Health & Beauty

There are 184 people in Devon waiting for a transplant and 31 Devon residents have died due to the shortage of organs in the last four Years*. NHS Blood and Transplant is highlighting the figures to encourage people to pass on their donation wishes to their loved ones during National Transplant Week 2013 (8-14 July). This year’s theme is Pass It On, stressing the importance of having a conversation about organ donation as well as joining the NHS Organ Donor Register. To encourage people, some of the UK’s best known communicators are showing the public how important and easy it is to do....

Doctors in Devon are celebrating the 65th birthday of a “national treasure” today – the NHS.

Since the NHS launched on 5 July 1948 it has continually developed and in April this year groups of GPs and clinicians were given the responsibility of buying most healthcare services, including acute hospitals and mental health services.

In Devon, the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which is made up of member GP practices, was set up, giving clinicians and patients more of a say in local healthcare development to get services right for their...

Devon County Council has today (Wednesday, 3 July) won an award for excellence for a pilot project to tackle smoking and protect children from harm.

The award from the CLeaR Partnership, which works with local authorities across England to assess progress in reducing smoking, was given for Devon’s pioneering work with children’s centres.

At the seven pilot sites across the county, the Council has installed specially designed signage to advise people not to smoke on site and provided bespoke training for staff to raise the issue with parents and offer support to parents who...

This is an extract from a discussion on my face book page that recently caused some interested debate.

Trainers, coaches and physical gurus that preach ‘natural’ muscle gain / fat loss / performance enhancement etc, really ought to tell their audience if they themselves are ‘unnaturally physically enhanced’. Failure to mention this to their adorning followers and clients leads to unrealistic expectations. In my view it is also vaguely dishonest and misleading.

If people are on the ‘gear’, personally I have no problem with their choice…each to their own I reckon. However,...