RECENT NEWS

As high rates of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) continue to challenge hospitals and pose risks to patient safety, new approaches are needed to get HCAIs under control.

Nearly 6,000 cases of invasive cancer detected by the NHS Breast Screening Programme in 2010 were those that would be too small to find by hand, according to figures from The NHS Information Centre.

The Alzheimer’s Society has released new dementia figures that indicated that, in 2021, over half a million people will be living with undiagnosed dementia. The study, Mapping the Dementia Gap, reveals the number of people with dementia in each part of the UK and the percentage who receive a diagnosis.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published the latest set of Organisation Patient Safety Incident data that shows that the number of patient safety incidents in England, occurring between 1 April – 30 September 2010 and reported to the NPSA by 30 November 2010 was 547,879 – an increase of 4% compared to the previous reporting period.

Forensic pathologists and radiologists at the University of Leicester, in collaboration with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, have pioneered a new new non-surgical postmortem technique.

The overall number of maternal deaths in the UK has fallen despite a rise in the number of women dying from infection, concludes the Eighth Report of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths. Saving Mother’s Lives has been published in An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The number of people being screened for their risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on admission to hospital has increased following recommendations made by NICE.

Under new legislation outlined in Scotland’s Patients Rights Bill, Health Boards will be required to ensure that patients are treated within 12 weeks of agreeing to a treatment.

Under new legislation outlined in Scotland’s Patients Rights Bill, Health Boards will be required to ensure that patients are treated within 12 weeks of agreeing to a treatment.

Designers have been given the challenge of rethinking the design of hospital Accident and Emergency departments in a bid to find innovative new ways to reduce violence and aggression towards NHS staff, which is currently estimated to cost over £69 million a year in staff absence, loss of productivity and additional security.

Northgate Managed Services has been appointed as the preferred bidder to deliver, implement and manage a clinical portal service for an NHS consortium covering NHS Lothian, NHS Fife, NHS Borders and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

Following the adoption of the new EU Directive on the prevention of sharps injuries, medical technology company, BD, has published a set of management guides to help healthcare organisations better understand this legislation and plan a compliance strategy.

Ophthalmology and refractive provider, SD Healthcare has signed an agreement to sell and promote the Brumaba range of operating tables in the UK. The range consists of models that would suit most operating procedures.

A genetically modified fungi has been developed at the University of Westminster to kill human malaria parasites in mosquitoes. The research has been heralded as a significant development in the battle against malaria.

A new initiative has been launched to improve end-of-life care for heart failure patients in Glasgow and Clyde. British Heart Foundation Scotland, Marie Curie Cancer Care and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are developing a new approach to palliative care for heart failure patients in hospital, hospices, care homes and at home.

There will be an enhancement of nursing leadership across the NHS as part of NHS modernisation plans, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has announced. The chief nursing officer role will sit on the NHS Commissioning Board and there will also be a director of nursing in the Department of Health, with a greater public health focus.

According to a report from The NHS Information Centre, the number of recorded hospital admissions related to obesity rose by more than 30% last year, with admissions increasing from nearly 8,000 in 2008/09 to nearly 10,600 in 2009/10.

Professor Dame Sally Davies has been named as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England. Dame Sally is the first woman to hold the post, which gives her responsibility for providing expert advice on a range of issues relating to the health of the nation, including the handling of health related emergencies.

Despite major cuts to front line services in the NHS, the health service is still short of specialist medical staff, concludes a recent White Paper on the medical employment market from Your World Recruitment.

Doctors and patients are being asked what steps doctors should take when faced with a conflict between their management responsibilities and their duty to patients as one of a series of questions being asked in a consultation on the revised draft of the GMC’s guidance on workplace issues faced by doctors.