News

Dept of Education on Paediatric First Aid

3rd April 2015

On 12 March, the Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah announced proposals to make it a requirement that newly qualified early years staff (with a level 2 or level 3 childcare qualification) will have to have a paediatric first aid or emergency paediatric first aid certificate before they can be included in the required adult: child ratios in an early years setting. This proposal will be subject to consultation after the election, but it is expected that this change will take effect from September 2016.  There will also be a new special award – to be known as ‘Millie’s Mark’ – to be displayed by nurseries who have achieved gold-standard paediatric first aid provision.  Early years providers will also be able to take advantage of a scheme [More…]

The HSE Welcomes Defibrillator Awareness Training

31st March 2015

In-depth training in the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is not currently part of either the Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work courses.  However, HSE welcomes the presence of awareness training in these courses as it instils greater confidence in the use of AEDs. It is not compulsory for employers to purchase AEDs to comply with the Health and Safety (First-Aid) regulations 1981.  However, if your needs assessment identifies an AED need then the HSE recommend your staff should be fully trained in its use. The Resuscitation Council UK guidance on AEDs is that this equipment is safe to use and can be readily used by untrained bystanders. AEDs are becoming more prevalent within the wider community.  For example there [More…]

10 Signs You May Have Kidney Disease

18th March 2015

More than 26 million American adults are living with kidney disease. Most don’t know it — Over 90 percent of people with signs of kidney disease are unaware of it. March is National Kidney Month, and one of the best ways to observe this health awareness month is by getting tested if you’re at risk for kidney disease. Major risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney failure and being age 60 or older. While the only way to know for sure if you have kidney disease is to get tested, there are a number of physical signs. Sometimes people attribute these physical symptoms of kidney disease to other conditions. This is because those with kidney disease tend not to experience [More…]

Scientists discover magic molecule which stops development of Alzheimer’s disease

10th March 2015

In what is a huge scientific breakthrough, scientists have managed to find the molecule, which halts the development of Alzheimer’s at a crucial stage, and breaks the toxic chain reaction that leads to the death of brain cells. The research was carried out by an international team made up of academics from Cambridge University, Lund University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Tallinn University. Their findings which show that a molecular chaperone, a type of molecule that occurs naturally in humans, can play the role of an ‘inhibitor’ part-way through the molecular process that is thought to cause Alzheimer’s, were reported in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Dr Samuel Cohen, a research fellow at St John’s College, Cambridge, and a lead author [More…]

Regular coffee drinkers have ‘cleaner’ arteries

4th March 2015

Drinking a few cups of coffee a day may help people avoid clogged arteries – a known risk factor for heart disease – Korean researchers believe. They studied more than 25,000 male and female employees who underwent routine health checks at their workplace. Employees who drank a moderate amount of coffee – three to five cups a day – were less likely to have early signs of heart disease on their medical scans. The findings reopen the debate about whether coffee is good for the heart. Heart effects There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the effect of coffee on heart health. Some studies have linked consumption to heart risk factors, such as raised cholesterol or blood pressure, while others suggest the [More…]

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