RECENT NEWS

Doctors.net.uk has launched an online resource to keep doctors up to date with the latest developments regarding the Health and Social Care Bill.

At its annual conference this year, The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) launched NICE Pathways. This online tool for health and social care professionals is designed to bring together all connected NICE guidance on a particular topic in a user-friendly electronic flowchart.

A report published by the European Alliance For Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) highlights the consequences for patient safety when healthcare decisions are made as a result of costcutting allowed by regulatory vagaries and loopholes.

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust (LCH) has revealed that more than 1 in 10 outpatients do not turn up for appointments, costing the NHS in wasted resources.

New standards for emergency surgery care, published by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), have identified that, although emergency patients account for half the NHS surgical workload, mortality and complication rates vary widely.

A UK study on complications of anaesthesia has shown that obese patients are twice as likely to develop serious airway problems during a general anaesthetic than non-obese patients.

Responding to reports stating that the number of patients having to wait more than four hours has risen 63%, a Department of Health spokesperson said: “It is misleading to look at A&E waiting times without taking into consideration the overall increase in A&E attendances.

Population-wide screening using the prostatespecific antigen (PSA) test would not help to reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer, concludes a study by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.

Monitor, the NHS Foundation Trust regulator has recently published its nine month review of NHS Foundation Trusts for 2010-11. The results have revealed that the majority of NHS foundation trusts continue to perform well in testing circumstances, but some longer-term challenges remain.

The College of Emergency Medicine (CEM) is urging all clinicians, managers and commissioners involved with the delivery of emergency care to be vigilant, and compliant, in the implementation of the new clinical quality indicators for emergency care that come into practice in April, following their launch in December, by Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley.

A non-invasive magnetic imaging (MRI) tool is being developed by The University of Manchester spinout company Bioxydyn. It has the potential to improve the treatment of lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis and emphysema.

The latest in a series of good practice commissioning guides has been published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to support commissioners in designing services to improve outcomes for patients and to help the NHS make better use of its resources.

A pilot scheme to help children having problems after a brain injury has been launched in Sheffield.

Research published in the American Journal of Medicine concludes that moderate coffee consumption is well tolerated in patients with either known or suspected arrhythmia.

NICE has launched a training package to support and reinforce the skills and competencies of midwives, health visitors and social workers when raising sensitive issues with pregnant women who face difficult social circumstances.

Microsoft’s Vergence single sign-on and context management solution has been selected by Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to further its strategic approach to patient care, efficiency and improve the productivity of clinicians.

The NHS could, potentially, save up to £5.5 million a year if health organisations improve the way they dispose of waste, claims the Royal College of Nursing.

People who use aspirin at least once a month may have a reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer US scientists have discovered. A research team at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota studied 904 patients with pancreatic cancer and a further 1,224 healthy patients, all over 55.

The pressure for major changes to health legislation is being stepped up by doctors leaders following the announcement by the Government that there will be a “pause” for further consultation about the Health and Social Care reform bill.

The Plan for Growth, published by the Government in March, contained a range of measures, including a firm commitment to build on the “Innovative Technology Adoption and Procurement Programme (iTAPP)” in the NHS, giving the companies involved the opportunity to present their ideas and innovations to the NHS.