Latest news with #StuartSmith
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Minister pressed on future of two Canterbury hospitals
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey (centre) and Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith (right) discuss rural health issues with North Canterbury mayors Craig Mackle (Kaikōura, left), Dan Gordon (Waimakariri) and Marie Black (Hurunui) at the Hanmer Springs Golf Club. Photo: LDR / David Hill The future of two North Canterbury Hospitals was pushed squarely in the spotlight at a rural health meeting in Hanmer Springs on Monday. Associate Minister of Health and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey visited North Canterbury as part of his ongoing rural health roadshow, including Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora Health NZ officials, health workers, and residents. Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith, local mayors Marie Black (Hurunui), Craig Mackle (Kaikōura) and Dan Gordon (Waimakariri) and several councillors were also in the audience. Gordon said the Oxford and Waikari hospitals played a valuable role in providing respite and end of life care, but the facilities were under-utilised and the buildings badly needed maintenance. "We would like to have some indication on their future. If they were more broadly open we would find they would be better utilised." Health NZ Waitaha Canterbury rural health services hospital and specialist services general manager Berni Marra said she looked forward to ''getting back round the table'' with the mayors to discuss the future of the rural hospitals. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network chief executive Grant Davidson, who chaired the meeting, said New Zealand had made progress with the adoption of a rural health strategy supported by all parties in Parliament. But rural health outcomes continue to trail behind urban communities, with twice as preventable deaths and 60 percent more suicides. Black said there needed to be more support for support workers caring for elderly in their own homes. Health NZ Canterbury West Coast group manager integration Greg Hamilton said Health NZ is working with healthcare providers to review how they can better serve clients across the South Island. "Rather than just coming in and doing the dishes or doing the cleaning, the focus is now on re-enabling people to achieve the best life they can." He said the priority is supporting people to stay in their own homes. Mr Doocey said Mrs Black had raised concerns about a lack of ''wellbeing funding'' alongside more specialist mental health services, which had led to more funding to support rural communities, including a recent boost to rural support trusts. Support for young people including accessing mental health services, support for LGBT+ youth, driver licenses, finding work, cyberbullying and a lack of access to ultra-fast broadband in rural areas were also raised as wellbeing issues. Other concerns included access to training for health workers in rural practises, support for migrants, and a lack of awareness of what services are available in rural areas. Doocey said addressing ''unmet need'' was not just about more funding, but also education on ''what is available''. * LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Campaign to host second digital takeover in support of Colchester man with cancer
A CAMPAIGN is asking Colchester's community to turn their screens black tomorrow night in support of a man battling cancer. Stuart Smith, nicknamed Stu, was first diagnosed with melanoma six years ago. The 40-year-old accountant lives in Stanway with his wife, Lauren - who, together, have been on a gruelling journey of failed treatments and surgeries. The pair, along with countless supporters and campaign #DoItForStu, are on a mission to raise £167,000. Fighter - Stuart Smith is battling stage 4 cancer (Image: #DoItForStu) The funds will be spent on a potentially life-saving treatment in Israel - which is Stu's last chance to beat his stage four cancer. The fundraising figure now stands at £107,976, including an anonymous donation of £20,000. Tomorrow night at 8pm #DoItForStu will host its second digital takeover and is asking Colchester's community to join in on the social media blackout. The online event reached over 60,000 people within 24 hours last month, and campaigners are hoping to see the same level of support tomorrow. A spokesman for #DoItForStu said: "The impact was huge and since then, this movement has grown faster than we ever imagined. "Now we are SO close to Stu's target and this is the moment to come together again and push harder than ever. "I'm asking EVERY single one of you to unite once more and flood Facebook with Stu's story. "We need to tip this movement over the line and we need to do it now because Stu doesn't have time on his side. "This is a united movement - one last big blackout, one last big push, one chance to save a life. "Please stand with us tomorrow - together, we are unstoppable." United - The digital takeover will begin at 8pm tomorrow night (Image: #DoItForStu) The digital blackout will see Stu's friends, family members and supporters posting the #DoItForStu blackout image, as well as changing their profile pictures and flooding their feeds with the viral hashtag. For more information, visit and
CNA
06-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Despite temporary exception, British steel makers still face uncertainty over US tariffs
The United States has made a temporary exception on steel tariffs for the United Kingdom, which means London avoids the 50 per cent tariffs other countries have to pay - for now. But British steel exporters are still paying a 25 per cent tariff despite a trade deal signed with Washington last month that promised to bring that rate down to zero. Stuart Smith reports on the uncertainties for Britain's steel makers.
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
The demoralising effect of letting criminal behaviour go unpunished
SIR – The Mayor of London proposes the decriminalisation of cannabis possession (report, May 28). Why not? Shoplifting, burglary and car crime are already effectively decriminalised, or punished with paltry sentences that are later reduced even further. It's tough luck for those of us who are law-abiding and want justice. Ian Forster Wrenthorpe, West Yorkshire SIR – Some years ago, my wife and I visited Vancouver as part of our honeymoon. We found a beautiful city beset by the all-pervasive stench of cannabis, its streets littered with drug paraphernalia. Around every corner, wide-eyed addicts staggered aimlessly or lay comatose in shop doorways. Is this what Sir Sadiq Khan wants? Stuart Smith Houghton, Norfolk SIR – The Mayor of London has called for cannabis possession to be decriminalised. Obviously, he has never lived with anyone who is addicted to this drug. Moreover, even though enforcement by police has been virtually abandoned, it is widely acknowledged that modern derivatives are far more potent, causing long-lasting psychological damage. Cannabis encourages users to experiment with even stronger and more dangerous drugs, and often leads to criminal behaviour – such as theft – to support addiction. David Woolley Malton, North Yorkshire SIR – I agree with the Mayor of London that the possession of natural cannabis should be decriminalised. Such a move is long overdue. Too often, cannabis prohibition serves as a flimsy pretext for stop-and-search, disproportionately targeting minority communities, and as an excuse for invasive policing. It does little to curb use, while fuelling distrust and criminalising the young. The police, meanwhile, frequently argue for increased funding. A far more efficient solution would be to ease their burden by reducing unnecessary criminalisation. Legalising and regulating cannabis – and taxing it heavily – would not only raise revenue and undercut organised crime, but also free police resources to tackle serious crime. It is time for a pragmatic, proportionate and principled approach to drug policy. K Harvey Proctor Conservative MP, 1979-1987 Grantham, Lincolnshire SIR – If Sir Sadiq Khan is inclined to do something useful for a change, he might get rid of the cycle rickshaws that blight the capital. London would be a much better place if it were free of their unscrupulous drivers and the loud music they blare out. Andrew Robinson Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Breakthrough ultra-rapid test that can diagnose brain tumours in just two hours could be rolled out on NHS in a year
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCIENTISTS have created an "ultra-fast" test which can slash the time it takes to diagnose brain tumours. At the moment, patients usually wait six to eight weeks to find out the type of brain tumour. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A new method for diagnosing brain tumours could cut the time patients wait for treatments by weeks to hours Credit: Getty But the new "game changer" tool, which assesses the DNA from a sample taken from the tumour, can achieve this in around two hours, experts found. They said this means that patients can start treatment faster and the test may even help surgical teams while they are performing operations to remove tumours. Researchers from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) assessed the new test on 50 patients. Publishing their findings in the journal Neuro-Oncology, the research team said the new test was "in concordance with standard of care" for "90 per cent of cases". Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, experts said they hoped the test would be rolled out on the NHS 'as soon as possible' — potentially "within the next year or so". They said the new test can provide diagnostic results in under two hours from surgery, and detailed tumour classifications within minutes of sequencing. About 740,000 people around the world are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, around half of which are non-cancerous. Traditionally, samples of tumours are extracted during surgery to be taken away, tested, and examined under a microscope in a pathology lab. While the process is mostly accurate, it can take up to eight weeks to definitively diagnose the type of tumour. This long wait is also "traumatic" for patients and can delay chemotherapy and radiotherapy, they experts said. But the new method, called ROBIN (rapid nanopore brain intraoperative classification), can potentially eliminate this delay, they added. Man, 64, plays guitar while having a brain tumour Professor Matt Loose, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, developed a method to sequence specific parts of human DNA at "higher depth" using Oxford Nanopore Technologies portable sequencing devices. The team have now used this method to genetically test brain tumour samples. "Not only is the test more accurate and quicker, but it is also cheaper than current methods," he said. "Our calculations stand at around £450 per person, potentially less when scaled-up. "Most importantly, it delivers results to the patients when they need them." 'The degree of accuracy is incredible' Neurosurgeon Dr Stuart Smith, from the University's School of Medicine and NUH, added: "Traditionally, the process of diagnosing brain tumours has been slow and expensive. "Now, with this new technology we can do more for patients because we can get answers so much more quickly which will have a much bigger influence on clinical decision making, in as little as two hours. "Patients find waiting many weeks for results extremely difficult and this adds to the anxiety and worry at what is already a very difficult time." He said the test was so rapid that it could even help surgeons during any operation to assist with their "surgical strategy". Dr Simon Paine, a consultant neuropathologist at NUH, added: "This new method of diagnosing brain tumours is going to be a game changer, it really is revolutionary. "It not only increases the speed at which the results will be available, but the degree of accuracy of the diagnosis as well is incredible." Commenting, Dr Simon Newman from The Brain Tumour Charity, said: "The delivery of an accurate diagnosis within hours of surgery will be transformative for all patients ensuring rapid access to the optimal standard of care and - crucially - removing the uncertainty patients face when having to wait weeks for their diagnosis and prognosis. "The potential to combine so many separate tests into one and deliver at a localised level is a game changer for driving equity of access to rapid and accurate molecular diagnosis."
