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Rotherham Nurse Raises Alarm Over Infant Medicine Feeder
A concerned Rotherham nurse has forced manufacturers of an infant medicine feeder to withdraw its product following a safety scare. Nurse Karen Ray, a clinical procurement specialist at Rotherham Hospital, took her concerns to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after a six-month-old baby was admitted to Rotherham Hospital following a liquid paracetamol overdose.

Somerset's Midwives Can Now Offer Women A New Early Pregnancy Support Service, UK
Women in Somerset now have a new of expert information and advice available to them as soon as they know they are pregnant.
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Some Small Businesses Must Cut Employee Health Benefits Or Lay Off Workers Amid Economic Recession
Small businesses increasingly are eliminating their employee health coverage plans because of rising health care premiums and declining revenue attributed to the current economic recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. About 10% of small companies are considering ending their employee health coverage plans over the next year, compared with 3% of small businesses in 2005, according to a recent survey by the National Small Business Association. In 2008, 38% of small companies offered health coverage, compared with 41% in 2007 and 61% in 1993, according to NSBA. According to a Hewitt Associates survey, 19% of all U.S. businesses plan to halt providing health care benefits to their employees in the next three to five years.A rise in health care coverage premiums has contributed to employers eliminating plans, according to the Journal. Premiums for single policies increased by 74% for small businesses from 2001 to 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. According to Scott Krienke, senior vice president of product lines for Assurant Health, health insurance premiums for small businesses increase by 8% to 16% annually on average, with smaller firms often having the highest increases. According to the Journal, many employers are choosing to eliminate health coverage instead of eliminating jobs or closing down their business. Some businesses have chosen instead to shift more health care costs to workers, change health insurers, switch prescription drug plans to encourage employees to purchase more generic drugs or offer employees wellness plans that encourage healthy habits as a strategy to reduce health care costs, the Journal reports (Mattioli, Wall Street Journal, 5/26).
Cardiovascular

Independent Report Published On Organ Allocation System For Non-UK Residents

An independent report to clarify the rules on organ transplants for NHS patients and non-UK EU residents was published today by Elisabeth Buggins, former Chair of the Organ Donation Taskforce. The report was commissioned by the Health Secretary earlier this year (11 March) following concerns about the number of organs from deceased UK donors being transplanted into non-UK resident EU nationals each year. The report"s recommendations, which have been broadly accepted by the Department of Health, will help to ensure public confidence in the fairness and transparency of the organ allocation system. Immediate steps will now be taken to implement the report"s recommendations including: * Seeking agreement from devolved health administrations to ban all private clinical practice in the UK involving solid organs donated after death within the NHS, from 1 October 2009; *Establishing an implementation group to work with NHS Blood and Transplant and commissioners of transplantation to monitor referrals from overseas; *Supporting the development of a new liver allocation scheme to build greater transparency into the allocation process; *Developing Department of Health guidance for transplant centres to provide clarification on the eligibility criteria for people from abroad; *Raising with colleagues across the EU the need to build capacity or expertise in developing transplant programmes in Member States or the building of reciprocal agreements between neighbouring countries. Health Minister Ann Keen said: "I am grateful to Elisabeth Buggins for her work on this important issue. We accept her recommendations and will now take these forward to ensure a UK system that is fair and transparent and one which patients and potential donors can have trust and confidence in. "The report highlights the complexity of European law in this area and we will take immediate action to provide guidance for the transplant community and reassure the public of the integrity of our transplant programme. "Organ donation is one of medicine"s great success stories, transforming thousands of people"s lives each year. We want as many people as possible who need new organs to have that life saving or life enhancing organ transplant. In order for this to happen we want to see donor rates rise from the current 800 to 1,400 donors per year by March 2013 and to do this we need more donors to sign up to the organ donor register." Elisabeth Buggins said: "This report seeks to make more organs available for UK residents. While I found no evidence of wrongdoing in the way organs are allocated to patients there is a perception that private payments may unfairly influence access to transplant, so they must be banned. "Confidence in the transplant system should increase once money is removed from the equation, decisions are transparent and accountability clear; confidence we know is necessary if the number of organ donors is to rise to match the best in Europe. I would encourage everyone to join the organ donor register; a promise that is quick to make and of such lasting benefit to others." Department of Health


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