RECENT NEWS

The NHS may be at risk of failing to prevent harm to patients from medicines unless it improves sharing of vital information when people move between services, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The regulator recently assessed how well patients’ medication is being managed after leaving hospital and found that there were serious issues.

Speaking at the AfPP Anuual Congress, Dame Christine Beasley, Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health, warned of tough times ahead for the health service, but assured delegates that plans to focus on quality will not be “shelved”.

The Royal College of Nursing has published results from its 2009 Employment Survey, which highlights how pressures on workload and staffing levels can impact on patient care. The survey shows fewer nurses responding positively to views on workload than in 2007, particularly those working in the NHS.

The Care Quality Commission performance ratings show that the NHS is performing well against a rigorous assessment on quality, with more Trusts rated “excellent” or “good”. In particular, the CQC commended the significant improvement in ratings for financial management, which it described as “good news” in the face of predicted pressures on public spending.

People with high levels of a protein called C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation in the blood, may be at higher risk for heart attack and death but not stroke, according to a study published in the October issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Bioquell has been awarded a framework agreement by the National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) for the supply of the company’s bio-decontamination equipment and specialty services into NHS hospitals.

Patients who received the less invasive endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm have a lower risk of death in the first 30 days after the procedure compared to patients who an open repair, but both procedures have similar rates of death after two years, according to a recent study.

A study that included twins has found that the risk of hip fracture is significantly increased following a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with analysis also suggesting a genetic predisposition to the development of CVD and fractures.

Scientists have countered findings of previous clinical trials by showing that giving supplemental oxygen to animals during a stroke can reduce damage to brain tissue surrounding the clot. The timing of the delivery of 100% oxygen – either by mask or in a hyperbaric chamber – is critical to achieving the benefit, however.

London Health 09 is now open for registration and the agenda is complete. Visit the website to see a full list of speakers including Ruth Carnell, Cynthia Bower, Leo Boland and Pam Chester. Day one focuses on the Mayor’s Strategy for London, and day two looks at “Improving Health Outcomes for London”. Single day tickets are available.

Exposure to the H1N1 pandemic flu virus could protect people from H5N1 bird flu, the Emerging Health Threats Forum has reported.

A third of HIV-related deaths could be avoided if testing for the disease was more widespread and more socially acceptable. Concise guidelines published in Clinical Medicine, the journal of the Royal College of Physicians, will enable any doctor, nurse, midwife or trained healthcare worker to carry out HIV tests and help drive down late diagnoses of the virus.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published organisational patient safety incident reports for each NHS Trust or local health board across England and Wales. These have been designed to be used by boards to compare their reporting profile with similar NHS organisations and set priorities for local action.

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has increased by more than 145,000 in the last year. New data from GP practices show that there are now more than 2.6 million people with diabetes in the UK and more than 5.2 million registered as obese. This means that one in ten people are being treated for obesity and one in 20 for diabetes.

The second National Care of the Dying Audit of Hospitals (NCDAH) shows that patients on the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) are receiving high quality care. The audit covers the use of the LCP in 155 hospitals, looking at the records of almost 4,000 patients.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the use of sunitinib for gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GISTs).

Disclosure of infections and mandatory surveillance championed in this country has been the key in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) Chief Nursing Officer Dame Christine Beasley told a gathering of world experts on infection.

Improvement of non-technical skills in theatre must be made a priority, according to high profile speakers at this year’s Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) Congress. Seventy per cent of disasters are caused by a failure in communication – yet, in the clinical setting, there is often poor awareness of the role of “human factors” in causing surgical harm.

Alliance Medical has completed the state-of-the-art upgrade of four of their mobile MRI units, which means they now have the largest number of HDXt scanners in the UK. The upgrades have been completed in partnership with GE Healthcare and AK Smit, the first time that GE Healthcare has completed upgrades to the latest HDXt level on mobile scanners outside of the US.

Patients in Portsmouth and surrounding areas will soon have access to one of the UK’s first molecular CT scanners in the redeveloped Queen Alexandra Hospital. The new Siemens system combines CT with molecular PET to provide detailed "hybrid" images.