The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust has been given a final warning for keeping people waiting too long in its accident and emergency department.

According to the BBC, the Trust could have board members removed if it does not improve. Monitor, the organisation which polices foundations hospitals, has lambasted the Trust for failing to reach targets for patients being seen in accident and emergency for the last three years.

This was one of several criticisms of the trust and as a result they will now have to submit performance data and action plan updates on a monthly basis.
Read More

A hospital in Lancashire has been forced to issue an apology after a father had to deliver his own baby when a midwife left the room.

According to the BBC, Thomas Howard pressed the emergency button to summon staff to the room, but nobody came until after the baby was born.

His partner gave birth to their daughter Madeline on 26^th January 2010. The midwife who was supposed to be helping them through the pregnancy had apparently left the room to get Mr Howard’s partner Emily Baron’s medical notes.
Read More

A council van which crashed in Northamptonshire, killing a worker, had had its brakes tested on several occasions, amid concerns that they were locking, an inquest has heard.

According to the BBC, Alan Heels, 19, reported the problem to mechanics on no less than three occasions before he was involved in a crash with a lorry in 2007.

The inquest heard that the van skidded and crashed when Mr Heels attempted to brake. The passenger in his vehicle a Mr Kieran O’Driscoll suffered multiple injuries in the crash and later died.
Read More

The bacterium responsible for Legionnaires’ disease has been found in changing rooms at Northampton racecourse.

According to the BBC, the changing room was closed on 27^th January 2010 following routine testing.

Northampton Borough Council took action to disinfect the water supply and showers in the room. The Council has taken steps to ask a specialist firm to come in to the racecourse to see if there are any steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of this occurring in the future. The changing room will be closed this week to allow for work to be undertaken on the premises but the Council hopes to have the room reopened shortly.
Read More

‘Whiplash‘ is the term used to describe a neck injury caused by the sudden movement of the head. This sudden movement causes damage to the ligaments and tendons in the neck. In a whiplash injury the ligaments are usually sprained, and although the ligament is not broken it usually takes a long time to heal.

A whiplash type injury usually causes the following symptoms:

• Neck pain or tenderness
• Neck stiffness
• Temporary loss of movement.

For more severe whiplash injuries the following symptoms can also be present

• Headaches
• Muscle spasms
• Pains in shoulders and arms
• Pins and needles in shoulder, arms and hands.
• Blurred vision
• Lower back pain
• Vertigo
• Ringing of the ear
• Sickness and more.

Read More

Cigarettes are often derided for being bad for your health and I always thought lung cancer was the biggest risk to your health as a consequence of smoking. However, Mr Andi Susanto certainly got more than he bargained for when the cigarette he was smoking exploded, taking out six of his teeth.

 According to the BBC, Mr Susanto, an Indonesian man was riding a motorcycle when the cigarette exploded in his mouth. The makers of the cigarette, a company called PT Nojorono Tobacco, have offered him compensation for his injuries and he accepted a payment of £5 million rupiah and all his medical costs from them.

£5 million rupiah sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Well actually it’s a mere £335! That is a shockingly low figure given the gravity of Mr Susanto’s injuries. If he were in the UK and suffered such an injury then he would be entitled to a much higher level of compensation. According to the Judicial Studies Board guidelines, he could have been entitled to up to £15,000 compensation for the loss of several teeth.
Read More

There was a fortunate escape on Monday when a school bus carrying sixty children swerved off the road in to a field near Omagh.

Despite the incident, no children were injured when the bus came off Drumlegagh Road South, Omagh.  However, this wasn’t the only incident in the area, as shortly before the bus accident a car crashed into a field on the other side of the road. According to the BBC, the vehicle contained two people, neither of whom was hurt as a result of the accident.

Initial investigations in to what caused the crashes have indicated that poor road conditions were a contributory factor.
Read More

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke has criticised the Department of Health over cardiac surgery costs.

According to the BBC, the cost of sending people outside Northern Ireland for heart operations has triple in the past three years.

The reasons provided for this is that the Department of Health says spending in the region of £7 million on the service helps to keep waiting lists down.
Read More

A man was struck with his own walking stick during a robbery at his home in Newcastle.

According to the BBC, the gentleman was attacked by three intruders at his home on Beaconsfield, Newcastle. In addition, the burglars stole jewellery from the house. The incident occurred on Monday evening and the 48 year old suffered minor head injuries following the blow and the incident has been reported to police, who are requesting that anyone with information about the incident contact Northumbria Police.

Depending on the severity of his injuries this gentleman may be entitled to claim compensation via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (or CICA) .
Read More

The US airline Continental is set to be put on trial in France following the crash of an Air France Concorde jet 10 years ago.

According to the BBC, a wing and one engine caught fire as the Concorde jet was taking off from Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. The flight crashed down in to a hotel and all 109 individuals on board were killed, as well as four people in the hotel.

The trial is set to investigate whether or not a metal strip that allegedly fell earlier from one of Continental’s planes. Following the accident, the entire fleet of Concordes was grounded and an enquiry discovered that one of the plane’s tyres had burst and debris flew up and ruptured the jet’s fuel tank, resulting in a fuel leak which ignited, causing the accident.
Read More