A&E alcohol poisoning cases double

Hospital visits for alcohol poisoning have doubled in six years, with the highest rate among young women, the BBC has reported.

Emergency admissions due to the effects of alcohol, such as liver disease, have also risen by more than 50% in nine years to 250,000 a year in England.

Rates were highest in deprived areas and in the north of England, and among men aged 45-64, statistics from the Nuffield Trust reveal.

The government said it had banned the lowest priced drinks.

Deadly superbugs reach Britain

Deadly bacteria like E.Coli and Salmonella have mutated to be resistant to our last-line of antibiotics and are already be circulating in Britain, The Telegraph has reported.

Health experts have warned for years that antibiotic resistance could send medicine back to the dark ages, where even the smallest infections of cuts proving lethal.

Currently, when all other drugs fail, doctors use polymyxins – such as colistin - as a last resort to treat bacterial infections like E.coli and those which cause pneumonia.

Regulator asks those with diabetes to store home use blood glucose test strips correctly

Anyone using the GlucoMen LX Sensor test strips to monitor their blood glucose levels must ensure they immediately close the vials properly after using them, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned.

Failure to do so could expose the test strips distributed by Menarini Diagnostics UK to high humidity, which could lead to a reading that is higher than it should be.

People are advised to close the vial securely after using the strips, store the test strips in their original vial and write the discard date on the vial label.

John Wilkinson, MHRA’s director of medical devices said: “Leaving strips exposed in high humidity may result in falsely high readings, which could lead to them taking an incorrect dose of medication.”

Hospital trusts rake in millions from parking

Some hospital trusts in England are making more than £3m a year from car parking fees, the BBC has reported.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have shown of more than 90 trusts that responded to FOI requests, half are making at least £1m a year, the news agency Press Association found.

The Patients Association said the charges were "morally wrong".

But many trusts defended their revenues, saying some or all of the money was put back into patient care.