RECENT NEWS

Head and neck cancer patients are receiving variable levels of support and treatment choice across England and Wales, according to a new national audit.

A report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that, although there was a surplus of £2.1 billion across the NHS, as a whole, in 2011-12, Trusts are also experiencing financial distress.

A survey by Cancer Research UK has revealed there is widespread ignorance about smoking-related cancers among the UK public.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, has launched a new Europe-wide safety website, designed to help healthcare organisations improve healthcare worker safety and comply with impending legislation on sharps injury prevention.

David Behan CBE, director general of social care, local government and care partnerships at the Department of Health, has announced his departure to take up the role of chief executive at the Care Quality Commission.

CareFusion has announced the acquisition of UK Medical Limited, a leading distributor of medical products to the NHS and private healthcare sector in the UK.

A diabetes education charity has hit out at claims that structured diabetes education programmes fail to show results in patients. X-Pert Health, which offers six-week education programmes to people living with diabetes, responded to claims in a major study based on the outcomes for people who attended a one-day DESMOND course.

A survey published by the Office for National Statistics has reported significant differences in the quality of care experienced according to the age of patient at death, cause of death and place of death – with hospital care lagging behind hospice care.

An audit of UK laparoscopic surgery has revealed that while 49% of operating theatres meet sufficient equipment standards, only 15% of theatres meet the highest levels of equipment safety and design.

Following the Medical Device Alert Ref: MDA/2012/024 issued on the 09 May 2012 with regard to the use of inappropriate accessory holders within automated endoscope reprocessors (AER) that may lead to contamination of devices, equipment and processing media by retained soil and corroded material from the endoscope accessory holder.

This year’s congress will focus on the impact of economic and political influences on the perioperative environment and how practitioners can manage that change whilst still maintaining patient care and safety.

Public satisfaction with the way the NHS runs fell from 70% in 2010 to 58% in 2011, according to British Social Attitudes Survey data published by The King’s Fund.

Hospices are to benefit from up to £60 million of funding to help improve the quality of care for people nearing the end of their lives.

The number of drug resistant cases of TB continues to rise with 431 reports in 2011, up from 342 in 2010 – an increase of 26%, according to the latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Specialist neuroscience hospital, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, has expanded its outreach services with a new satellite clinic in Merseyside. The new, consultant-led neurology clinic is the latest in a series of initiatives by The Walton Centre aimed at taking specialist neurology services closer to patients’ homes.

Bayer HealthCare’s oral anticoagulant tablet Xarelto (rivaroxaban) has been recommended for NHS use in final guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) with one or more risk factors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has announced data from a long-term follow-up study (PERSIST) which shows significant improvements in lung function, respiratory symptoms and weight gain among people treated with Kalydeco. The study enrolled people with cystic fibrosis (CF) with at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

Research conducted by the University of Ulster and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reveals a new link between vitamin B2 and curbing high blood pressure.

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has launched a new toolkit to help hospitals look at the quality of care they provide through the eyes of patients and relatives, helping them to hear and see what good looks like. The 15 Steps Challenge helps hospitals to gain an understanding of how patients feel about the care provided and how high levels of confidence can be built for staff. It helps Trusts to understand and identify the key components of high quality care that are important to patients and carers from their first contact with a hospital ward.

Almost a third (30%) of UK young adults are only prepared to be tested for Chlamydia through a totally discreet method, such as remote testing via a postal kit, and only 32% are also happy to visit a sexual health clinic for Chlamydia screening, according to a new report from MindMetre Research.