FEATURE ARTICLES

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the Smart Solutions competition which is organised by TrusTECH, the North West NHS Innovation Hub.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS reports on the considerable changes to the Government Health and Social Care Bill that look set to follow the publication of the results of the Future Forums report.

Workplace bullying and harassment can have a devastating effect not only on the victim, but also on people connected to the victim. In the case of nursing staff, the effects can extend to patients and colleagues and can have an impact on the organisation as a whole.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on The Productive Ward: Releasing time to care programme and looks at its successful implementation at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, where is has helped to improve infection control rates and reduce medication errors.

The Clinical Services Journal takes a closer look at the controversial report Shedding the Pounds which looks at trends in obesity and the current provision of bariatric surgery in England.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on the need to better understand and record information pertaining to the patient experience, with a view to improving patient outcome and increasing satisfaction levels in line with Government ambitions.

In the final installment of his series, GUY HIRST, an expert in human factors training, looks at strategies from the aviation industry that could be transferred to the clinical environment to improve the working environment for healthcare staff and improve patient safety.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reviews a recently published report which calls for a renewed focus on the management and treatment of patients who have suffered a heart attack or episode of unstable angina.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on an alternative to traditional surgical sealants, in the form of a surgical sealant film and brings together evidence of its benefits in a variety of different procedures.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on a recent study undertaken on an automated alternative to the traditional Doppler methods used to detect peripheral arterial disease by taking ankle brachial pressure index measurements.

Dr DAVID HADDOW explores the latest approaches to healing acute burns and looks at how these developments could also offer opportunities for the healing of other problematic wounds.

RICHARD SHORNEY and Dr KAREN OUSEY discuss how the specialty of tissue viability can align with the ideals of the quality agenda. They argue that investment in tissue viability leads to improvements in quality, reduced hospital admissions and significant savings.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS takes a closer look at some of the latest topical healthcare news headlines.

With less than 24 months before the UK Government has to introduce the European Directive on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector, GRAHAM JOHNSON discusses the practical steps that employers can take now to prepare for the introduction of this legislation.

There is a long history of using overseas-trained clinical staff within the NHS, but how can the recruitment process be improved to avoid the mistakes that have been highlighted by recent inquests? ANDREW ANASTASIOU comments on the key issues and offers some valuable advice.

TONY MOSS takes a look at the employment opportunities that still exist in the NHS, despite the economically challenging environment.

The implementation of HD video technology has offered one hospital Trust a solution to the impact of the European Working Time Directive on vital training time for surgical trainees.

Dr FRANCES REES and Dr CHRIS DEIGHTON highlight the need to optimise outcomes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, through rapid referral to a specialist and early treatment. They discuss some of the barriers that need to be addressed to improve diagnosis and management of the disease.

UTIs make up a large proportion of healthcare-associated infections in the UK today. Most can be traced to the use of catheters. SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on two different methods that have been employed, as part of the Protection from Infection HIAs, to reduce infection rates.

GUY HIRST, an expert in human factors training, explains how a well-trained team can help save the day in spite of personal vulnerabilities. He also explains how a skills framework, originally developed for use in the aviation industry, can also be applied to the clinical environment.