The rate of A&E attendances with probable alcohol poisoning have doubled in the past six years, with young women aged 15 to 19 years the most likely to require treatment, according to the Guardian.
Research shows emergency hospital admissions were up 50% in nine years, and more than half of A&E attendances in 2013/14 were due to alcohol poisoning.
Claire Currie, joint author of the report, said: ‘With the Christmas party season in full swing, it’s worth considering the full burden over-indulgence in alcohol is placing on our NHS, as well as the obvious human cost.’
Bacteria resistant to the ’last-resort’ antibiotic, colistin, have been discovered in the UK, after researchers heralded a ‘post-antibiotic era’ last month when the same resitance was identified in Chinese bacteria.
The BBC reports that the threat to human health is low, but under review, after Public Health England reviewed the 24,000 bacterial samples collected in 2013 to 2015 and found 15 cases of colistin resistance.
The strain has also been discovered on three UK pig farms.
And finally, NHS trusts have been accused of levying a tax on the sick after an investigation found some made more than £3m a year in car parking fees last year.
Out of 90 trusts responding to a Freedom of Information Act requests, half are making at least £1m, and at least seven earned more than £3m in 2014/15, the Independent reports.
