RECENT NEWS

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.

The second and third modules of the Safe Foundations education programme that puts patient safety at the heart of training for junior doctors have been launched by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA).

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.

Amid the increasing incidence of syphilis in the UK, Oxoid is offering clinical laboratories convenient tools for the reliable diagnosis of syphilis infection.

Research presented by BAPEN (The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition) demonstrates that screening for malnutrition can pick up patients who are at risk but who are currently missed. It can also be used to predict hospital admissions and mortality.

A30-minute, near-patient test for diseases such as meningitis and the superbug MRSA has taken a step towards development, thanks to a £400,000 boost.

New coating technology being developed by Glasgow University could have implications both for implant wearers and for drug development pipelines, researchers are hoping.

Siemens Medical Solutions is partnering with the Medical Diagnostic & Imaging Group (MDI), which provides one stop solution centres for patient care, providing consultation, diagnosis and specific treatment. .

Vanguard Healthcare, the UK's leading supplier of mobile medical facilities, has chosen to equip its new mobile endoscopy unit with a MEDICA Biopure Rinsewater System from ELGAProcess Water. The unit, the first of its kind in the UK, provides an instant endoscopy service for hospitals that have either no existing service or high waiting lists for specialist investigations such as gastroscopy, colonoscopy and cystoscopy.

Siemens Medical Solutions is now offering a smaller, powerful tool to visualise the entire heart during diagnostic procedures: the Acuson AcuNav 8F ultrasound catheter.