April 22nd, 2011
Mark Worthington from the BBC reports on the news that 1 in 4 children in Britain today will live until they are 100. Transcript of the BBC report:
A morning exercise class for the over 70’s. As today’s children become ever more likely to reach their 100th birthday, their grandparents and great grandparents are already rising to the challenge of living longer. Here, in Dudley in the black country, they are doing what they can to stay active in their later years.
“My great grandma was … i thought they were ancient. We are not today, are we? We are reasonably healthy…” says one over 70.
According to government figures, those who are young now will see an even greater difference in their lifetimes. In 2009 there were 11,600 people over the age of 100 but it is expected that more that 3 million of today’s under 16’s will live to be centenarians.
Fran Cartwright Age UK img cr: BBC
Well, people are living longer, says Fran Cartwright from Age UK. We have wonderful clients here who are approaching 100. They are still exercising. So, by mental and physical activity they can achieve that.”
At a nearby Zoo, though, the young people we spoke to were less than enthusiastic about an extended old age. “It would be an achievement, living that long, but I wouldn’t be able to do much then. I would probably be sitting around in a chair. ”
“I don’t think it would be fun because you would be surrounded by strangers which you don’t know. ”
And whether they are happy or not, it seems the young will have to get used to birthdays and more of them than ever before.
With this potential extended old age, it is vitally important to ensure that children stay as healthy as possible. This includes regular exercise and eating healthily. Babies can be included on their parent’s private health insurance policies from birth. But it is important to register them within a few days of birth so that anything that the baby may develop is not then considered to be ‘pre-existing’. Some health insurers state that this must be done within 14 days of birth. Freedom Healthnet state 30 days.
Tags: baby health insurance, child health insurance, freedom healthnet, freedomhealthnet
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April 21st, 2011
Immigrants from TB countries arriving in the UK are currently screened for TB (Tuberculosis) but a study in the Lancet notes that this is ineffective and different measures need to be taken.
Currently chest Xrays are used to detect TB but this is only good for active infections. It misses those who are in the process of developing the disease or in those where the infection lies dormant in the lungs.
Lungs infected with Tuberculosis img cr: BBC
The study by Imperial College London looked at 1000 immigrants and they noted that Xrays would be ineffectual but that blood test would be far more effective in identifying those carrying the disease.
The incidences of TB in the UK has risen dramatically since 2000 largely because of immigration from countries where the disease is prevalent. Immigrants from those countries are currently given an Xray to identify if they have the disease and are then treated if found to be infected. The study highlights that this is not a good way to identify all carriers and a blood test is required.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease which affects the lungs. It is passed via droplet infection (e.g. coughs, sneezing and other transfer of fluid from the lungs). The disease is treatable with a course of antibiotics, if left untreated it can spread rapidly. There are about 9000 cases of TB in the UK every year, many of which are centred in large cities such as London.
Is tuberculosis covered under my private medical insurance?
Comprehensive medical insurance policies, such as those offered by Freedom Healthnet should cover initial investigations, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. It is worth noting, however, that TB can result in long term problems with the lungs, such as breathing difficulties, or even result in problems with the kidneys.
Find out more about private medical insurance or get a quote online for health insurance.
Tags: freedom healthnet, TB, Tuberculosis
Posted in Private Health Insurance, Private Medical Insurance, health news | No Comments »
April 20th, 2011
Pancreas Cancer is quite common throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and indeed the world. It has, unfortunately, a high mortality rate and most of the patients we have – unlike some patients – we can’t operate on them and really we are searching for new ways to improve survival and outcome of these patients.
We inject the vaccine under the skin and we give a booster dose of a growth factor as part of the programme of vaccination and the idea is that the vaccine will target the immune system against pancreas cancer tumour cells. Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with patients only having up to 6 months to live after diagnosis. A vaccine has been developed by The School of Cancer Studies at the University of Liverpool and is in trials at 53 hospitals around the UK. The trial, which is treating more than 1000 patients, is on patients who already have the disease and aims to get the immune system to attack the cancer cells.
The following is the transcript of a BBC interview with Professor John Neotolemos, the Head of the School of Cancer Studies at the University of Liverpool.
Professor John Neotolemos
Pancreas tumours, they are very clever. they have ways of actually recruiting the immune system to help the tumour instead of fighting the tumour. So, they turn the immune cells into traitors, so they help to guard the tumour. And so what the vaccine does is that it actually takes away the masking effect of the tumour and says “this is a tumour” that you must kill. And given in combination with chemotherapy the whole immune response is actually quite powerful.
So, in the phase II studies, there was a suggestion that there could be a substantive improvement in survival – in median terms, a number of months. Now that may not sound a lot but in pancreas cancer it is. I am excited, but we need to be careful here: we are dealing with people, we are dealing with patients, and to base any findings or conclusions on confirmed solid, sound scientific evidence.
For more information about cancer news and the latest information, Freedom Healthnet is also on Twitter.
Tags: cancer, cancer drugs, freedom healthnet, Pancreas Cancer, Pancreas Cancer Vaccine, Pancreatic Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine
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April 19th, 2011
NHS Hospital waiting times are their longest for 3 years says independent think tank, The King’s Fund. It reports that 15% of patients waited over 18 weeks for treatment. This is the longest waiting time since April 2008.
The Kings Fund indicated that this increase in waiting times was due to the financial pressures on the NHS. The NHS Trusts have been using private facilities in private hospitals and treatment centres to help manage their waiting lists. However, many Trusts have been putting restrictions on this. Freedom Healthnet recently reported on the NHS being against private healthcare and limiting treatment due, often, to financial considerations. This could be one of the reasons for the waiting times increasing.
The government, however, dispute these figures as they say that they include figures for patients who have selected to delay their own treatment. They estimate that the percentage of people waiting longer than 18 weeks is 10.2%.
Waiting times start from the time that a GP writes a referral to another body / provider until treatment commences. The 18 week time limit is that placed in the NHS constitution.
Professor John Appleby
The King’s Fund’s Professor John Appleby noted that performance targets and money were the two items that kept waiting times under 18 weeks. The government no longer monitors performance targets – indeed managers used to be sacked for failing to maintain targets – and there is less money in the NHS. These are the two key factors.
The issue of hospital waiting times is one of the major reasons for people turning to private health insurance, as reported in our Freedom Healthnet News section. Other connected stories include the concern over frontline services reported recently, such as the loss of 890 London Ambulance Service jobs and also the proposed cuts which will mean 40,000 nursing job losses over the next 3 years.
Tags: freedom healthnet, NHS, NHS waiting times
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April 18th, 2011
A breath test for cancer, strange as it may sound, could be a reality in the future, says a report in the British Journal of Cancer.
An electronic ‘nose’ was used by Israeli researchers fron Technion to identify chemical signals of cancer in the breath of patients who had lung cancer, head or neck cancer. The nano artificial nose used a chemical method to spot markers of cancer present in the breath of the 80 volunteers who took part in the study. Of those 80, 22 had head or neck cancers, 24 had lung cancer and 36 were healthy.
The researchers focused on head and neck cancers as these are often not diagnosed until very late into the disease. This, then, makes it very difficult to treat successfully.
Professor Hossam Haick of the Technion study said: “There’s an urgent need to develop new ways to detect head-and-neck cancer because diagnosis of the disease is complicated, requiring specialist examinations.
“We’ve shown that a simple ‘breath test’ can spot the patterns of molecules which are found in head-and-neck patients in a small, early study.
“We now need to test these results in larger studies to find if this could lead to a potential screening method for the disease.”
Cancer Research UK indicated that a breath test was still a long way from being implemented in clinics as the study was only small and more research would need to be completed to prove the effectiveness of this type of device.
Find out more about cancers and some of the latest developments.
Tags: Cancer Breath Test, Cancer Diagnosis, freedom healthnet, Head Cancer, Neck Cancer
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April 15th, 2011
In a BBC interview with Anne McCann the manager of the Redholme Memory Clinic, a care home in Liverpool that deals with Dementia patients, explains how exercise and use of the gym aids dementia patients in terms of wellbeing. Transcript of the interview:
For these guys here, what are the main benefits this exercise equipment brings to them?
Well, obviously, they are not sitting in chairs doing nothing, sleeping. We give them activities at all different levels. These gentlemen actually come to the gym regularly. We found that when they go back to their units, their appetite is improved, they are more compliant with medication, they are sleeping better and they interact with each other far better. There is like a male cameraderie going on.
And what sort of effect has it had on their physical strength?
Some of the gentlemen have been very mobile when they came in to the home. Obviously we want to keep that going. We try to encourage that by doing the gym and also with Tai Chi which goes on once a week on a Tuesday. We have had very few fractured neck of femur which is a problem with elderly people and especially people with dementia. In the home in general, the activities, the gym in particular goes down really well.
And do you think there is an aspect of mental wellbeing involved?
They can’t actually express how well they feel but we know from the smiles on their faces. If they didnt want to come to the gym or they didn’t feel well doing the gym, they wouldn’t come.
In the couple of years you had it, has it made a big difference do you think?
I think so, for the wellbeing of all the gentlemen and the ladies aswell and especially the daycare service users because they may not go out at all other than coming to our service so they can get all the activities that we can possibly give – Tai Chi, drama therapy and the gym.
Tags: dementia, Dementia Patients, Exercise Dementia, freedom healthnet, freedomhealthnet
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April 13th, 2011
On the day of reports that Nurses pass a motion of no confidence in Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, BBC’s breakfast team speak to Health Minister Simon Burns about nursing cuts:
BBC: The Royal College of Nursing are saying that 20.000 nursing jobs, 40,000 clinical jobs could go as a result of your reforms. Are they right?
BBC Breakfast Interviews Health Minister Burns (img cr: BBC)
“No I don’t think they are because their survey flies in the face of the evidence based upon the workforce statistics. We have seen for the 15 months up to the end of December last year that actually the number of nurses in the NHS has increased by 2677 and even in the last quarter of last year, the number of nurses increased by just over 1200. We have also seen about 3000 extra doctors within the NHS. But what is important and what the government and the department of health have made quite plain to the NHS is that priority has got to be given to protecting and supporting frontline services. We are honouring our pledge for real term increases in funding. There is this £20 billion efficiency savings where every single penny has got to be reinvested in frontline services so that patients are at the heart of care.”
Health Minister Simon Burns (img cr: BBC)
BBC: People understand the notion that cuts are having to be made. But right at the beginning of that answer, you said, “I don’t think they are right”. In a way, that goes to the heart of that debate, isn’t it. THey have done their figures, you say you have donte your figures. They have consulted with NHS Trusts and they have come back with this figure. You think you have got a different figure. But that is the problem, isn’t it? Isn’t that why, now, you ultimately have caution about your own plans because you just don’t know and if they are correct and if these numbers are true and that is how it breaks down in reality, there is no way those frontline services you keep talking about can remain intact.
“No, because there is a significant difference between the two figures. The Royal College of Nursing’s figures are based upon a survey. The figures that I have given you are based upon fact because they are the actual workforce statistics within the National Health Service. And that is a very big difference. ”
Find out more about NHS reforms and cuts.
Tags: freedom healthnet, NHS, nhs reforms
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April 12th, 2011
As part of the NHS cuts, the London Ambulance Service is cutting 890 jobs over the next 5 years the BBC reports: the aim is to save £53 million over the coming five years.
The London Ambulance Service has circa 5,000 employees and the above figure will include 560 ‘frontline’ jobs. Chief Executive Peter Bradley indicated that the LAS in ‘not immune’ to the financial pressure on the NHS and that circa 300 posts would also be lost from management and support services. The public sector union, UNISON has warned that the cuts will “put at risk the many Londoners who rely on the LAS every day” and there is a worry at the loss of highly trained staff.
The LAS visits over a million incidents each year and has over 1.5 million emergency calls, an increase of 4.5% on the previous year. This means that whilst demand is growing, supply is being reduced. Will ambulance waiting times increase? What will the effects of this be? What will this mean for you when you need an emergency ambulance? How can you ensure you have prompt transportation to hospital when your family needs it?
News such as this prompts Londoners to look at alternatives to the excellent work done by the NHS and ambulance services. Some private health insurance policies, such as Freedom Healthnet’s Elite comprehensive policy include private ambulance cover.
Tags: freedom healthnet, freedomhealthnet, London Ambulance Service, NHS cuts, nhs reforms
Posted in NHS, Private Health Insurance | 1 Comment »
April 12th, 2011
As Bowel Cancer awareness month, we are looking at the disease and finding out what are the symptoms of bowel cancer and what you can do to help reduce your risk of developing it.
Most bowel cancers are those of the large intesting, the colon. These are known as Colon Cancer, Rectal Cancer or Colorectal Cancers. The bowel is part of the digestive system and is important in the absorption of water and nutrients from the food you eat, as well as passing out waste from your system. Symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- bleeding from the rectum without any obvious reason
- persistent changes in bowel habits, e.g. frequency or looseness of stools
- Severe abdominal pain, although watch for any abdominal pain
- A lump in the abdomen – especially on the right side
- unexplained weightloss
- tiredness
On their own, these symptoms do not mean bowel cancer, but if one or more symptoms are experienced for a period of 3 weeks or more it is important to visit your doctor to discuss it.
How can you reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer? Recent Danish research has indicated that just modest changes to your lifestyle can have a dramatic impact upon the risk of developing bowel cancer. The following items were noted within the research:
- diet – high fibre, and low saturated fat. Reduce red meat.
- exercise – being inactive can increase the risk of developing bowel cancer
- not smoking
- reducing alcohol consumption
- watching your waistline (below 34″ for women and below 40″ for men).
In addition to this, a family history of bowel cancer can put you at a greater risk as can certain other bowel conditions. These would include diabeted, ulcerative colitis or Chrons disease.
Screening has been introduced in the UK every 2 years for the 60-69 year olds to try to diagnose the disease early. This age group is the key one as around 80% of sufferers are over 60. If bowel cancer is diagnosed early, there is a 90% chance of survival for the next 5 years or even a complete cure. If diagnosed late, only 6% of people will survive to 5 years and there is little likliehood of a complete cure.
To reduce your risk of bowel cancer, it is essential to:
- Eat a healthy diet. This should be low in saturated fat, low in red and processed meat and should include lots of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain foods and fish.
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight
- Quit smoking
- Limit alcohol intake
- Understand your usual bowel movements and note any changes
Beating Bowel Cancer’s film, The Bottom Line is an excellent way of understanding the symptoms of the disease and the two possible paths you can take when you first note symptoms… and the consequences / benefits of each decision.
#bowelcancer
Tags: #bowelcancer, bowel cancer, Bowel Cancer Awareness, freedom healthnet, freedomhealthnet
Posted in Cancer, diabetes, health news | No Comments »
April 11th, 2011
April is bowel cancer awareness month. Various charities such as Beating Bowel Cancer are launching the understanding of the disease with activities this month such as Beatingbowelcancer.org’s video: The Bottom Line.
Bowel Cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death in the UK yet is perhaps one of the least discussed. The awareness raising by the bowel cancer charities is trying to redress this.
Bowel cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK, according to the NHS and it is the 2nd most common cause of cancer deaths. One person dies of bowel cancer in the UK every 30 minutes. This equates to over 16,000 people each year. These are frightening statistics. However, if diagnosed early it can be treated successfully. As written about in the Freedom Healthnet Improving Cancer Outcomes the government are investing £9 million in raising awareness of bowel, breast and lung cancers. There are also plans to introduce a new screening programme which will use a new fibre-optic rectal probe. The government believes that this will save more than 3,000 lives per year and are hoping to improve the UK’s record as having one of the worst cancer survival rates in the EU.
Bowel cancer will be covered under most health and medical insurance policies, although it is important to check the policy details carefully to understand the coverage as policies will vary. Under comprehensive private health insurance policies, cancer inpatient and outpatient treatment should be covered*. See cancer medical insurance cover guidelines.
*subject to approval of inpatient claim.
#TheBottomLine
Tags: #bowelcancer, #TheBottomLine, bowel cancer, freedom healthnet
Posted in Cancer, Private Health Insurance, health news | No Comments »
