FEATURE ARTICLES

Significant advances in transfusion, medicine and science are contributing to continuing improvements in patient care across many clinical specialties, as BARRY HILL discovered at a London symposium held at the Royal College of Pathologists.

Diabetes is rapidly becoming the biggest healthcare challenge of our time, so is the NHS providing the recommended standards of care to people with diabetes?

Diabetes is rapidly becoming the biggest healthcare challenge of our time, so is the NHS providing the recommended standards of care to people with diabetes?

Many inpatients in NHS hospitals could be treated more effectively in the community or at home.

Before introducing any sharps-related legislation, Europe should look carefully at the US experience and learn from them, says Dr Mary Foley. SUZANNE CALLANDER reports.

The NHS has been challenged by Government to innovate through partnership. RICK CATLIN BSc (Hons) considers how the NHS can work alongside private industry to promote patient safety through improved hand hygiene compliance.

Could telehealth provide a solution to the issues of spiralling healthcare costs, increased demand and long-term sustainability? LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

OJ-BIO has secured funds from the Biomedical Catalyst programme towards its £1 million-plus project to develop a new device for the rapid, simple and low cost diagnosis of flu.

Complaints about doctors have hit a record high with patients more prepared to raise concerns about their treatment, a General Medical Council (GMC) report has revealed.

The challenge to deliver more for less has never been greater and, like many organisations in the NHS, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to delivering efficiency savings while ensuring the provision of high quality care.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on a Trust which has recently adopted the use of the National Early Warning Score, recommended by the Royal College of Physicians to identify and respond to deteriorating patients.

In recognition of the hand hygiene initiatives being undertaken by infection prevention and control teams, across the UK, Schülke introduced the Hand Hygiene Champion award.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS describes some of the challenges which face hospital operating theatre suites in the developing world. Lydia and her specific issues are fictional, but the author has visited many different hospitals in Africa with some or all of the same problems.

A report by The King’s Fund calls for better design and co-ordination of services focused on the needs of older people, which could drastically reduce overnight hospital stay figures. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

Achieving adherence to the World Health Organization’s Five Moments of Hand Hygiene remains a challenge. LOUISE FRAMPTON highlights some recent innovations and initiatives aimed at improving compliance.

JOHN PRENDERGAST, decontamination engineer and WAYNE SPENCER, independent consultant on decontamination and healthcare engineering, report on a recent study day held in Birmingham, staged by the Central Sterilising Club, entitled Update on Decontamination Standards.

An electronic ‘integrated records management system’, has been developed to simplify report writing for clinicians following endoscopic procedures and to provide quick and easy access to reports for authorised personnel.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the findings and recommendations of a recent report which looked at variability across the UK in the process of care surrounding bariatric surgery, from both the NHS and private practice.

The need to improve surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance, across Trusts, as well as understand the impact of SSIs on patients’ lives, were among the key issues raised at the Infection Prevention Society’s annual conference. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Expert clinical opinion is vital to the medical technology industry to understand unmet needs and ensure new products are fit for purpose. To facilitate these interactions, Health Enterprise East, the NHS partner organisation for innovation, has recently launched Clinical Insight – a network of NHS stakeholders – to help shape the future of medical technology.