Daily digest September 18 2015

Revealed: postcode lottery for older people's NHS care

Older people in some parts of the country are nine times more likely than in others to be admitted to hospital as emergency cases – because of a lack of the right care in the community.

Charities say new official figures are a 'troubling' insight into a growing crisis in the care of older people, with hundreds of thousands of people being admitted to hospital who should have had more appropriate help earlier.

The Telegraph also reports that the statistics reveal a three-fold difference, depending on where they live, in the chance of people who have cancer being diagnosed early enough to have a good chance of successful treatment.

Read more on the Telegraph website

Drug-resistant gonorrhoea outbreak sparks England-wide alert

An outbreak of highly drug-resistant gonorrhoea has been detected in the north of England, triggering a national alert, the Guardian reports.

Fifteen cases have been detected by Public Health England, according to the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV.

Reports to the agency's sexually transmitted bacteria reference unit, of cases being highly resistant to the azithromycin drug have previously been rare, the Guardian adds.

The outbreak, first detected in Leeds in March, has since spread, with cases reported in patients from Macclesfield, Oldham and Scunthorpe. All of the cases involve heterosexual patients, with some people reporting they had partners from other parts of England.

Read more on the Guardian website

Scientists seek permission to genetically modify embryos

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London want to use a controversial new genetic technique to carry out research into infertility, the BBC reports.

The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it had received the application and will consider it in due course.

The aim of the research, led by Kathy Niakan, is to understand the genes human embryos need to develop.

The institute said the work would be for research purposes and would not have a clinical application. However, the knowledge gained could help improve in vitro fertilisation treatments.

Read more on the BBC News website