Highfield Surgery
Garton Avenue
South Shore
Blackpool
FY4 2LD
Tel: 01253 345328

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Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

BBC Health

Diabetes drug advice 'not heeded'

A type two diabetes drug is still being prescribed in the UK two months after it was recommended for withdrawal, BBC Panorama learns.

Gum and heart link 'breakthrough'

Scientists say they have established one reason why gum disease may increase the risk of heart disease.

Reading Arabic 'hard for brain'

Israeli scientists believe they have identified why Arabic is particularly hard to learn to read.

'No evidence' implants are toxic

Tests on a type of breast implant filled with an unapproved gel have shown no evidence they are unsafe, UK experts say.

Research into age-related illness

Edinburgh scientists are attempting to find the trigger which leads older people to develop dementia.

Clue to egg flaws in older women

British scientists say they are closer to knowing why older women trying to fall pregnant are more likely to produce abnormal eggs.

Bone drug linked to cancer risk

Long-term use of bone-strengthening drugs may boost the risk of oesophageal cancer, a study suggests.

'Big drop' in alcohol consumption

Alcohol consumption has fallen faster than ever, figures from the British Beer and Pub Association suggest.

Urine wanted to test odour device

Bristol researchers developing an odour detector to help incontinence sufferers offer volunteers vouchers in exchange for urine.

Compost sparks Legionnaire's fear

Gardeners are being warned about the risk of Legionnaire's disease from compost after a pensioner developed the disease after handling compost.

Yahoo Health

WHO wants faster, more flu vaccine production (AP)

AP - The vaccine used to contain the recent swine flu pandemic was effective, but health authorities will need to ramp up the speed and volume of production during the next global outbreak, a World Health Organization official said Monday.

Expert warns of complacency after swine flu fizzle (AP)

Robert Webster, chairman of the Department of Virology and Molecular Biology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., attends the Options for the Control of Influenza conference in Hong Kong Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010 in Hong Kong. Webster urged health authorities around the world to stay vigilant even though the recent swine flu pandemic was less deadlier than expected, warning that bird flu could spark the next global outbreak. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

AP - A leading virus expert urged health authorities around the world Sunday to stay vigilant even though the recent swine flu pandemic was less deadly than expected, warning that bird flu could spark the next global outbreak.

Cholera kills 41 in Central African nation of Chad (AP)

AP - Health officials in Chad say an outbreak of cholera in the Central African nation has killed at least 41 people.

Can home cooking be hazardous to your health? (AP)

AP - Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?

Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation (AP)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Sep. 1, 2010, regarding a major settlement with a pharmaceutical company for False Claims Act and off-label marketing violations. Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a years long federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

AP - Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.

New test seen as big advance in diagnosing TB (AP)

This undated photo released by Cepheid, shows a Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF cartridge. The cartridge is part of a test that is a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis and can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it. (AP Photo/Cepheid) NO SALES

AP - Scientists are reporting a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis: A new test can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it.

Study: Diet Drug Meridia May Boost Heart Risks (Time.com)

Time.com - A new study finds that some users of the weight-loss pill Meridia may have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke

For Bonobo Males, Mom Is the Best Wingman (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 3, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

More parents 'redshirting' kindergartners (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - As schools start back into session around the country, some parents of young children face a difficult question: Send their little ones to kindergarten as soon as they become age-eligible, or hold them back in hopes that an additional year of maturity will give them an academic boost?

MedPage Today

Investigation Reveals More Woes for Rosiglitazone

(MedPage Today) -- On July 15—a day after the FDA completed two days of hearings on rosiglitazone (Avandia)—a British advisory commission on drugs concluded that the product should be withdrawn from the market, according to an investigation conducted by BMJ.

Washington Week: Insurance, State Actions Top News

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Several studies highlighting insurance issues were released this week, including one on federal programs for kids and two others focused on employer-provided medical coverage.

FDA Approves New Eye Pressure Drop Formulation

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA approved a new formulation of the drug bimatoprost (Lumigan) in a 0.01% solution as a first-line treatment to reduce elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Kids on HAART Would Benefit from Revaccinations (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Children with HIV who received standard childhood immunizations before starting on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) could benefit from revaccination, a review suggests.

New Guidelines Out for Pneumococcal Vaccine (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Adults with asthma and those who smoke should receive the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease, according to new recommendations from the CDC.

OSHA Should Dictate Residents' Hours, Group Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The consumer group Public Citizen is urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate the work hours of resident physicians.

Four Factors Increase Risk of Opioid Dependence (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A combination of four factors appears to significantly increase the risk of opioid dependence among patients taking prescription painkillers, researchers have found.

Low IgG Poses Infection Risk With Rituximab (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Certain subgroups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those who have low levels of IgG, are at risk for severe infections when treated with rituximab, French investigators found.

ESC: Stockholm Take Home Message -- Watch the 'Not' Warfarins

STOCKHOLM (MedPage Today) -- An investigational antiplatelet -- ticagrelor (Brilinta) -- emerged as a big winner from the five-day long European Society of Cardiology congress, but the buzz here focused instead on a trio of investigational oral anticoagulants -- dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban.

Admitting Clinical Errors Not Always Best Policy

(MedPage Today) -- Wide-scale disclosure of clinical errors seems intuitively to be the ethical choice for hospitals and physicians, but researchers from the University of Washington suggest that disclosure should be decided on a case-by-case basis rather than a one-size-fits-all solution

Useful Telephone Numbers

Highfield Surgery	01253 - 345328
When the Surgery is Closed	0300 123 1144
To cancel an appointment only	01253 - 336598
Repeat Prescriptions 10am - 1pm	01253 - 345328
Fax	01253 - 407801
Health Visitor/District Nurse	01253 - 651585
Victoria Hospital Blackpool	01253 - 300000
PALS at Victoria Hospital	01253 - 655588
Trinity Hospice in the Fylde	01253 - 358881
LASCA NHS Agency	01772 - 221444
Blackpool Primary Care Trust	01253 - 651200
Blackpool Social Services	01253 - 477666
Fylde Social Services	01253 - 738111
Registrar of Births/Deaths	01253 - 477177
Alcoholics Anonymous	01253 - 792632
Narcotics Anonymous	01253 - 850018
Relate (Counselling)	01253 - 717597
Childline	0800 - 1111
Citizens Advice Bureau	01253 - 873091
Samaritans	08457 - 909090
NHS Direct Nurse Advice	0845 - 4647
Mental Health Services	01253 - 477774
Smoking - NHS Helpline	0800 - 1690169
Blackpool Stop Smoking Clinic	0845 - 601 2186
Blackpool Welfare Rights	01253 - 477770

(page updated 02-07-2010)

Information

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