RECENT NEWS

Omalizumab (Xolair) is now available for NHS patients as an add-on treatment for severe, persistent allergic asthma in adults, adolescents and children, says NICE.

NICE has published final guidance, which recommends pirfenidone (marketed as Esbriet and manufactured by InterMune) for people who have the chronic lung condition, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with a forced vital capacity (FVC) between 50% and 80% predicted.

A poll by Doctors.net.uk shows that 70% of doctors think the NHS 111 non-emergency hotline service should be scrapped.

A new study has found that the use of regional anaesthesia in place of general anaesthesia in patients with sleep apnoea undergoing total joint replacement decreases major complications by 17%.

NICE has published final guidance recommending two treatments – vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty – for fractured bones in the vertebrae caused by osteoporosis.

Older bladder cancer patients are less likely than younger patients to receive treatments intended to cure their disease such as surgery to remove the bladder or radiotherapy.

A new toolkit from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) for the recognition and care of seriously ill patients recommends that patients admitted as emergencies should only transfer out of the acute medical unit to a ward area that has facilities to meet their clinical needs.

Ansell, a protective solutions provider, has developed a new education module, Prevention of Sharps Injuries in the Healthcare Setting, to support the European Union Directive (2010/32/EU) for implementing the Framework Agreement on prevention of sharp injuries in the healthcare sector.

A new public website has been launched – www.phin.org.uk – which enables patients and GPs to directly compare around 200 independent hospitals on a range of quality of care indicators.

Limbs & Things, a designer and manufacturer of medical training simulators, has been recognised for its innovative contribution to skills training in medicine with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation.

The NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has published its Strategic Plan 2013-2018.

The British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) has produced a new set of professionals standards aimed at helping surgeons achieve the highest possible level of conduct in bariatric practice.

About 440,000 new cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis emerge annually, causing around 150,000 deaths. Statistics such as these have led the Department of Health to state that antibiotic resistance poses one of the greatest threats to human health.

Experts writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine have disagreed with the conclusion that PIP breast implants do not show any evidence of significant risk to human health.

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital has been praised as an ‘excellent example’ of patient care in today’s NHS by England’s Chief Nursing Officer, Jane Cummings. She was impressed by the achievements of staff at the hospital in developing and implementing its pioneering Patient Vision.

The Association of Perioperative Practice (AfPP), in collaboration with Molnlycke Health Care, will be hosting a series of Patient Safety Roadshows across the country.

Following a US study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control,* showing a 53% drop in rates of C.difficile infection when disposable BP (blood pressure) cuffs were used, Welch Allyn has introduced the EcoCuff – a single patient use, short-term disposable BP cuff. Compared to traditional style cuffs, the EcoCuff is claimed to reduce costs and potentially eradicate erroneous blood pressure readings.

A new UK five-year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and Action Plan is in development and is expected to be published by the Department of Health in the summer.

Eastwood Park’s water hygiene course portfolio now offers a more and concise learning opportunity, equipping staff with practical water hygiene skills in a shorter time frame.

A study published on bmj.com suggests that telehealth may not be a cost-effective addition to standard support and treatment for patients with long-term conditions.