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Himalayan ‘superfruit’, NHS savings plan in jeopardy and why older people are avoiding hospital

Older people in care homes are not going into hospital anywhere near as often as older people in the general population – but researchers are not sure whether this is a good thing or not.

Research by the think tank the Nuffield Trust shows that older people in care homes are half as likely to go to hospitals as older people in the general population, the Daily Telegraph reports

The think tank made this conclusion after analysing the health records or 120,000 people over 75 in four regions. Dr Martin Bardsley, head of research at the Nuffield Trust, pondered whether the findings mean that care homes are acting as ‘substitutes' and giving hospital standard care themselves, or whether residents are simply being denied access to hospital care.

The NHS attempt to make £20 billion savings over five years could be in jeopardy, the BBC reports. Its website quotes Professor John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund, who said there was a lack of detail about where the savings were being made. Professor Appleby said that the NHS was relying on pay freezes and cuts hospital funding, which may mean staff do not work as hard and services are of lower quality.

Sales have rocketed of a Himalayan ‘superfruit' which helps people lose weight and is thought to combat dementia, according to the Sun. Shoppers have bought 30 per cent more of the sea buckthorn berry – rich in vitamin B12 and C, and omega 7 – over the last six months in the UK, the paper says, although the figures come from Marap, which produces the fruit.