Health briefing

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

McGimpsey apologises over handling of C difficile

NORTHERN IRELAND'S Health Minister has apologised after a public inquiry criticised the handling of a C difficile outbreak it said was linked to 31 deaths.

Michael McGimpsey praised bereaved relatives who contributed to the public inquiry and pledged to have its 12 recommendations implemented.

The inquiry, chaired by Dame Deirdre Hine, concluded the Clostridium difficile (C difficile) bug was the underlying cause in 15 deaths and a contributory cause in 16 deaths.

But the report also criticised aspects of the handling of the cases, identified what it described as management weaknesses and hit out at communications problems after the outbreak that affected hospitals in the Northern Health Trust.

Ms Hine said: “C difficile attacked at a time when the Northern Health and Social Care Trust was in a vulnerable state having recently undergone major reorganisation.

“From the evidence, both oral and written, that we received we looked for the reasons why some of those affected became so anxious and distressed. In doing so we identified weaknesses or inadequacies in some of the management systems and services of the Trust that were in operation at the time of the outbreak and we have been critical of them. Without such a critical analysis we could not have arrived at our conclusions and recommendations.”

She added: “In making our recommendations we acknowledge that much has changed since the end of the outbreak and that many of these systems, for example those of environmental cleaning, have been radically changed and improved.

Census ‘a good chance to quantify carers' work'

THE UNPAID help delivered by carers to family and friends must be quantified in the upcoming census, the Carers Association of Ireland has said.

In the last census in 2006, almost 161,000 people identified themselves as carers. However, the Central Statistics Office estimates that the actual number could be closer to 274,000.

The 2006 figure was underestimated – by more than 70 per cent , according to the association – because many people did not realise they were working as unpaid carers or felt they should not identify themselves as such because they had a “duty” to look after elderly or incapacitated family members.

“We believe the gap is mainly in the group of carers who are also in paid employment or education, and therefore do not recognise themselves to be carers, and underage carers,” association chairman Frank Goodwin said.

The association said here was also a vast under-representation of full-time carer numbers, as many carers on the State carers allowance incorrectly assumed they were providing paid care.

“The carers allowance is not pay and these carers should answer “yes” to question 22 . There is also ambiguity about what hours to count, with essential companionship or supervision not always viewed as regular personal help,” he said.

The “carers question” had been changed in the new census to allow people to quantify exactly how many hours they spent caring, and to allow carers under 15 to be included in the survey. For more information, see census.ie/carerscount.

Survey finds soups are high in salt

Nearly 75 per cent of soups served in cafes, restaurants, supermarkets and pubs contained over a third of consumers’ maximum daily salt intake, new research from Safefood has found. The research also found that the soups marketed as “homemade” contained as much salt as other varieties. Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, director of human health and nutrition at Safefood said: “We would tend to think of soup as a healthy option but many of us don’t consider the salt content in soups we eat outside the home.”