A hospital trust has apologised after a surgical glove was left inside a patient following an operation. Sharon Birks underwent a hysterectomy at the Royal Derby Hospital last month. She felt unwell after the operation on November 19 and it was thought she might have an infection.
It was only three days after the operation that the 42-year-old, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, discovered the error.
Birks told the Derby Telegraph: “I just had this really bad stomach ache and it almost felt like something was wedged in my stomach.” Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust apologised to Birks and said an investigation has been launched into the incident. (PA)
The Beatles in ‘copyright bid’
The Beatles are to release a further album of early out-takes and rare recordings in what is thought to be a bid to give copyright protection to the old material.
The iTunes-only release will contain alternative studio versions and BBC sessions of familiar songs such as From Me To You and I Saw Her Standing There, all made half a century ago. The album – which stretches to 59 tracks – has not been officially announced but the track listing has appeared on a Norwegian-based Beatles blog.
The website which reported the release, WogBlog, suggested the collection, called The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963, is an effort to give the material copyright protection and stop it falling into the public domain. The tracks would only be given protection following an official release. (PA)
Pilots’ degree course launched
The first UK degree course specifically for air pilots has been launched.
The initiative comes from EasyJet in partnership with airline and pilot training company CTC Aviation and Middlesex University.
The BSc (Hons) degree in Professional Aviation Pilot Practice (PAPP) is run within Middlesex University by the Institute of Work-based Learning.
This move means pilots can study towards a degree while undertaking their pilot training. The first two levels of the course are undertaken with CTC Aviation and the third level is achieved with EasyJet.
Training to become a pilot and completing a degree simultaneously also enables trainee pilots to access government funding to help finance students’ training and degree. (PA)
Severe storms affect UK trains
British train punctuality dipped last month as services were hit by the severe storms.
Some train companies ran more than 20 per cent of their trains late, with London Midland achieving an on-time punctuality figure of only 76 per cent, Network Rail (NR) reported.
Overall, companies nationwide ran 84.4 per cent of trains on time in the four-week period from November 10 to December 7.
This compared with a figure of 85.4 per cent in the corresponding period in 2012 and was also down on the rolling 12-month average of 90.4 per cent. (PA)
Police chief’s wife shoplifts
The wife of a police chief in Ohio is serving a 10-day jail sentence for shoplifting. Elaine Freeman, wife of North Ridgeville police chief Mike Freeman, admitted stealing from a department store.
She will be under house arrest for another 30 days after she finishes the jail sentence. It was the second time she has been convicted of shoplifting.
Her lawyer says she is undergoing counselling and “feels terrible for what she put her family through”. Her husband was reprimanded by the city after he became angry over his wife’s arrest. (PA)