RECENT NEWS

UK researchers creating new vaccines for epidemic diseases such as Zika and Ebola are among the winners of £22 million of funding, announced by the Department of Health.

BSI, the business standards company, has published PAS 1616, Healthcare – Provision of clinical services – Specification, in association with the Clinical Services Accreditation Alliance (CSAA) to help clinical services providers deliver efficient services which are good value for money.

Tracking the locations of their McKinley T34 syringe drivers with Harland Simon’s RFID Discovery has enabled NHS Forth Valley to improve utilisation of these specialist pumps and avoid a capital cost of £50,000 to purchase additional devices.

The medical journal Mayo ClinicProceedings has published new insulin delivery recommendations for healthcare professionals caring for insulin-using patients, including the results from the largest injection technique survey ever performed for people with diabetes.

EDAP TMS has announced the results of a study using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for localised prostate cancer which demonstrates promising oncologic outcomes with low side effects.

The National Quality Board (NQB) has published a new framework that will promote improved quality criteria across all national health organisations.

A brain implant has been placed in a patient enabling her to operate a speech computer with her mind.

Alcohol will cause around 135,000 cancer deaths over the next 20 years and will cost the NHS an estimated £2 billion in treatments, according to estimates from a new report by Sheffield University, commissioned by Cancer Research UK.

The latest stroke audit results for April-July 2016 reveal that 42 (18%) of all inpatient stroke services in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland achieved an ‘A’ score indicating a world class stroke service, with a further 59 teams (26%) achieving a ‘B’ score.

A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman says that people who complain to the NHS are often denied the answers they need, leaving them no choice but to bring their complaints to the Ombudsman’s service.

New whistleblowing guidance has been drawn up following a five-week consultation with staff working in primary care.

Cancer Research UK has announced the largest investment to date into its network of Centres across the UK. £190 million has been committed to 13 Cancer Research UK Centres over the next five years.

The traditional surgical workforce is changing and the roles undertaken by non-medical practitioners have subsequently adapted to become an integral part of the modern surgical team.

A network to run clinical trials could make finding new antibiotics cheaper and more efficient, according to a report from the Wellcome Trust.

On 22 November, eighty decontamination technicians and reprocessing staff joined together for a British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) study day, at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.

Pathology services in the UK are struggling to cope with the increasing number of patient samples that need to be tested, according to a Cancer Research UK report.

A study shows the NHS and other EU healthcare systems are facing a dramatic crisis unless something is done to bridge the radiology capacity gap in the short, medium and long term.

The first-ever consensus document highlighting the important role of dressings in pressure ulcer prevention has been launched in the UK.

The British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) has invested in updating its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) website and it is now live (www.bapen.org.uk/e-learning-portal)

A new quality standard published by NICE says that GPs should urgently refer people with suspected malignant melanoma for an appointment and sets out the key areas where skin cancer services need to improve.