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From Fox News.

AUSTIN, Texas —

Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report.

The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.

The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said.

Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50, the report said, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.

I would say that pretty much the same thing happens in the UK - so, what is the solution?

Here's the crazy idea, if it costs $3 million for these people to keep attending the emergency room, and that isn't counting the cost to other people of ambulances and A&E staff being tied up with these patients - how much would it cost to provide 24 hour care for those people? Because if it costs less, wouldn't that be a more effective use of money?

Per year each person cost $55,555 which, while clearer, isn't as 'sexy' a number as $3 million - it's pretty obvious why the larger number is the headline. That isn't, I think, enough to provide 24 hour care, it's the cost of one and a half hip operations. If you moved all nine people into one house you could cut some costs there and then I think it *would* be cheaper to look after them. And with that sort of concentrated care you could maybe move towards 'curing' them of the things that they keep attending A&E for.

Of course, there would be opposition from those that would argue that it is not 'fair' on those people who work every day, pay their own rent and struggle to make ends meet. But even with that argument, isn't that annoyance worth having more free space in ambulances and A&E departments? And if you save money, well, that's just more hip operations for the people who 'deserve' it.

I don't know - am I being daft, because it seems pretty obvious to me?

There are currently around 6,000 signatures for the petition below.

This is from the RCN website - and I'm happy to reproduce it here.

Dear Colleagues,

Last week, many of you will have seen extensive media coverage around RCN member Margaret Haywood who was removed from the nursing register for breaking patient confidentiality. Margaret took part in undercover filming as part of a BBC Panorama documentary in 2005 which exposed poor care at the Trust she worked at.

Margaret has been supported by the RCN since charges were brought in relation to her participation in the Panorama programme. Whilst the RCN cannot condone breaking patient confidentiality, we feel that the decision taken by the NMC to remove Margaret from the nursing register was unduly harsh.

The RCN would always encourage members to raise any concerns they may have about patient care with their employer in the first instance. However, if members do not feel able to do this for any reason then they should contact the RCN as a matter of urgency and we will take action on their behalf.

In consultation with Margaret, I am currently working with the RCN's Director of Legal Services, Chris Cox, and Margaret's barrister to look at the legal options around the NMC's decision. Although we are not able to make public the detail of these discussions at this stage, we are investigating what grounds there may be for an appeal. If an appeal does go ahead it will have to be lodged within 28 days of the NMC's decision to remove Margaret from the register.

In order to gauge the feeling around Margaret's removal from the register, the RCN has set up an online petition. This is open to anyone that would like to show their support for Margaret. Due to the fact that the petition is aimed at gathering views from the general public and the nursing profession, I don't feel that it would be appropriate for RCN staff members, myself included, to sign the petition. However, please be reassured that the RCN is vigorously defending Margaret and supporting her at this time.

The petition can be found at: www.gopetition.com/online/27030.html.

Yours sincerely

Peter Carter

Chief Executive & General Secretary

As some of you may know, as well as being ambulance staff, I'm also a registered nurse. For that privilege I pay the NMC a sum of money every year to be on the professional register. If I am not on that register then I cannot practice as a nurse.

Should I ever have to leave the ambulance service nursing would allow me to pay the rent.

The NMC have the power to strike me off the register, meaning that I would no longer be able to work as a nurse.

Which is why this blog should come to an end.

No longer can I be safe to tell you all about the terrible conditions in some of the nursing homes that I go to. I can't tell you about the problems that occur in A&E and I can't shout about the atrocious state of home/social care.

It's just not safe because to whistleblow like this can result in you being struck off the register.

What this decision means is that all bloggers that have a professional registration are now skating on thin ice. Nurse bloggers, Doctor bloggers, Paramedic bloggers - all these are on a professional register and all end up writing about situations that trusts would rather were kept under the carpet.

Might I also suggest that in the cases of hospital trusts wanting to get rid of a 'troublesome' staff member they may well turn to organisations like the NMC, HPC or GMC to do their work for them. I know I could point you to HPC rulings that appear to do that, not evidential to be sure, but it does look very much like that.

One further suggestion that I'd like to make is that you don't see many managers being taken to the professional registers for malpractice. Are any trust managers from Stafford hospital being struck off any professional register that they might be on?

What I can say with certainty is that, as a nurse, no matter how many Incident Reporting Forms you fill in, nothing seems to change. You end up not filling them in at all, because you know that they will be ignored.

So you want to shout about the situation as loudly as you can. Which can lead to you losing your job or being struck off the register - which results in your career ending.

Which is why most people just try to o the best they can, and avoid 'rocking the boat'.

And this is why I should stop blogging.

But I won't. I, and many others who are braver than me, will continue to try and get the truth of the situation in the NHS out there, out in the public eye because that is the only way that change occurs.

It's the right thing to do.

A court in Sweden has jailed four men behind The Pirate Bay (TPB), the world's most high-profile file-sharing website, in a landmark case.

Now the IFPI should go after Google for doing the same thing (hint, type the name of a copyrighted bit of media and the word 'torrent' into Google's search box).

Once Google has been found guilty they should go after the ISP's, after all, it is their service that lets people download illegal content.

After the ISPs, they should sue Apple and Microsoft because they make the software that runs on your computer that lets you connect to the internet to download copyrighted content.

After Apple and Microsoft they should sue the power companies because they provide the power that computers use to download illegal content.

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My question would be - how much of those damages payments are actually going to go to the artists? I know that if I were an artist being handled by one of the big companies I'd ask for that amount to be pointed out in my royalty payment. I think it'd be a rather small amount.

The Government has introduced new legislation forcing people who write letters to one another to provide a photocopied duplicate to the Post Office. The Home Office has stated that this will help protect the UK against terrorism, organised crime, illegal immigration and child pornography.

The new legislation has been squeezed through the EU government due to it being classified as 'commercial' rather than 'legal' thus needing only a majority vote rather than a unanimous decision.

Those in favour of the law waved around pictures taken during the 7/7 bombings suggesting that this 'commercial' undertaking will prevent a repeat attack.

The duplicated versions will be stored digitally and not, like medical notes, in unsecured corridors.

Access to the data collected will be regulated under the RIP Act which means that only people who have a genuine need will be able to check on the content of your post. A government spokesman said, "unlike previous, perhaps overzealous, applications of the RIP Act this time will be different, honest, I promise it will be. Just like this new law will also protect us against terrorists who use the post to spread their hate.".

Rumours that Amazon.com will have to provide another copy to the government of every book and DVD they send out by post is unconfirmed.

Also unconfirmed is the thought that several terrorist groups have drunk cups of tea while planning their crimes, thereby needing emergency powers to stop the spread of this foul liquid*.

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Really - go join the Open Rights Group. Even if you don't want to give them money, consider volunteering for them (I do when I can) They are fighting against stuff like this and our new head Jim Killock is mentioned in the original story that I'm (poorly) parodying.

*Joke ruthlessly stolen from the genius Douglas Adams.

A paramedic has been attacked after he disturbed thieves trying to steal drugs from an ambulance station.

The paramedic was hit over the head with a fire extinguisher, punched and kicked during the burglary at Pinner Ambulance Station, Harrow.

Police are now searching for four men in connection with the assault which happened at approximately 1:30am on Saturday (14 March).

The staff member, who is a team leader at the station, does not wish to be named. He said: “I was on my break at the station and as I walked into the garage four men sprung up from behind one of the cars and just came at me.

“They ran straight at me, throwing punches and kicking me as I tried to fend them off. Then I felt an almighty thump on the back of my head from a fire extinguisher. I was dazed and was stumbling around which gave the men the chance to run away.

“The whole thing lasted not more than two minutes, it was all over before I knew it.

“Afterwards, I was fuming. Then I found a slash on my forearm and saw the slit through my shirt with a wound on my stomach – it transpired later that a knife with blood on it was found outside the station – I realised then how lucky I had been.

“When you are at your ambulance station you just don’t expect anything like this to happen. I’ve been doing this job for 19 years and have never been assaulted like this.”

Following the attack the paramedic was taken to Northwick Park hospital for a check-up.

Ambulance Operations Manager for Pinner Sean Brinicombe said: “We are doing everything we can to support him through this and to aid the police in pursuing a prosecution.

“I am shocked that people would sink so low as to steal from an ambulance station and attack a paramedic in the process.

“Thankfully he is okay, but this incident could have been a lot worse. Our staff shouldn’t have to work in fear of attack, especially from the very community they are trying to serve.”

No comment needed beyond hoping that he gets well soon.

Sometimes I wish I believed that prayer worked.

Five members of the Belgian branch of Medecins sans Frontieres have been kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region.
An MSF official told AFP news agency three international staff and two local employees were kidnapped on Wednesday in north Darfur.
The kidnappings come after Sudan ordered the expulsion of 13 aid groups, including MSF, earlier this month.
They were told to leave after President Omar al-Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court.

I've an interview with a MSF worker sitting on my computer waiting to be turned into text, they are good people with pure motives and I hope that these five are released safely.