Playground equipment should be monitored more regularly to ensure toxic metals contained within paints do not present a danger to public and child health, a study recommends.
Environmental scientists from Plymouth University analysed the metallic content of paints on equipment at almost 50 playgrounds, including some less than a decade old, across the south of England.
They discovered lead content up to 40 times greater than recommended concentrations, along with higher than expected levels of chromium, antimony and cadmium.
The University of Exeter Medical School has received a £1 million donation from The Dennis and Mireille Gillings Foundation towards its pioneering work in genetic disorders.
The generous donation will fund new staff to allow the Medical School to expand its research to improve patient care in the NHS and beyond, building its expertise in the diagnosis of genetic disorders, including in early pregnancy, and other innovative diagnostic testing.
Exeter alumnus Dr Dennis Gillings, CBE, Hon DSc, was born and educated in the UK, receiving both a Bachelor’s degree (1966) and PhD (...
Over half of people in the South West have someone in their family with risk factors that put them greater risk of heart disease, according to new statistics released ahead of the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Wear it. Beat it. campaign to get the nation wearing red to fight heart disease on Friday 5th February.
The BHF poll revealed over half of people in the South West (53%) fear that a loved one could be struck down with a potentially life-threatening heart attack or stroke in the future. Over two fifths (41%) have already lost someone or know a loved one affected by heart...
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park and Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo, are helping visitors and local people to improve their diets.
The attractions are among local businesses working with Torbay Council to put more healthy choices onto children’s plates.
The Growing Kids project runs throughout the Bay and is led by the Food Safety Team at Torbay Council. Nicolas Legendre, Food Production Manager at Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts, explained: “We have been instrumental from day one of the project.
Our zoos were chosen because of our high food hygiene rating...
An NHS team in Exeter has helped to produce a series of educational videos about bladder and bowel care for children and young people.
Fiona Boorman, a paediatric nurse specialist in the integrated bladder and bowel care team based at Franklyn House, was selected to be the face of the podcasts.
The videos were a joint venture between the service, which is managed by the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, and Virgin Care’s public health nursing team in the Crediton area.
The three videos are entitled ‘The importance of fluid intake for children and young people’, ‘...
SMOKERS in Tiverton who are thinking about giving up the habit in the New Year are being offered a helping hand with the opening of an NHS-led quit club.
The Tiverton Stop Smoking Club is free to join and will run for six weeks, starting on Tuesday 5 January.
The club will meet at Old Heathcoat School Community Centre in King Street from 6pm to 7pm each Tuesday until 9 February.
Those attending will receive friendly support from a local NHS specialist adviser from the Devon Stop Smoking Service.
People can receive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT),...
Exeter Hospiscare has reassured terminally ill people that its doctors and nurses provide individual and specialist care and do not follow a tick box approach.
The local charity spoke out after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said end-of-life care in England must be tailored to the needs of dying patients rather than a "tick-box approach.”
NICE issued a new framework for healthcare professionals to provide people with the best possible care in their last days of life and said patients must be treated with respect and compassion.
Retirement and protection specialist LV= has launched a campaign of health advice and training after one of its employees suffered a cardiac arrest.
The campaign, called ‘Staying Alive’, raises awareness of various health issues including CPR which saved the life of Exeter based employee Alan Knight.
Employees in LV=’s Exeter office were shocked to hear that their colleague Alan, a CIO Solution Architect, fell critically ill during one of his long distance runs across Dartmoor in August this year. Known for being active and healthy, Alan needed an incredible 45 minutes of...
Gemma marched into the hospice reception yesterday.
It was a definite march, not an amble or a saunter, a march like soldier with the air of “let’s crack on and get things done.” Having last seen her in March I was expecting a warm greeting and a good long catch up – no chance.
This was a woman on a mission.
Gemma is our miracle Hospiscare patient who is much loved by staff and volunteers. Despite being diagnosed with a brain tumour six years ago Gemma is still with us, but as a volunteer fundraiser rather than a patient. The chemotherapy worked!
