Latest news with #SIRT
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Petition for cancer treatment to be funded reaches 46,000 signatories
More than 46,000 people have signed a petition calling on the NHS to fund a life-changing cancer treatment for patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). The cancer charity Planets is leading the campaign for the treatment, known as selective internal radiation therapy (Sirt), to be made available through the NHS after it was approved for use more than a year ago. A spokesman for the charity said: 'Every year approximately 6,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with NETs, a complex and often slow-growing cancer that can be difficult to detect and treat. 'Many patients develop tumours in the liver where the treatment could offer significant benefits. 'Sirt involves injecting millions of tiny radioactive beads called microspheres – smaller than the width of a human hair – into the blood supply in the liver to destroy cancer cells.' The spokesman said that despite approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in May 2024, NHS England had yet to commission it meaning that patients had no timetable for when it might become available. He added that Sirt was already available on the NHS for patients whose liver cancer developed in the organ directly or which had spread to it from the bowel but NET patients remained excluded. Layla Stephen, a NET patient from Hampshire and director of strategy and finance for Planets, said: ' Patients are missing out simply because of red tape. 'Without NHS commissioning, only those that can afford to go private have access to Sirt and that is simply not right or fair – we need to change this.' Ms Stephen added: 'In a statement earlier this year, NHS England said it was developing a national policy on Sirt to ensure all patients across England have the best possible treatment, yet there is still no confirmed timeline despite approval in May last year, leaving patients in limbo and suffering agonising uncertainty.' Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, has written to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting about the issue. She said: 'Constituents of mine with neuroendocrine tumours should not be caught in a bureaucratic limbo when effective treatment is both available and approved. There needs to be fairness and transparency for these patients.' An NHS spokeswoman said previously: 'The NHS understands the concerns raised about access to selective internal radiation therapy (Sirt) for neuroendocrine tumours in the liver. 'The health service is currently reviewing a clinical proposal and developing a new national mandated NHS policy on Sirt to ensure all patients across England have the best possible treatment for their liver metastases.' The petition can be found at:
CBC
10-06-2025
- CBC
Police watchdog to investigate RCMP cell death in Kamsack, Sask.
Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating the death of a man in RCMP cells on June 5. It began when someone approached an RCMP member in Kamsack provincial court on June 3, saying that a family member wanted on outstanding arrest warrants wished to surrender, according to a SIRT news release. RCMP made the arrest over the noon hour that same day without use of force, the release said. The 61-year-old was searched and placed in the detachment cells. The man appeared by video in court on June 4 and then was remanded back into RCMP custody. The man was found unresponsive in his cell at around 7 p.m. CST on June 5. Paramedics were called and the man was declared dead at 8:37 p.m., the release said. It did not reveal the cause of death.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- CTV News
SIRT investigating after man dies while in-custody of Kamsack RCMP
An RCMP detachment can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News) The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating after a man died while in the custody of Kamsack RCMP. According to the police service, RCMP officers arrested a 61-year-old man on June 3 in the community of Kamsack. The man was wanted on multiple outstanding warrants. He made his first appearance in provincial court on June 4 and was remanded into custody while he awaited his next court appearance on June 6. However, on June 5, the man was discovered unresponsive in his cell at the Kamsack RCMP detachment. Paramedics were called to the scene. However, the man was declared dead. His family has been notified. Legislation requires SIRT to investigate anytime someone dies or is seriously injured while in police custody or due to police actions in Saskatchewan. The police watchdog also investigates allegations of sexual assault or interpersonal violence involving police officers. Kamsack is located approximately 260 kilometres northeast of Regina.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
SIRT investigating officer-involved shooting in Canwood, Sask.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has been deployed to the Canwood area to investigate a non-fatal officer involved shooting. According to Saskatchewan's police watchdog, the shooting occured Wednesday afternoon. In a news release sent shortly after 6 p.m., the Saskatchewan RCMP said there was an increased police presence in the area – about 10 kilometers east of Canwood. According to the RCMP, the increased presence was related to an ongoing investigation. People were asked to avoid the areas where police officers are present and follow any police direction provided. RCMP said they will provide an update when it's available. Canwood, Sask. is located about 153 kilometres north of Saskatoon.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
SIRT negotiators honored at state conference for role in July 2024 standoff
May 22—A little after 9 a.m. on July 9, 2024, negotiators from Special Incident Response Team (SIRT) were able to bring a lengthy standoff to an end, resulting in the apprehension of Kristofer Karl Luiken and the freeing of his seven-year-old daughter. In what started at a Kwik Trip in Owatonna the night before, negotiators in Austin were able to bring the whole thing to a peaceful end. On Wednesday, the team was honored by the Crisis Negotiators Association of Minnesota (CNAM) with its Negotiation of the Year Award, recognizing the team for their efforts during the over 10-hour resolution. "Being a negotiator is a skill that not everybody possesses," Austin Police Department Detective and SIRT Commander Dustin Hicks said. "It's an art or a craft they hone every day." "The award is well earned and well deserved," he added. According to the CNAM website, the award recognizes excellence during a negotiation event and consists of several factors including exceptional teamwork, tactics, communication, innovation and resolution. Nominated by APD Lt. Michael Hartman, the SIRT team of negotiators include Sgt. Daniel Osborne, officers Sam Schuweiler and Ryan McCormack, Mower County Sheriff's Office Deputy Jamie Meyer and Laura Geffert, a former telecommunicator for the county and currently a probation officer with Mower County Corrections. While all involved agreed that the award was nice, negotiators also agreed that it's more of a reflection of the negotiation team and the SIRT team as a whole. "I think it shows our dedication to not only the team itself, but the community," Geffert said. "We work hard in our training to prepare for these events. We hope they don't happen, but we train hard and are ready when they do." The incident that earned the team the award started at 10:30 p.m. on July 8 when officers with the Owatonna Police Department were dispatched to a child welfare check at the Kwik Trip. After officers made contact with Luiken, he fled with his daughter in the vehicle, striking an OPD squad car before eventually fleeing south on Highway 218. The pursuit was picked up by the Minnesota State Patrol, which was able to deploy stop sticks after Luiken crossed into Mower County, deflating all four tires. Already a charged situation, Luiken eventually made it to his mother's house in Austin and parked the car in the driveway. At that point Luiken informed law enforcement that he had gas in the car with the girl and that he was refusing to release the girl. However, law enforcement was eventually able to secure the girl's release, who was later turned over to family members. "Ultimatley, our goal is the preservation of life and that's for everybody," said Schuweiler, the team's lead. "Across the board that is what we're hoping for. Being able to see the little girl afterwards ... and being able to recognize me as a person that was there, that's fun. It's nice to see that even though it was a very negative experience, there can still be a positive from what they recognize and realize. These people are here to help me." Hicks stressed that situations like the June 9, 2024 incident isn't a solo job, but that of a team of negotiators that are ideally able to respond each time, who take on a number of different roles from the person handling the communications with the person to those that are providing support by suggesting routes to take, getting in touch with family and sharing intelligence. All of that, he said, was on display during the incident. "Any time it escalates to the level of a SIRT call out, it's not a good deal for anyone," Hicks said. "If we can keep it from escalating to that level I think we're doing everybody in the community a service." Hicks added that oftentimes that goal is reached even before SIRT tactical can get to the scene or even the Law Enforcement Center and when that happens it's a weight lifted for everybody. "It's that relief. This is over and we can move on," Schuweiler said. "For them, it's thank gosh this is over for them. Now they can move on for her, the little girl and the family." However, in the end it's simply showing up to do a job when required, no matter when that is — late at night, early in the morning or during other work and it plays to the overall concept of the team from the negotiators through to SIRT. "That's just what we do — we just show up when the call comes," Geffert said. "The award was focused on negotiators, but we're not able to do what we do — our job — unless everybody else is playing their part too. I think it's a team thing. We all have a role and we are better together."
