RECENT NEWS

A new report, published by the Royal College of Physicians on behalf of the IBD audit programme,into the use of biological therapies to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), has found that new biosimilar medicines, which work in the same way as the more expensive existing treatments, are safe and effective for patients and, if adopted, can halve the cost of treatment.

Government ministers and NHS leaders should set out a definitive plan for expanding the use of digital technology in the health service, according to a new briefing published by The King’s Fund.

A new report from independent research organisation Mind Metre has summarised the evidence for return-on-investment from pathology services in the NHS and questioned any urgent pressure to consolidate pathology laboratories –within and between NHS Trusts.

Kidney Research UK has highlighted the need for more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) organ donors – new figures released for 2015/16 indicate that BAME patients waiting for kidney transplantation has risen to 33% of all patients, yet only 5.8% of the organ donation register is made up of people from minority ethnic communities

Despite the current short-term funding crisis in the NHS, and constant speculation about the need for alternative sources of funding for healthcare (such as an insurance-based system or 'top-up' fees for patients), the amount the National Health Service is projected to cost the UK in the long term continues to be affordable through general taxation, say experts at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank.

An important update to national guidance on the management of asthma has been launched with a major focus on supporting health professionals to make accurate diagnoses and provide effective treatments to control asthma and prevent life-threatening asthma attacks.

The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) has published new Standards in patient monitoring (Recommendations for standards of monitoring during anaesthesia and recovering 2016), and calls for all hospitals to work towards using capnography for all anaesthetist-led sedation to improve patient safety.

A Cancer Research UK study has found that cervical screening prevents 70% of cervical cancer deaths and if all eligible women regularly attended screening this would rise to 83%.

At the UN General Assembly, world leaders have committed to taking a broad, coordinated approach to address the root causes of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across multiple sectors, especially human health, animal health and agriculture.

GSK has announced the publication of detailed results from a randomised phase III study (ZOE-70) of its investigational shingles vaccine, Shingrix, showing high efficacy in adults aged 70 years and older that is maintained for at least four years

The GBUK Group has announced the acquisition of the Intervene Group, adding Intervene’s Enteralok, Surety, ENFit Dash3, NRFit Dash6 and BP Cuffs product ranges to the GBUK Group portfolio.

Fibertech Medical UK, part of the Avensys UK Group, has opened a new British-owned, state-of-the-art endoscopy workshop – perfectly located, centrally in the Midlands, with the aim of ensuring a rapid turnaround for equipment repair.

Medical device educators and trainers are healthcare professionals who work to, promote the care and safety of patients, staff and carers, by ensuring that users of medical devices are fully equipped to safely use technology in the fulfilment of their clinical functions.

This year’s Health and Care Innovation Expo, sponsored by HIMSS-UK, focused on innovation and technology in the heath sector, and its role in the improved care of patients and the delivery of the NHS Five Year Forward View.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have launched a pioneering project to tackle crippling bone pain suffered by thousands of cancer patients.

NHS Providers has called on national health chiefs and political leaders to: ‘acknowledge publicly that the NHS can no longer deliver what is being asked of it for the funding available’. Writing in the Observer, NHS Providers chief executive, Chris Hopson, said:

Hospital deaths from the most common form of pneumonia decreased by 14% between 2009 and 2015 according to new research published online in Thorax, the journal of the British Thoracic Society (BTS.)

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) are concerned that patient safety is being put at risk because testing of the clinical English language skills of dentists, doctors and nurses from the European Economic Area (EEA) is insufficient due to EU rules.

Unmanageable caseloads and shortages of staff in district nursing services are compromising quality of care for some patients according to a new report from The King’s Fund.

Umotif and the Picker Institute have partnered to create a new healthcare app. Used effectively, the digital platform supports patients to better manage their own care – potentially reducing hospital readmissions rates and improving emergency services in the process.