RECENT NEWS

In a bid to reduce patient waiting times in the West Kent area, a new treatment centre has opened within the grounds of Maidstone Hospital - providing extra capacity for day case procedures and chemotherapy. Officially opened by the previous Health Minister, Andy Burnham (now Chief Secretary to the Treasury), the centre is privately run on behalf of the NHS by the Partnership Health Group (PHG).

People who are ill and have psychiatric disorders are not treated as effectively by doctors compared to those who have no mental health problems, according to new analysis. Dr Alex Mitchell, a consultant psychiatrist, and Dr Darren Malone, a specialist registrar in psychiatry, who work at the Department of Liaison Psychiatry at Leicester General Hospital, reviewed a number of studies focusing on preventative and physical care of patients with and without mental illness.

Between February 2006 and January 2007, there were 24, 382 reports of patients being mismatched with their care - more than 2,900 of these related to wristbands. To combat this problem, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has issued new advice highlighting the need to standardise the information on wristbands and their design, as well as the processes used to produce and check them.

MEP, Liz Lynne, has warned that proposed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) legislation must be amended or lives will be at risk – a view supported by the recently published Crozier report.

Research by the Soil Association reveals that a serious health threat already present in the Netherlands and other European countries, could spread to the UK. A new strain of MRSA has developed amongst intensively farmed animal on the continent, which has already transferred to farmers and their families in the Netherlands. Some 40% of Dutch pigs and 50% of pig farmers have been found to carry farm-animal MRSA.

Latest figures for MRSA show there was a 6.4% fall in the number of cases reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the last quarter, from January to March 2007, while the figure has fallen by 10%, over the course of the year. Meanwhile, there was a 2% rise in reported cases of C. difficile in patients aged 65 and over in England, in the first quarter of 2007, compared with the same period last year. This is 22% higher than the previous quarter.

New research is being conducted to find the best type of urethral catheter for reducing urinary tract infections in hospital patients. The clinical trial will be conducted across eight hospitals - comparing antibiotic and antiseptic impregnated urethral catheters.

The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) will be launching the 1st Festival of Surgery in Primary Care, which will run concurrently with its Annual Congress and Exhibition, held on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th October at the Harrogate International Conference Centre.

Vernacare, which exports infection control products, has set up a South African operation, in Johannesburg.

NHS Direct is part of a successful bid to take part in a telecare system that will help Newham residents with long term conditions (LTCs), such as diabetes and coronary heart disease, to live independent, healthy lives. The programme is aimed at reducing complications and sudden deterioration that could result in patients being admitted to hospital.

Advalytix, a subsidiary of Olympus Life and Material Science Europa, and the Medical University of Graz, are testing a new method for the genetic analysis of fetal cells from maternal blood.

Nuffield Proactive Health is introducing new health and well being programmes for organisations looking to encourage employees to make healthier decisions in the workplace.

Evidence to suggest endometriosis increases cancer risk, regardless of whether women have given birth before, has been uncovered by a team of Swedish doctors.

Researchers at St Martins College (soon to become University of Cumbria) are planning a project that could help to save lives through a reduction in the number of inaccurate x-ray diagnoses and quicker warnings of the early signs of bowel cancer.

An independent study of staff views of the progress of the NHS IT programme has found that financial deficits and poor communication are hampering its successful implementation. Staff also expressed fears that delays will present a risk to patient safety.

Dr Paul Hurlstone, Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield has won a prestigious Cancer Innovation Award, a category within the Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2007.

A group of leading healthcare professionals – The Prostate Brachytherapy Advisory Group - has called for the eradication of the “postcode lottery system” for prostate cancer patients seeking a form of treatment known as low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy.

Patients requiring orthopaedic procedures such as hip and knee replacements wait longer than any other patients to be treated on the NHS according to the latest waiting lists published by the Department of Health.

Nearly half of all patients are currently being treated within 18 weeks, a year and a half ahead of schedule, according to official figures produced by the Department of Health.

An investigation into whether robotic surgery can be controlled via satellite and the internet has found that quality of surgery is not compromised. Robots that perform surgery can be driven by surgeons that direct the operation from a computer console. However, in most cases, the surgeon is seated within the theatre - only a few metres away from the patient.