Page 32 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1106

Londra Gazete, 19 May 2022 LondraGazete.com/English 9

4.7million trips to A&E as patient’s NHS prescription charges

struggle to get advice from GPs
pital accident and emergency they had not managed to see, in England to be frozen
were almost twice as likely to say
UP to 4.7 million visits to hos-

units in the past year may have speak to or chat online with a
been due to people being unable health worker as those who rang NHS prescription charges in
to see their GP, an official study 111. England are to be frozen for the
suggests. The CQC’s findings were based first time in 12 years, the govern-
Research by health watchdog on interviews with 422 patients ment has confirmed.
the Care Quality Commission just before Christmas at two Single prescription charges, whi-
(CQC) found almost one in five A&Es in East London – King ch the Department of Health said
A&E patients surveyed had re- George Hospital in Ilford and would normally rise "in line with
sorted to emergency departments Queen’s Hospital in Romford. inflation", will remain at £9.35 un-
because they couldn’t get advice If repeated across England, the til next year.
or treatment elsewhere. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said
results would mean up to 4.7 mil-
lion of the record 24.4 million freezing the costs would "put mo-
Of those, the research found, ney back in people's pockets".
around one third (35 per cent) A&E attendances in the past year Campaigners welcomed the
said there were no appointments were because people had no other move but pointed out that 90% of
available and 30 per cent said options. prescriptions dispensed are already
they were not able to get through The findings come after del- free of charge.
to or access the service. egates at last month’s British People eligible for free prescripti-
Not all of those who sought Medical Association conference ons include those on state benefits,
help before going to A&E tried voted in favour of plans to slash pregnant women and new mot- indicated in March that prescrip- The freeze also applies to the
their GP, with slightly more opt- the number of patients they see hers, people with specified medical tion charges in England, which £30.25 for a three month prescrip-
ing to phone the NHS’s 111 line. each day to lower their ‘intolera- conditions or disabilities, the over- are reviewed annually, would not tion prepayment certificate (PPC),
But those who did seek help ble’ workload. 60s and under-16s. be increased this year and Sun- and the 12-month charge, which
Prescriptions are free for ever- day's announcement confirms that can be paid in instalments, will stay
yone in Scotland, Wales and Nort- move. at £108.10.
hern Ireland. The Department of Health and "The rise in the cost of living has
The cost of a single prescription Social Care (DHSC) said the freeze been unavoidable as we face global
in England has risen from £7.65 meant prescription charges would challenges and the repercussions of
in 2012-13 to £9.35 in 2021-22, not increase until at least April Putin's illegal war in Ukraine," Mr
including an increase of 20p from 2023 and would save patients who Javid said. "Whilst we can't comp-
2020-21. pay prescription charges in Eng- letely prevent these rises, where we
However, the government had land £17m. can help - we absolutely will."

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Study: Half cup of blueberries daily

could help stave off dementia later

EATING just half a cup small sample size. blueberries or the placebo.
of blueberries a day in your In the study published Dr Robert Krikorian, the
More cases of monkeypox late 50s could help stave off in the journal Nutrients psychologist who led the
dementia, a new study fin-
study, and others said in the
showed the finds of scien-
diagnosed in the UK ds. tists that recruited 33 paper: 'The cognitive findin-
adults in their late 50s from gs indicated improved exe-
Researchers at the Univer-
sity of Cincinnati tracked around the Cincinnati area cutive ability in this midd-
FOUR additional cases of mon- treated in specialist infectious di- 13 obese adults with mild who had gained weight in le-aged sample [who had
keypox have been detected in the sease units at the Royal free hos- memory decline who ate the their middle age. blueberries].
UK, bringing the nationwide to- pital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ berries for three months, Half were then given a 'The demonstration of
tal to seven, health officials have in London, and the Royal Victo- and found a significant im- 'blueberry' sachet to mix these benefits in middle-a-
announced. ria infirmary in Newcastle upon provement in their memory with water every day, conta- ged individuals with insulin
Three of the cases have been de- Tyne. compared to others who had ining the equivalent of half resistance and [subjective
tected in London, and one in the UKHSA added that all four of no fruits. a cup of the fruits. The rest cognitive decline] suggests
North East of England, the UK the most recent cases are men The team suggested ber- received a placebo sachet, that ongoing blueberry
Health Security Agency (UKHSA) who identify as gay or bisexual. ries may have a protective which contained an inert supplementation may cont-
announced on Monday. The health body is therefore as- effect because they conta- powder. ribute to protection against
The health agency is working to king these groups “to be alert” to in anthocyanins, a type of The trial was double-blind, cognitive decline when imp-
find links between the latest four possible symptoms, which inclu- flavonoid which can reduce meaning participants and lemented early in at-risk in-
cases, which all appear to have de rashes or lesions on any part inflammation. researchers did not know dividuals.'
been infected in the capital. of their body, especially their ge- But they admitted it was who was receiving the 'blue- They added: 'In summary,
Dr Colin Brown, Director of Cli- nitalia, and to contact a sexual difficult to determine whet- berry' or placebo sachets. this study demonstrated
nical and Emerging Infections, health service if they have con- her the blueberries had tri- Before the experiment be- that blueberry supplemen-
UKHSA, said: “It is important to cerns. ggered the improvement gan tests were performed to tation has neurocognitive
emphasise that monkeypox does The health agency also said that because the study was ob- measure participant's me- benefit in middle-aged in-
not spread easily between people initial symptoms of monkeypox servational meaning it could mory. dividuals with insulin resis-
and the overall risk to the general include fever, headache, muscle not tell if the result was due These were repeated again tance and elevated risk for
public is very low...” aches, backache, swollen lymph to other factors and had a after 12 weeks of eating the future dementia.'
Those needing care are being nodes, chills and exhaustion.