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Cameron offends GPs, water claims ‘nonsense’ and the pelvis-breaking baby

A leading economist has rubbished Andrew Lansley's claims that Britain cannot afford the £230 billion the NHS will cost in 20 years time. Professor John Appleby, chief economist at think-tank the King's Fund, says the figure was in line with year on year increases in NHS spending since its inception. Professor Appleby concluded: 'Spending on health will be a matter of choice not affordability.'

Bottle water companies will be shaken in their natural spring boots this morning after the Independent reported advice to drink up to 2.5 litres of water a day is nonsense and that could in fact do more harm than good. Glasgow GP Margaret McCartney has slammed the advice, first given in 1945 as: 'Not only nonsense, but thoroughly debunked nonsense'.  The advice to drink plenty of water has only caught on in the last decade but people have ignored the most important part of the advice that most of this water is contained in prepared food.  

Hold onto your pelvises ladies because one of Britains biggest babies has been born at a staggering 13lb 2oz. The massive baby, named Christopher, took six hours to enter the world and cracked his mum Jennifer Foreman's pelvis on the way out. Mrs Foreman told the Mail: 'The midwife put him on the scales then took him off again to reset them as she thought they must be wrong.'

The Telegraph covers our story yesterday on Prime Minister David Cameron's comments that GPs are giving preferential access to 'people with money' who they meet at dinner parties.

Speaking to the newspaper, GPC chair Dr Laurence Buckman, said: 'Given that David Cameron and his government have made so much about wanting GPs to be at the heart of their plans to reform the NHS we're mystified by his claim and would like to know what evidence he has to back up his extraordinary statement.'

"It's not a situation I recognise, and most GPs would view it as a ridiculous comment which has no bearing on reality for GPs or their patients."

NHS Scotland has launched a new DVD that gives advice to people recently diagnosed with dementia. The DVD, Living Well with Dementia, is for people diagnosed with the illness and for family and friends of sufferers. Over 82,000 people live with dementia in Scotland with 3,500 of those under 65.

It comes as a surprise this morning to hear the French telling people drinking any amount of alcohol is not good for you. Researchers from the wine swigging country have said daily guidelines for alcohol consumption only handle the short term affects and do not deal with long term affects alcohol can have on chronic illnesses such as cancer.

Finally a tree surgeon had an extremely close shave with his chain saw. Tom Connelly, 21, had to hold his own head up after he slipped eight metres up a tree and cut a third of the way into his neck. Mr Connelly would have died if medics and colleagues had not treated him so quickly. The surgeon had 40 stitches sewn into his neck and was amazingly, back at work within six weeks.

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