TOP 100 ENGLAND SITES
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| Prolific burglar posed as police officer as he robbed 'a home a day for four years' A man who robbed the equivalent of a home a day for four years is believed to be one of Britain's most prolific burglars. telegraph.co.uk |
Conservatives say GPs must run out-of-hours care again The Conservatives have put themselves on a collision course with GPs by vowing to make doctors take back responsibility for out-of-hours care from NHS trusts and private companies. telegraph.co.uk |
Fate of Sky's stake in ITV lies with Lord Mandelson The timetable for Sky's forced sell-down requires the 'acceptance and satisfaction' of the business secretaryBusiness secretary Lord Mandelson will have the ultimate say over the time frame for BSkyB's forced sale of most of its ITV stake – thought to be about about six months.The timetable for Sky's forced sell-down from 17.9% to less than 7.5% requires the "acceptance and satisfaction" of Mandelson, according to legal undertakings governing the sale drawn up by the government.The undertakings stipulate how BSkyB will sell down the stake and the time period by which that must occur. The draft version of the final undertakings features a redacted segment that stipulates the time frame the stake must be sold by following the signatures of both parties.The timetable for the sell-off was set by John Hutton, the business secretary, in January 2008, when the government originally upheld the Competition Commission's ruling against BSkyB.It is understood that Mandelson, who has attacked Sky's parent company News Corporation recently, change the undertakings. There are some final amendments to wording still to be added, but in practice he is simply likely to sign off existing arrangements.According to standard guidance at the Competition Commission the sell-off period is usually about six months, although this can vary."We are pleased with the outcome of the hearing and are considering the detail of the court of appeal's judgment and the appropriate next steps," said a spokesman for the Department of Business.Sky has not decided if it will attempt to overturn the forced sale by appealing to the supreme court.Mandelson and BSkyB, in which Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has a significant stake, have embarked on a war of words in recent months.Mandelson has argued in the House of Lords, and in the media, that the Murdoch-owned Sun has thrown its weight behind the Conservatives because David Cameron and his frontbench colleagues have tacitly agreed to legislate to ensure that Sky retains its grip on the pay-TV sector. John Ryley, the head of Sky News, struck back earlier this month attacking Mandelson for questioning its impartiality.Madelson got into a war of words with News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks after the Sun withdrew its support for Labour last year.Rumours have circulated that BSkyB may already have a trade buyer lined up for the stake, with touted candidates including Channel Five-owner RTL, so the decision to take the battle to the supreme court will depend on if the satellite broadcaster thinks a further delaying tactic will boost ITV's share price.BSkyB now has 28 days to lodge an appeal to the supreme court, which then has up to six to eight weeks, if needed, to announce its decision.• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".BSkyBPeter MandelsonBSkyBITVITVTelevision industryMedia businessMark Sweneyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Vince Cable: banks should be broken up due to unique British over-reliance Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat economic spokesman, has said that British-based banks should be broken up regardless of events elsewhere because of this country's unique over-reliance on the financial sector. telegraph.co.uk |
Hospital blood clot tests 'could save 10,000 lives a year' At least 10,000 lives a year should be saved by screening all hospital patients to prevent potentially fatal blood clots, an NHS advisory body recommends today.The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is introducing guidelines to ensure those at risk are provided with blood-thinning drugs, compression stockings, or foot pumps to keep their blood circulating.Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) kills an estimated 25,000 people a year in England and Wales. The deaths, Nice claims, are preventable. The procedures will affect all 1.3 million hospital admissions in the UK each year.Patients undergoing joint replacement or cancer operations can be at increased risk of developing blood clots, as well as those who are confined to bed for long periods. Blood clots are dangerous if they form in the vein and travel to the lungs where they may lodge and trigger a pulmonary embolism, a blockage of the artery, that is often fatal.Tom Treasure, the cardio-thoracic surgeon who chaired the group that drew up the guidelines, described the condition as a "silent killer". He said: "Whether we will be able to prevent all of those 25,000 deaths or just some of them is uncertain … but up to 10,000 plus lives will be saved."Patients are to be encouraged to ask their doctors whether they are at risk and what to do about it.The medical checklist will include assessing patients according to weight, age and the type of operation. A few with rare, inherited conditions may be at greater risk of complications.The bill for the national screening and extra drugs will be £30m a year. It is expected, however, to generate an overall saving to the NHS. From April trusts that do not do risk assessments will have their income cut accordingly.A new generation of blood-thinning drugs are due soon. One of the most common is Heparin. Clinical trials with aspirin showed it produced too much bleeding to be beneficial.Paul Mainwaring, a patient who twice had DVTs, and served on the Nice group, said: "Any patient admitted to Âhospital should not be afraid to ask their doctors and nurses about reducing the risk of blood clots. It could help save their life."The advice follows suggestions from the chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, several years ago.The charity Lifeblood, which raises money to help reduce thrombosis, said: "Whilst the dangers associated of developing a DVT from long haul [airline] journeys are well-publicised, in fact this is a relatively rare occurrence affecting people on less than 1 in 10,000 flights. What is less well-known is the dramatically greater risk of DVT for people admitted to hospital. Without preventative measures, up to one in 10 of all admitted to hospital risk contracting DVT: a significantly greater risk compared with boarding an aircraft.Beverley Hunt, medical director of Lifeblood, added: "The simple measures outlined today by Nice are cost-effective, have been proven to significantly reduce hospital mortality, and can potentially save up to 25,000 avoidable hospital deaths a year."NHSHealthDrugsDeep vein thrombosisOwen Bowcottguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |