RECENT NEWS

More research training will be offered to nurses, midwives and allied health professionals as a result of a new strategy launched by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

Seventy four charities including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Epilepsy Society and the Spinal Injuries Association will get a share of more than £6.8 million to test and develop innovative approaches to improve health and wellbeing, Care Services Minister Paul Burstow has announced.

NICE has published a new quality standard and guidance on patient experience in adult NHS services. The new standard includes ensuring that patients are given the opportunity to discuss their health beliefs, concerns and preferences in order to personalise their care. It also states that patients have their physical needs (such as nutrition, hydration, personal hygiene and pain relief) and psychological concerns (such as fear and anxiety) assessed.

The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) has announced details of an inspirational career day for healthcare professionals at all levels aiming to make their mark in a competitive job market. The AfPP Perioperative Career Day takes place on 10 May 2012 at Old Trafford, Manchester, as part of the charity’s annual Perioperative Week, and offers an opportunity to pick up tips and advice from continuing professional development (CPD) experts.

The Department of Health has announced three appointments to its senior team.

A three-year follow-up study has shown that an alternate treatment for obstructed arteries in the leg may be warranted. The results are from a clinical trial comparing primary nitinol stent implantation with balloon angioplasty. This examination of the study provides a long-term assessment of the two procedures, which is favorable for the primary stent.

Earlier diagnosis of a rare condition and better coordinated care will help improve the quality of life for people with rare diseases and their families, according to the first ever UK plan on rare diseases, published for consultation by the Department of Health. The consultation document recommends using specialist centres to make exact diagnosis – this will make sure people are treated earlier and in some cases this could save lives.

A family of proteins named after Popeye play an essential role in allowing the heart to respond to stress, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The finding could help scientists develop new treatments for abnormal heart rhythms.

A new report, published by Age UK and the National Osteoporosis Society, says that thousands of hospital admissions for falls and fractures among older people could be prevented by better, more integrated care. Almost 90,000 hospital admissions a year are currently caused by falls and fractures – primarily in older people.

A new prospective cohort study among 42,659 participants suggests that coffee consumption may be linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

A comment authored by two Royal College of Physicians' special advisers on alcohol, Sir Ian Gilmore and Dr Nick Sheron, and colleagues from the British Society of Gastroenterology, provides the latest projections on alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales over the next two decades.

Trailblazing nurses who have advanced frontline care are to be recognised in a national awards ceremony. Welch Allyn is seeking nurses to be nominated for their ‘Pioneers of Care Award’, which will be presented at the Florence Nightingale Museum on 15 June, 2012.

A potential new blood thinning treatment to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (a common form of irregular heartbeat) could have fewer dangerous sideeffects than the traditional treatment, warfarin.

A new focus on improving care for children and young people will be unveiled later this year, Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has announced. The Children’s and Young People’s outcomes strategy will focus the health service on improving health results for children, including those needing primary, hospital and urgent care, and children with long-term conditions.

A new family of proteins which regulate the human body’s hypoxic response to low levels of oxygen has been discovered by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary, University of London and The University of Nottingham.

A major University study which led to long-term reductions in the number of antibiotic prescriptions byWelsh GPs could see ‘unnecessary’ prescriptions cut by 1.6 million per year, if replicated across the UK.

If there is a difference in blood pressure between a patient’s right and left arm, they may be at greater risk of dying from heart and circulatory disease, according to a new study.

Cancer Research Technology, the commercial arm of Cancer Research UK, has launched Acublate, a spin-out company which will develop a nextgeneration High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) surgery device to treat a range of solid tumour types.

Patients’ ratings of hospitals tally with objective measures of the hospital’s performance, according to an independent study published in Archives of Internal Medicine. Since 2008, patients have been able to post comments on and rate hospitals using the NHS Choices website, in the same way as they might rate a hotel on Tripadvisor.

Perioperative practitioners are being urged to submit their applications for this year’s Hilda Winifred Mears Award to be in with a chance of winning £1,000 towards a trip overseas as a medical volunteer.