RECENT NEWS

Acampaigning MP, a patient dignity initiative, a cancer website, and a cleaning programme all received top accolades at the first ever Patients Association Awards – staged at the 2006 Cleaner Hospitals, Safer Healthcare Summit, in London.

Acompany which provides state-of-the-art treatment for those who suffer pain from the effects of varicose veins plans to speed up care offered to patients on the NHS and dramatically reduce waiting lists.

Dräger Medical UK has announced the first UK installation of the Zeus anaesthesia system, one of the most advanced clinical anaesthesia systems in the world, at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

GE Healthcare has initiated a first-in-man clinical study designed to validate information provided by a molecular imaging agent in evaluating the extent and nature of cancer.

BMI Healthcare has launched a comprehensive weight loss service for private patients.

Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust has been fined £100,000, and ordered to pay £10,000 costs at Winchester Crown Court after admitting a failure to ensure the safety of patients through the proper supervision of two doctors subsequently convicted of manslaughter.

TachoSil, a new surgical patch approved for bleeding control, has shown to be superior to standard treatment in lung surgery. A new study shows that use of the patch reduces air leaks and shortens the period of hospitalisation.

Huntleigh Healthcare has announce two major milestones in the development of its software systems business.

Cambridge-based Ophthalmos, specialist in the design, development and marketing of medical devices for use in ophthalmoscopy, has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market its Optyse lens-free ophthalmoscope in the USA.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has advised the NHS in England and Wales to review and improve measures for prescribing, storing, administering and identifying high doses of morphine and diamorphine.

To enhance the comprehensive services offered by Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, two additional SONOLINE Antares ultrasound systems have recently been installed, complementing six Antares previously purchased, three of which use a combination of 3-Scape real-time 3D imaging and fourSight 4D imaging technologies.

The First HPA Pointers (Prevention of Occupational Infections, Treatment and Exposure Reporting Strategies) Conference on 16 and 17 November in London is being promoted as an exciting event for everyone involved in occupational health, infection control, public health, health protection, risk assessment and the management of infected healthcare workers.

Many of Britain’s hospital staff are worried that hand-cleaning initiatives are in vain as nurses risk spreading infection through dirty uniforms – this is revealed in a Patients Association survey.

The Medical Technology Group has welcomed calls for an increase in medical technology funding in the NHS, and the elimination of “silo” budgeting that fails to account for long-term benefits of technology use.

Health informatics professionals are at the centre of improvements to patient care, it was stressed at a recent conference.

Ateam of surgeons at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, recently performed the UK’s first successful beating heart transplant.

Four months after moving into new premises, Assure Sterile Services has become the first operational “supercentre” in England for the reprocessing of re-usable surgical instruments.

A new study has found that the highest rates of hospitalisation across Primary Care Trusts in London were associated with population profiles and measures of deprivation.

The European Working Time Directive, which limits the hours employees are allowed to work, means junior hospital doctors cannot receive the training they need to become a consultant gastroenterologist, according to results of a survey presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society of Gastroenterology recently.

Health minister Lord Warner has announced the formation of the Care Closer to Home Demonstration Group (CCHDG) made up of members from the medical profession to help deliver the policies outlined in January’s Our health, our care, our say White Paper.