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BBC News
05-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Suncream should be everywhere - Sheffield skin cancer sufferer
Suncream should be publicly available "like hand sanitiser", a woman with stage four skin cancer has said. Charlotte Killeya, from Sheffield, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2020 and has campaigned to ensure children are aware of the risks of sun has also called on the government to remove VAT on suncream and believes it should be available in many public Killeya said: "Some people can't afford suncream and I'm really passionate about trying to find ways we can make it available. It can be asking cafes and restaurants and bars if they've got outdoor areas, can they maybe put a dispenser out? We did that in Covid with hand sanitiser." "It's not giving everybody a bottle of suncream, that's not the idea," she added."But it's saying, could there just be little dispensers about, or areas where if you think, 'I forgot my suncream', then it's there."In June 2023, the Dutch government ran a scheme offering free sun protection in schools and universities, as well as at festivals, parks, sports venues and open public in Australia have run similar schemes, with the famous slogan "Slip, Slap, Slop". Ms Killeya, who first discovered melanoma on her shoulder five years ago, said she believed her cancer may have been connected to a time her shoulders got sunburned at the beach as a child."You don't realise you can get burned on a cloudy day and I have. I got a blister sunburn as a child on a cloudy day at the seaside," she explained."Nobody else in my family got burned. I got burned on my shoulder - blistered sunburn. And my melanoma was there. "Now, that could be a coincidence, but you never know."In February, Ms Killeya completed two years of immunotherapy at Sheffield's Weston Park followed more than five years of treatment for melanoma that had spread to her lungs, lymph nodes and cancer treatment led to rheumatoid arthritis and colitis. 'Don't binge sun' Ms Killeya said her cancer had "caused a lot of life-changing things"."But they've saved me. I wouldn't be here, without them. The oncology team are just amazing, and the hospital is somewhere where the nurses and receptionists know my name."Ms Killeya now works with charity Melanoma Focus to raise awareness of the to the charity, 54% of Sheffield residents suffer from sunburn at least once every 29% of people in Sheffield admit to rarely or never applying suncream during summer in the UK, the charity Killeya warned: "Five sunburns in your life can double your risk of melanoma. Enjoy the sun, but don't binge it."And if you find anything on your skin, go and get it checked out, because the sooner you go, the better."A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said suncream was available on the NHS."High-factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and is already provided VAT-free when dispensed by a pharmacist to these patients," they said."Too many cancer patients, including those with skin cancer, are waiting too long for treatment, and we are determined to change that as we shift the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention."Through our National Cancer Plan, we will look to improve all aspects of cancer care, reducing the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Sister of ME sufferer from Devon urges more government funding
The sister of a woman with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is calling on the government to adequately fund its plan to overhaul care for patients with the debilitating Barrett, 30, of Budleigh Salterton, Devon, helps care for her sister Alice, 27, who has been bedbound for three years and is unable to eat government said it would publish a final delivery plan to help ME sufferers by the end of health minister Ashley Dalton told Parliament in February there were no plans for additional funding, which has left Rosie and other campaigners disappointed. Rosie said: "How can you deliver a plan with no money assigned to it?"I'd like the government to assign money to the plan so they can start progressing training in the NHS."She said her sister Alice was fit and healthy until she graduated from universityShe was diagnosed with ME in November 2020. The disease moderately affected her until a major deterioration at the end of April 2022, which left her bedbound. Alice requires 24-hour care, has a catheter and is fed via a feeding is intolerant to sound and smell, wears earplugs around the clock and must be in a darkened said: "Her quality of life is really low. "It's hard for us as a family as we feel totally useless because we can't get her better."There is no treatment for ME."ME is believed to affect 1.3 million people in the UK and can be fatal, said the #ThereforMe campaign, which wants the government to spend £100m over five years to accelerate research and improve is among the carers and people with ME who have shared videos online as part of the campaign. Karen Hargrave, co-founder of the campaign, said: "The delivery plan for ME is a once in a generation opportunity to transform care and research for people with ME, but it won't achieve any of its aims without the funding behind it."All we want is safe care and the research that's needed to help us get back to our lives again."A report by the University of Exeter, which is based on findings from a 2023 survey conducted by the ME Association, found significant improvement in the diagnosis and care of ME and long Covid was urgently needed across the NHS and social care by more than 10,000 people, respondents reported significant delays in the diagnosis of ME and long Covid, low satisfaction in specialist services and a need for better coordinated care. Dr Mae Mansoubi, from the university, said: "Many people are suffering for a long period of time with ME before they are diagnosed. "For about 13% of the cases, people are waiting 10 years before they are diagnosed."Her team has created a new tool called digiTherapix which can track and record a patient's movement in real time at software can be used on any device with a camera and means healthcare professionals can remotely analyse a patient's movement and gait, their manner of walking, and make an earlier Mansoubi said: "People with ME are very vulnerable."It's very important to have a system in place to enable them to connect with a therapist in real-time from their home to seek help." A Department of Health and Social Care said the government was committed to improving the care and support for those affected by ME and chronic fatigue syndrome."We will publish a final delivery plan for ME by the end of June, focusing on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease," it said."The government is committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences and treatment of ME/CFS and long Covid."
BBC News
04-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Water pressure problems near Huddersfield cause distress to residents
Residents in a village beset with water pressure problems say the simplest of household tasks have become a people living in rural Lower Cumberworth in West Yorkshire have begun texting their neighbours before they wash to avoid taps running dry. Others have been forced to fill their washing machines by hand and are unable to run more than one tap at blamed the problems on Yorkshire Water's efforts to fix pipe leaks and bursts in the area by reducing the water the company said tests showed the water pressure levels it was responsible for "exceeded the standards required". 'It's absolutely awful' Matt Hannam and his wife Yolande live in one of four terraced houses which share the same water said they had started experiencing problems with water pressure in their home in December 2023 following the installation of a pressure reduction valve to reduce the likelihood of pipes in the area bursting and causing leaks."Everything worked well until then," said Mr Hannam, 59. "[Now] at times it's absolutely awful."Everybody needs water. For us, it's a constant headache and a stress."Together with their other neighbours, Mr and Mrs Hannam have set up a WhatsApp group to tell each other when they are planning to use water for showering or washing their it, Mr Hannam makes a joke about their four members of his household sharing a glass of water as a possible explanation for the latest drought. To complete a standard washing cycle, Mr and Mrs Hannam said they must fill up their washing machine with six four-pint cartons three times."We can't ever just switch it on and walk out of the house," said Mrs Hannam, 52."We have two teenagers in the house so I have to wash maybe at least two or three times a day."After he starts the washing machine, the water supply coming out of his kitchen tap turns to a trickle. A lack of water pressure causes other problems for the household, from a lack of heating to sanitary issues."If we flush any of the toilets in the house it takes at least 30 minutes for the cistern to fill and we have no water in the kitchen for at least 10 minutes," said Mrs Hannam, an occupational therapist."Not being able to flush the toilet becomes a health issue and, on a personal level, a wellbeing issue."She admitted "just trying to construct your day is really, really difficult", adding: "It's frustrating when we want to get a glass of water and nothing comes out of the tap."It's just inadequate. I don't think I'm coping very well - it's making me really, really fed up. I have had enough." Two doors down, Lee-Ann Meitiner and her husband Michael are facing similar issues, which they also claim date back to December 2023."There are times when I really do literally feel like crying," said Mrs Meitiner, a PA working for the NHS."When you turn on the tap and there's absolutely nothing, you can't do anything - I can't brush my teeth, wash my face."The 59-year-old added: "It's simple, little things that you take for granted, but it does make a hell of an impact on our lives."A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said due to the age of the properties in the area, "many are supplied by aging, private, joint pipework, which can lead to low pressures at times when most people use their water". "As with any internal pipework, this is the responsibility of homeowners to maintain, repair or replace," they Meitiner said she and her neighbours have heard stories of other residents in the village paying thousands to replace pipework, only for the problem with their water pressure to to their estimates, replacing or repairing the pipes would cost about £6,000 per house."After hearing what's happened with other people in the area, there isn't any point," says Mrs Meitiner. "We don't want to be wasting money we haven't got." The Yorkshire Water spokesperson said they had investigated four cases of low pressure in the area in the last 12 months - all at properties with a joint water supply."On each occasion the water pressure at the boundary of the properties, which is the responsibility of Yorkshire Water, has exceeded the standards required for residential properties," they other residents living nearby, whose homes are directly served by a water supply, said they had noticed a drop in their water pressure since December Hannam also claimed to have been contacted by 14 other people who have experienced issues in that time."I don't believe it's the [individual] pipes," said Lynn Mitchell, a resident of neighbouring Upper Cumberworth for 16 years."What Yorkshire Water have done is quite legal but it's not working. Some people have hardly got a supply."Ms Mitchell said she felt "quite resentful" about water bills rising this month. The firm is increasing bills from an average of £467 to £602. Residents met with their local MP Jade Botterill last weekend to discuss the a statement, she said: "I'd urge Yorkshire Water to look again into the matter to ensure residents are getting the service they pay for."My team and I will continue working with both the residents' group and Yorkshire Water to resolve the matter."Tim Bamford, who represents Lower Cumberworth on Kirklees Council and lives in nearby Skelmanthorpe, said he had also experienced low water pressure in his Skelmanthorpe resident, Mick Lindley, claimed his water pressure - supplied directly to his home - was "absolutely rubbish".Mr Lindley, who lives about half a mile away from those affected in Lower Cumberworth, said he had faced issues for 30 installation of water pumps, at a cost of more than £1,000, had helped, he said, albeit at the cost of his utility bills."If we don't have it, we can barely get a shower," said the 71-year-old retired joiner and manufacturer. The Yorkshire Water spokesperson added: "If there are customers in the area experiencing low pressure who have not contacted us, we would urge them to call us so we can arrange a visit and investigate the possible cause of low pressures and advise the best way to resolve any issues we find."
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Frinton tennis player's 24-hour challenge for charity
A man said his son was the driving force for his 24 hours of non-stop competitive tennis in aid of two Cleverly played 24 doubles matches between 09:00 GMT on Friday and 09:00 on Saturday at Frinton-on-Sea Lawn Tennis Club in he won 19 of those challenge raised more than £13,000 for Steps Charity Worldwide and the Colchester Hospital neonatal intensive care unit, which both helped his son Billy who had clubfoot as a baby. The condition, officially known as structural bilateral talipes, affects the movement and position of babies' affects roughly one in 1,000 babies, according to the NHS."The driving force was our amazing little son who has been through the mill and back, but if you look at him, you would never know." Mr Cleverly said he did not dare sit down during the 24 hours, through fear he may not be able to stand back up total, 47 players competed with said every game started on the hour and finished a few minutes before the next one, which gave him the chance to eat, drink and change while his opponent warmed up."I think I had maybe five or six quick trips to the loo," he said, speaking to BBC Essex Sport Extra."It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, physically I knew it was going to be tough, but the mental and emotional strain, especially in the early hours between 01:00 and 04:00, I was not expecting to feel the way I felt." Mr Cleverly more than doubled the family's fundraising target of £5, said his son, now 17 months old, was now "thriving". Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Gloucestershire NHS staff to strike for nine more days in pay row
A number of specialist NHS staff at two Gloucestershire hospitals will walk out for nine more days amid a dispute over their pay and phlebotomists - staff who take blood samples - from Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital took industrial action from Monday to Wednesday this Unison union says the NHS trust that runs both hospitals has "repeatedly missed deadlines to correct the workers' pay". The staff are set to continue their strike from Monday to Thursday next week, and from Monday 31 March to Friday 4 April. The trust said no blood will be taken from patients during the industrial action and has apologised to patients. Dawny Elliott, who works at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, said she and other phlebotomists played "a vital role" in the NHS."Every diagnosis starts with a phlebotomist. Yet we're feeling very overworked, undervalued, and underpaid," she said."My colleagues and I are passionate about our jobs, but many of us are struggling to make ends meet."Some are even taking on second jobs just to get by." A Unison spokesperson said: "The trust has ignored a fair job evaluation process and attempted to get out of its obligations to assess the phlebotomists' skills and responsibilities," "Despite clear evidence that these health workers should be on band three of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale, the trust managers continue to pay them at the lower band two grade, meaning they are losing out on around £1 an hour."Chris Roche, south west regional organiser at Unison, said managers had been given "more than a year to put things right"."Now, faced with yet another failure by their employer, phlebotomists have no choice but to escalate their action," Mr Roche said. 'Contingency plans in place' Kevin McNamara, chief executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust "recognises and appreciates the valuable contribution" phlebotomists make."We will continue to work closely in partnership with our local union representatives and phlebotomists on resolving these issues," he added."Contingency plans are in place and we are advising patients who have an appointment at either Cheltenham General Hospital (CGH) or Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH) during periods of industrial action to attend as normal unless they hear from us directly to advise otherwise. "However, there will be no phlebotomy service/blood taken from patients during industrial action."We would like to apologise for any inconvenience in advance."
