RECENT NEWS

A screening test for early detection of breast cancer is under development which checks changes in proteins found in saliva. Scientists from the University of Texas Dental Branch say the test can distinguish healthy women from those with benign breast tumours, and those with malignant breast tumours.

Lord Darzi, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and practising surgeon, has described single-sex wards in the NHS as "an aspiration that cannot be met."

Nine out of ten doctors have no confidence in the government’s ability to safeguard patient data online, according to a poll conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA).

A trial of the wipe clean duvets and pillows at Worthing and Southlands Hospital NHS Trust has shown that the products can reduce laundry bills and linen replacement costs, while reducing nurses bed making time. Following the trial, the Trust purchased 560 duvets and 1120 pillows from the Sylvan range manufactured by the Talley Group.

A vaccine to combat C.Diff has shown promising results in initial trials and researchers hope to test the product in NHS hospitals later this year.

The elimination of pathology and laboratory medicine from the curriculum in many medical schools and consequent lack of knowledge of basic science among junior doctors is jeopardising patient safety, according to a report in the Annals of Clinical Biochemistry. There have been instances where patients discharged into the community return to hospital having suffered a major myocardial infarction because of a poorly-performed troponin test, for example.

A new working party report from the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Radiologists, and Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, including specialists in cancer and fertility, recommends that the NHS should fully fund fertility services for patients with cancer.

Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust has been issued with an improvement notice by the Healthcare Commission. The Tust runs three hospitals in south London, the Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington Hospital and Beckenham Hospital. Following unannounced visits to Princess Royal University Hospital, the Commission found breaches of duty relating to cleanliness and the decontamination of equipment.

New research commissioned by the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is investigating whether the use of pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease, could help save the lives of more newborn babies.

Charing Cross Hospital in West London, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, has placed the first NHS order of the Magnetom Verio 3T MRI scanner. The new technology from Siemens Healthcare is the first of its kind for the NHS and also the first MRI to be purchased via the new NHS Supply Chain framework.

The Medical Defence Union (MDU) has announced new dates for its ethics and law workshops which are designed to help doctors deal with difficult ethical dilemmas and earn continuing professional development (CPD) points in the process.

The successful candidates for the Dräger Medical Neonatal Nurse/Midwife Education Scholarship received their awards at the recent Neonatal Nurses Association Annual Conference in Derby.

New research published by the National Institute for Health Research’s Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme suggests that screening the general population for open angle glaucoma (OAG) would not be cost-effective, but that a system of targeted screening may be.

A leading epidemiologist and preventive health expert has criticised over-zealous promotion of health screening services by insurance companies and other commercial concerns who offer tests of “dubious benefit and possible harm”.

A survey of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) reveals that access to vital fertility services is patchy for cancer patients across the country. Providing the first national picture of fertility services for people with cancer, the survey by Cancerbackup reveals that in many areas the NICE clinical guideline is not being implemented on fertility services for cancer patients.

A new mobile unit to disinfect hospital equipment has been unveiled at the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust in Norwich.

NHS patients in and around the Havant area will benefit from a greater availability of diagnostic services, and a reduction in waiting times for diagnostic investigations. Health and social care business, Care UK, has been awarded a contract by the Department of Health to develop and operate the Havant NHS Diagnostic Centre.

Lack of sunlight may increase the risk of lung cancer according to a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in West London has become the first NHS hospital in London to use full electronic prescribing of medication for adult inpatients. Doctors can now prescribe drugs and nurses can record administration of medicines at a patient’s bedside using wireless handheld tablet PCs, which closely resemble the screens on a Nintendo DS console. It should mean that errors caused by doctors’ handwriting will become a thing of the past.

A House of Commons committee has called for NICE to revise its approach on assessing treatments, to provide faster decisions on new medicines and technologies. The committee recommended that a “rough and ready” approach, similar to that used in Scotland, should be adopted.