RECENT NEWS

A new research partnership which aims to improve patient safety has been launched.

A new guideline to improve the diagnosis and care for children suffering with urinary tract infections (UTI) has been launched by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

A new Europe-wide report in the Lancet Oncology revealed improvements in cancer survival and predicted that large variations in survival between different nations may soon be reduced. However, the report also reveals that cancer survival in the UK is still below the European average and is similar to some eastern European countries that spend less than a third of the UK’s healthcare budget per person.

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) announced a one million pound grant awarded by the Department of Health to research new ways of training the emergency services to recognise the early signs of stroke. The project, known as Emergency Stroke Calls: Obtaining Rapid Telephone Triage (ESCORTT) will result in enhanced recognition of the condition by ambulance dispatchers in the emergency services.

Nephrologists at the Manchester Children’s Hospital in Manchester, have been able to speed up diagnosis of a diverse range of kidney and bladder problems, using a hand-held ultrasound system from SonoSite.

A new study has shown that magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) were more effective at detecting early stages of breast cancer than traditional mammograms. The research, carried out in Germany and published in the Lancet medical journal, found that 92% of cases of early breast cancer were detected by the MRI scan, whereas only 56% of cases were detected by the mammogram.

A new study investigating the potential benefits of the PSA blood test – used to help detect prostate cancer – has suggested that screening men every two years may not be any more effective than screening every four years.

Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at King’s College Hospital in London have started a new programme to treat patients with aortic valve stenosis (narrowings of the aortic valve). King’s staff carried out the first two successful transapical aortic valve replacements in the UK and two percutaneous aortic valve replacements.

Huntleigh Healthcare has announced that the eclipse Maternity Information System has now gone “live” at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Eclipse will improve data collection, assist in audit to enable consistent evaluation of care and improve communication between agencies, which will assist midwives in their role in providing optimal standards of care for the women and babies in their care.

Alliance Medical, a provider of MRI, PET and CT diagnostic scanning, has announced the purchase of Sequence Medical Group, an MRI service provider. Sequence Medical currently has nine contracts in hospitals in Ireland and one in Northern Ireland.

P3 Medical has recently entered into an arrangement to offer a comprehensive range of Anios products to Infection Control and Decontamination professionals. Laboratoires Anios has been developing disinfectants and detergents in France since the 1890’s but the company’s full range of products were not previously available in the UK.

Haematology clinics at Torbay Hospital have cut waiting times for blood analysis with an ABX Pentra 60C+ haematology analyser from Horiba.

Oncura, a supplier of brachytherapy products, has been awarded the contract with The London Clinic – an independent hospital – to provide radioactive seeds for their new low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy service for the treatment of prostate cancer, one of the commonest forms of cancer in men.

The UK needs to quickly improve stroke services or they will remain the worst in western Europe, a leading doctor reported in the British Medical Journal.* Professor Hugh Markus from London’s St George’s Medical School, said that patients are not treated with sufficient priority and the condition is seen as a “Cinderella” subject in the UK compared to other European countries.

The National Patient Safety Agency has announced urgent guidance alerting healthcare staff to the potential risk of confusion between different formulations of intravenous amphotericin, used to treat serious fungal infections.

Following the death of a patient during routine laparoscopic surgery, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is warning that surgery should not be performed in facilities which lack the systems and equipment to manage emergencies safely.

Five years on from his report for the Treasury, which paved the way for a 50% increase in NHS spending, Sir Derek Wanless has outlined deep concerns as well as successes in his latest review of the NHS.

Following the death of a patient during routine laparoscopic surgery, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is warning that surgery should not be performed in facilities which lack the systems and equipment to manage emergencies safely. The NPSA said the incident was exacerbated by the fact that no blood was available.

The National Patient Safety Agency has announced urgent guidance alerting healthcare staff to the potential risk of confusion between different formulations of intravenous amphotericin, used to treat serious fungal infections.

A new guideline to improve the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis or encephalopathy (CFS/ME) in adults and children is launched by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care.