RECENT NEWS

Medica, a teleradiology company, has signed up seven more NHS acute Trusts as healthcare organisations seek to improve their services in the face of continuing high demand for speedy diagnostics. CEO Simon Rasalingham said that demand for high quality and cost-effective outsourced services continues to be very high as Trusts prepare to meet the Government’s diagnosis-to-treatment targets.

A new study will determine if giving statins and/or ACE inhibitors to adolescents with Type 1 diabetes could reduce their risk of developing diabetes-related complications in later life.

Matrix Cleaning Systems has been awarded a contract by NHS Supply Chain. Under the agreement the company will supply quality steam cleaning systems for use in NHS healthcare facilities.

The Royal College of Nurses (RCN) has issued a warning that the current financial climate is having an enormous effect on nurses. The warning follows the release of figures by the RCN which show a significant increase in the number of nurses contacting the RCN’s welfare service for debt advice.

undreds of healthy unborn babies are being miscarried or stillborn every year in the UK because of the Government-led approach to testing for Down’s syndrome, according to a new study published in Down’s Syndrome Research and Practice.

Honey may reduce healing times in patients suffering mild to moderate burn wounds. A systematic review by Cochrane researchers concluded that honey might be useful as an alternative to traditional wound dressings in treating burns.

The Health Protection Agency has published its latest quarterly report on MRSA bloodstream infections. The latest figures from the Agency’s mandatory surveillance of MRSA bloodstream infections show that there were 836 cases reported in England during the April to June quarter of 2008. This represents a 14% decrease on the previous quarter (January to March 2008) when 969 reports were received and a 36% reduction in the corresponding quarter of 2007 (April to June) when 1,306 reports were received.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, has announced the publication of a risk assessment for venous thromboembolism, recommended for all patients admitted to hospital in England. Venous thromboembolism in hospitalised patients is responsible for around 25,000 deaths in England each year.

Every six minutes a baby is born in the UK who needs specialist hospital care, yet neonatal services are overstretched and understaffed, according to a report published by the charity Bliss.

Dr Richard Stratton, a consultant at the Royal Free in London, claims that thickening of the palms can be an indication of underlying malignancy – in particular, ovarian tumours.

Fees being charged by solicitors acting for patients in NHS compensation claims have soared, according to a report by the BBC.

A study has linked a small number of cases of cerebral palsy to antibiotics given to women in premature labour, according to a report by the BBC. The Oracle study was set up to investigate whether giving antibiotics to women with signs of premature labour would improve outcomes for babies. It found the antibiotic erythromycin had immediate benefits for women in premature labour (before 37 weeks gestation) whose waters had broken. It delayed onset of labour and reduced the risk of infections and breathing problems in babies.

An investigation is under way at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, after surgeons operated on the wrong patient.

Unison has threatened to call a strike if job cuts in the health service are forced through.

Progress has been achieved in reducing mortality rates from cancer and circulatory diseases.

The Anthony Nolan Trust Cord Blood Centre, which includes a processing facility and a cryogenic storage facility at the grounds of Nottingham Trent University, has been completed by Clean Modules.

People living in the west of Scotland are 50% more likely to get lung cancer than in the rest of the UK, according to a report by the National Cancer Intelligence Network.

Anaesthetists and other clinical staff throughout England and Wales will soon have access to a specially designed system where they can report patient safety incidents and “near misses”. The system has been jointly developed by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI).

Women who had a miscarriage in their first pregnancy have a greater risk of developing complications in their next, a study highlighted by the Royal College of Midwives has reported.

A survey by the Royal College of Physicians of 40 patients in England who had attended a falls clinic following a fall shows that while patients felt the clinics had helped them, they were not always sure about the purpose of the clinic and how it related to their own needs.