Hundreds of transplant patients have received kidneys that were rejected by at least three previous hospitals, with experts saying a lack of donors has led to a need to use ‘second-hand organs’.
The Telegraph reports that 291 kidneys – 9% of the total since 2012 – have been offered on a ‘fast track’ scheme if they had been rejected by five hospitals if the donor was brain dead, or three if the donor died after cardiac arrest.
Anthony Warrens, president of the British Transplantation Society, told the Telegraph that without the scheme: ‘A lot of these kidneys would have ended up in the bin,’.
Doubling the number of mothers who breastfeed for seven months or more could save the NHS £31 million by reducing incidences of common childhood illness and lowering mothers’ risk of breast cancer.
Researchers also said the NHS could save £11m just through encouraging the mothers who only breastfeed for one week, to continue for a month, the Independent reports.
Dr Subesh Pokhrel, of the Health Economics Research Group said: ‘This is not about persuading more women to breastfeed. It is to reassure policymakers that there is a return on investment in early help for mothers who have shown they want to breastfeed.’
Count calories to avoid drinking yourself fat this Christmas, as surveys show that festive partygoers drink an average of 4,000 extra calories, on top of yuletide snacking, the Daily Mail reports.
Cancer Research UK surveyed 2,000 18-30 year olds and found more than nine out of ten didn’t know how many calories were in a glass of wine or a pint.
Anthony Newman, director of marketing at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘All the socialising during this time could result in us Brits consuming far more calories than we realise through alcohol alone as it’s sometimes difficult to know the exact calorie content of what we are drinking.’
