Baby P investigations - why did this child die in 2007 despite regular visits to professionals. Up until now social servies have largely taken the blame however now the focus has moved onto the doctors he had seen before he died. For example he was seen by a locum paediatrician 48 hours before he died who failed to see Baby P had a broken back. The development clinic he had attended was seriously understaffed and could not work effectively.
Health Stories of the Decade. Jeremy Laurence. BMJ 2009;339:b5281. December 2009
The story of the Noughties: Deadly Scares vs Miracle Cures. Pandemic flu according to one journalist is the story of the decade, starting with Avian flu, developing to SARS and Swine flu. Other stories in the top 10 were: MMR vaccine, Hospital Acquired Infections, the NHS, Obesity, Smoking, Cancer Drugs, IVF, Harold Shipman and Alcohol. Alot of it stems to public confidence in science and the mistrust that the public can have in politicians. The author says "The NHS has been transformed in the past decade" and that this is a credit to the labour government however the future of the NHS does look bleak due to the recession (cuts of billions over the next three years). How do we save money without compromising quality of care? Predictions are that alcohol and obesity will dominate the next decade. The BMA and Scottish parliament have backed minimum pricing for alcohol and it will be interesting to see if this comes into effect in the future.
The most internet hits was for a bizarre story in Canada where an obese patient was treated by brain stimulation and by chance scientists located and stimulated a memory center allowing the patient to recall memories he had long since forgotten - 'Scientists unlock the secrets of Memory'. There was also the story of the surgeon in the Democratic Republic of Congo who performed a successful arm amputation by texting his colleague in London.
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