RECENT NEWS

The financial performance of acute hospital Trusts has significantly declined in the last year and their financial position looks set to worsen in 2016, according to the National Audit Office.

New guidelines for alcohol consumption, produced by the UK Chief Medical Officers, warn that drinking any level of alcohol increases the risk of a range of cancers. This is supported by a new review from the Committee on Carcinogenicity (CoC) on alcohol and cancer risk.

While a recent report has ranked end of life care in the UK as the best in the world, there are areas where care can be improved and made more consistent.

Patients may benefit from using a package of technology, education and support from clinicians (called ‘supported self-care’) to empower them to manage their health needs more effectively at home, a new report suggests.

The world’s first guidelines for chronic fungal lung infections for doctors and laboratories have been published by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).

Almost 700,000 new cases of cancer linked to being overweight or obese could be diagnosed in the UK during the next 20 years, according to a new report from Cancer Research UK and the UK Health Forum.

Patients on 10 or more prescribed drugs are at greater risk of prescribing errors.

The Royal Stoke University Hospital is the first NHS hospital with a fully Pod-fitted bay.

BAPEN has announced the launch of a new Malnutrition Self-Screening Tool designed to help combat malnutrition.

NICE has set new standards for hospitals to ensure people who have acute heart failure are seen by a specialist heart failure team within 24 hours of being admitted.

Tim Sandle’s latest book, Pharmaceutical Microbiology: Essentials for Quality Assurance and Quality Controlpresents the latest information on protecting pharmaceutical and healthcare products from spoilage by microorganisms, and protecting patients and consumers.

Industry consolidator Surgical Instrument Group Holdings (SIGH) and Caterham Surgical Supplies have been appointed exclusive UK distributors for the DelacroixChevalier range of Cardio Thoracic Instruments.

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID) – an organisation that explores risk assessment, knowledge sharing and best practices in the fight against infectious disease – is calling on the healthcare industry to lead by example and implement universal flu vaccination for healthcare workers.

Alzheimer’s Research UK has welcomed a plan to fund a Dementia Research Institute in the UK, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron.

A new report identifies more than £200 million of annual savings for health and social care services through simple steps to tackle the nation’s multi-billion pound malnutrition burden.

A study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that idiopathic pancreatitis is often caused by small gallstones that are difficult to observe prior to surgery.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has called on surgeons and hospitals to prepare for changes that aim to drive up standards of care in cosmetic surgery.

The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended the extension of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme to men who have sex with men (MSM) aged up to 45 years.

Doctors may soon be able to pinpoint those most at risk of prolonged and serious symptoms of concussion using a simple blood test.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued its first guideline on the use of transfusions in adults, children and young people to ensure they are used only when necessary.