FEATURE ARTICLES

Microbial contamination of the hospital environment is unavoidable and increasingly is becoming recognised as a key risk factor for healthcare-associated infection (HCAI).

When the new Alder Hey Children’s Hospital opens this year the hand sanitiser of choice throughout the facility will be an alcohol-free hand rub. The Clinical Services Journal looks at why the infection prevention and control team made this decision.

GLEN JOHNSON provides an insight into how ambulatory care can relieve pressure on the acute sector, while improving patient experience and quality of life for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Staff are still being put at risk of bloodborne viruses through sharps injury, according the latest ‘Eye of the Needle’ report.

Drawing on analysis of the latest data on GP services and the results of a separate survey of over 100 influential health and social care leaders, the Nuffield Trust argues that general practice is in need of both more money and significant reform to enable it to meet the challenges set out by NHS England in its recent Five Year Forward View.

At the Institute of Decontamination Sciences annual conference, held in Blackpool, endoscope decontamination was high on the agenda. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Healthcare is on the verge of a revolution, especially as miniaturised digital technology, more powerful computing and an attitude change converge and reshape the way we deal with health issues – even in times of austerity.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS reports on the latest thought-provoking Reith Lectures, which discuss key issues of patient care and safety.

A report commissioned by the Department of Health (DH) has highlighted the significant costs of unsafe care – prompting the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to remind healthcare providers that ‘good care costs less’. At the same time, a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that many Trusts require improvement in patient safety.

The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, recently announced measures to make sepsis a priority – giving it the same importance as C. difficile and MRSA, where rates have virtually halved since 2010. Improvement projects are already underway at some Trusts – if best practice is adopted on a national scale, thousands of lives could be saved. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

In the current economic climate, ensuring medical imaging technology keeps pace with the latest advances can prove a challenge. Suppliers report an increase in demand for mobile and relocatable solutions, as Trusts are seeking flexible options to increase capacity and replace ageing equipment, without financial risk. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

‘True Point-of-Care Testing’ was the subject of discussion at the annual congress of The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI). The seminar considered the challenges of maintaining control of patient physiology in the ICU. GAVIN TROUGHTON provides an overview of the presentation.

The recent Infection Prevention 2014 Conference featured a series of presentations by NHS hospital representatives that demonstrate improving infection control practices and patient management, through the use of a variety of bioburden management solutions – from the decontamination of ward areas, patient isolation, and wound care.

The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference recently took place at the BT Convention Centre in Liverpool, showcasing the latest basic, translational and clinical cancer research – from therapeutic and diagnostic advances, to new findings on risk factors.

From a ‘sterilisation sleeve’ designed to reduce surgical site infection, to a safer, more accurate biopsy method for detecting prostate cancer, NHS staff are being helped to translate innovative ideas into practical solutions.

A recent report from The King’s Fund has found that specialist knowledge is too concentrated in hospitals, to the detriment of those patients whose increasingly complex needs should be treated closer to home.

Work is underway to drive the adoption and spread of innovation across all areas of healthcare provision and population health. New networks have been established to support a variety of projects that could have national and international significance.

The most recent United European Gastroenterology (UEG) event, which took place in October in Vienna, considered the health consequences and the burden of digestive health across Europe. It also offered an opportunity to share the latest GI-related thinking. SUZANNE CALLANDER reports.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on the first four Future Hospital Development sites and finds out how they are working towards the goal of bringing specialist medical care closer to the patient.

Procurement has been highlighted as one of the challenges facing the NHS during a period of austerity. The NHS Supply Chain believes it can help optimise the value Trusts get from non-pay spend, as well as helping develop Trusts’ procurement capability and the drive for greater collaboration and greater transparency.