RECENT NEWS

At the annual meeting of British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) it was revealed that discussions with NICE have opened the way for patients with prostate cancer to have continued access to cryotherapy – a promising therapy threatened by earlier NICE guidance published in February.

Half of the public believe that in ten years’ time they will have to pay towards some NHS services they need as a patient, according to new research published by the British Medical Association (BMA). The BMA commissioned researchers, Hamilton Lock, to conduct a survey of over 1,000 members of the public about the effectiveness of changes to the NHS over the past decade and to seek their views on commercial companies providing healthcare to NHS patients, as well as future funding of the NHS.

Research presented at a meeting of 3,000 neurologists, organised by the European Neurological Society (ENS), has shown that men have a higher chance of stroke, while women are less likely to recover from cerebral infarct.

A poll by the Health Service Journal has revealed thousands of appointments are taking place without patient records. The report showed that around 54,000 outpatient appointments took place with no records across 49 hospital Trusts.

The Healthcare Commission has urged the NHS to redouble efforts to improve maternity services following a major review of 150 NHS Trusts. The watchdog requested the review after concerns were raised over the safety and quality of care. The regulator carried out three separate investigations into deaths at maternity units during a two-year period.

Two products from the Aesculap Division of B. Braun Medical have won a coveted design accolade. The OrthoPilot surgical navigation system, used in knee and hip replacements, and the battery powered Acculan 3Ti surgical motor system, were recognised in the iF Product Design Award 2008 Medicine and Healthcare category against global competition.

The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency’s Centre for Evidence Based Purchasing (CEP) has published its evidence review of Deltex Medical’s life-saving surgical monitor, CardioQODM. CEP has given the CardioQ-ODM a rating of “significant potential” – one of the highest ratings CEP has given to medical technology.

The Clinical Imaging and Research Centre based at The Wellington Hospital in North London, a private hospital for cardiac care, has installed a Somatom Definition Dual Source CT, Symbia T6 SPECT/CT and ultrasound scanners from Siemens in its multi-purpose cardiac imaging and research centre.

Tiny magnets have been used to improve the targeting of gene therapy for cancer treatment in mice, according to researchers at the University of Sheffield. By inserting magnetic nanoparticles into monocytes – a type of white blood cell – and injecting them into the bloodstream, scientists have been able to guide them around the body using an external magnet.

A Government funded trial to treat inherited blindness by administering gene therapy to the human retina has proved successful.

Mushroom extracts could halt the growth of breast cancer cells, suggests research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

According to a recent study, hemoglobinbased blood substitutes increase the risk of death by 30% and virtually triple the possibility of a heart attack.

An increase in paperwork is preventing nurses from spending enough time caring for patients, according to a new survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

A survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has found that eight out of ten nurses say they finish shifts feeling upset or distressed because they have not been able to ensure their patients have been treated with dignity. Theresa Fyffe, RCN Scotland director, said dignity should not be an after thought or an optional extra.

Fear of hereditary cancer is often overestimated according to a survey by Cancerbackup, which has now merged with Macmillan Cancer Support.

The results of a survey of over 250 surgeons, carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons, suggest that operations are being cancelled because equipment is being damaged and delayed by out-sourced private decontamination centres. The survey revealed widespread frustration and concern, with two-thirds of respondents unhappy about the availability and condition of instruments sent for sterilisation away from the hospital.

Mixed-sex “accommodation” in NHS hospitals will be abolished within the next 12 months, the Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced at the annual conference of the Royal College of Nursing. He admitted, however, that Labour used the “wrong wording” in its 2001 manifesto, which pledged to ban “mixed-sex wards”.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has announced its final appraisal determination advising against the use of Erlotinib (Tarceva) as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

Asthma UK has released a report revealing significant differences in the numbers of emergency hospital admissions for children with asthma across the whole of the UK.

The Healthcare Commission has launched the biggest inspection programme ever carried out in NHS acute Trusts to check whether they are meeting standards on infection control. It will inspect all 172 acute Trusts annually as part of a drive to: reduce death and illness from healthcare-associated infections, improve the experience of patients in hospital, and increase public confidence in the NHS. The programme was established at the request of the Secretary of State for Health.