RECENT NEWS

The thirteenth report from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) has revealed that 25 stroke services scored an overall ‘A’ score for the quality of care they provide for patients, demonstrating that a world class service is achievable.

The ‘Living Longer, Living Well’ report from the Richmond Group concludes that without significant national action 250,000 people will die from preventable conditions by 2025, and even more people will have the quality of their lives drastically reduced.

Patients at Barnet Hospital are now able to have small lung tumours diagnosed and cells destroyed in a single hospital visit without surgery, after Royal Free Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was awarded the £100,000 Cancer Challenge Prize for its innovative 30-minute lung biopsy service.

A new bowel cancer home testing kit will be rolled out across England. The Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) tests for hidden blood in stool samples, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer.

Newly published results from the NHS Adult Inpatient Survey 2015 show that small but vital improvements have been made in key areas such as communication, involvement, and personal care.

The Universities of Nottingham, Oxford and Warwick are leading ‘blue sky’ research into artificially-intelligent medical devices that will improve treatment for cancer and intensive care patients and those with chronic wounds.

Lung experts are calling for greater investment in specialist ‘lung teams’ to help ‘significantly reduce’ the high number of patients with chronic lung disease being admitted to hospital during the winter.

Scientists at the University of Brighton are working with a team in South Korea on research that could lead to the development of new antibiotics.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has undertaken the first investigation into incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) consultants in the UK.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the largest acute hospital trusts in England, has selected Harland Simon to supply a STANLEY Healthcare real time location tracking system (RTLS) to improve the management of mobile medical devices.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been named as one of 16 centres across the country to deliver specialist stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy – a minimally invasive technique used to treat patients with brain tumours, epilepsy and pain disorders.

New research has revealed that frontline NHS hospitals are losing an estimated £290 million a year due to staff being absent from work with muscle and joint injuries – with lack of access to physiotherapy services a key factor.

Cancer Research UK scientists have used imaging techniques as a new way to identify patients who could benefit from certain breast cancer treatments, according to a study published in ONCOTARGET.

Poor delivery of life-changing education to people with diabetes is fuelling serious diabetes complications, premature deaths and unsustainable costs to the NHS, according to a new report published by Diabetes UK.

A UK-wide study looking at the prescribing of anti-osteoporotic drugs (AOD) to people aged 50 years or above has found that, since 2006, AOD prescription rates for women have decreased and rates for men have levelled off, despite a growing elderly population and associated fracture risks.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued advice to parents, carers and clinicians on spotting and managing bronchiolitis – a chest infection – in babies and young children.

A project that improved the management of a painful bowel condition, and reduced hospital referrals in Somerset has won this year’s 2016 NICE Shared Learning Award. Delegates at the NICE Forum held in Manchester voted for the project for its work in improving outcomes for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Although the UK’s cervical screening programme has reduced cervical cancer mortality rates by 60-70% in the last 30 years, screening uptake rates have fallen by 3.1% from 2004/5 to 2014/5.

Having diabetes increases the risk of dying from the effects of a heart attack by around 50%, a University of Leeds study has found.

NHS England aims for 85% of cancer patients to start treatment after being diagnosed, but waiting time targets continue to be missed according to the latest figures.