Other UK News In Brief

Drug Smugglers Jailed For 32 years

Two men have been jailed for a total of 32 years for importing a street value of £3 million worth of cocaine. On 17 March, Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Serious and Organised Crime Command conducted an operation after Michael Richardson, checked two drugs-laden suitcases on to a Barbados flight bound for the UK. Once in London, Richardson entered an estate, leaving the drugs-laden cases in the car. Christopher Grocott was later seen in the same car. Detectives searched Grocott's South East home where both Grocott and Richardson were arrested at the scene. Officers later searched a separate address identified during earlier enquiries. They found the two suitcases in a locked room at the premises still bearing the flight luggage labels in Richardson's name. Both were searched and found to contain a total of 21 blocks of cocaine wrapped in black carbon paper. Each block weighed one kilo. Both were charged with fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of class A controlled drugs and later stood trial for conspiracy to supply class A drugs. They were found guilty and sentenced at the Inner London Crown Court.

Stronger Patient Confidentiality

 Called For

The British Medical Association (BMA) has today called for tougher safeguards to protect patient confidentiality for electronic patient records. The calls come as members prepare to debate the Health Committee report on Clinical Portal Technology and Telehealth.

 Dr Alan McDevitt, Deputy Chairman of the BMA's Scottish General Practitioners Committee and lead on IT issues, said:

 "The ease with which patient information can now be shared challenges us to come up with new ways of protecting information they have shared with us. With the growing use of electronic patient records, it is essential that we know who has looked at which records and when, so we can ensure only appropriate access.

" The BMA strongly believes that introducing tighter controls will be far more effective at limiting inappropriate access to electronic patient records than using retrospective audit in isolation.

Alcohol

 Reward Points Under Fire

The Medical Association has called on members of the Scottish Parliament Health Committee to support an amendment to end supermarket reward points for alcohol in Scotland. The amendment relates to the Alcohol Bill which sets out measures to end alcohol promotions in off-license premises.

 Supermarket reward schemes can be used to incentivise alcohol purchases and allow customers to redeem points against alcohol. 

The use of reward points to discount the price of alcohol could bring the cost below that established by a minimum price per unit and create a loophole for the off-sales trade. Supermarkets already exclude regulated products such as tobacco, lottery tickets, baby milk and prescriptions from reward schemes.

 

Dr Brian Keighley, Chairman of the BMA in Scotland commented:

 "Alcohol is no ordinary commodity and should not be treated as such. Alcohol consumption is reaching epidemic levels in Scotland with one person dying an alcohol-related death every three hours. Alcohol affects more than just our health; it contributes to violent and criminal behaviour in our communities and the 'hangover' is affecting our economy. Tough action is needed and that includes addressing the marketing practices of retailers who use alcohol to promote themselves and to entice customers into their stores."

(BMcN/BMcC)