Hospitals ‘operating at unsafe levels’
Health leaders have warned that the NHS is “on course for a very difficult winter”, with one in 10 hospital trusts in England hitting capacity on at least one day last week and not having a single bed to spare.
health
Aberdeen uni study reveals cancer patients in rural communities less likely to survive
A study by academics in Aberdeen has revealed people who live in rural areas are less likely to survive cancer than those in cities.
‘Total incompetence’ led to doubled payoff for ex-health board boss
A former NHS Tayside boss was given double the payoff she was entitled to because of the “total incompetence” of the assistant chief executive, MSPs have learned.
250 patients faced 12-hour wait in A&E last month
More than 250 people were forced to wait 12 hours or more to be admitted, transferred or discharged at accident and emergency departments last month, the latest figures show.
Extra health cash must be ‘targeted and effective’, Government warned
A doctors’ organisation welcomed an increase of around £730 million in health resource funding announced in the Scottish draft budget but warned it must be “targeted and effective”.
Scots in deprived areas face significantly lower life expectancy, figures show
Life expectancy for men in Scotland’s most deprived areas is 13 years lower than in the least deprived parts, an official report outlines.
Cancer patients in rural areas at ‘clear survival disadvantage’
People living in rural areas are less likely to survive cancer than those who live in cities, according to a new global review.
Acne genetic study offers new treatment hope
The world’s first genetic study of people with acne could pave the way for a new treatment for severe sufferers, according to a study.
GP numbers in Scotland grow to almost 5,000
An increase in the number of GPs working in Scotland has been welcomed by a trade union as a “positive step” towards bolstering the profession.
Obesity gap widening among P1 children in Scotland, figures reveal
P1 children from the poorest areas are almost twice as likely to be at risk of obesity as those from the least deprived areas, new figures show.
NHS boards could be losing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds, MSPs told
Health boards in Scotland are missing out on potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds by not claiming back money due for treating non-European citizens, a Holyrood committee has heard.
‘Doing puzzles boosts brain in old age but won’t protect against mental decline’
Puzzles such as crosswords and sudoku do not counteract mental decline in old age but can provide a higher point from which decline begins, a study has found.
Perjeta given green light in Scotland as early-stage breast cancer treatment
Hundreds of breast cancer patients are expected to benefit after a sought-after drug was approved for use by the NHS in Scotland in certain circumstances.
Review group on future of Monklands Hospital to report by February
An independent review into the decision process around replacing Monklands Hospital will report to the Health Secretary by February.
Gallery: Archive images of north-east’s keep fit groups across the north-east
We’ve gone through our archives and dug out these images of the north-east’s Keep Fit groups over the past few decades.
NHS Grampian creates task force to help deal with potential impact of Brexit
NHS Grampian has prepared a special task force composed of key members of the health board’s leadership to deal with the potential impact of Brexit.
North-east stop smoking service has highest success rate in Scotland
The quit-smoking service at NHS Grampian has the highest success rate of any health board in Scotland.
Doctors amazed after man coughs up blood clot of lung bronchial tree
A man who later died stunned doctors by coughing up a six-inch-wide blood clot from his lungs in the near-perfect shape of his right bronchial tree.
New healthcare law to ensure safe staffing levels passes first hurdle
The Health Secretary has committed to adding day-to-day assessments of staff needs into new legislation aimed at ensuring safe numbers of healthcare workers.
Charity’s cash funds Aberdeen uni’s vital cancer research
Groundbreaking research has taken place at an Aberdeen hospital after almost £10,000 of backing from a cancer charity.
One in three children ‘take part in less than 30 minutes of exercise a day’
A third of children who took part in a major study are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
Two-year-old with severe epilepsy ‘unable to obtain medical cannabis in UK’
A two-year-old girl who was prescribed medical cannabis cannot yet receive treatment as no UK pharmacy holds a licence to sell it, according to her father.
Two-year-old girl ‘first child to be prescribed medical cannabis in UK’
A two-year-old girl with severe epilepsy is believed to have become the first child in the UK to be prescribed medical cannabis.
Consultancy vacancies underestimated, doctors’ organisation claims
A doctors’ organisation believes vacancy rates for consultants are being underestimated in official figures, cutting them by more than half.
560 people who took their own lives died within a week of leaving A&E
One in five of the 1,540 people who attended A&E in the three months prior to taking their own lives died within two days of leaving hospital, new figures show.
NHS staff numbers up, but nursing and midwifery vacancies increase
NHS Scotland staffing numbers have increased slightly in a year but while vacancy rates for medical and dental consultants have fallen, those for nurses and midwives have risen to more than 2,400.
Standing at a desk only burns slightly more calories than sitting, research finds
Office workers who opt to stand are likely to burn just nine calories an hour more than their seated colleagues, a study has found.
Children drinking more than 600,000 sugary drinks a day, charity claims
Children across Scotland consume almost 4.4 million soft drinks a week – the equivalent of more than 600,000 a day – new research has estimated.
No-deal Brexit could see patients wait longer for new drugs, report warns
A no-deal Brexit could have “substantial financial implications” for the NHS in Scotland, and could also see some patients forced to wait longer for important medication, a new report has warned.
Stem cell trial offers hope over osteoarthritis treatment
A new stem cell technique could reduce the need for surgery among osteoarthritis patients, scientists believe.