RECENT NEWS

At the organisation’s first national Stakeholder Conference in November 2005, NHS Direct’s medical director, Dr Mike Sadler, set out to delegates ways in which the organisation can use its skills, infrastructure and capacity to work with the rest of the health service in responding to the challenges of better information, better access to services and better co-ordination of those services – posed by the forthcoming White Paper on hospital care.

The recently published National Audit Office (NAO) report Reducing brain damage: Faster Access to Better Stroke Care, has revealed that the cost of stroke to the public purse is almost three times more than previously calculated. This means stroke is by far the most expensive illness in the UK, costing £7 billion a year. But this huge cost is not inevitable and, according to The Stroke Association, could be significantly reduced through increased public awareness and improved stroke services.

In her opening address at the three-day EU Patient Safety Summit in November 2005, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt described patient safety as a “global issue” and called for improvements in the way countries throughout the world work together to provide safer healthcare for their patients.

A snapshot survey of UK nurses by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has found that a large majority feel sidelined and poorly informed about local NHS reforms. Almost 80% felt that the pace of change was too fast, with threequarters saying that they had little or no opportunity to give their views on changes to services. One hundred and twelve nurses responded to the online survey which was carried out over two weeks in September 2005.

As part of its Technology Programme £60 million Autumn competition, the DTI is offering £10 million funding for innovative collaborative projects developing technology for regenerative medicine applications.

Leading charity Cancer Research UK and union The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) showed their support for a ban on smoking in workplaces by issuing separate petitions to Downing Street calling for it to make all workplaces free of smoke without exception.

Lives could be saved and disability reduced if stroke was always treated as a medical emergency, according to the Stroke Association. The charity is calling on the public to act fast if they suspect a stroke, as part of an 18-month nationwide campaign launched on 6 October.

A groundbreaking change in postgraduate medical training has now begun as thousands of medical school graduates begin their careers in the NHS as part of a new foundation training programme.

Fears over catching MRSA are leading people to take out private medical insurance, according to healthcare provider BUPA as it launched a new ad campaign highlighting private hospital hygiene.

Scientists funded by Cancer Research UK and the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) have shown that cells in over 90% of basal cell carcinomas (BCC), the commonest form of skin cancer, have genetic damage in the same place.

Patients will be guaranteed the choice of being able to book an advance appointment with a GP under measures to improve access to family doctor services announced by Health Minister, Lord Warner.

At a recent ceremony at the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre in Exeter, president of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), Michael Benson presented a plaque to the people involved in the landmark 1970 “Exeter hip” operation which set new standards in the field of hip implants.

Speaking at the Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA) conference in Torquay in September, Chief Nurse Christine Beasley launched an online training tool for all NHS staff, designed to raise awareness of the key procedures needed to help reduce infection.

Students undertaking nursing and midwifery diplomas in England are to continue to receive their NHS bursary payments throughout pregnancy and childbirth, Secretary of State for Health Patricia Hewitt has announced. Interim arrangements, which have been backdated to 1 June 2005, aim to ensure that women who would have otherwise had to abandon their studies can continue to pursue a career in the NHS.

Over one person in eight of the British population has family or friends who have contracted MRSA this is the alarming statistic from a nationwide poll from Talley Environmental Care that goes state that a quarter of Britons are just one step away from MRSA, with the real figure possibly closer to a half.

New research shows a quarter of all people with diabetes may not be receiving treatment because they are either undiagnosed or not on practice registers. Information from over 250,000 people in England, in Europe’s largest national audit published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on behalf of the Healthcare Commission, reveals the level and extent of diabetes care in England.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has launched its “No to 65!” campaign, in an effort to urge the Government to rethink plans to compel nurses to carry on working until 65. Nurses from across the UK have said they will not rule out the option of industrial action if the Government raises their retirement age to 65.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health have launched a clinical guideline on the treatment and management of depression in children and young people.

Users of mental health services have praised the care they get from NHS doctors, nurses and other specialist staff, including psychologists and social workers, in a major national survey published recently. However, the mental health patient survey, published by the Healthcare Commission, also highlights a number of areas where care could be improved, including better emergency support and better information on the side effects of medication.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new statistics on work-related ill health in Great Britain. For the first time these identify the contributing factors recorded by specialist doctors involved in cases of musculoskeletal disorders and mental ill health.