RECENT NEWS

The latest information provided by the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) continues to misinform, say the authors of a report published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Research at Imperial College London, examining influenza transmission in ferrets, suggests that the virus can be passed on before the appearance of symptoms.

A total of 1,047 cases of whooping cough in England and Wales were reported to the HPA in July 2012, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 3,523.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of unexplained infant deaths has reached an all-time low.

Over 75,000 people signed a Royal College of Midwives’ petition for 5,000 more midwives and have called on the Government to take action to recruit more midwives.

Around one-in-10 new trainees received one or fewer days’ shadowing before starting work this year, according to a survey of around 1,700 foundation doctor 1s (F1s).

Carotid endarterectomy is a preventative surgical procedure to correct narrowing in the internal carotid artery.

Twelve million pounds is to be invested in upgrading breast screening equipment across Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s £30 million Detect Cancer Early programme, which aims to increase the early detection of cancer by 25%.

An estimated 460,000 hospital admissions in 2010/11, among people aged 35 and over, were due to smoking. This is the equivalent of 1,260 admissions a day – representing one-in- 20 of all admissions to hospital in 2010/11.

Conferences, exhibitions and training courses are available to support knowledge sharing and continuous professional development (CPD), covering a broad range of subjects of interest to all professionals working in health and social care.

Two in three severely obese children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease, new research shows. The study findings revealed 67% of 307 severely obese children had at least one risk factor for heart disease.

The latest research has shown that giving polypills to people aged over 50 can help to reduce blood cholesterol and blood pressure – two common risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.

People with dementia are facing wide variations in the time it takes to receive a diagnosis, an influential group of MPs and peers have revealed.

The risk of a heart attack may be increased shortly after total hip or knee replacement surgery, according to research. A Danish study followed patients who had undergone joint replacement surgery.

NHS staff had a sickness absence rate of 4.12% in 2011/12 – slightly lower than in the previous two years.

Bowel cancer patients whose disease was found through screening have a better chance of beating their disease than those diagnosed after developing symptoms, new research shows.

Birmingham researchers have shown that a specialised drug prescribing system could help prevent a repetition of the notorious 2002 killings of elderly patients by nurse Colin Norris.

NICE has published the first menu of 44 new proposed indicators recommended by the Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF) Advisory Committee.

The National Audit Office has published a report highlighting key trends and variations in the delivery of healthcare across the four nations of the UK.

The new chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has been confirmed as Mark Addison.