Nurses are feeling the strain, according to the Mirror and the Telegraph, as the latest findings show a sharp rise in their workload. A European Commission study of 46 NHS hospital found that nurses are now looking after around 11 patients a night and eight in the day while some are caring for as many as 15 overnight. Five years ago, they were allocated an average of seven patients on day shifts and nine at night. The Patients Association have branded the findings a "disgrace", according to the Mirror, as the report also found that out of 3,000 nurses who took part in the research, two-thirds said they ran out of time to offer "comfort" to patients and relatives. Meanwhile more than a third of nurses said they ran out of time to safely supervise their patients, according to the Telegraph.
And there are also calls today for an improvement in the detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease as a study based on NHS data shows it causes up to 45,000 premature deaths each year. The BBC reports that the study published in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation concludes more than one million cases of CKD going undetected every year and the disease is costing the NHS in England more than £1.4bn a year. Author of the study Marion Kerr, says better diagnosis and early treatment, particularly from GPs,could make a big difference.
And there is some good news for parents as a study has found that honey can help children who are battling throat infections. According to the Telegraph, the study of 300 Israeli children published in Pediatrics found that one to five-year-olds coughed less often and slept better after taking 10g of the sweet stuff before bedtime. The authors of the study suggested that the honey's high levels of antioxidants could make it a better alternative to cough syrups.
