as badly as you.' Accusing him of 'not being straightforward' with those who assessed him pre-trial, he said: 'There is a pattern emerging. In any given situation, you will try and say whatever you think is going to help you most to achieve whatever your aim is.' But Dr Hakmi hit back: 'I have been straightforward in everything in my life. I have aimed to be a surgeon again, but I have failed.' The damages claim is against the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs the Lister Hospital, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where the remote stroke doctor who spoke to Dr Hakmi was based. The trusts both deny blame, saying he was 'at all times treated with reasonable care and skill by highly competent clinicians.' He was assessed as being unsuitable for thrombolysis treatment because his symptoms were not serious enough and it was too late after the onset of his symptoms. Such treatment can also be risky, carrying a significant risk of brain haemorrhage and death, said the NHS barrister, and even if he had been given it the outcome would probably have been the same. The trial continues.
The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
NHS issues urgent call for 200,000 blood donors to avoid critical emergency as stocks run low
THE NHS has issued an urgent plea for 200,000 blood donors to come forward to replenish dwindling stocks and help prevent a critical emergency. Officials warned more must be done to avoid a "red alert" - where blood stocks are so low that there is a threat to public safety. 5 The NHS needs over one million regular blood donors to maintain its blood supply, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said - this works out to about 5,000 donations every day. But it revealed there's an annual shortfall of over 200,000 donors as demand for blood supply surges. NHSBT issued an "amber alert" in July last year, after a cyber attack on London hospitals triggered a severe shortage of O negative blood. The alert has been in place ever since as blood stocks have remained low, making it country's longest ever running "amber alert". Following several bank holidays, officials warned of a looming "red alert" unless more people come forward. This can be avoided if more donors come forward to fill available appointment slots, particularly in donor centres towns and cities. NHSBT said there is currently a "critical" need for more donors who have the so-called universal blood type - O negative blood - which is needed for treatment in emergencies. More black donors are also needed, as they are more likely to have a specific blood type called Ro that can help treat people with sickle cell disease, the country's fastest growing genetic blood disorder. Chief executive of NHSBT, Dr Jo Farrar, said: 'Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you'd truly be one in a million. 'Please book an appointment today, experience how good it feels to save lives, and come and do it again in a few months.' Hospitals warn of 'critical blood shortage' & urgent need for donations as cyber attack wreaks havoc on OneBlood supply Dr Farrar added: 'There are many thousands of people who donate regularly and help us keep patients alive. Thank you. You are amazing. "You keep the NHS going and save and transform thousands of lives a year." Over the past year, England has seen an increased wave of blood donation registrations. But only one in four of them (24 per cent) have gone on to donate. Everything to know about giving blood DONATING blood can be an amazing gift to people who desperately need it for on-going medical treatment or in an emergency. But who exactly is eligible to provide a donation? Here is all you need to know... Who can give blood? Most people are eligible to give blood. You can donate if you are: fit and healthy weigh more than 7st 12lbs or 50kg are aged between 17 and 66 (or 70 if you have given blood before) are over 70 and have given blood in the last two years Men can donate more often than women can. How often can I give blood? Men can give blood every 12 weeks, while women can donate every 16 weeks. This is because it takes several weeks for all the red blood cells to be replaced in the body. Over 6,000 people are needed to donate each day to meet the needs of hospitals, and there is a drive for black donors to donate to help black patients with sickle cell disease. To make an appointment to donate your blood at the nearest centre, click here. What happens when you give blood? Appointments to give blood typically last no longer than an hour. 1. Welcome and preparation You will be given a leaflet to read and 500ml of fluid to drink just before you give blood. You'll be asked to drink it over a five-minute period to help ensure you don't feel faint or nauseous after donating. 2. Health screening NHS staff will make sure it is safe for you to donate, and that your blood is safe for a patient to receive. 3. Giving blood Once you are comfortable in a chair, staff examine your arm to find a suitable vein and clean it with antiseptic. A needle will then be inserted into your arm, which will be used to collect your blood into a blood bag with your unique donor number. You shouldn't feel any discomfort or pain. If you do, tell a member of staff. A scale is then used to weigh the blood you have donated, and stops when you've given 470ml. This usually takes between five and ten minutes. The needle is then removed and a dressing is put on your arm. Director of Blood Supply, Gerry Gogarty, said: 'We offer around 50,000 appointments in 27 NHS donor centres and 250 community venues every week. "We need to fill those appointments to supply the NHS with enough blood. Sadly, we are struggling to fill all the available slots. 'We know people want to donate – we've seen record registrations over the past year. Making it easier to donate is our priority so we are opening new donor centres and looking at how we can increase appointments close to where people live. 'Blood stocks are critically low and there's a pressing need to avoid a "red red". We can do this if we fill the available appointment slots – particularly in town and city centres. "That could have a severe impact on the NHS with non-urgent services potentially being paused to focus on the most critical needs." 5 5 5 Two thirds of all the blood currently collected is used to treat patients who rely on blood transfusions, including cancer and life-long blood conditions. Four-year-old Isaac from Hull relies on regular blood donations, as he was born with hereditary spherocytosis. This is a genetic blood condition which causes red blood cells to break down faster than normal, leading to severe anaemia and other complications. Isaac needs blood transfusions every 12 weeks to stay healthy. His mum, Jasmin said: "It's been a rollercoaster; Isaac's haemoglobin levels fluctuate, and when they drop significantly, he becomes lethargic and jaundiced. "But when he receives his transfusion, you see the colour return to his cheeks, and his energy levels soar before our eyes. It is incredible." Isaac still enjoys attending nursery, playing with friends and dressing up as his favourite superheroes, and says he is like the superhero Hulk, gaining strength with each transfusion. Jasmin added: "During his transfusions, he refers to donor blood as 'Hulk blood' and imagines himself becoming stronger and healthier. "But this wouldn't be possible without the real life, everyday superheroes who keep Isaac and others like him alive, thanks to their regular blood donations. "Until you're one of those who need blood yourself or know someone who does, it may not always be a priority. "But Isaac's journey has put things into perspective. Isaac's journey has inspired me to become a blood donor myself. "It's a small act that can make a big difference in someone's life." Gerry called on people living in towns and cities to visit donor centres to donate blood and book daytime slots if possible. 'If you live or work near one of our 27 donor centres, please come and give blood this National Blood Week (June 9 to 15). "If you already donate, why not bring a friend or family member. We need blood all year round and every day. "Men can donate every three months and women every four months. So please donate regularly.'
