Patient ‘threatened’ by staff, Essex mental health inquiry told

Patient ‘threatened’ by staff, Essex mental health inquiry told

Contributed Iris Scott, 73, was a patient at the Crystal Centre in Chelmsford A woman who took her own life while on a mental health ward had been threatened and bullied by staff, her family told a public inquiry. Iris Scott, 73, was a patient at the Crystal Centre in Chelmsford, run by the Essex … Read more

‘Delighted’ Crowborough woman played clarinet in brain surgery

‘Delighted’ Crowborough woman played clarinet in brain surgery

PA Media Denise Bacon experienced instant improvement in her finger movements A woman with Parkinson’s disease who played a clarinet while undergoing brain stimulation said she was “delighted” with how it went. Denise Bacon, 65, from Crowborough in East Sussex, experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered to her … Read more

Japan allows over-the-counter emergency contraception pill for the first time

Japan allows over-the-counter emergency contraception pill for the first time

Japan has for the first time approved over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive pill, its manufacturer says, allowing women in the country to take the medication without prescription. ASKA Pharmaceutical said wider access to the pill would “empower Japanese women in the area of reproductive health”. A date for it to go on sale has … Read more

Life-changing eye implant helps blind patients read again

Life-changing eye implant helps blind patients read again

Fergus WalshMedical editor Sheila Irvine, who is registered blind, punches the air with joy at being able to read again A group of blind patients can now read again after being fitted with a life-changing implant at the back of the eye. A surgeon who inserted the microchips in five patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital … Read more

Community health centre to open in Glastonbury after £2.2m revamp

Community health centre to open in Glastonbury after £2.2m revamp

Eben Morrish-CroadSomerset Conor Ogilvie-Davidson The centre is expected to deliver a wide range of services that will contribute towards delivering care in the community A Grade-II listed building is set to open as a health and wellbeing centre next month after a £2.2m renovation project. St Dunstan’s House in Glastonbury will provide a venue for … Read more

Higham Ferrers fishing group ‘devastated’ after container fire

Higham Ferrers fishing group ‘devastated’ after container fire

Alex PopeNorthamptonshire Higham Ferrers Riverside Angling Association A storage container of fishing and gardening equipment was destroyed in a fire The director of an angling club has said he has been left “devastated” after a suspected arson attack destroyed about £6,000 worth of fishing and electrical equipment. Craig Parkins, 40, from Fishing for Minds, part … Read more

Independent inquiry into Leeds maternity failings announced

Independent inquiry into Leeds maternity failings announced

Divya Talwar and Natalie TruswellBBC News Investigations Family handout/PA Wire Bereaved mothers Amarjit Matharoo, Lauren Caulfield and Fiona Winser-Ramm have campaigned for years for an independent inquiry into Leeds Trust An independent inquiry into “repeated failures” at an NHS trust’s maternity units has been announced by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, following potentially avoidable harm to … Read more