RECENT NEWS

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is calling for all people with long-term conditions to get their medicines free of charge because the current system unfairly discriminates between patients and can cause financial hardship to those on low incomes who pay for their prescriptions.

Research is under way to show how brain and spine patients at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust are benefiting from new ways of using a state-of-the art CT scanner.

In response to the Francis report, the Government is launching plans to ensure that patients are always put first and people are treated with respect. Patients First and Foremost sets out a collective commitment and plan of action for the whole health and care system and everyone who works in it.

In response to the Francis report, the Government is launching plans to ensure that patients are always put first and people are treated with respect. Patients First and Foremost sets out a collective commitment and plan of action for the whole health and care system and everyone who works in it.

Figures at the heart of the Francis inquiry will address the UK’s largest gathering of patient safety experts, at this year's Patient Safety Congress.

People with dementia are still not receiving care that meets their needs because health and adult social care services are struggling to cope, according to the latest Care Update produced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which is based on over 20,000 inspections carried out between 1 April and 31 December 2012.

The Institute of Diabetes for Older People (IDOP) has launched the European Diabetes Working Party for Older People 2011 Clinical Guidelines for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (EDWPOP), aimed at supporting clinical decisions and improving the quality of care for older people with diabetes and averting a care crisis.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has published a manual that advises clinicians on how to act if they consider patients are receiving poor care.

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a new quality standard on the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in adults, young people and children aged 12 months and older.

Improvements in the fight against the five big causes of death, including new plans to tackle cardiovascular diseases, could save 30,000 lives by 2020, according to the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

The first Gonorrhoea Resistance Action Plan for England and Wales has been published. It recommends a heightened national response to combat the threat.

According to the latest quarterly monitoring report on service performance, published by The King’s Fund, pessimism is growing in the NHS and social care as local leaders respond to mounting financial pressures.

A new type of breath test that detects nanoparticles could help diagnose stomach cancers, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

The Royal College of Surgeons, psychologists from the University of Exeter, the Medical Women’s Federation and Scalpel have produced a video podcast designed to encourage women to embark on and succeed in a surgical career.

David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science has announced a £3.7 m investment to fund projects that apply innovative photonics technologies to solve challenges in the health sector.

NHS Supply Chain has launched a new heart valves framework agreement which offers 242 new lines of equipment, boosting the total offering to circa 650 lines from eight suppliers.

Medical registrars are the backbone of any hospital delivering patient care round the clock.

Patches giving oestrogen through the skin could be an easy and safe alternative to the hormone therapies used to treat prostate cancer, according to new research published in the Lancet Oncology.

Data presented at the recent Diabetes UK Professional Conference shows gaps in patients’ understanding about the potential side effects of treatments for type 2 diabetes, such as hypoglycaemia.

A nationwide network of surgical clinical trial centres are being set up with the aim of improving the delivery of surgical care for patients.