Families allowed on Fife beach awash with radiation

THE clean-up of a Fife beach has been halted putting families at risk of potentially lethal radiation.

For years radioactive waste has been found at the beach in Dalgety Bay which is thought to come from the luminous dials of wrecked warplanes.

Defence Estates, the MoD’s land agents, began removing the material two years ago after experts warned it posed a serious risk.

But now the clean-up has been halted and no agreement has been reached with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to resume, despite warnings the problem is set to get worse.

Top Scots Cancer Centre Fails to Report Dozens of Radiation Blunders

EXCLUSIVE

By Paul Thornton

SCOTLAND’S top cancer treatment centre is failing to report dozens of radiation blunders every year – despite guidance by the chief medical officer to do so.

Five serious radiation events at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre were recorded in the last three years and reported to the Scottish Government while staff faced disciplinary measures.

But bosses at the state of the art facility failed to pass on a further 69 “clinically significant” mix-ups during the same period.

And only one member of staff during that time was reported to the Health Professionals Council or subject to disciplinary procedures over the incidents.

Management at the centre actually admitted that she was only ever reported after deciding to leave – otherwise it too would have been dealt with internally.

However a 2008 paper by Sir Liam Donaldson sees the outgoing Chief Medical Officer call on every major error involving radiotherapy to be logged with the appropriate body.

In his report, Towards Safer Radiotherapy, Sir Donaldson wrote: “Reporting clinically significant radiation incidents to the statutory authority is good clinical governance even if there is no legal requirement to do so.”

Scotland’s Largest Cancer Centre Radiation Blunders

By Paul Thornton

A SERIES of radiation blunders at Scotland’s largest cancer treatment centre went unpunished and unreported to professional regulators.

Mistakes with radiotherapy happened on a regular basis with a “significant” number of “critical events” at The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.

The centre was previously criticised over the death of teenager Lisa Norris, from Girvan in Ayrshire, who was given 19 radiation overdoses in January 2006 when she received 58 per cent more radiation than she should have.

But evidence at a former radiographer’s disciplinary hearing last week revealed that a culture of cover-ups went on at the centre months after Lisa’s death.

Inquiry date set for tragic cancer teen

Liz and Ken Norris outside the Health Practitioners hearing in October

By Cara Sulieman

A FATAL Accident Inquiry into the death of a teenage cancer sufferer blasted with 19 massive overdoses of radiation while being treated for a brain tumour will be held in the New Year.

Lisa Norris, 16, from Girvan, Ayrshire received 58 per cent more radiation than she should have, leaving her with burns to her neck, head and unable to continue the life-saving course.

The Procurator Fiscal has ruled that an inquiry into her death is scheduled to take place on March 8 2010 at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

The news comes just two months after the man who oversaw her treatment, Dr Stuart McNee was allowed to keep working, despite being responsible for mistakes on Lisa’s treatment plan.

But despite all misconduct charges being proven against him, the Health Professions Council ruled he could continue working.

Parents slam decision as travesty as Cancer doctor blamed for Lisa Norris radiation bungle allowed to keep working

Ken and Liz Norris leaving the hearing

By Cara Sulieman

THE parents of a tragic teenage cancer sufferer who was blasted with 19 massive overdoses of radiation while being treated for a brain tumour has described a decision to allow the doctor responsible to keep working as a “travesty” and vowed to sue health chiefs.

Dr Stuart McNee bungled treatment plans which saw tragic Lisa Norris, 16, from Girvan, Ayrshire, receive 58 per cent more radiation than she should have, leaving her with burns to her neck, head and unable to continue the life-saving course.

But despite all misconduct charges being proven against him, the Health Professions Council ruled he could continue working.

Her parents described it as a “travesty” and attacked his decision to stay away from the hearing rather than face them.

Delivering their controversial decision, the panel’s chairman Colin Allies said that while all allegations of a lack of competence had been proven, it was their opinion that Dr McNee was still fit to practice.

He said: “We are confident the Registrant has learned from his mistakes and would act differently in similar circumstances today.

“We took into consideration the lack of staff and a lack of support from senior management.

“The Registrant’s fitness to practice is no impaired therefore the allegation is not well founded.”

But Lisa’s anguished parents Ken, 53, and Liz, 52, who attended today’s (fri) Conduct and Competence hearing, slammed the decision.

And they vowed to sue the health board responsible branding the decision a “whitewash”.

Top dentist helps out Chernobyl kids

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

A TOP Scots dentist is helping children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster by offering them free dentistry.

Biju Krishnan, 39, from Edinburgh, is working on the rotting teeth of 25 Belarussian kids in a kind-hearted bid to improve their lives.

The 25 children from the town of Mogilev are in Scotland for four weeks and the free treatment they are receiving is worth thousands of pounds.

The Friends of Chernobyl’s Children organisation have brought the children over for a month’s medical treatment, care and respite with Biju providing the free examinations and treatments.

He said: “How can you not help these children? One of my staff raised awareness of the trip to me and I said I would only be too happy to help.

Sheep in Scotland still contain Chernobyl radiation

By Cara Sulieman

SHEEP in Scotland still carry traces of radiation from Chernobyl – over 20 years since the catastrophic explosion.

A huge cloud of radioactivity spread across Europe after the nuclear reactor in the Ukraine overheated and blew up – and five farms across Scotland are still suffering from the mistakes made in 1986.

The affected farms are in Stirling and Ayrshire and are thought to cover around 7000 hectares of land.

Almost 3000 sheep are still contaminated by the radiation, and are subject to restrictions from the Food Standard Agency (FSA).