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Doctors are set to deliver another blow to Andrew Lansley’s faltering NHS reforms today – by lambasting them at a specially convened conference. Some 350 delegates have been summoned to London for an emergency meeting of the British Medical Association to discuss dozens of motions highly critical of the Health Secretary’s policies. And the medical profession may even declare at the meeting that it has no confidence in Mr Lansley. The meeting is expected to confirm that most doctors are firmly opposed to the controversial proposals to hand £80billion of the Health Service budget to GPs. Doctors are expected to claim his changes will worsen patient care, squander billions of pounds and threaten the principles of the NHS. Their motions will lay bare a nightmare scenario under which services could be cut, waiting times could lengthen and hospital departments could close – as a direct result of the reforms. It tops an awful few days for the embattled Health Secretary, whose controversial N

Doctors are set to deliver another blow to Andrew Lansley’s faltering NHS reforms today – by lambasting them at a specially convened conference. Some 350 delegates have been summoned to London for an emergency meeting of the British Medical Association to discuss dozens of motions highly critical of the Health Secretary’s policies. And the medical profession may even declare at the meeting that it has no confidence in Mr Lansley. The meeting is expected to confirm that most doctors are firmly opposed to the controversial proposals to hand £80billion of the Health Service budget to GPs. Doctors are expected to claim his changes will worsen patient care, squander billions of pounds and threaten the principles of the NHS. Their motions will lay bare a nightmare scenario under which services could be cut, waiting times could lengthen and hospital departments could close – as a direct result of the reforms. It tops an awful few days for the embattled Health Secretary, whose controversial N

Health chiefs have launched a £75,000 project to send encouraging texts to alcoholics on special mobile phones. Detox patients will receive automated daily SMS messages to check they're staying sober. They'll text back to say they're doing OK - or need help. The dedicated handsets are being handed out to 120 addicts in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in the first scheme of its kind in Britain. They cannot be used to make or receive standard calls. The dedicated handsets are being handed out to 120 addicts in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in the first scheme of its kind in Britain. They cannot be used to make or receive standard calls If patients respond to their daily text with a positive response, saying they are fine, they get an automated reply congratulating them on their progress. But if they text back that they are in danger of drinking again, they'll be offered face-to-face help or a phone conversation with a key worker as soon as possible. The programme was d

If you're suffering from a hangover after an ill-advised drink after work last night, you may not be pleased to know it is just one of 726 that you will experience. It's not surprising when you consider the average Briton will down more than 5,800 pints during their adult life as well as glug 8,700 glasses of wine. A survey of 2,000 people found we drink at least three nights a week and have nine drinks in total - which works out at 468 a year. However, while over half (57 per cent) sip a beverage in the comfort of their own home, just 17 per cent say they regularly visit the pub. The resulting bar bill comes to an eye-watering £58,201 over a lifetime. The poll, by Benenden Healthcare Society, also revealed a fairly widespread dependency on alcohol. The average Briton starts experimenting with alcohol at the tender age of 14. Four out of 10 admitted they can’t go longer than a week without having a drink, while 10 per cent said they would struggle to make it through just two d

The average adult spends FOUR years of their life with a hangover, a study has revealed. Researchers found we struggle with a splitting headache and nausea for 24 days a year, which equates to 1,452 days during an average adult lifetime. The survey of 2,000 adults, by YorkTest, found while Saturday and Sunday were the most common 'sorehead' days, one in 10 said they were often hungover on a Monday. Hungover? The average adult spends four years with a sore head, as portrayed by Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms Dr Gill Hart from YorkTest, said: 'Feeling the effects of the night before adds up to a staggering number of days where we feel worse for wear. 'It's one thing having a drink and enjoying yourself, but often it doesn't take much to tip you over the edge and you'll be nursing a headache the next morning. 'This means millions of Brits turn up to their office and do little work, don't turn up to work at all or waste their day sp

We all like to have our own space but apparently living alone could be putting your health at risk. A Finnish study found two-thirds of people who died from an alcohol-related disease or accident were living alone. Researchers said this suggested a lack of social relationships should be regarded as a potential risk factor for death from alcohol related causes.  They added that living alone was a very modern phenomenon that had weakened social relationships, with fewer people getting married or living in extended families. The team, led by Kimmo Herttua from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, in Helsinki, analysed information from the 18,200 people who died as a result of alcohol between 2000 and 2007. Causes of death included liver disease alcohol poisoning and accidents, as well as violence that involved alcohol. The results revealed between 2000 and 2003 men who lived alone were 3.7 times more likely to die of liver disease compared to married or cohabiting men. Between 2

Consultants have called on the Government to introduce new curbs on alcohol advertising to protect young people. In an open letter they warned Britain is facing an epidemic of liver disease caused by a binge drinking culture and cheap booze. The North East has been hit particularly hard with figures showing a 400 per cent increase in the number of hospital admissions for people in their early 30s with alcoholic liver disease. The consultants are supporting a campaign by Balance, the north east of England's alcohol office, demanding a stop to the alcohol industry recruiting young people as the next generation of problem drinkers. Balance said children were 'swimming through 40% proof advertising' and were being encouraged to start drinking younger, and to drink more. In the open letter published in The Guardian the consultants, mostly liver specialists and gastroenterologists, blamed the problem on our having created 'an excessively pro-alcohol culture by selling alcoho