The Guardian reports that almost half of new mothers are not made aware within 24 hours of giving birth of how to spot dangerous conditions that could kill them or their baby.
Only 24% of respondents to the Netmums survey said that they could remember receiving information about warning signs, despite guidelines from NICE which say they should have the information within 24 hours of giving birth.
Netmums co-founder Sally Russell described the results, based on 486 responses on the parenting website, as ‘deeply worrying’. She said: ‘Many conditions are easier to treat if women realise sooner they are at risk of becoming unwell, so it is vital this information gets to them early.’
Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that the elderly ‘suffer in silence’ under NHS care, according to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Dame Julie Mellor, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, said that the elderly were too frightened or polite to complain about inadequate NHS care.
She revealed that despite nearly half of NHS care and services being given to older people, only a third of the health complaints investigated are about the care of older people.
And finally, the BBC writes that dentists say elite athletes could stand a better chance of winning gold medals if they look after their teeth.
The Oral Health and Performance in Sport conference in London heard that athletes’ oral health was often bad and could impair training and performance.
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed a fifth of athletes said their oral health damaged their training and performance for the Games.
