FEATURE ARTICLES

The IDSc conference and exhibition takes place at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool, from 26-28 November 2007. The emphasis will be on ensuring the quality of decontamination processes is equal across all healthcare sectors.

DEBBIE LEE RN DipN CIM MBA director of Healthcare Standards International, examines the implications of advances in genetic research for healthcare workers – both ethical and clinical.

Health Minister Lord Darzi’s latest interim report: “Our NHS, Our Future” has outlined a number of key initiatives including a £100 million scheme to accelerate innovation and the introduction of MRSA screening for all admissions. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

Using maggots as a means to heal wounds and prevent infection is nothing new. In fact they have been in use since the time of the Napoleonic wars, as BARRY HILL discovered when he spoke to one MP determined to champion their healing powers.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published its latest guidelines for doctors and midwives. The Clinical Services Journal provides an overview.

The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) annual congress and exhibition recently took place at Harrogate. With surgery in primary care becoming increasingly common and significant changes afoot in the role of PCTs, the conference looked at the major impact this will have on perioperative practitioners in acute hospitals. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

The Infection Control Nurses Association’s annual infection control conference and exhibition recently took place at the Brighton Centre. Sponsored by Osprey Deep Clean, the event tackled issues such as hand hygiene, antibiotic prescribing and strategies for changing behaviour. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Sir Derek Wanless has outlined deep concerns as well as successes in his latest review of the NHS. He warns that high levels of funding will be required over the next 20 years unless the issues of productivity and unhealthy lifestyles are addressed. The Clinical Services Journal provides an overview of his key findings.

JAMES FAIRLEY, a consultant ENT surgeon, responds to an article on Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS) which featured in The Clinical Services Journal (“A Revolution in radiology: diagnosis at a distance”, September 2007) with an alternative viewpoint. He gives a personal account of his experience of IT implementation and outlines his concerns.

More needs be done to improve cancer treatment and care, according to Professor MIKE RICHARDS, national cancer director. The Clinical Services Journal outlines his recommendations which will provide the foundations for the development of new cancer reform.

Gene therapy for a form of blindness, called Leber’s congenital amaurosis, is now being tested on human volunteers after proving successful in earlier animal trials. Researchers hope this will eventually lead to a breakthrough in other forms of sight conditions and even pave the way for gene therapy in more complex organs. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

The UK currently lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and needs to catch up. Potentially assisting will be significant breakthroughs that could make clinical analysis quicker, easier and more cost-effective. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

New guidelines have been published to improve the quality and safety of care of acutely ill patients. The Clinical Services Journal provides an overview of the recommendations.

Faced with increasing numbers of obese patients presenting for surgery, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland has issued guidance on appropriate perioperative management for these cases. The Clinical Services Journal provides an insight into the recommendations.

A conference on prostate cancer research recently took place at the Royal Society of Medicine in association with The Prostate Cancer Charity and The Prostate Cancer Charter for Action. Some of the issues discussed included the case for screening, the risk of over treatment and the need for more clinical trials. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Complete integration of all hospital information systems is improving diagnostic decisions and patient care at the AZ Imelda hospital in Belgium. The latest cardiology solution, from Agfa, allowed cardiological patient data to be centralised and integrated into the hospital’s archiving system.

The Queen Mary’s University Hospital in Roehampton recently held an event to improve efficiency through a concept first introduced by Japanese car makers. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

GRAHAM JOHNSON, a specialist practitioner in occupational health nursing, discusses the importance of double gloving in the operating theatre in order to protect healthcare professionals, their careers and their families.

BUPA Hospitals has recently become independent of the BUPA Group, having been sold to private equity group Cinven. Pushing standards of private healthcare provision to new heights, and growth, will be the prime goals of the hospital organisation, newly named Spire Healthcare, its director of clinical services Dr JJ de Gorter tells NICHOLAS MARSHALL.

Philippe Grange, a consultant at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has firm views on the barriers to widespread adoption of innovative laparoscopic approaches, the role of robot technology and the need to address conservative training. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.