Tuesday, June 22, 2004

MIND boss backs benzo inquiry (UK)
Oldham Evening Chronicle story - "The head of the mental-health charity MIND is backing the House of Commons inquiry into the pharmaceutical industry. Richard Brook, chief executive of MIND, has welcomed the news that Uppermill campaigner Barry Haslam, and Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas have succeeded in getting a top-level inquiry launched. The Commons Health Select Committee, chaired by David Hinchcliffe — the Labour MP for Wakefield — announced last week that there will be a new inquiry into the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. Pressure from Mr Haslam and support from Mr Woolas helped to convince Mr Hinchcliffe that MPs need to probe allegations that pharmaceutical companies and GPs ignored evidence and guidelines showing highly-addictive tranquillisers were being over-prescribed..." See also the press release at the MIND web site and the related page there, Ineffective UK drugs regulators exposed by Seroxat revelations.  
  

NHS trust and social services build system to share records across multiple agencies (UK)
Story in Computer Weekly - "Croydon Primary Care Trust and Croydon Council's social services department are developing a multi-agency information sharing system to access residents' health and social care information via a single view on their screens. ... The first phase of the project is to unify data to support the single assessment process for older people. The technology will then be extended to other multi-agency information sharing initiatives such as supporting integrated mental health teams and creating an electronic social care record..."