FEATURE ARTICLES

A review of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) issues by GILLIAN TURNER, national CJD co-ordinator, CJD Support Network.

The latest decontamination issues concerning the regulation and reprocessing of endoscopy equipment were focused on at a recent study day organised by the Schülke & Mayr Foundation. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

A far-reaching vision entailing major change in the way in which accident and emergency services are provided in England has been unveiled by the Government. Factors behind the requirement for change include advances in medical technology and adjustments in working practice. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS reports on an initiative to increase safety in surgery worldwide.

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has launched a second version of the No Delays Achiever, a web-based tool created to help NHS organisations achieve the Government objective of 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

Professor Sir JOHN LILLEYMAN is retiring from his post as medical director of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), drawing to a close what has been a remarkable career in medicine. The Clinical Services Journal recently asked Sir John about his views on patient safety issues in general.

The perioperative area is a combustion-friendly environment and surgical fire is always a risk to patients and staff. ADRIENNE MONTGOMERY investigates the potential causes of fire and how it can be prevented in the surgical environment.

Issues involved in the maintenance of healthcare workers’ hand hygiene and hand care are explored by KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS.

Community-acquired MRSA is a problem that is increasingly causing problems for hospitals, but same-day polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing can offer significant assistance, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, has found.

Artificially created melatonin-supressing blue light can improve patient outcomes and invigorate healthcare staff. NICHOLAS MARSHALL reports.

New guidance on surgical instrument disinfection and sterilisation practice, due to be published soon, was discussed at a succession of seminars held by the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management (IHEEM) and titled Decontamination: Focus on HTM 01. JAMES VERRINDER reports on the final event in the series.

With particular focus on the perioperative setting, JOHN BEESLEY outlines legal requirements of manual handling regulations and emphasises that risk of injury must be adequately assessed.

The NHS must look at ways to save money while retaining optimum standards of patient care, says JOHN BENTLEY, business director, Surgical Division, Mölnlycke Health Care UK.

An advanced surgical system is proving to be significantly advantageous for prostate cancer patients. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

Dr SIMON ECCLES, consultant in emergency medicine at the Homerton University Hospital, London, and the national clinical lead, NHS Connecting for Health, talks to The Clinical Services Journal about the vital role the National Programme for IT will play in the future delivery of healthcare.

As patient care becomes more complex and frequently involves more than one department, Dräger Medical has developed a system that not only allows data to be collected at a single point, but also enables this information to be accessed remotely.

Following on from her article in the February issue of The Clinical Services Journal, this month Dr ELOISE CARR reports on the results of research into the effect of postoperative pain on patient outcomes.

Increased use of antimicrobial technologies could have major importance in the fight against the spread of bacteria in the healthcare environment. Maintaining an effective infection control regime is essential, and this is recognised by patients who are being given choice as to where they are treated. TREVOR PAYNE reports.

The BMA has warned that NHS debt is taking its toll on the ability of accident and emergency departments in England to deliver care. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

Tackling infections in the healthcare setting needs common sense, a clear pursuit of good hygiene practice, sound product purchasing and the maintenance of a collective responsibility, a specially convened meeting in Staffordshire determined. NICHOLAS MARSHALL reports.