FEATURE ARTICLES

Training of decontamination staff is vital for patient safety, but can also have other key benefits – including boosting morale and enhancing the overall performance of the department.

Last year, the Nuffield Trust warned that the domestic training pipeline for clinical careers is ‘unfit for purpose’ – with too many staff dropping out of training and leaving their NHS careers. Now, the Royal College of Nursing is highlighting issues with recruitment too.

New research, presented at a major cardiology congress, is set to inform best practice in cardiovascular care, with the aim of improving outcomes and reducing mortality. The Clinical Services Journal highlights some key findings.

A report published by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) previously highlighted the dangers of incorrect patient information. Sean Kelly & Dan Johnston argue that establishing a digital identity strategy for clinicians, devices and patients will usher in a safer and more efficient workflow.

Nick Collier highlights the need for innovation in sample collection, to overcome key human factors challenges, and to ultimately improve point of care diagnostics.

Gerry Lacey discusses the changes in emphasis that are being driven in the US by the Leapfrog Group Hand Hygiene Standard and the lessons that can be learned in the UK

Basildon Hospital is using calprotectin home testing to support IBD patients. Kezia Allen, Associate Practitioner, Clinical Trials, Basildon Hospital, reveals the feedback from patients who are using calprotectin tests, as well as some key considerations for the Trust.

Virtual Wards are a crucial part of NHS plans to increase capacity and tackle the increasing operational pressures facing the NHS. But what is a Virtual Ward? What benefits will they deliver? Furthermore, how well is the NHS doing in delivering on its ambition for Virtual Wards? Tracey Barr provides an insight.

Smart phone technology is being implemented by UK hospitals for preoperative assessment, as well as remotely monitoring patients’ wounds. The Clinical Services Journal spoke to Chris Taylor, a director at Isla, to find out how the technology could help improve perioperative care.

Dr. Jimmy Walker, chair of the Central Sterilising Club, provides an insight into what the 2024 Annual Scientific Conference has to offer. He reveals that delegates will be “in for a big surprise”.

Following an inquiry into Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diagnostics has published its first report, highlighting the benefits of the programme, as well as its concerns. This article provides an overview of the report findings, highlights CDCs’ efforts to tackle the backlog, and looks at the role of investment in MedTech in driving efficiency.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS explains why surgical site infection surveillance is an important element of practice development. She looks at the latest data and discusses the frameworks for best practice

2024 is a key moment in history for Wassenburg Medical. The company will be celebrating its 40-year anniversary in business. Having designed the world’s first automated endoscope reprocessor, the company continues to drive innovation.

As delays for elective surgery continue to grow nationally, compounded by the winter pressures being experienced by most Trusts and health boards, Chris Blackwell-Frost speaks with key people at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, about how they established a surgical hub for elective orthopaedic surgery in a Vanguard mobile laminar flow theatre.

For chronic pain patients, pain will always be a part of their life. No effort for pain modulation is 100% curative for these patients, which means a careful balance of support needs to be considered. Liza Tharakan, Consultant in Pain Medicine and Anaesthesia and Lead Clinician for the Chronic Pain Service at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, discusses the role of art in holistic pain management for chronic pain patients.

In this exclusive interview, DePuy Synthes UK’s General Manager, Gavin Meadows outlines his priorities for 2024. Patient outcomes, efficiency, and supporting diverse talent are top of his agenda.

Sean Gaffney says that the use of digitalised blood glucose monitoring systems can streamline diabetes care for those living with the condition, their caregivers and healthcare providers. He provides an insight into how the financial burden of diabetes on the healthcare system could be reduced through the use of connectivity.

The latest Annual Report from the Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) scheme has been published, once again collecting and analysing anonymised information on serious adverse events and reactions in blood transfusion from all healthcare organisations. Victoria Tuckley and Simon Carter-Graham summarise its key points and recommendations, with the aim of learning lessons and improving patient safety

Central to achieving the NHS’s long-standing ambitions for digital transformation will be interoperability, says Jon Pickering. He provides an insight into how technology can drive significant clinical efficiencies

Patrick Grover provides an insight into how focal radiation treatments have transformed the management of challenging brain tumours in recent decades, providing safer options for patients.