RECENT NEWS

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has announced an agreement to sell 50.1% of its Respiratory Solutions business to funds advised by Apax Partners, a leading global private equity firm, and form a joint venture that will operate as a new, independent company.

Dame Eileen Sills has announced her resignation from her role as the National Guardian for speaking up safely within the NHS.

Research undertaken at the University of Surrey has led to the development of the world’s first 3D printed ‘Sneezeometer’, an airflow sensor or ‘spirometer’ that is sensitive enough to measure the speed of a sneeze.

In a study of 3879 patients who underwent radical cystectomy to treat bladder cancer, 3.6% were diagnosed with a venous thromboembolism (VTE), which occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein, potentially breaking loose and traveling to the lung – within one month of their surgical admission date.

Scientists at the University of Brighton have shown viruses that can kill bacteria may be used to combat common infections related to the use of medical devices such as catheters.

Acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI) can be successfully treated with endovascular therapy such as balloon angioplasty, according to research from the University of Eastern Finland.

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) has launched a major new study to probe the level, and effectiveness of, stop smoking services provided in NHS hospitals across UK.

The latest NHS Staff Survey has revealed that staff engagement has improved continuously over the last five years and the majority of staff (69%) agreed or strongly agreed that they would be happy with the standard of care their organisation provided if a friend or relative needed treatment. Most staff (80%) agreed that they were ‘able to do their job to a standard they were personally pleased with’.

Aspen Healthcare, the operator of four private acute hospitals, two cancer centres and three ambulatory day surgery centres, has extended its investment in Datix software to support the organisation’s updated quality governance framework.

An online decision support tool, providing specialist diagnostic advice for paediatricians, GPs and nurses, along with other healthcare professionals, will ensure children get the right treatment at the earliest opportunity – preventing delays in care and potentially reducing avoidable child deaths.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued Technology Appraisal Guidance (TAG) for Lynparza (olaparib), recommending it as a cost-effective option for women with platinum-sensitive relapsed (PSR) BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) high-grade serous ovarian cancer who have had three or more courses of platinum-based chemotherapy

The NHS in England risks its traditionally poorer levels of performance in winter becoming the norm in summer, reveals an extensive analysis of the last five years of data by leading health charities the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation.

Patients first diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer will now get immediate access to a drug which studies have shown can extend their life by more than a year compared to current options, NHS England has announced.

The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey for 2015 reports a five percentage point fall in satisfaction with the National Health Service compared to 2014, according to data published by The King’s Fund.

A Lancashire company has been awarded nearly £100,000 to develop a system to prevent older patients falling from their beds. Lancaster-based Rinicare has received £99,694 through the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare).

Eastwood Park Training has agreed a formal partnership with ECRI Institute. These two renowned healthcare organisations will be working closely together to improve effective asset management and maintenance of hospital medical devices, supporting each business’s ultimate mission for continued improved and effective patient safety.

Public Health England (PHE) has announced that rubella (German measles) susceptibility screening in pregnancy will end in England on 1 April 2016. The decision to stop screening follows a review of evidence by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) in 2003 and 2012.

Nuffield Health, working together with Royal Philips has announced the opening of a state-ofthe-art diagnostic suite to provide imaging and wellbeing services to the people of Manchester.

A census of consultant physicians and higher specialty trainees has shown that there are significant concerns around filling gaps in trainee rotas, prompting fears over the impact on patient care.

The Infection Prevention Society (IPS), in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has launched a revised Infection Prevention and Control Commissioning Toolkit.