FEATURE ARTICLES

A coherent career structure and training for professional qualifications in sterile services are crucial to ensuring staff feel valued, and that their experience and knowledge are retained within the sector. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Evidence on best practice for surgical site infection prevention has been in the spotlight, in recent months, as new data has emerged. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports

Speaking to The Clinical Services Journal, at the London Cardiovascular Symposium, held at the Royal Society of Medicine, Professor Peter Harris gave an insight into the pioneering work being carried out at UCLH to advance endovascular approaches for treating aortic aneurysms. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

SARAH PILBROW looks at how approaches to decontamination are moving forward in a bid to win the fight against healthcare-acquired infection.

The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) is a registered charity whose vision and mission is to promote the highest standards of perioperative practice. New managing director, DAWN STOTT, and head of events, JOANNA RIPLEY discuss the reasons why they are committed to ensuring that AfPP – and its flagship event AfPP2010 – provide an influential voice in driving forward improvements in patient care.

Enterprising Woman of the Year, Sarah Fuller describes how she made the transition from nurse to entrepreneur – bringing to the boardroom an ethical approach to business. Interview by LOUISE FRAMPTON.

CHRIS LLOYD argues that NHS Trusts need to deal with financial pressures by cutting waste, not people. He provides an insight into the clinical and financial benefits that can be achieved, by adopting lean principles, and reveals how one Trust has reduced costs by over £10 million in just two years.

As the Pelican Cancer Foundation celebrates its 10th year of pioneering research, in pelvic and liver surgery, LOUISE FRAMPTON reviews the major steps forward that have been achieved to date, as well as the latest research projects underway, aimed at improving survival and quality of life.

The UK is moving closer to a needlestick injury and infection law, in view of a proposed EU Directive. KENNETH STRAUSS provides an insight into the legislative framework and the case for implementing safety solutions ahead of a legal mandate.

Gastroenterologists recently gathered at the BSG annual conference to share their research findings on the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease – from investigations into new therapies, to alternative models of care delivery. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Innovation and quality were high on the agenda at the British Society of Gastroenterologists’ annual conference, while the society made a number of hard-hitting proposals for major reform. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

GRAEME McLEOD discusses the benefits of regional anaesthesia on surgical outcome and provides an insight into techniques that can optimise safety and efficacy, to achieve a pain-free, mobile patient.

With the National Audit Office’s findings high on the agenda, the Healthcare Associated Infections conference focused on the need for continuous improvement in reducing all avoidable healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) – including those related to the use of devices such as catheters and central lines, surgical site infections and pneumonias LOUISE FRAMPTON reports

The seventh annual Healthcare Associated Infections conference, held at Westminster, London, examined the tools and techniques being employed to reduce healthcare-associated infections, sustain progress, and drive forward the Department of Health’s goal of ensuring zero tolerance. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Professor Norbert Runkel, chairman of the International Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Expert Panel, speaks to MATTHEW BAILEY on why the time is right to seek a consensus on negative pressure wound therapy.

A survey of NHS staff shows that job satisfaction is high and there has been significant investment in training, but there is a need for greater involvement in decision-making processes and staff continue to feel under-valued.

A recent study shows that many clinicians overrate their abilities in CPR, while compliance with basic guidelines and technique are generally poor. Resuscitation experts warn that there is a need for increased training and use of feedback devices to improve survival, following cardiac arrest. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Access to a pioneering cancer treatment is starting to widen in the UK, offering hope to patients with inoperable tumours. In the US, clinicians have reported success in treating an increasing number of complex and difficult cases – painlessly and with minimal side effects. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Stroke is one of the top three causes of death, the largest cause of adult disability in England, and costs the NHS over £3 billion a year. In the past, it was treated as a low priority within the NHS, but there have been significant efforts to improve stroke services in the last few years. A new report investigates the progress achieved so far. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

Healthcare organisations are employing reactive purchasing models that are both wasteful and risky, warns BRIAN DE FRANCESCA. Moreover, as new and converging technologies present increasing challenges, who exactly should be responsible for effective procurement?