276 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
276 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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1 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 2, 1989
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The year ahead: Nurse and worse - Health Care
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BYLINE: By MELANIE PHILLIPS
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LENGTH: 571 words
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The ageing of the population is a phrase that has become common currency. The assumption that lies behind it is that as more of us get older, the greater the burdens will be on the health service and personal social services. Allied to this concern is the anxiety about the shortage of nurses which is also likely to worsen with the drop in the number of young adults. In fact, it is difficult to generalise. People in Britain are living longer, but there are now several countries, including Japan, France, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, and Denmark where both men and women can expect to live longer than they will in the UK. According to Promoting Health Among Elderly People, a report published last November by King Edward's Hospital Fund for London, one crucial reason for the discrepancy is proverty. The decline in mean household income after retirement age is steeper in Britain than in the United States, West Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Canada. At the same time, the report says, during the last half century the standard of living of elderly people has improved with better specialised housing, residential care and domiciliary services. Old age is accepted less as an explanation for ill health and the view is spreading that the common diseases of later life can be treated or cured more often or at least effectively managed.
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However, it is a mistake to lump the elderly together as a homogeneous group. Although old age is healthier than it was, the accelerating problem is the steep rise in the number of people aged over 85 who do make heavy demands on health and social services with such specific problems as dementia, and the fact that the people caring for them are themselves becoming elderly, maybe in their 60s, with their own frailties too. Meanwhile, there is a crisis in nurse recruitment. Currently, one quarter of all appropriately qualified femal school leavers train as nurses. The Institute of Manpower Studies has estimated that, given a one per cent growth in the workforce, nearly one third of allfemale school leavers would need to be recrufited as nurses by 1992. yet westage from the profession is more than twice the teacher drop-out rate - 35 per cent from Registered General Nursing courses.
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Jean Hooper, Director of Nurse Education for Portsmouth Health Authority, has had considerable local success in bringing mature entrants into the profession. In 1970, as a result of work done by Southampton University on jobs for women with young families, Ms Hooper started up her nurse training scheme specifically for women with domestic responsibilities - looking after children or aged relatives. The training takes place from 9am until 3.30pm with long holidays to coincide with schools. Most entrants are in their 30s. there's room for about 20 per year, and this year there are still 183 suitable women waiting. The wastage rate is only eight per cent, and some 70 per cent of graduates go onto full-time nursing. Husbands are interviewed to screen entrants for good family back-up; by the time women have got to that stage in their lives, she said, they are generally very committed.
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'There's a range of reasons why nurses give up', said Ms Hooper. 'Once we're over the teething troubles, the clinical regrading will be very positive. But health authorities have got to be more flexible with things like job sharing. And a few more men are looking at nursing now.'
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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2 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 2, 1989
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The year ahead: Decline of the British teenager - Fewer births, longer lives
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BYLINE: By MELANIE PHILLIPS
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LENGTH: 376 words
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The shift has been caused by two main factors. The birth rate which reached a peak in the 1960s, which caused the current peak of people in their early 20s and led to a rise of some 2 million people of working age between 1976 and 1986, dropped in the 1970s. As a result of that drop, the labour market is expected to grow far more slowly over the next few years, with a pronounced decline in the number of young people. Between now and 1995, the number of 16-19-year-olds is expted to fall by 23 per cent or nearly 600,000, while the number of 16-24-year-olds is expected to drop by some 1.2 million.
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At the other end of the age scale, numbers are rising steadily, both because of the rising birth rate in the early years of this century and because people are now living longer, thanks to improvements in nutrition and public health as well as advances in medical science. You can now expect to live for an average 74 years - 71 if you're a man, 77 if you're a woman; three decades ago the average was 69 years, and three decades hence it is expected to reach 77 years.
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And within this increase in elderly people there will be a further sharp rise in the numbers of the very old - from 1.8 million over-80s in 1985 to 2.4 million in 2001 and 2.6 million ten years later. The number of children aged under 15 is expected to rise from 10.8 million in 1986 to 11.7 million in 1996.
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The government's main anxiety arising from these changes is their impact upon the labour force. But one minister involved in working out what it all means issues a health warning with the statistics. Mr John Patten, the Home Office Minister of State and by academic training a historical demographer, says no-one knows what will happen. 'Whatever projections are coming out of the Department of Employment and this place, they won't be exactly what we think they are going to be in 1995. They never are. Although you can say today there are so many people alive of a certain age and within a certain time only a certain number will enter the job market, this is only if certain other things are equal. We don't know how employers' and employees' behaviour are going to change. The demographic time-bomb will either be a firecracker or a hydrogen bomb.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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3 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 2, 1989
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Social services face breakdown of care for elderly, warn nurses
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LENGTH: 235 words
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Local social services would not be able to cope with the needs of the growing number of elderly by the end of the century, the Royal College of Nursing said yesterday.
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It was inconceivable that they would be able to deal with the explosion in demand for 24 hour care, it said in a new year's message to Mr Kenneth Clarke, the Health Secretary. There would be 80,000-100,000 more dependent old people needing skilled nursing care.
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As the number of people living beyond 75 grew, so would the number suffering from dementia caused by ageing. The RCN estimated that 10,000 extra residential and nursing home places would be needed each year for the foreseeable future.
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It called for national planning to improve standards, and said the tendency of some old people to move to coastal resorts had made it possible for local councils to plan for the future.
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'It is the test of a civilised society that such individuals should not be left to the arbitrary effects of local democracy,' the college said.
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'It could threaten to overwhelm local government social services in those areas as the retired population becomes less active and more dependent.'
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It was essential for health and social services to be combined in the future to provide effective care.
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The needs of an ageing population should not be dumped on local authorities incapable of responding to them, the college said.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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4 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 3, 1989
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Tuesday Women: Bulletin
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LENGTH: 513 words
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EVENTS
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Women Writers' Workshop
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Sixth in the annual series run by the Commonwealth Institute. Two sessions, morning and afternoon. Workshop leaders include Margaret Drabble, Leena Dhingra, Merle Collins and Dorothy Hewett. Fee Pounds 13.80 (choose two out of eight workshops), concessions Pounds 8.05 (OPAs, students, unwaged, friends of the institute). Fee includes coffee and tea. Applications before tomorrow to Commonwealth Institute, Kensington High Street, London W8 6NQ. Contact: Christine Bridgwood (01 603 4535 ext. 263) or Roisin Tierney (same number but ext. 251).
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Black Women in Business
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A first-ever two-day conference to be chaired by ex-BBC governor, Jocelyn Barrow. Winner of the Black Businesswoman Of The Year to be announced at the conference. At the Commonwealth Institute (address as above) from February 14-15. Contact: Sue Page (01 978 4259).
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Advocacy: Voicing the wishes of the older person
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One-day conference for professionals and others working with older people. Speakers include: Andrew Rowe MP, Lydia Sinclair of Advocacy Alliance and Rosemary Laxton, author of Age Concern's Guidelines for Advocacy Schemes. January 31, 9.15am-4.45pm, Baden Powell House, Queens Gate, London SW7 5JS. Cost: Pounds 26.45 (includes lunch, coffee and tea). Contact: Linda Simmons, Age Concern England, 60 Pitcairn Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 3LL. Closing date for bookings: January 10.
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Women Writers Network
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Sara Fisher, foreign rights editor of literary agents, A M Heath, is the speaker at 7pm on January 16 at The American Church, 79 Tottenham Court Road, London W1 (nearest Tube, Goodge Street). Contact: Leslie Mandel-Viney on 01 399 7238.
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Fat Women's Group
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The first-ever National Fat Women's Conference will be held in London on February 11. The conference aims to highlight the oppression fat women suffer through society's chronic negative attitudes. SAE to The London Fat Women's Group, London Women's Centre, Wesley House, 4 Wild Court, London WC2 5AU.
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POETRY
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Margaret Atwood
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Rare UK reading by the celebrated Canadian poet/novelist. January 27, at 1.15pm at the National Poetry Centre, 21 Earls Court Square, London SW5 9DE. Telephone: 01 373 7861/2 for details.
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HELP
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National Helpline
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A new national telephone helpline operating from tomorrow to respond to women's needs for more counselling, support and information about cervical and breast screening programmes. Experienced female health professionals will answer the calls. Helpline number: 01 495 4995, 9.30am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
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PUBLICATIONS
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Women Of The Arab World (Zed Books, Pounds 7.95 pb, Pounds 24.95 hb)
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Arab women have become more active in recent years in confronting issues which face women in Muslim societies. A new organisation, The Arab Women's Solidarity Association, brings these women together and this book reflects their thinking. Edited by Nahid Toubia. Published: January 23.
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PS
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Pauline Willis is unwell and will be away for a while but please keep sending your items for Bulletin addressed to her.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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5 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 3, 1989
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Britain Today: Elderly thrive in healthier nation - Population
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BYLINE: By MAEV KENNEDY
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LENGTH: 418 words
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People are healthier and living longer, and the percentage of elderly people is increasing sharply.
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Although there are still more births than deaths in Britain - 775,600 against 644,300 in 1987 - the fertility rate at 1.8 per cent is still well below the 2.1 per cent needed for population replacement.
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The population is on the increase - partly because of immigration - but slowly. The 56.9 million population in 1987 makes Britain the world's 15th most populous country. It is expected to increase to 57.5 million in 1991, and 59.4 million in 2011. Since 1983, the traditional net population loss through emigration has been reversed. In 1987 there was a net gain of 2,000.
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Late marriages, late conception, an increase in voluntary sterilisation by men and women, and smaller families are all slowing down population increase. More than a third of pregnancies occur outside marriage, and of these more than a third end in legal abortion.
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In 1972, there were 480,000 marriages. In 1987 this had fallen to 398,000.
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The trend in the 1960s to earlier marriages has been reversed. In 1986, of the population aged 16 and over, 60 per cent were married, 26 per cent single, 9 per cent widowed and 5 per cent divorced.
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The divorce rate has been increasing steadily. It was 13 for every 1,000 marriages in 1987, compared to two in 1961. Both partners had previously been divorced in 12 per cent of all marriages in 1987.
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The trend noted in last year's handbook, of children born in stable, non-marital relationships, is continuing. Two-thirds of illegitimate births, which make up 23 per cent of all live births, are registered by both parents.
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Life expectation is 72 years for a man and 78 for a woman, compared with 49 and 52 in 1901.
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The annual death rate has remained constant for 40 years, at about 12 per 1,000 of the population, but fewer of these are children or young adults.
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The percentage of young people has fallen, and of elderly risen sharply - in mid-1987, 18 per cent of the population was over normal retirement age.
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There are more women than men - although more male children are born, male mortality is higher at every age.
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In every 1,000 live births, the mortality rate for infants under a year old was 9.1 in 1987 and for infants under four weeks, five. Maternal mortality is 0.06.
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Better nutrition, rising standards of living and working conditions, and education and medical advances are all aiding the improvement in the population's health.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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6 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 5, 1989
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Elderly risk eviction due to low benefit levels, say care groups
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BYLINE: By SARAH BOSELEY
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LENGTH: 293 words
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Thousands of elderly and disabled people risk losing their place in a residential home because of inadequate benefit levels, says the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
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A report by the council claims that Department of Social Security board and lodging payments no longer cover costs for a well-run residential home. Some homes reduce costs, and standards, by employing non-qualified staff, while others have closed.
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Ms Christine Peaker, author of the report, said yesterday: 'Individuals are being denied access to residential care of, in some cases, face eviction from private homes'.
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Of 131 homes surveyed by the council last August, two out of three reported that they faced deficits: costs (staffing, maintenance, and capital spending) were rising faster than inflation, while for the past two years residents' DSS benefits had failed to keep pace with inflation.
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Help the Aged, with a deficit of Pounds 174,000, is considering quitting residential care altogether.
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Servite Houses Ltd, which commissioned the report, faces a deficit of Pounds 450,000, and has closed two homes, one being for the physically disabled.
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Examples of individuals are given by the report, three cared for by a private nursing home in Surrey: a wheelchair-bound sufferer of multiple sclerosis, aged 54, with a pensioner husband; a confused widower of 92; and a stroke victim in her seventies. All three may have to leave, following a rise of Pounds 28 in the weekly fees to Pounds 255, but there is nowhere cheaper in the area where they can go.
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Who Pays, Who Cares?: The Future Funding of Residential Care, is available from the Residential Care Project, NCVO, 26 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3HU, price Pounds 3 including postage.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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7 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 6, 1989
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Hip patients 'starved and sedated'
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BYLINE: By AILEEN BALLANTYNE, Medical Correspondent
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LENGTH: 419 words
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Elderly patients with broken hips are being kept 'starved and sedated' for up to 14 hours in hospital before they reach the operating theatre, according to a report published yesterday by the Royal College of Physicians.
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In many cases, they are given such low priority that they are not operated on for two or three days after admission. By then, because they cannot move, pressure sores develop, which can mean a six-month stay in hospital at a cost of Pounds 25,000 to the National Health Service.
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Miss Pamela Hibbs, chief nursing officer of the City and Hackney health authority and a member of the working party which produced the report, said: 'One of the problems is that such patients are so very quiet. They are often elderly women who don't look as if they are in a critical condition.'
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In a busy ward, their operations could often be put back after they had been prepared for surgery, in favour of an emergency case. The report emphasises that old and frail patients with hip fractures who need the highest degree of clinical skill may be anaesthetised and operated on by less experienced doctors, often at night.
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Patients from the upper social classes were most likely to be operated on by a consultant and were likely to wait less time, the report concludes.
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The Royal College warns that the number of hip fractures is rising sharply and calls for urgent research into the reasons. After allowing for the fact that people are now living longer, the incidence has doubled in recent years. One theory was that people have become more sedentary in the last 30 years.
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The report is critical of British Rail's introduction of marble-type station floors which become slipper when wet. It calls for more careful design to avoid the risk of falls.
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Hospitals spend Pounds 160 million a year treating patients with hip fractures, who take up a fifth of all orthopaedic surgery beds. Almost 60 per cent of hip fractures occur in women over 75.
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Dr John Kanis, president of the European foundation for osteoporosis and bone disease, and a member of the college working party, said one third of women suffered fractures as a result of bone thinning.
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He said those most at risk of developing osteoporosis were women who had an early menopause, smoked heavily or abused alcohol. The report also recommends regular moderate exercise to avoid osteoporosis.
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Fractured neck of femur; prevention and management. RCP, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE; Pounds 5.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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8 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 6, 1989
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Electronic tag to be kept on old
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LENGTH: 108 words
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A social services department is to go ahead with a scheme to tag confused elderly people electronically in two council-run homes.
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Humberside county council is to introduce the system for a six month trial. A spokesman denied it was a Big Brother system and said it would only be used with the consent of the person concerned or a relative. He said the tag could be fixed to footwear or clothing to enable staff to detect people leaving the home.
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The social services chairman, Mr Eric Blackband, said: 'It makes sure they don't come to any harm when they cross over the doorstep. We are taking advantage of modern technology.'
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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9 of 349 DOCUMENTS
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The Guardian (London)
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January 6, 1989
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Dead bank robber 'used murder to satisfy greed'
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BYLINE: By PAUL HOYLAND
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LENGTH: 357 words
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A bank robber involved in the shooting of two police officers in coventry used murder and terrorism to satisfy his greed, an inquest in the city heard yesterday.
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David Raymond fisher, a 20-year-old delivery van driver of Newport, Gwent, South Wales, shot himself in the head after he was surrounded by armed police at a house in Coventry.
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Members of the West Midlands tactical firearms unit laid siege to the house in Stoneleigh Avenue where Fisher and his accomplice had sought refuge.
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Earlier, Fisher robbed the Midland Bank in Tile Hill of Pounds 600. He and his accomplice broke into the house after a car chase in which PC Gavin Carlton, aged 29, was shot dead, and Detective Constable Leonard Jakeman, aged 38, was shot in the stomach and seriously wounded. Both officers were unarmed.
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Recording a verdict that Fisher killed himself after his accomplice had surrendered, the Coventry coroner, Mr David Sarginson, said: 'I was absolutely delighted and full of admiration for the police and the way in which they dealt with this matter and acted with such great speed and efficiency and above all with the daring bravery that they showed throughout that morning of December 19.
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'Fisher had used murder and terrorism to try and satisfy his greed. He was surrounded and killed himself to avoid facing ignominy. It was a violent end of a violent man.'
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Detective Superintendent Lyndon Farr, who led the investigation into the bank robbery and the shooting of the two police officers, told the coroner that Nicholas Anthony Hill, aged 20, of Rockfield Street, Newport, Gwent, had been charged with robbery, murder and attempted murder. A report was being prepared for the crown prosecution service.
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An elderly couple who escaped after a pair of armed robbers broke into their home in Finham, Coventry, yesterday described them as amateurish.
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Mr Horace Oughton, aged 80, and his wife, Beryl, aged 78, set off a burglar alarm after the two masked men attempted to make them disclose the whereabouts of a non-existent safe. In the confusion, Mr and Mrs Oughton fled.
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The robbers left before police arrived.
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LOAD-DATE: June 13, 2000
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Copyright 1989 Guardian Newspapers Limited
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