News

In brief

Over half of public service accountants do not believe the private finance initiative (PFI) is value for money, a survey for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has revealed. The poll of 200 accountants in public services, including the NHS, found that 57 per cent felt PFI did not provide value for money while only 2 per cent felt strongly that it did. Of those who had been involved in PFI schemes, 39 per cent would not use private sector involvement again, given a free choice.

The Liberal Democrats would dedicate National Insurance contributions to NHS funding and devolve power over hospitals and GPs to local government in proposals agreed at the party’s annual conference. The Lib Dems new policy, ‘Quality, Innovation, Choice’ would also reduce the role of the Department of Health to public health, regulation, medical research and training.

www.libdems.org.uk

Cigarette advertisements are to disappear from hoardings and newspapers from February 14 as the government’s ban on tobacco advertising comes into force. Lobby group Ash say 3,000 lives could be saved each year if consumption falls in line with trends in other countries which have banned tobacco advertising.

www.ash.org.uk

More than half of children in inner London are living in poverty according to London Divided, a report for London mayor Ken Livingstone. London has the highest child poverty rates in Britain, after housing costs are taken into account, it reveals. It says that 53 per cent of children in inner London and 33 per cent in outer London live in poverty compared to 31 per cent nationally.

www.london.gov.uk

About 1 million people in eastern Europe are living with HIV/AIDS – double the number in 1999 – according to a groundbreaking new study from the World Health Organisation. The World Health Report 2002 quantifies more than 25 preventable risks to health, including high blood cholesterol, obesity and unsafe sex, and outlines cost-effective measures to reduce them.

http://www.who.int/entity/whr/2002

Initiatives aimed at reducing health inequalities have won a Weston-super-Mare GP ‘Doctor of the Year’ award, the first time the prize has been given for public health work. Dr Paul Seviour runs a weekly drop-in clinic for teenagers, clinics for diabetic and heart patients and support for vulnerable children, drug and alcohol misusers.