Daily Digest 30 November 2009

30 Nov 09

The crisis over the safety of care in hospitals continues to dominate the news today, with The Times reporting the Care Quality Commission was accused of being ‘toothless’ after a Dr Foster report found at least 12 trusts in England were underperforming on standards such as patient safety and infection control.

The Telegraph details a catalogue of errors occurring over the past year, with 82 patients undergoing operations on the wrong part of their body and 209 incidents where ‘foreign objects’ such as gauzes and surgical instruments were left behind in patients after surgery in 2008/09.

Over the weekend a leading Scottish GP branded Scottish Labour a ‘disgrace’ for blocking plans to impose a minimum price on alcohol reports The Times. Dr Richard Watson, an executive member of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, accused the party of ‘political point-scoring.'

GPs are being blamed by the Government’s cancer ‘tsar’ Professor Mike Richards for failing to diagnose cancer early enough reports the Daily Mail. He is due to unveil a study this week that shows that early diagnosis of cancer can save 10,000 a year according to the paper.

This story is particuarly ironic after Pulse revealed on Friday that a hospital's medical director has warned increasing pressure on GPs from PCTs to reduce their referrals is leading to patients with cancer 'sitting at home undiagnosed'.

On the plus side, the paper has also discovered a new potential weapon against cancer – Chinese food. According to the Daily Mail a mushroom used in Chinese cooking is a potential weapon against cancer, shrinking tumours by up to 75%.

Spotted a story we've missed? Let us know and we'll update the digest throughout the day...