Hospitals England

Would-be millennium mothers have been advised to bring a flashlight to the hospital in case the Y2K computer bug causes a power failure, two Leicester hospitals said Friday. Letters were sent to women likely to deliver their babies between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3 at Leicester General Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital Maternity Unit in Leicester, in central England.

One of the leading children's hospitals in Britain illegally harvested hearts, brains, eyes and other organs from thousands of dead children without the consent of their parents, according to a government report published Tuesday. The report blamed a rogue pathologist at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool for systematically removing "every organ from every child who had a post-mortem" between 1988 and 1995.

The growing practice in British hospitals of placing patients in co-ed wards has come under increasing criticism. "For women, particularly older ones, being treated in a mixed-sex ward can be a very unsettling experience, very embarrassing," said Gyneth Donovan, an official with Women's Health, a private organization that advises female patients. "The lack of privacy, the need for bedpans, can lead to humiliation for patients in a mixed ward," she added. "And not just for women.

Would-be millennium mothers have been advised to bring a flashlight to the hospital in case the Y2K computer bug causes a power failure, two Leicester hospitals said Friday. Letters were sent to women likely to deliver their babies between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3 at Leicester General Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital Maternity Unit in Leicester, in central England.

Britain's Conservative government on Tuesday unveiled the most radical shake-up of the country's cradle-to-grave National Health Service in its 40-year history. A 100-page draft law, known as a white paper, was presented to Parliament by Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke. It is aimed at giving greater flexibility to hospitals and doctors and, for patients, a wider choice of treatment and physician.

Fire swept through a wing of Hammersmith Hospital on Sunday, destroying five years of research on muscle disorders and causing damage estimated at more than $1 million, officials said.

One of the leading children's hospitals in Britain illegally harvested hearts, brains, eyes and other organs from thousands of dead children without the consent of their parents, according to a government report published Tuesday. The report blamed a rogue pathologist at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool for systematically removing "every organ from every child who had a post-mortem" between 1988 and 1995.

Hidden video cameras caught parents kicking, punching, slapping and trying to suffocate children who were already in the hospital for injuries from suspected child abuse, researchers said. The tapes, made by doctors at two hospitals, also show abusive parents often switching to loving behavior the moment nurses walk in. A report on the tapes is in the November issue of Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Nu-Med, a chain of hospitals headquartered in Encino, said it has completed the sale of two hospitals in England for an undisclosed amount of cash and notes.

Nu-Med, an Encino-based hospital chain, has signed a final agreement to acquire a 72-bed general care hospital in Wimbledon, England, for an undisclosed amount of cash. Parkside Hospital, which was built two years ago, will be Nu-Med's second hospital in Britain. In July, the company purchased Holly House Hospital, a 60-bed general care facility near London. Nu-Med operates 15 other general care hospitals in the United States with a total of 1,594 beds.

Hidden video cameras caught parents kicking, punching, slapping and trying to suffocate children who were already in the hospital for injuries from suspected child abuse, researchers said. The tapes, made by doctors at two hospitals, also show abusive parents often switching to loving behavior the moment nurses walk in. A report on the tapes is in the November issue of Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The growing practice in British hospitals of placing patients in co-ed wards has come under increasing criticism. "For women, particularly older ones, being treated in a mixed-sex ward can be a very unsettling experience, very embarrassing," said Gyneth Donovan, an official with Women's Health, a private organization that advises female patients. "The lack of privacy, the need for bedpans, can lead to humiliation for patients in a mixed ward," she added. "And not just for women.

Fire swept through a wing of Hammersmith Hospital on Sunday, destroying five years of research on muscle disorders and causing damage estimated at more than $1 million, officials said.

Britain's Conservative government on Tuesday unveiled the most radical shake-up of the country's cradle-to-grave National Health Service in its 40-year history. A 100-page draft law, known as a white paper, was presented to Parliament by Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke. It is aimed at giving greater flexibility to hospitals and doctors and, for patients, a wider choice of treatment and physician.

Nu-Med, a chain of hospitals headquartered in Encino, said it has completed the sale of two hospitals in England for an undisclosed amount of cash and notes.

Nu-Med, an Encino-based hospital chain, has signed a final agreement to acquire a 72-bed general care hospital in Wimbledon, England, for an undisclosed amount of cash. Parkside Hospital, which was built two years ago, will be Nu-Med's second hospital in Britain. In July, the company purchased Holly House Hospital, a 60-bed general care facility near London. Nu-Med operates 15 other general care hospitals in the United States with a total of 1,594 beds.

Citing improved operations at its acute-care hospitals and revenue from psychiatric facilities acquired last fall, Nu-Med reported 43% higher earnings on 37% higher sales for its first quarter ended July 31. The Encino-based hospital chain reported net income of nearly $1.7 million, or 15 cents a share, on sales of $90.8 million during the period. Nu-Med also said it was pleased with a Municipal Court jury's decision in August that former New York City official John J.

A 28-year-old quadriplegic who was credited with inventing a valve that helped restore speech to thousands worldwide, died Thursday at his Arizona home. David Muir lapsed into a coma Monday after he fell out of his wheelchair, knocking away an oxygen tube that allowed him to breathe. At age 5, Muir's condition was diagnosed as Duchenne's disease, a progressive muscular dystrophy that left him without speech. He had lived with his family in Anaheim Hills until 1987, when they moved to Arizona.