RECENT NEWS

The Auditor General has released a report on operating theatres in Wales, and concluded that there is ‘considerable scope to improve theatre utilisation, reduce late starts and minimise cancellations’.

Dr Bill Kirkup CBE has been appointed by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to lead investigations for some of the most serious and complex cases brought to the Ombudsman by members of the public, such as avoidable harm and deaths.

A new best practice pathway for the use of non-oral treatments in Parkinson’s has been devised by clinicians to make the referral process for these therapies more explicit.

People working in the NHS who raise concerns about the safety or quality of patient care will be supported wherever in the NHS they work, under the new standardised national whistleblowing policy.

Up to 100,000 people in England will be offered places on a nationwide programme to stop them developing Type 2 diabetes. Healthier You: the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme will start this year with a first wave of 27 areas covering 26 million people, half of the population, and making up to 20,000 places available.

NHS England has launched a healthcare incentive scheme for hospitals, family doctors and other health service providers to prevent the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

The Government and national leaders need a radical new approach to inspire an NHS workforce that is too often stressed, stretched and disaffected, according to a new report published by the Health Foundation.

Speaking at an event to mark International Women’s Day, a leading surgeon has warned that the quality of care patients receive could be affected – unless society and the medical profession do more to attract women into surgery.

This year’s varied programme at ‘Completing the Picture’ will address the productivity and patient safety challenges that the NHS faces over the next 5 years, and how digital technology and medical devices will be essential in overcoming many of the issues.

A survey of over 200 healthcare professionals working in UK hospitals has revealed that over two thirds (65%) are completely confident or have no concerns about the reputation of the hospital they work in; while 17% of respondents said they were concerned or very concerned about their hospital’s reputation.

Details have been announced for ‘Completing the Picture’ 2016, an annual educational symposium for healthcare professionals who use, manage, maintain or purchase medical devices

The National Performance Advisory Group, a trading division of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, will be hosting a clinical engineering conference on 13 September 2016, at the Holiday Inn, Stratford upon Avon.

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’.