Donie's Ireland news BLOG Thursday

Ireland’s OAPs will pay up to €223 extra for their phone bill in 2013

    

Almost 400,000 pensioners will have to pay between €156 and €233 a year extra for their phone, due to Budget cuts.

Eircom has sent letters to its elderly customers in the wake of a Government decision to slash the State telephone subsidy.

It warned 270,000 over-66s they face having to pay between €195 and €233 extra per year from February.

As part of Budget cutbacks, pensioners availing of the scheme will see their Government subsidy drop from €22.58 to €9.50 a month.

Health and Safety Ireland decrease in workplace deaths in 2012

    

Figures from the Health and Safety Authority show a 13% decrease in the number of workplace deaths in 2012.

According to the latest figures, 47 people were killed in workplace accidents last year compared to 54 in 2011.

Health and Safety Authority CEO Martin O’Halloran said that while it is a positive development, deaths in the agriculture sector remain too high.

“It’s the best we’ve had since 2009, and prior to that it’s a long time since we’ve had this kind of significant reduction,” he said.

“However there has been a stubborn resilience in the agriculture sector. It’s still at 21, 2011 was 22, and 2010 was 22, so despite a very significant programme working with all the stakeholders, we’re not yet seeing the positive results from those programmes.”

The biggest reduction in fatalities occurred in the transportation and storage sector, with one reported in 2012 compared to seven in 2011.

The construction sector saw an increase in fatalities from six in 2011 to eight in 2012 and there was also an increase in the fishing sector with five deaths in 2011 and seven in 2012.

Mr O’Halloran said he is concerned about construction safety standards: “The increase in fatalities and feedback from our inspectors indicates there has been, in some areas, a slippage in standards.

“We carried out 3,000 inspections in the sector in 2012, and we will continue a high level of engagement during 2013.”

Irish exchequer returns show tax revenues were up €2.6bn in 2012

 

The Exchequer deficit last year was €10.8bn lower than 2011, according to end of year figures released by the Department of Finance.

Tax revenue was up €2.6bn on the year before to €36bn, while non-tax revenue was €45m higher.

The amount raised in taxes last month was better than expected.

The strong increase in the amount of tax paid in December – which mainly came from two multinational companies and some late payments by self employed people – left the government €270m ahead of target for the year, instead of €210m behind, as feared

That tax gain, a better than expected result from selling off the old analog TV signal to mobile phone companies, and some spending control means a significant improvement in the budget deficit.

The expenditure for 2012 was in line with target with overspends in health and social protection offset by underspending in other areas.

In a statement, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said the figures show the “continued improvement we are making”.

Ulster Bank to close in the region of some 20 branches in Ireland

  

IBOA general secretary Larry Broderick. 

Ulster Bank set to close 20 branches nationwide. Ulster Bank says it will close “in the region” of 20 branches and sub-offices in Ireland this year.

In a statement this afternoon, the bank said it will provide further details on the closures to customers and employees within the next few weeks.The Irish Bank Officials’ Association will meet the bank next week, having learned of the closures during a staff conference call last week.

The bank has 146 branches in the Republic of Ireland and 90 in Northern Ireland.

IBOA general secretary Larry Broderick said: “I’m shocked that an announcement like this was made during a teleconference with no prior consultation with our union.”In light of this, the bank has agreed to meet us next week,” he added.

Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns Ulster Bank, has injected at least £10.8 billion into the bank since 2008 to absorb losses after the property market downturn.

Ulster Bank’s operating loss widened in the first nine months of last year to £797m from £751m the same time in 2011, as a fall in interest income offset stabilising loan losses.

Meanwhile, a separate IBOA notice to Ulster Bank members in November said that Jim Brown, the unit’s chief executive officer, told the union that RBS remains committed to its Irish unit. Ulster Bank said last year it will eliminate 950 jobs.

RBS acquired Ulster Bank in 2000 as part of its purchase of National Westminster Bank and expanded three years later through the acquisition of the First Active building society.

HSE is an excuse for a health service in Ireland

 

Dr Ruairi Hanley says he has heard enough excuses from the HSE for its own shortcomings and analyses some of the damning findings in the PA Consulting report.

As regular readers will be aware, I am no fan of the HSE and its approach to running our health service. Over the past decade, I have been known to employ many colourful phrases to describe my feelings on this subject. Examples include “hellish creation”, and my personal favourite, “incompetent clowns who belong under a circus tent”.

It has been suggested to me recently that such language may be somewhat harsh and unjustified. I freely admit that my approach may occasionally lack finesse. I also acknowledge the existence of some administrators in the HSE who are of above average intelligence and for whom such terms of abuse are probably unjustified. Nonetheless, it remains my view they are part of an organisation that is guilty of managerial incompetence on an unprecedented scale.

My detractors would claim that I have little evidence to back up such a sweeping statement. I would reply by asking how many scandals and fiascos have taken place in our health service over the past decade? How many people have suffered as a result? How many times have our politicians declared that the official institution running the entire system is “unfit for purpose”?

Typical format

Alas, when faced with appalling demonstrations of their own incompetence, the HSE response follows a fairly typical format. First they try to deflect blame, preferably onto a member of the medical profession. Then they set up an ‘inquiry’, which usually drags on for months and never once names a single administrator. The HSE PR machine then announces that it will ‘implement’ the recommendations and the media forgets the scandal in 48 hours. No-one is fired and no-one is held to account.

A few months later, the whole cycle inevitably repeats itself as the latest debacle makes its way into the public domain.

In more recent times, the HSE has eagerly grasped a new excuse for its many failings. ‘Cutbacks’ are apparently the reason that our health service is performing so badly — €13 billion spent by 17,000 administrators is seemingly never enough to get the job done.

Regrettably, the truth is somewhat different. On December 9, The Sunday Independent published a ‘top secret’ leaked report carried out by a firm known as PA Consulting. This group was asked by the Minister for Health to look at the HSE and its approach to financial management. Its reported conclusions appear beyond damning, beyond shocking and beyond disgraceful.

To quote directly, the HSE budgetary difficulties were “a consequence of systemic failings in financial management over a number of years”. The authors went on to say that bureaucrats tended to take “short-term measures” which “do not take into consideration impact on targets or patients safety”.

My favourite part of the report was the revelation that the largest employer in our State, responsible for the health of 4.6 million people, has only a “limited number of staff capable of high-end financial management”. In other words, by definition, many of the people managing our health system are incompetent. That is no longer just my opinion; it now appears to be a statement of fact.

I find it fascinating that our Minister actually felt it necessary to hire a consultancy firm in order to discover this. I have no idea how much this exercise cost, but Dr Reilly could easily have read Irish Medical Times for the past seven years and probably thus reached the same conclusion.

The Sunday Independent also noted the HSE’s suggestion that a lack of “IT systems” was apparently a justification for the epic financial ineptitude revealed in the report. Those using this defence presumably did not mention PPARS — the infamous €160 million fiasco that arose the last time health service administrators tried to introduce a new computer payroll programme.  In such a context, I believe claims of technology problems are nothing more than yet another attempt to evade responsibility.

In conclusion, I think my past choice of language to describe the HSE is more than justified. Indeed, in light of this latest report, I have probably been too easy on them.

There is no greater scandal in our State than the incompetent manner in which our health system is being run. Perhaps the day might yet come when we elect political leaders capable of dealing with those responsible.

Quadrantid meteor shower 2013: Your guide to when and where to see the shooting stars

 

Dr Simon Foster, an astrophysicist from Imperial College London, explains the science behind the Quadrantid meteor shower and how best to see it.

According to Nasa, the Quadrantids come from the EH1 asteroid, which may have come from a piece of broken-up comet.

Amateur British stargazers will be able to view nature’s own “beautiful” firework display from space throughout much of the country depending on clear weather conditions.

The optimum time is expected to be at just before dawn on Friday January 4.

“You don’t want to be in a city or town, because there is lots of light pollution which could ruin any night-time viewing,” said Dr Foster. “You really want to be looking to the north west of the sky, which could be quite tricky if you haven’t got a compass.

“Try and look out for Ursa Major or the Big Dipper as more people know it. You should hopefully see the radiant point – and this where the meteors should be seen streaming from.”

 The Quadrantids derive their name from the constellation of Quadrans Muralis (mural quadrant), which was created by the French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795.

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG Wednesday

Crash continues to bite as firms going under in 2012 rose by 3%

   

But outlook brighter for year ahead as number of insolvencies predicted to fall in 2013.

The retail sector accounted for 13pc of all insolvencies during 2012, with several high profile names including Clerys department stores (pictured above) going into receivership. It was sold to an American private equity group Gordon Brothers just hours later.

Nearly 1,700 businesses went under in 2012, as market conditions continued to worsen. New statistics from the Insolvency Journal.ie website show that 1,684 companies failed last year, up 3pc on 2011, and 10pc higher than 2010.

Five years into the crash, the construction sector is still the biggest problem. About a quarter of all businesses that closed were involved in that industry.

Ken Fennell of the accounting firm Kavanaghfennell, which runs the Insolvency Journal, said that 2012 had seen a shift in the type of insolvency companies were facing.

“There was an increase in examinerships and receiverships and a decrease in both creditor voluntary liquidations and court liquidations.

Restructuring

“This would indicate a move towards restructuring of companies instead of company closures,” he said.

The retail sector accounted for 13pc of all insolvencies during 2012, with several high profile names, including Clerys department stores, going into receivership. At 220, however, the number of retail failures was down 3.5pc on the previous year.

Trade group Retail Excellence Ireland has already indicated that retail sales were up in 2012.

There were 171 failures tied to the hospitality sector, down 16pc year on year, but the manufacturing sector endured a grim year, with the number of insolvencies surging 26pc to 130. That meant the sector accounted for 8pc of all failures during the year.

The motor and transport industries both accounted for 2pc of all insolvencies this year. Failures in the motoring sector tumbled by 47pc while transport insolvencies fell 34pc when compared to 2011 totals.

There were high-profile insolvency cases across both sectors, most notable the receivership of Bill Cullen Motor Group and the winding-up of transport firm Target Express.

There were 399 corporate receiverships recorded in 2012, an increase of 40pc on the 284 in 2011 and 77pc more than the number recorded in 2010. Some noteworthy receivership appointments during the year were A-wear, Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny and Greenstar, Kavanaghfennell said.

Examinership Examinership activity during 2012 also increased significantly from 16 cases in both 2010 and 2011 to 27 in 2012, almost a 70pc hike, with the cases of Atlantic Homecare and Cappoquin Chickens in particular, grabbing the headlines.

“This increase in examinership activity looks likely to continue with the recent Government announcement to allow small private companies to apply directly to the Circuit Court to have an examiner appointed.

“This amendment will make it cheaper and easier for businesses to restructure their debts and means that more businesses will survive their current difficulties and we would anticipate a significant increase in those availing of the examinership process during 2013,” Mr Fennell said.

Liquidations fell 6pc to 1,258.

Looking ahead to 2013, Mr Fennell said he expected insolvencies to fall slightly this year for the first time in five years.

“We would also anticipate significant numbers of examinerships during 2013,” he added.

We need more action, not guff or rhetoric, key to employment creation

   

So our Taoiseach Enda Kenny is putting some renewed stress on his Government’s aim to create more jobs in 2013.

This is surely a very good thing. After all, one in seven Irish workers is now on the dole, and that figure is only kept from ballooning skywards by the shameful toll of emigration.

It is welcome news that the Taoiseach is going to make all his cabinet ministers give a specific account of their job-creation efforts. Nobody would quibble with Mr Kenny’s assertion that employment is not the sole preserve of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Richard Bruton.

We endorse the Taoiseach’s enthusiasm – but only up to a point. Forgive us for striking a sceptical note, but Mr Kenny is good at these rhetorical flourishes which sometimes prove lighter in real content.

Remember his promise of ‘report card’ accountability for all his cabinet members? You’re forgiven if you do not recall as it did not stand up to any kind of scrutiny.

The Taoiseach has promised us an ‘Action Plan for Jobs’ to be published next month with a target of generating 100,000 jobs by 2016.

We look forward to this with interest and trust the real stress will be on the word ‘action’.

Smoking doe not relieve stress…quitting does! Study proves benefits of nicotine are a myth

 

• Researchers found ex-smokers were less anxious
• One in five say they need cigarettes to relieve stress
• Researchers say smokers deserve to know relaxing benefits of nicotine are a myth

It is yet another reason to keep that  New Year’s resolution about giving up smoking.

Contrary to popular perception, smoking does not relieve stress. But quitting does.

British researchers measured anxiety levels in almost 500 smokers – before and after they tried to give up.

One in five said they smoked to help them deal with stress. Nationally, the figure is as high as one in two.

All took part in an NHS smoking cessation programme, which involved being given nicotine patches and attending two-monthly appointments.

Six months after signing up for the course, 68 of the 491 were still abstaining – and they were less anxious than before.

However, those who tried to give up  and failed were more stressed than in the beginning, the British Journal of Psychiatry reports.

The researchers, from Oxford University and King’s College London, said: ‘The belief that smoking is stress-relieving is pervasive but almost certainly wrong.

‘The reverse is true: smoking probably causes anxiety and smokers deserve to know this and understand how their own experience may be misleading.’

Researchers believe the confusion has arisen because one of the withdrawal effects of nicotine is edginess.

Smokers in need of a top-up will repeatedly suffer this feeling throughout the day and find it eases when they have a cigarette. But while smoking may take the edge off stress related to lack of nicotine, it probably does nothing to ease the pressures of  everyday life.

The researchers are less sure why stress levels rose in those who failed to quit. But it may be that their failure – and thoughts of the damage their habit was doing to their health – made them worry more.

This increase in stress levels was particularly high in those with depression and other psychiatric problems and the researchers said doctors should be aware of this.

Unique cross-border programme to improve local health care facilities

       

Above right photo, Back row (left to right) Course facilitators and faculty members at the inaugural cross border Patient Safety Programme along with guests, at the launch of the programme: Dr Peter Lachman, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London; Dr Pat O’Connor,  NHS Tayside; Joe Lusby, Deputy Chief Executive, Western Health and Social Care Trust; Tom Daly, Corporate Management, HSE; Linda Saunderson, Programme Manager, CAWT cross border Acute Hospitals project; Dr Gavin Lavery, Clinical Director, Northern Ireland HSC Safety Forum, Public Health Agency and  Dr David Vaughan, Director of Quality and leadership, Royal College of Physicians Ireland.  Front row (left to right): Levette Lamb, Regional Patient Safety Advisor, Northern Ireland HSC Safety Forum; Bernie McCrory, Chief Officer, CAWT and Mary Hinds, Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professionals, Public Health Agency.

A unique cross-border programme on patient safety has brought together 27 senior managers and clinicians from hospitals and services to focus on best practice and how it can be applied in local health facilities.

Dr Philip Crowley pictured above left, HSE National Director of Quality and Patient Safety, said the programme demonstrates a positive commitment to “developing capacity to improve quality and patient safety at a difficult time for our health services”.

Participants include medical consultants, senior nurses and allied health professionals from the HSE areas of Sligo, Cavan and Drogheda, and from the Western and Southern Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the HSC Safety Forum of the Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland and seeks to improve quality of care and outcomes for patients across both jurisdictions.

The objective is to develop a core group of health professionals who can lead within their own organisations on service improvement with a focus on patient safety and quality.

It is intended that participants implement learning from the training at local hospital or health service facility level. It will also lead to the development of locally-based trainers in the area of patient safety and quality improvement.

Funding for the initiative came from the EU’s INTERREG IVA programme, which seeks to address the economic and social problems resulting from the existence of borders, and was secured by the cross-border health services partnership Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT).

Chief Officer of CAWT, Bernie McCrory, said: “Opportunities like this are extremely important because they enable our doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from both sides of the border to engage in joint training, which ultimately benefits patient and clients.”

Donegal shark travels some 3,000 miles to Senegal off the coast of Africa

  

The basking shark travelled 3,000 miles

A five metre basking shark that spends its summers in Lough Foyle and near Malin Head has been detected off the western coast of Africa.

The shark has been discovered near Senegal, over 3,000 miles away.

It is the first time it has been confirmed where the animals travel to for the northern hemisphere winter.

The research was carried out by the Irish Basking Shark Project, whose co-ordinator, Emmett Johnston, explained why the shark had travelled so far.

“Up until now there have been lots of different theories put forward about the sharks and one was that they hibernated over the winter because there wasn’t enough food in the waters around the north Atlantic.

“Other people said they went offshore and they have been tracked offshore in the winter.

“But we have been theorising that they head further south to where the food is, like the larger whales from this area.

“The unusual thing about this is the type of food that they eat.

“It is mainly a type of plankton, insects that are in the sea, but that is not found down there in the tropical waters.

“It is a very different kind of habitat, it is akin to finding a polar bear in the desert.

“It is in stark contrast to the type of waters that they are associated with, like the temperate waters you find up here.”

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is effective where antidepressants fail

    

Scientists have demonstrated that people with depression who have not responded to treatment with antidepressants are three times more likely to get better if they receive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in addition to antidepressants and usual care.

The findings, published Online First in The Lancet, are good news for the two-thirds of people with depression who do not respond fully to initial treatment with an antidepressant.

“Until now, there was little evidence to help clinicians choose the best next step treatment for those patients whose symptoms do not respond to standard drug treatments,” said Nicola Wiles from the University of Bristol, who led the research.

In the large-scale randomised trial, Wiles and her colleagues recruited 469 adults (aged 18–75 years) who had not responded to at least six weeks of treatment with an antidepressant from 73 general practices across the UK. Participants were randomised to either continue with usual care provided by their GP, which included continuing on antidepressant medication (235 patients), or to receive CBT in addition to usual care (234 patients) and were followed up for 12 months.

After six months, 46 per cent of participants who received CBT in addition to usual care had improved (reporting at least a 50 per cent reduction in depressive symptoms) compared to 22 per cent of those who continued with treatment as usual.

Individuals in the intervention group were also more likely to experience remission and have fewer symptoms of anxiety. Similar beneficial effects were reported at 12 months.

Donie's news Ireland BLOG Tuesday

Chelsea’s in tears after visit to mum Hillary Clinton in hospital

Hillary receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot

   

Former president Bill Clinton later arrived at the hospital and also appeared concerned when he left shortly afterwards

Chelsea Clinton also appeared distressed and close to tears today as she left the hospital where her mother Hillary is being treated for a blood clot.

Former president Bill Clinton later arrived at the New York Presbyterian hospital and also appeared concerned when he left shortly afterwards.

However, the US Secretary of State’s doctors said they were confident she will make a full recovery.

She is being treated with blood thinners in an attempt to dissolve the clot in her head just behind her ear.

Mrs Clinton, 65, was admitted to a hospital in New York last Sunday when the clot was discovered during a routine check up following her fainting collapse which led to her suffering from concussion.

The clot she is suffering from is one of the few types that can be treated with blood thinners and doctors stress she has not suffered any brain damage.

Mrs Clinton fell ill with a stomach virus last month and her condition worsened when she fainted as she recovered at home.

She was forced to cancel a trip to North Africa and the Middle East that had been planned for the next week.

Some Republican opponents had accused her of faking her concussion to avoid a row over September’s US consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya.

She had been due to face questions in Congress over security failures surrounding the assault that killed ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.

She was scheduled to return to work this week before the clot was discovered.

She will step down as Secretary of State later this month as planned, after President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, and is now seen as frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

Mrs Clinton previously suffered a blood clot in her leg in 1998, while she was First Lady. At the time she blamed it on frequent flying.

She said later: “That was scary because you have to treat it immediately – you don’t want to take the risk it will break loose and travel to your brain, or your heart or your lungs.

“That was the most ­significant health scare I’ve ever had.”

As America’s top diplomat, Mrs Clinton is believed to be the most-travelled Secretary of State in history, having visited 112 countries in her four years in the job.

Exceptional Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai wins Tipperary peace award

 

Malala Yousafzai the Pakistani schoolgirl is being recognised for her courage, determination and perseverance has won the 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award.

In a statement, the Tipperary Peace Convention said it is recognising Malala’s courage, determination and perseverance, along with the impact she has had on so many across the world.

The schoolgirl has become a symbol of resistance against the Taliban’s efforts to deprive girls of an education in her country.

Last October, the 14-year-old survived after being shot in the head by the Taliban for her human rights work.

Malala campaigned for girls’ rights and came to public attention in 2009 by writing an online diary.

In the diary, she wrote about life under Taliban militants, who had taken control of the Swat Valley and banned the education of girls.

She received death threats over the diary, but said in 2012 it was worth the risk.

The Pakistan Taliban said they attacked Malala because she was a western-minded girl and secular.

The Tipperary Peace Convention said: ”Malala’s courage has proved to be an inspiration around the globe.

“The right to education is denied to 61 million children of primary school age around the world and the hopes of these children are represented by the courage, determination and by the voice of Malala Yousafzai.

“The Taliban tried and failed to silence her and have instead amplified her voice.”

Previous recipients of the award include former South African president Nelson Mandela, former US president Bill Clinton, former prime minister of Pakistan the late Benazir Bhutto, and former President of Ireland Prof Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese.

Patients face brutal insurance hike with Reilly hospital beds charge

Health premiums could soar by up by as much as 50%

   

After a year of devastating increases in insurance costs, the bitterest pill has been left to swallow at the end.

Health insurance customers are facing massive premium hikes in 2013 because of a new scheme spearheaded by James Reilly.

The health minister is to allow hospitals to charge insurance firms every time their customers use public beds — a move that will see premiums rise by almost 50pc.

The plan means all insurance customers who spend a period in hospital will be hit with charges — whether they stay in a private bed or not.

The increases will come at the worst possible time for hard-pressed families, who are already dealing with the effects of December’s Budget.

The Department of Health has confirmed that the new scheme is tied in with Budget 2013 — as Dr Reilly desperately tries to deal with the overrun in spending.

As a result of the scheme, public hospitals will charge insurers every time their customers use State-owned beds.

The move will especially hit insurers, as they will not be allowed to negotiate the price of a public bed.

Hikes

Experts say this will prompt insurers such as VHI, Aviva and Laya Healthcare to ramp up premiums by up to 50pc.

The State-owned VHI has already indicated that the scheme will see its customers face premium hikes of up to 45pc. Firms are currently charged €75 a day when their customers avail of a public bed and over €1,000 a day for the use of a private bed.

It’s now likely some insurance companies will carry out a redesign of their policies.

Dermot Goode, of www. healthinsurancesavings.ie said that Dr Reilly’s scheme “will definitely lead to higher premiums”.

“Given that the public hospitals will now be able to charge around €1,000 per night instead of €75 per night for these beds, the impact will be significant. There is no doubt that this will be passed on,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed that Budget 2013 has already made provision for the income expected to be generated by Dr Reilly’s scheme.

The news that more premium hikes are on the way come at the end of a brutal year for health insurance customers who were hit by a series of punishing increases.

Around 2.1 million customers have seen the cost of their health insurance increase by 20pc over the past year.

Some 54,000 customers dropped their private cover in the first nine months of 2012 — on the back of the 66,000 who abandoned policies in 2011.

Cancer diagnosis changes peoples outlook on life

   

The study was part of a high profile Scottish government cancer campaign

A new study has offered a snapshot of how being diagnosed with cancer led many people to make positive changes to their lives.

Two thirds of the cancer survivors surveyed said they had done something they never done before after being diagnosed.

Half got involved with a charity, while 39% went on a dream holiday.

The figures were disclosed by the Scottish Government’s £30m detect cancer early campaign.

They suggested those affected by cancer felt a renewed sense of the importance of family and loved ones in their lives after they discovered they had the disease.

Three-quarters said their children made them keep going while getting treatment, and 71% said their partner motivated them to get through the tough times.

Tourist attraction

Some 44% appreciate their life because they lived to see the birth of their grandchildren, and a third say that seeing their children graduate made them glad to be alive.

Almost two-thirds spent quality time with their family following diagnosis and 35% told people that they loved them.

Survivors also treated themselves to one-off experiences, with 39% going on a dream holiday and 43% visiting a major tourist attraction they had always wanted to see.

Other things people did following diagnosis include ending an unhappy marriage, starting a business and learning to play the piano.

The statistics also disclosed how people’s view of cancer and its prevention altered after the experience of having the disease.

Three-quarters said their attitude towards cancer had changed since being diagnosed, and nine in 10 survivors said that since going through treatment, their attitude towards surviving cancer has improved.

Almost 60% noticed the cancer symptoms themselves, or by self-examination, while a quarter had their cancer detected through a screening programme.

Before they were diagnosed, 40% took part in screening programmes but after their experience with cancer, 80% now get regularly screened.

The research involved 150 cancer survivors from across Scotland, mostly over the age of 55.

The campaign aims to increase the number of cases detected at the earliest stage of the disease by over 25% by 2016.

It is focusing on breast, bowel and lung cancer, the three main cancers that affect Scots.

Death rates

Breast cancer is the current focus of the campaign and is the subject of a television advert featuring actress and comedian Elaine C Smith whose mother died from the illness.

The ground-breaking health campaign is the first in the UK to show real pictures of women’s breasts that have been affected by cancer.

It carries the message that lumps are not the only sign of cancer and that people should be aware of any changes to their breasts.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Scottish women, accounting for almost 30% of female cancer cases in 2010.

The number of people diagnosed with breast cancer is projected to rise to around 5,180 a year from 2018 to 2022, compared with around 4,430 a year in 2008-12.

Deaths from breast cancer have fallen 21% in the past 10 years.

Other figures out recently show that cancer deaths have reached their highest number in almost 20 years, despite a fall in mortality rates for the disease.

Overall cancer death rates have fallen 12% over the past 10 years.

The total number of deaths rose to 15,375 in 2011, the highest since 1993. This is linked to Scotland’s ageing population, as cancer is relatively common among older people.

A total of 4,178 deaths in 2011 were from lung cancer, more than any other form of the disease.

Colorectal cancers killed 1,526 people in 2011, with 1,041 breast cancer deaths and 900 prostate cancer deaths.

But between 2001 and 2011 the overall cancer mortality rate fell 15% for men and 7% for women.

New smartphone camera promises end to out of focus shots

  

The blurry smartphone photographs could become a thing of the past, as 2013 will see the introduction of new camera technology that will allow snap-happy owners to focus on any object in the frame, after they have taken the shot.

Toshiba, the Japanese electronics giant, has revealed it is working on a camera module for smartphones and tablets that contains half a million tiny lenses. Each captures the field of view with a different focal length, so that photographers can choose how to focus the image after the fact.

The compound lens structure has been compared to an insect’s eye and the whole camera component, which is due to go into commercial production by the end of the year, currently measures roughly one cubic centimetre.

Similar plenoptic, or light field, technology is already available to consumers from Lytro, an American start-up spun out ofStanford University that introduced its fist camera at the end of 2011.

The development prompted a wave of excitement among photography enthusiasts but has so far failed to take hold in the mainstream, where smartphone photograph is increasingly dominant. Lytro’s devices are cameras only and a relatively unwieldy oblong shape to accommodate their pioneering optics.

It is Toshiba’s breakthrough in shrinking light field optics to a size suitable for smartphones and tablets that has excited the gadget world. Although at one centimetre thick the module would bulge the latest smartphones and tablets, the history of electronics shows that further miniaturisation is likely.

“Here’s hoping that it finds its way into a device outside of Japan,” said Engadget, a leading consumer electronics news website.

Smartphones have driven sales of standalone digital cameras down by a third since the introduction of the first iPhone five years ago, according to market analysts.

While the quality of the images smartphones produce remains well short of what a dedicated camera is capable of, their convenience and connectivity of a smartphone has seen them become many owners’ main camera.

Manufacturers have continually introduced improvements in hardware, with higher-megapixel sensors, and software, such as shake correction, in an effort address the shortfall.