RECENT NEWS

New measures to support the training standards of healthcare assistants have been unveiled by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

Medical students from low income backgrounds are graduating over £13,000 more in debt than their better off peers, according to a report from the BMA.

Research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has found that despite substantial reductions in the hospital death rates for heart attack patients across all age groups, there are still worrying inequalities in heart attack management for the elderly.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), together with other professional bodies from the norovirus working group, have launched new guidelines for the management of norovirus outbreaks in acute and community health and social care settings.

Significant improvements have been made in the quality and safety of healthcare within NHS Scotland in the past year, according to its chief executive’s annual report.

A US study has found people with mild memory problems and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI).

NHS performance is holding up well, but national statistics mask significant pressures in some local areas, according to a recent report on NHS performance published by The King’s Fund.

A new audit from the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (SCTS) has revealed that the number of lung cancer patients benefiting from life-saving surgery has increased by 60%, while the operative mortality rate has halved in recent years.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has published its annual survey of junior doctors (National Training Survey 2011) which provides a comprehensive picture of the views, experiences and perceptions of more than 46,000 doctors in training, working across the UK.

People taking anti-psychotic drugs and antidepressant drugs have a much higher risk of dying during an acute coronary event of a fatal arrhythmia than the rest of the population, according to a Finnish study published in the European Heart Journal.

A new University College London (UCL) Institute that aims to reduce health inequalities through action on social determinants has been launched by the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, and Professor Sir Michael Marmot.

A three-in-one daily ‘superpill’ to treat high blood pressure has been made available in the UK.

Cancer Research UK will join forces with international research groups from the UK, Europe and the US to launch an initiative to boost the development of new treatments for patients with rare cancers.

An international team of scientists has announced a breakthrough in the fight against malaria, paving the way for the development of new drugs to treat the deadly disease.

Dr Foster recently published its latest annual hospital guide, the main focus of which was on weekend staffing in A&E departments. The report has identified the fact that ‘being admitted to hospital at weekends is risky’.

For ICU staff, oral care is about far more than teeth and gums.

One of the most recent work-based learning initiatives introduced by Eastwood Park has been the development of a Certificate in the decontamination of reusable medical instruments.

The highly experienced panel all have knowledge of the issues surrounding healthcare associated infections (HAI) from a variety of perspectives.

An audit by the Royal College of Physicians and the MS Trust shows that there has been little or no improvement in NHS services for people with multiple sclerosis, in the last five years, while NICE guidelines for the management of patients with MS are no closer to being met than when they were launched in 2003.

The Lancashire Cardiac Centre, located at the Blackpool Victoria Hospital, has reported cost and patient benefits as a result of using point of care measurement of platelet function.