RECENT NEWS

New research published by the National Institute for Health Research’s Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme suggests that screening the general population for open angle glaucoma (OAG) would not be cost-effective, but that a system of targeted screening may be.

A leading epidemiologist and preventive health expert has criticised over-zealous promotion of health screening services by insurance companies and other commercial concerns who offer tests of “dubious benefit and possible harm”.

A survey of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) reveals that access to vital fertility services is patchy for cancer patients across the country. Providing the first national picture of fertility services for people with cancer, the survey by Cancerbackup reveals that in many areas the NICE clinical guideline is not being implemented on fertility services for cancer patients.

A new mobile unit to disinfect hospital equipment has been unveiled at the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust in Norwich.

NHS patients in and around the Havant area will benefit from a greater availability of diagnostic services, and a reduction in waiting times for diagnostic investigations. Health and social care business, Care UK, has been awarded a contract by the Department of Health to develop and operate the Havant NHS Diagnostic Centre.

Lack of sunlight may increase the risk of lung cancer according to a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in West London has become the first NHS hospital in London to use full electronic prescribing of medication for adult inpatients. Doctors can now prescribe drugs and nurses can record administration of medicines at a patient’s bedside using wireless handheld tablet PCs, which closely resemble the screens on a Nintendo DS console. It should mean that errors caused by doctors’ handwriting will become a thing of the past.

A House of Commons committee has called for NICE to revise its approach on assessing treatments, to provide faster decisions on new medicines and technologies. The committee recommended that a “rough and ready” approach, similar to that used in Scotland, should be adopted.

University College of London Hospital Trust has installed an Axiom Artis dFC with Stereotaxis Niobe Magnetic Navigation system, in its heart hospital. The installation adds to the hospital’s strong cardiac capacity, making it one of the biggest treatment centres in the UK and strengthening its ability to treat atrial fibrillation – a cause of fast, erratic and irregular heartbeats that can lead to dizziness, palpitations, breathlessness and even strokes.

Royal Philips Electronics announced a merger agreement with Visicu.

The Department of Health is encouraging pregnant and breastfeeding women to boost their intake of vitamin D in the darker winter months. Healthcare professionals say more children than ever are presenting with vitamin D deficiency which can cause seizures and rickets.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in collaboration with the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has issued guidance to the NHS on how to improve processes to ensure that any medication patients are taking prior to admission to hospital is properly documented on admission.

General Healthcare Group has agreed terms with Nuffield Hospitals for the purchase and sale of nine hospitals. The hospitals will form part of BMI Healthcare, General Healthcare Group’s acute private hospital division.

The Royal College of Physicians has released a report warning that access to palliative care is “poor” and that there are unacceptable variations in quality – geographically and across different demographic groups. The report claims there is a particular disparity between patients with cancer and those suffering from non-malignant conditions. The College also called for an increase in NHS funding of palliative care – the NHS currently provides about 30% of funding while the rest is supported by charities and the voluntary sector.

While viewing the latest news, views and healthcare solutions, visitors to The Clinical Services Journal website: www.clinicalservicesjournal.com can now benefit from a new area dedicated to recruitment.

The Royal Marsden hospital reopened its doors just one a week after a fire swept through its roof. Seventy-nine patients and around 200 staff had to be evacuated on the early afternoon of 2 January.Two patients in theatre (who were safely taken off their anaesthetic and ventilators) and three in recovery at the time were safely transferred to the nearby Royal Brompton, accompanied by specialist staff.

The numbers of midwives joining the NHS in London fell sharply this year, a new survey from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) reveals. At the same time births in the region have increased from 104,162 in 2001 to 120,883 in 2006, a 14% increase.

Reorganisation of neonatal services has improved care for premature and low birth weight babies with fewer babies travelling long distances for suitable treatment. But, according to the National Audit Office, further improvements to the service are being limited by shortages in nursing staff, a lack of cots in the right place at the right level of care and a lack of widespread specialist 24-hour transport.

Every hospital trust in England will be able to recruit two infection control nurses, two isolation nurses and an antimicrobial pharmacist with millions of pounds of extra investment for infection control in the NHS, Health Secretary Alan Johnson has announced.

The Royal College of Pathologists and the British Medical Association says that a shortage of paediatric pathologists means that children’s bodies are being illegally transported across the country – adding to the distress of families.