RECENT NEWS

Guidelines to assist health professionals who suspect cases of forced marriage have been launched by the Government. Aimed at frontline practitioners such as GPs, midwives and A&E staff, the guidelines provide advice on how to recognise the warning signs and what to do.

A report by the Office of Fair Trading has recommended that pricing of drugs is based not on how much the drug costs to develop, but on the benefit that the drug can bring.

A hand-held ultrasound system is being used by Endovascular surgeons at the Great Western Hospital, in Wiltshire, for assessing vein ablation patients prior to surgery and for guidance during the procedure.

New research is underway to investigate whether controlling the blood sugar levels of children in intensive care helps reduce deaths and serious complications.

The daughter of the late broadcaster, Alistair Cooke, has welcomed new rules to control the import and export of human tissue in the UK and Europe.

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford, has the first UK installation of Siemens Medical Solutions’ AXIOM Aristos FX Plus digital radiography system with integrated flat detector technology.

As part of its drive to improve patient identification, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital has adopted the Safe Surgery System that is supplied by Safe Surgery Systems Ltd and based on technology provided by Brenmoor Ltd.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued an amendment to the guidelines on the management of depression and anxiety in primary and secondary care.

The results of the 2006 National Sentinel Audit for Stroke show that patients are spending more of their time in stroke units, but there are still unacceptable waits for brain scans and starting treatment.

The University of Derby’s School of Health is making use of pioneering osteoporosis scanning with the DXL Calscan Peripheral Bone Densitometry unit available from M.A.S. Medical.

An updated report on Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK has been published.

Timesco of London has relocated to a new 26,000 ft2 head quarters in Basildon, Essex, to handle growth in both UK and international business.

With SmartCare/PS, a Dräger Medical system designed for weaning ICU patients from artificial ventilation, more than 600 million euros could be saved each year in Germany alone.

A36-year-old woman lung cancer patient has become the first person in Switzerland to be treated using a highly-targeted radiotherapy technique called extra-cranial stereotactic radiotherapy.

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, has gone live with a Somatom Sensation 64 CT system and Magnetom Espree MR system from Siemens Medical Solutions.

Anew report entitled Diabetes Heartache, the hard reality of cardiovascular care for people with diabetes, reveals that up to 2.4 million people with diabetes are at risk of dying of cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as heart disease or stroke, if nothing is done to improve awareness, prevention and treatment.

This year, Completing the Picture, the educational symposium for clinical and biomedical engineers, will be held in central London at the Barbican Centre on 7 June.

In a move to deliver the most modern and effective clinical sterile services in the UK, BMI Healthcare has agreed a 12-year contract with Vanguard AG for its 49 private hospitals in the UK.

The first Patient and Public Champion to monitor NHS efforts to reach the Government’s target of reducing waiting times to 18 weeks has been announced by Health Minister Andy Burnham.

Airedale NHS Trust has landed two major accolades at the 2007 Yorkshire Productivity Awards for its ground-breaking work in implementing “lean” policies and practices to dramatically cut waiting times at Airedale General Hospital, Steeton.