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Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

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BBC Health

Vitamin B 'puts off Alzheimer's'

High doses of B vitamins may slow the rate of brain shrinkage in older people experiencing warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, a study says.

NHS IT costs to be cut by £700m

The government has announced £700m of savings in the national IT programme for the NHS in England, cutting the overall cost to £11.4bn.

Second death linked to outbreak

Health officials are investigating a second death which is being linked to a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in south Wales.

Vitamin 'may stop' spina bifida

Scientists begin a study to determine if an everyday vitamin supplement could help prevent a common birth defect.

Payout after brain tumour mistake

A former clergyman receives undisclosed substantial damages after a Nottingham hospital fails to diagnose a brain tumour.

Outbreak probe at industry sites

There are now 12 cases linked to a Legionnaires' outbreak, as health officials focus on south Wales industrial sites in the search for the cause.

More obesity ops 'will save cash'

Millions of pounds are lost in England by the failure of the NHS to provide more obesity operations, a study says.

Inquiry to hear from HIV victims

The injury into contaminated NHS blood products in the 1980s will hear from the victims who contracted HIV and Hepatitis.

Statins 'may cut arthritis risk'

Taking statins may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a study suggests.

Call for morning sickness action

More needs to be done to establish which are safe and effective ways to relieve morning sickness, experts say.

Yahoo Health

Study: Flamboyant male dancing attracts women best (AP)

FILE- This is a file photo of John Travolta and Karen Gorney dance in a nightclub scene to disco music in Paramount Pictures 1977 film 'Saturday Night Fever', which explores the restless generation growing up in the 70's. John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study. (AP Photo/HO, File)

AP - John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study.

Doctors see eye hazard in powerful laser pointers (AP)

AP - A 15-year-old boy damaged his eyes while playing with a laser pointer he'd bought over the Internet, say doctors who warn that dangerously high-powered versions are easily available online.

Group backs mandatory flu shots for health workers (AP)

AP - Flu vaccination should be required for all doctors, nurses and other health workers, the nation's largest pediatricians' group says, calling it a long overdue step to protect patients.

CVS Caremark to give away up to $5M in flu shots (AP)

AP - CVS Caremark Corp. said Wednesday it will give away up to $5 million in seasonal flu vaccinations to people without health insurance.

AP Exclusive: Back to work after salmonella case (AP)

** ADDS COMPLETION OF THE SECOND SENTENCE - FILE - In this March 12, 2009 file photo, Peanut Corporation of America's president Stewart Parnell, arrives a federal court in Lynchburg, Va. The peanut industry executive whose filthy processing plants were implicated in a salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened hundreds more is back in the business, as the federal government's criminal investigation against him has languished for more than 18 months, The Associated Press has learned. (AP Photo/Don Petersen, File)

AP - The peanut industry executive whose filthy processing plants were blamed in a salmonella outbreak two years ago that killed nine people and sickened hundreds more is back in the business.

J&J giving $200 million for health of women, kids (AP)

AP - Health giant Johnson & Johnson is donating about $200 million in cash and medicine to a sweeping United Nations program created to improve the health and lives of people in poor countries.

Report says obesity surgery can save health costs (Reuters)

Reuters - Providing surgical treatment for people who are morbidly obese could save British taxpayer-funded health services and the wider economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year, leading surgeons said on Wednesday.

Doctors alarmed by HIV risk for European gays (AFP)

Homosexual men in Europe are increasingly failing to adhere to safe sex, according to two new studies. In France, transmission of the AIDS virus

AFP - Homosexual men in Europe are increasingly failing to adhere to safe sex, according to two new studies. In France, transmission of the AIDS virus "seems to be out of control" among men who have sex with men, said a paper published on Thursday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

J&J launches aid program for women, children (Reuters)

Reuters - Johnson & Johnson has pledged grant money, drugs and research funding for new HIV and tuberculosis medications as part of a five-year, private sector effort to improve the health up to 120 million women and children in developing nations each year.

Smoking Could Harm Sperm, Study Finds (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies provide evidence that smoking can harm sperm - both in smoking men who may become fathers, and in sons born to women who smoked during pregnancy.

MedPage Today

Little Support for Morning Sickness Therapies (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Treatment for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting has little high-quality supporting evidence in the medical literature, despite multiple randomized clinical trials, authors of a systematic review concluded.

MDS Remission Often Isn't (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Patients who had a "complete" remission of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after treatment with lenalidomide (Revlimid) still had circulating drug-resistant malignant stem cells -- and the disease resumed its progression in most patients despite continued treatment, a small study found.

Drug May Improve Abstinence in Alcoholics (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Alcoholic patients can modestly improve their chances of staying abstinent after detox with acamprosate (Campral), according to a Cochrane review.

Bosentan Helps Prevent Hand Ulcers (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A multinational clinical trial found that treatment with the endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan (Tracleer) showed some benefit in preventing new digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Chest Compression Okay for Arrests in the Field (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Chest compressions prior to defibrillation are just as good as immediate treatment with an electrical defibrillator for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, researchers say.

Healthcare Reform Covers More and Costs More

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The healthcare reform law will not slow the growth of healthcare spending in the next decade -- in fact, it will accelerate healthcare spending slightly -- but it will also significantly expand healthcare coverage, a new government report found.

New HIV Cases High Among French MSM (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- HIV appears to be out of control among French men who have sex with men (MSM), researchers reported.

Ovarian Cancer Subtype Linked to Gene Mutations (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Many cases of deadly clear-cell ovarian cancers and endometrioid carcinomas appear to arise from disruption of a previously-discovered tumor-suppressor gene, according to new RNA sequencing studies of cancer cells.

Sickle Cell Screening May Cause Harm (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A decision by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to require screening for sickle cell carrier status among Division I athletes ultimately may do more harm than good, researchers predict.

ER First Choice for Many Seeking Care

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Of the 354 million acute care visits patients made to healthcare providers over a three-year period, more than one-quarter took place in emergency rooms, representing a shift from the old days when general practitioners were the main providers of acute care.

Travel Information

MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad)
If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel we advise you contact MASTA by visiting their website at www.masta.org or by phoning them on 0906 550 1402
(Calls to this number are charged at £1 per minute from UK landlines. Mobile charges may vary)

They provide up-to-date, comprehensive pre-travel advice and will send you a Health Brief. This will tell you which immunisations you will need for your time away.

At least six weeks before you travel you need to make a nurse appointment to discuss vaccination needed, order Malaria tablets, if required, and receive pre travel health advice. Please bring your MASTA health brief with you.

Some travel vaccinations are provided by the NHS, however others are not. For example Yellow Fever, Rabies, Hep B and Japanese Encephalitis are not. The nurse can advise over these charges.

Malaria tablets are not available on the NHS. It is important that you take the correct drug for the area visited. Malaria is a dangerous disease and you should take your medication as prescribed and complete the course.

Fit For Travel
Another useful source of infomation is the fitfortravel website. The links below take you straight to the relevant sections of the sight. It is a user friendly site but is not as up-to-date as MASTA.

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Carribean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

Further Information

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct