RECENT NEWS

In its recently published report on 200 A&E departments in England, the Healthcare Commission has urged hospitals to monitor variations in the quality of care in accident and emergency departments. The report states that the majority of patients are happy with the standard of care they receive in A&E, but it suggests that performance varies widely.

Four inter-linked research studies into a pilot project in London offering patients choice on where to have their operations have been published, showing that choice is broadly welcomed by patients, who are often sophisticated in their decision-making.

Significant findings from two UK clinical trials targeting the third biggest cause of sudden death in Britain suggest that the initial benefits of a new minimally invasive surgical technique are maintained at four years for low risk patients. However, for high risk patients – for whom the technique was designed in the first place – endovascular aneurysm repair offers no benefit.

NHS nurses fear they will not be able to give patients the best care unless the Government gives them more information and training about NHS IT developments. The call for more nurse involvement in NHS IT projects follows the recent release of a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on-line survey. Nurses remain positive about the potential of IT to improve patient care but demand to be consulted on the way future systems are designed and used.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint has announced a further £15 million to help transform sexual health services across the country.

“Illuminating” and “Motivational” were just two descriptions given by delegates at the Federation of Holistic Therapists’ (FHT) lecture day examining the role of complementary therapy (CT) in cancer and palliative care. Attracting over 100 delegates, the event, held at the Royal College of Surgeons in July 2005, provided a comprehensive series of lectures, examining the current role of complementary therapy and speculating how this could be given more credibility in the future.

Thousands of people will soon find it easier to visit a GP thanks to a wave of new GP practices and walk-in services set to open next year in towns and cities hit by the poorest access to primary care services.

NHS and social care organisations have been issued with a new practical guide to help to improve ethnic monitoring within their services and workforce. The new guide has been drawn up by the Department of Health, the Health and Social Care Information Centre and NHS employers to guide and improve health services for NHS patients and current working practices for staff.

The new NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement was launched on 1 July 2005 by Health Minister, Jane Kennedy. The NHS Institute’s role will be to lead the way in encouraging modernisation, innovation and learning in the NHS and this will result in an increased uptake of new healthcare products, treatments and procedures. Above all, the NHS Institute will improve care offered to patients.

Seven out of ten bowel cancer patients are still not being involved in treatment related decisions and six out of ten are not being offered a choice of treatments. These are some of the conclusions of the second annual patient survey carried out by leading UK bowel cancer charity, Colon Cancer Concern (CCC), which was published in August 2005.

Health Minister, Jane Kennedy, has launched new legislative proposals for action on Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs) In England, to form part of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill.

The Department of Health has launched a consultation on proposals for a new modernised National Health Research Strategy. The views of research professionals, organisations, patients and the public are being sought on the future direction of health research for the Department of Health and the NHS in England.

Health Minister Lord Warner has announced sweeping improvements to England’s ambulance service. The changes will revolutionise the way in which ambulances deliver care across the country and build on the significant advances already made over recent years.

The Department of Health (DoH) has responded to the Healthcare Commission report into Foundation Trusts by praising the progress made by the Trusts while also addressing some of the concerns raised in the report.

Testing of WaterMatic’s KalGuard+ electrolytic scale inhibitor at Cranfield University has confirmed a reduction in limescale on heating surfaces of 80%.
KalGuard+ is a completely new scale inhibitor (patent applied for), based on the company’s proven zinc anode electrolytic design and incorporating electronic controls to precisely match the levels of zinc to the hardness of the water.

Patients in hospices in the UK and the Republic of Ireland may not be receiving appropriate psychiatric services, according to a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Urinary incontinence afflicts men worldwide and, in the UK alone, over a quarter of men aged 40 plus have clinically significant symptoms of one or more bladder problems, points out Bard.

People suffering from respiratory illness are set to benefit this winter from a pilot scheme being introduced by the Met Office and designed to improve patient wellbeing.

Dräger Medical AG & Co. KG has expanded its relationship with Masimo and will integrate Masimo Rainbow SET platform as its principal pulse oximetry technology.

Thermo Electron Corporation, the world leader in analytical instruments, has entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with the Research in Immune Tolerance in Transplantation (RITT) programme.