RECENT NEWS

NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a new NHS Organ Donor Register to meet the needs of the 21st century, with more options for those who join, while still ensuring the process is as quick and easy as possible.

Smith & Nephew has announced a partnership with Scopis GmbH, the German developer and manufacturer of surgical navigation systems, as the exclusive distributor of Scopis TGS Target Guided Surgery system in the UK, Ireland and Belgium.

Figures published by the BMA show that the vast majority of consultants never have time off to rest before treating patients after a busy night on call.

The Secretary of State has announced a move to a single leader of Monitor and the Trust Development Authority (TDA).

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has ordered a ‘clampdown’ on spending on staffing agencies and management consultancy contracts as part of a package of measures to cut costs.

NHS England, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and the University of Bristol have announced the world’s first national programme to review – and ultimately reduce – premature deaths of people with learning disabilities.

A new Faculty of Physician Associates has been launched. The UK Association of Physician Associates (UKAPA), the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Health Education England (HEE), in conjunction with other medical royal colleges, have been working together over the past two years to set up the faculty.

The latest Census of consultant physicians in the UK produced by the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, highlights support for plans for a sevenday-service. Surveyed before the recent announcement on the plans by David Cameron, 68% of consultant physicians stated they would ‘in principle’ support the plan.

A report has highlighted alarming variations in access to emergency bowel surgery that are resulting in patients dying unnecessarily.

A new Cochrane systematic review of surgery for stress urinary incontinence has recently been published, with the aim of providing women with more information to make informed choices.

The Global Fund, an organisation dedicated to overcoming AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, has selected Abbott as one of seven diagnostic companies to help provide affordable, highquality infectious disease testing to low and middle income countries.

The GMC has published new draft guidance for doctors who carry out any type of cosmetic procedure. The public and doctors have an opportunity to comment on these draft guidelines which are out for consultation until 1st September, 2015.

Researchers have devised a breath test that can help doctors diagnose the early signs of oesophageal and gastric cancer. The test has produced encouraging results in a clinical study, and will now be tested in a larger trial involving three hospitals in London.

The experiences of almost 19,000 children and young people who stayed in hospital overnight or were seen as a day patient reveal that the majority of children and young people said they were happy with the care received, thought staff did everything possible to control their pain and they understood the information given to them by staff. However, children with physical or learning disabilities, or mental health needs reported poorer experiences of care than those without.

Laboratory produced red blood cells are set to be transfused into humans by 2017, NHS Blood and Transplant has announced. The landmark in-man clinical trials of manufactured blood form a key part of the blood and organ service’s 2020 Research and Development programme.

The Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak in West Africa mutated at a similar rate to previous outbreaks, according to a new international study led by Public Health England (PHE) and published in Nature.

DMI is a privately owned UK supplier of disposable medical instruments, able to provide a dedicated, bespoke service.

HYGIENA INTERNATIONAL manufactures and sells rapid hygiene detection systems to measure cleanliness and risk, that are proven and well established. The patient environment is a reservoir for pathogens and HCAI bring added cost and misery.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for the disclosure of results from clinical trials for medical products, whatever the result. The move aims to ensure that decisions related to the safety and efficacy of vaccines, drugs and medical devices are supported by the best available evidence.

The main drugs used to treat alcoholic hepatitis are not effective at increasing patients’ survival, a major study has found. In a trial of over 1,000 patients, prednisolone and pentoxifylline, treatments recommended in international guidelines, did not achieve a statistically significant reduction in mortality after 28 days, 90 days or a year.