Still births instances in Northern Ireland have increased since 2011
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. A wide variety of definitions exist. Once the fetus has died, the mother may or may not have contractions and undergo childbirth. The term is often used in distinction to live birth or miscarriage and the word miscarriage is oftentimes used incorrectly to describe stillbirths. Most stillbirths occur in full-term pregnancies. In Northern Ireland the Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976[3], as amended contains the definition :- “still-birth” means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother after the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy of a child which did not at any time after being completely expelled or extracted breathe or show any other evidence of life. Registration of still-births can be made by a relative or certain other persons involved with the still-birth but it is not compulsory to do so. After the failed attempt of a judicial review by Independent Health & Care Providers (IHCP) are there doubts now over the sustainability of private providers to sustain their services. IHCP memberships includes among others:
Provisional data released by the Northern Ireland Research & Statistical Agency show that during 2012 there were 278 deaths that fall under Suicide, Self Inflected Injury and events of Undetermined events. Suicide (ICD10 Codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, Y87.0, Y87.2) Deaths classified as ‘events of undetermined intent’ and ‘intentional self-harm’ are reported jointly as suicide. Figures are showing that is is not just a Belfast issue, with almost a quarter of all these deaths also happening inside the Norther Heath Trust area. There is the continuing fact that males are more likely to die this way than females, with males accounting for 77% of all instances.
In 2011 there were 289 such deaths registered in Northern Ireland; 216 were males and 73 were females. All suicides are referred to the coroner and take time to be fully investigated. Therefore there is a period of time between when a suicide occurs and when the death is registered. Of the 289 suicides registered in 2011, only 120 actually occurred in 2011, with the remainder occurring in earlier years. As at the 28/02/13 there were 1299 Cardiology and 2 Urodynamic patients waiting over 9 weeks for a diagnostic test. Causeway Echocardiography figures not available for February due to changes in recording. January ’13 position is used in the interim. (There are 39 tests, these are grouped in the headings shown above). Figures not yet validated.
* Cardiology Perfusion Studies – MPI breaches due to (i) A sharp rise in demand over several months, (ii) Limited reporting capacity due to having a single NHSCT cardiologist competent in MPI reporting. INDICATOR – No more than 2% of operations should be cancelled for non-clinical reasons on the day. All surgical patients should have appropriate pre-operative assessment.
The cumulative position of Mid Ulster minor injury unit is the only facility showing an increase in attendances of all the A&E units in the Trust, within this figure there is a high number of patients who are still having to be transferred to another Emergency Department.
Recently a grandmother who while baby sitting her grandchild, aged 4, had to attended the minor injury unit only to have to travel to Causeway as she was unaware of what was available in the unit. This caused a bit of distress for the grandmother. There is scope to further develop the minor injury unit to take chest x-rays and have them tele-monitored to free up the A&E in Antrim, for both this type of x-ray and longer opening hours. In my view the board have yet to act on fully informing the public on what is available at the minor injury unit, and I will resubmit within this question a request that every household in the NHSCT be posted a leaflet describing what is and is not available in the minor injury unit, this was first requested at the the board room meeting post the closure of the A&E. Pat Guth contributes news and insightful content for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Bio » March 21, 2013
Belfast, Northern Ireland - Newspapers in Northern Ireland are reporting that hazardous asbestos materials have been found in at least two dozen hospitals in that region of the world, including one of the most deadly forms of the mineral. An article in the Belfast Telegraph notes that the extent of asbestos contamination in the area’s hospitals has been recently revealed, just a few short weeks after a Northern Ireland health trust was fined £10,000 over asbestos-related safety breaches at Northern Belfast Hospital, where the material was being managed improperly. Asbestos material, the report says, has been found everywhere from kitchens and labs to maternity wards and pediatric units. Asbestos was found in all five of Northern Ireland’s so-called “health trusts” - Altnagelvin, Belfast City, Craigavon, Daisy Hill and Antrim Area. In addition, highly-toxic blue “crocidolite” asbestos was located in Royal Hospital’s maternity area as well as in the old children’s hospital at the same facility. It was also noted that fibers were found in the nurses’ and doctors’ accommodations at Whiteabbey Hospital. Health trust officials have maintained that – with proper care – the asbestos is not a concern. However, others disagree with that mindset, including Tony Whitston, who chairs a UK-based asbestos victims' group. He’s aware that the material can be quite deadly if great care is not taken in its handling. “We have seen electricians or engineers who worked on hospitals when they were being built coming back to the same hospitals years later having developed mesothelioma. We have also heard of doctors and nurses developing mesothelioma,” Whitson noted. He believes that the practice of proper management of asbestos is “unworkable”, given the hectic scene inside most hospitals. “The problem is when it is in an area of potential disturbance, say a corridor where trolleys come thundering down and can smash into a wall,” Whitson explains. “The case in Belfast [Hospital] shows that their management of asbestos was absolutely flawed and useless.” Asbestos is now banned in Northern Ireland, but its use was abundant from about the 1950s to the 1980s, so even hospitals that are less than 30 years old may contain building materials made with asbestos, like tiles, adhesives, and pipe and electrical insulation Read more: http://www.mesothelioma.com/news/2013/03/northern-ireland-hospitals-filled-with-dangerous-asbestos.htm#ixzz2OlGJm2VY Falling A&E numbers, yet 4 hour target is yet far from being achieved in Northern Ireland’s Type 1 accident and emergencies. Although there has been a marked decrease in the amount of patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E for treatment in February 2013, 658 patients waited over 12 hours. 295 of these were at the Ulster Hospital with Antrim having 187. Comparing figures in A&E are best done by comparing year on year, rather than month on month due to a recognized seasonal variance in attendance.
Key Difference Feb12/13
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