FEATURE ARTICLES

The Chief Executive’s Report to the NHS, delivered halfway through implementation of the NHS Plan and immediately after the recent General Election, serves to re-focus attention on key healthcare issues after months of political rhetoric and mud-slinging. Jason Rayfield reports.

June Denny, theatre sister at Thames Valley Nuffield Hospital in Buckinghamshire, describes Photoselective Vaporisation of the Prostate (PVP) – an emerging treatment for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

Tristel reports on the experiences of Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust during its transition from glutaraldehyde to the introduction of chlorine dioxide products for endoscope decontamination.

The importance of accurate temperature measurement and interpretation is examined by Dr Matthew J. Thompson, clinical lecturer in the Department of Primary Health Care, University of Oxford and a General Practitioner in Oxford. This article is based on a presentation given at the 2004 Welch Allyn “Completing the Picture” meeting.

Joan Gray RGN, director of clinical education at Sterilox Technologies International, calls for widespread formal training in endoscope reprocessing for nurses and healthcare workers.

Peter Jones, centralised in vitro diagnostics market manager at Roche Diagnostics, reports on the role of robotic sample processing in the modernisation of pathology services at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

The drivers for change in the options open to clinicians looking to develop their vocational skills – with a particular focus on renal care – are explored by David Coorey, managing director of Gambro Hospal.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on “Wipe It Out”, a new campaign by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Kimberly-Clark that aims to provide healthcare staff, employers, patients and visitors with resources to promote better and safer practice around MRSA and healthcare associated infections (HCAIs).

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS, independent operating theatre consultant and technical editor of The Clinical Services Journal, reports from the 23rd Quadrennial Congress of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), that took place in May 2005 in Taiwan.

IOSH (The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) outlines the rationale behind its recently launched training course for all healthcare staff, that aims to reduce the high number of accidents and MRSA infections that occur in the NHS every year.

George Black, UK marketing manager of Dräger Medical, puts views to Nicholas Marshall on the way forward for ensuring clinical equipment is always maintained in optimum condition.

Dr Tuhin Sikdar FRCS FRCR, consultant radiologist with a special interest in musculoskeletal injuries and interventions, explains the procedure for, and benefits of, percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). He is based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, Essex.

Changes in policies and systems will have a massive impact on healthcare delivery – this was made clear in the managers’ track at the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) Speciality Conference held in London in the summer. Nicholas Marshall reports.

David Leaper MD ChM FRCS FACS, Senthil Kumar MS FRCS, and Nick Bettles BSc MSc CEng MIEE, discuss the value of patient warming during the perioperative period.

The term “Evidence-based Practice” is used to encompass the up-to-date information upon which the Department of Health states all clinical practice should be founded. Adrienne Montgomery NZRGON, SCM, RCNT, Dip N, MN, explores the implications for perioperative practice.

Jason Rayfield reports on “Completing the Picture”, the latest in a series of meetings which focus on important clinical issues that impact on routine practice in clinical and biomedical engineering.

Graham Cox, decontamination and sterile services manager, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, examines the first experience gained using metal embedded radio frequency identification tags in the decontamination cycle.

With its innovative policies on hand hygiene, general cleanliness, patient privacy and dignity, and staff and patient education, East Sussex located orthopaedic Centre of Excellence, The Horder Centre has created an environment of care where patient safety is never compromised. Jason Rayfield reports.

In this, the third in a series of modernisation articles to be published in The Clinical Services Journal, Robert Standfield, lead workforce designer, MCP Programme; Cheryl Wright, workforce designer, MCP Programme; and Jo-Anne Welsh, associate workforce designer, MCP Programme, provide an overview of the Medical Care Practitioner (MCP) role.

Examined in recent issues has been the work of the National Practitioner Programme (NPP) and the development of new and amended healthcare roles. In this final article, ROBERT STANDFIELD, NPP lead workforce designer, looks at the current status of the programme, and the benefits it will deliver as new healthcare roles become embedded in the NHS.