By Ian Quinn
Our roundup of news headlines on Tuesday 23 February.
‘Useless', ‘unethical' and ‘deceitful'. No it's not MPs this time but just three of the words they use to describe homeopathy in today's papers, as the press reports the House of Commons call for the controversial treatment to have its NHS funding taken away.
‘NHS must stop paying for useless homeopathy' is the fairly typical headline in the Telegraph, which will chime with many GPs no doubt.
Liberal Democrat MP, Phil Willis, chair of the science and technology committee behind the call, is quoted as branding the treatment an ‘active deception', although whether he can bully Gordon Brown into action remains to be seen.
Also, as the Daily Mail points out, it will never get Royal Assent as The Queen herself is a believer, having been said to keep a black box of homeopathic treatments whenever she travels. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Aniston are also fans apparently so there must be something to be said for it.
There is also some good news for Daily Mail readers, as it, along with other papers, focuses on research showing it is a myth that people need less sleep as they get older.
Pulse tried to go into more depth of the story but kept nodding off before the end.
If you can take your eye away from the other headline on the page, which believe it or not is NHS manager in lesbian Tai Kwon Do attack at hotel, there is an eye-opening story in the Telegraph and other papers of a grandmother receiving sight-saving treatment at two hospitals 30 miles apart-they are treating one eye each.
Rather than the latest polysystems model this is because University Hospital, Coventry, which was treating the 79-year-old for acute macular degeneration in the one eye, said it was too busy to treat the other one when the condition spread, so the patient has to travel to Birmingham to get that one seen to.
Who says the NHS is in a mess?
Spotted a story we've missed? Let us know and we'll update the digest throughout the day...
Daily Digest - 23 February 2010
