Inside Health

Charles Bonnet syndrome, Co-proxamol, Meningitis B vaccine, Smart tablets


Listen Later

Up to half a million people in the UK could have it, but it's a condition that hardly anybody has heard about: Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

It happens to people who are losing their sight through age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic eye problems or glaucoma. They see vivid and often frightening visual hallucinations and these images are soundless. Judith Potts' mother Esme was in her 90's when she eventually admitted to her daughter that she was seeing frightening images of goblins and Victorian children all around her. Judith had never heard of the condition and as she tells Dr Mark Porter, neither had any of the health professionals taking care of her mother. Shocked that there was so little awareness about something that is so common, she set up an awareness group, Esme's Umbrella. Dr Dominic Ffytche, Clinical Senior Lecturer at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and an expert in visual hallucinations, tells Mark that a key area of research is why some people have Charles Bonnet Syndrome and others don't.

Co-proxamol, or Distalgesic as it's better known, was a common drug for mild to moderate pain in the 1990's. But a decade ago, a review by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) decided that it wasn't a good painkiller and it had very worrying side effects. Its licence was withdrawn and doctors were urged to switch patients onto different medication (although it could still be prescribed on a "named patient" basis). Dr Andrew Green, Chair of the Clinical and Prescribing arm of the GP committee of the British Medical Association tells Mark he's disturbed that nearly ten years after the licence was withdrawn, thousands of patients are still being prescribed co-proxamol at a high cost to the NHS while Bedfordshire GP Dr John Lockley defends continued and careful prescribing for a tiny number of patients who can't get relief from other medication.

In a week in which hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for more children to receive the Meningitis B vaccine, Dr Margaret McCartney talks to Mark about the tricky decisions involved in planning immunisation programmes.

Traditional bedside paper charts, which record and monitor patients' vital signs, have been replaced in Oxford hospitals with smart PC tablets. Clinical staff enter patients' blood pressure, heart rate and temperature on the tablet and the new "smart" system provides an early warning traffic light system, alerting them if there's a deterioration in the patient's condition. This means clinicians can prioritise care and another major bonus is that the same information is available, at the touch of a button, to medical staff across Oxford's hospitals. The project is called SEND - System for Electronic Notification and Documentation - and it's a collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Mark goes to Oxford and with intensive care consultant and SEND Project Leader Dr Peter Watkinson, sees how the new paperless system is working.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Inside HealthBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

73 ratings


More shows like Inside Health

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,402 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,836 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,754 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

84 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,838 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,067 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

343 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

891 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

268 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,920 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,072 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

247 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

76 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

405 Listeners

The Food Chain by BBC World Service

The Food Chain

341 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show by Liz Earle

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show

256 Listeners

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast by Dr Rupy Aujla

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

609 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

140 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

739 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,963 Listeners

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley by BBC Radio 4

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

233 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

255 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

1,993 Listeners

A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand by BBC Radio 4

A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand

31 Listeners