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This week's news in brief
Cost of long hours
People who work more than 60 hours a week and miss sleep are far more likely to have a heart attack, new research published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal claims. Japanese researchers and experts from London's Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust found men working more than 60 hours a week had double the risk of heart attack than men working 40 hours or less. www.acoem.org
Council staff strike
Unison says workers at more than 400 UK councils will strike on 17 July unless a pay offer of 3 per cent is doubled. The one-day strike will affect education, social services, residential and home care, environmental health, housing, planning, refuse collection, catering and cleaning. Unison said industrial action would continue until it received a 'realistic offer'. www.unison.org.uk
Financial integrity
A new poll has found that Britain's financial bosses are unwilling to pay more to guarantee the integrity of audits, despite the high profile Enron and WorldCom scandals. More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of financial directors polled by Reed Executive said they wouldn't pay more for financial integrity - with 47 per cent definitely unwilling and 23 per cent admitting they were unlikely to do so. www.reed.co.uk
Lack of creativity
Employers are stifling workplace creativity by trapping staff in the office and in formal clothing, new research by training consultants Right Track claims. While more than 83 per cent of staff claim that a creative environment leads to business success, just 3 per cent find it easy to be imaginative working at a desk, and 61 per cent said a more liberal dress code would encourage creativity. www.rtconsult.co.uk
Boost to NHS
The number of NHS nurses has risen by 8,000 in the six months to March 2002 to 339,000, according to official figures. The Department of Health figures also show increases in the number of consultants, GPs, registrars and general medical practitioners. The NHS Plan aims to increase the number of doctors by 10,000 and nurses by 20,000 by 2005. www.doh.gov.uk
