FEATURE ARTICLES

Tissue viability experts Elizabeth Williams, Andrew Kerr and Sarah Waller examine the evolution of debridement, highlighting its clinical significance, the growing need for a patient-centred approach, and the latest advances.

David Laffar argues that managing risk can be changed to a culture of “no neccessary risk” if safety-engineered devices are properly evaluated and adopted.

A webinar series has looked at how bold thinking, patient focus, and data-driven insights are reshaping the future of the NHS. An expert panel of healthcare leaders came together to outline a blueprint for a more agile, efficient and patient-focused NHS.

Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez-Hernandez argues that a skewed vision of value, where short-term cost-cutting has replaced analysis of overall medical costs is damaging the healthcare system, making it impossible for surgeons to operate to the best of their abilities because they are lacking basic tools.

In recent years, hand surgery has been moving out of the traditional setting, with surgeons increasingly seeking out innovative ways of working to deliver more efficient treatment to their patients. Mark Lee discusses the WALANT approach to hand surgery and other evolving trends, which are moving the discipline forward.

Virtual hospital beds are not a quick fix, but can be a major part of the NHS solution, argues Graham Watson. He analyses the spectrum of possibilities.

A Thought Leadership Workshop at EBME 2025 recently brought together Electro-Biomedical Engineering (EBME) experts to discuss key issues around medical equipment connectivity and technology’s impact on care delivery. CSJ provides an overview of the hot topics and challenges explored.

Richard McAuley looks at the critical role of operating tables in supporting surgical workflows and discusses some of the key trends and innovations that are helping to advance surgical approaches, improve patient safety and integrate with advanced technologies.

The AfPP urged theatre teams to sign up to a ‘behaviours charter’ at its annual conference, highlighting the impact of incivility on patient safety. CSJ reports on the hot topics discussed at the event – from fostering a safety culture in perioperative practice, to human factors learning.

In collaboration, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and Vanguard Healthcare Solutions installed facilities, referred to as a ‘mini-hospital’ by Health Board staff, in record time – just six weeks for a dual-procedure endoscopy complex and nine weeks for a four-theatre, two-ward surgical suite.

From January 2026, public funding for level 7 (master’s level) apprenticeships will disappear for most adults, yet over 60% of current learners fall outside the new age caps. For healthcare, this risks stalling leadership progress, widening skills gaps and slowing much-needed digital transformation, warns Steven Hurst, Director of Corporate Learning at Arden University.

With heart failure cases increasing rapidly, more support is needed for early detection and diagnosis in primary care, argues Chair of the Alliance for Heart Failure, Preeti Minhas

Dr. Shivan Sivakumar PhD FRCP, from the University of Birmingham, says that artificial intelligence is battling cancer but not how you think. He explains how AI is delivering on the NHS 10-Year Health Plan’s survivorship pledge, and urges the oncology community to rethink where we invest our resources and focus.

Wound care is one of the most significant, yet under-recognised challenges facing the UK’s health system. Estimated to cost the NHS upwards of £8.3 billion annually¹ and accounting for around 50% of all community nurse activity,² the burden is immense. Yet wound care rarely receives the attention afforded to other high-cost clinical areas like cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. It is time to change that, says the ABHI Wound Care Group.

Doctors who use artificial intelligence (AI) see benefits for their own efficiency and for patient care in a resource-stretched NHS and, although they recognise there are risks, they feel confident in managing them, according to a new study published by the General Medical Council (GMC).

With NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards required to update their Green Plans,¹ healthcare leaders find themselves navigating how to meet pressing environmental targets, while continuing to uphold the necessarily uncompromising standards of clinical care. It’s a task that demands more than technical innovation, argues Karen McNamara – it requires a fundamental shift in how the system thinks, acts, and buys.

The Operating Theatres Show 2025 is taking place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Thursday, 11 September 2025. CSJ provides an overview of the hot topics being explored at the event.

Scotland’s Medical Device Decontamination seminar returned to the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel in May 2025. Gillian McIntosh, Trainee Technical Advisor (Decontamination), NHSScotland Assure, provides an overview of the day.

With respiratory diseases – most notably COPD – a growing issue for ageing populations, Bipin Patel looks at how technology can be used to improve diagnosis and monitoring of these conditions, while also easing the burden on strained health providers.

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare environment, continuous professional development is more important than ever. Advances in technology, evolving treatment methodologies, and updated clinical guidelines require healthcare professionals (HCPs) to maintain and expand their expertise. Getinge has launched ‘Get Educated’ — a comprehensive programme providing high-quality training, education, and simulation from its state-of-the-art headquarters in Derby.