Health

A lecture on around the world topics ranging from science and consciousness to the holistic principles of life and health with great depth, clarity and humour will be given by Dr Prashant Kakode on Wednesday 25th November from 7.45 - 915pm.

England rugby stars met staff and patients when they toured the Royal Orthopaedic Centre in Stanmore.

Five members of England's Senior Elite Player Squad and England Rugby team - Toby Flood, Harry Ellis, Nick Kennedy, Delon Armitage and Riki Flutey - joined coach Martin Johnson in visiting the spinal injury unit at the centre on Brockley Hill last month.

The hospital is the largest orthopaedic hospital in the UK and is regarded as a leader in its field.

Addicts in desperate need of treatment may revert to crime if health bosses carry out plans to hand responsibility for drug treatment programmes to private firms.

That is according to a senior source at Harrow Primary Care Trust (PCT), who says plans are in the pipeline to commission out the services in a bid to cut costs - raising fears the quality of the provision will be compromised.

The whistleblower approached the Observer because of growing concerns that drug users will no longer get the attention they desperately need and that drug-related crime could rise as a result.

The source said: "If all the services are put out for tender it is likely that voluntary groups will run substance misuse programmes for a lot less money.

"These services do offer decent treatment, of course, but they have a history of having lower standards because they don't have to meet the same government criteria.

"Because of this they are not required to hire staff with greater qualifications and are therefore, comparatively, less qualified to deal with these vulnerable patients."

If these plans do go ahead, the doctor says staff who currently work within the service will be moved or redeployed, not necessarily within the same field, and crucial relationships with users will be lost.

They added: "Statistics show that the best kind of treatment for drug users comes when they deal with the same person on a regular basis.

"If staff are moved around, this rapport will be lost and, therefore, so will the effectiveness of the treatment.

"If this happens then more drug users face failing to deal with their problems and potentially there will be higher levels of crime in the area."

The medic added that at present there are seven programmes set to go out to tender, used by 642 people, according to the latest figures - many of them for the use of drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.

Breast cancer may have gone undetected in women across Harrow after it emerged the screening process was not up to scratch.

In board papers released last month Harrow Primary Care Trust (PCT) slammed Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital, which is commissioned to carry out routine mammograms, because it was failing to hit targets.

As it stands the hospital in Enfield carries out screening for Harrow women aged between 50 and 70 who have free scheduled screens every three years as part of a national NHS programme.

However, the minutes of the recent paper said the hospital is failing to see as many patients as expected.

It also condemns the quality of the process and suggests that screening standards were not being met either.

It reads: "There is a real issue of the local population experiencing a poor breast screening service, comparative to the national level.

"Local residents are not being screened properly or to proper standards, which is unacceptable.

"Breast screening continues to be under-trajectory and a letter has been written to the current provider of this service notifying them that Harrow PCT will look into providing this service locally if it is not improved substantially."

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital argued that the standard checks alluded to in the meeting were made a long time ago and that more recent processes show the service has improved.

But uptake is still under-trajectory as the hospital is still working to undertake more screenings.

A spokeswoman said: "There have been no issues of any clinical concerns and the North London Breast Screening Service continues to meet all Quality Assurance and clinical standards.

"Following a recent visit by the Quality Assurance Team, Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust is being held up as an example of good practice for other Breast Screening units to follow.

"The North London Breast Screening Service is keeping to the agreed screening timetable and is working pro-actively with all PCTs, including Harrow PCT, to minimise any delays and to improve uptake and coverage.

"Proposals for new screening sites have been made and discussions are being held to ensure that the screening timetable can be achieved."

By Elaine Okyere

Nearly six months after the closure of a medical centre patients are still waiting to hear whether they will get a new surgery.

The Mollison Way Medical centre, in Mollison Way, Edgware, was shut on May 1 after the practice manager and Harrow (PCT) failed to reach an agreement over how to provide care for the 2,900 patients at the surgery.

Since the surgery's closure patients have had to travel to the Honeypot Centre, in Honeypot Lane, Stanmore, 1.2 miles away to be treated by Dr Jacob Kurien.

A heart charity is looking for volunteers to help with collecting donations in the Harrow area.

By Elaine Okyere

Patients are being turned away from a doctors' surgery in Harrow after a row between health chiefs and the owner.