RECENT NEWS

New figures show that cancer waiting times targets in Scotland continue to be met.

A new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recommends that all hospital doctors, not just palliative care doctors and geriatricians, must be supported to improve the care they give to patients at the end of their lives.

Nearly 1.9 million women aged 45 and over were screened for breast cancer in England in 2010-11, according to recent Health and Social Care Information Centre figures.

Two reports published by The King’s Fund have highlighted how frail older people are being exposed to unacceptable standards of care in hospital because of a lack of continuity of care.

NICE has issued final guidance recommending boceprevir and telaprevir, in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, as options for the treatment of genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C in adults with compensated liver disease.

Bladder cancer patients given low doses of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy are nearly 50% less likely to relapse with the most lethal form of the disease, compared to those given radiotherapy alone, a major trial funded by Cancer Research UK has shown.

Over 600 laboratory confirmed cases of whooping cough have been reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in England and Wales between January and March 2012, compared to total of 1,040 cases across the whole of 2011. The increase, continuing from the second half of 2011, has been reported across all regions in England with some areas reporting clusters in schools, universities and healthcare settings.

A survey of over 2,000 adults and over 160 children treated in hospital in the UK for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, comprising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) found that over 90% of patients regarded their care as good, very good or excellent. Respondents highlighted pain relief and nutrition as particular areas for improvement.

Under proposals by the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, foreign doctors will have to prove they can speak English before they can practise. A new consultation will propose that senior doctors who evaluate other doctors’ fitness to practice will have extra powers to ensure that any doctor working in their organisation can speak English.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron has announced that dementia research funding is to be more than doubled by 2015 in order to make the UK one of the leading countries in the field. He said that the fact that the UK has not done more to tackle dementia is a “scandal”, and stated that tackling the “national crisis” is one of his own personal priorities.

According to the Office of National Statistics one in three babies born last year will live to 100 years of age, while the number of centenarians will rise 40-fold within the next 50 years.

New public health guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides a blueprint for improving the way tuberculosis (TB) is identified and managed among groups of people who are hard to reach through traditional health care services.

The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) has announced details of a career day for healthcare professionals at all levels aiming to make their mark in a competitive job market (10 May 2012, Old Trafford, Manchester).

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 494 children showed that supplementation of Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis significantly reduced episodes of diarrhoea.

Healthcare guidance body NICE has published draft recommendations on the diagnosis and management of lower limb peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

A study of a new less invasive technology to prevent rupture of aortic aneurysm (a swelling in the largest artery in the body, the aorta) has found better early survival, when compared with the standard open surgery method but equivalent survival in the long-term, with higher costs from re-interventions aimed at protecting against rupture.

A Birmingham hospital is offering comfort care packs for patients nearing the end of their life, and their families. Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) is to introduce the pilot project across 10 clinical areas, including two critical care areas and the coronary care unit.

Health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has launched the Chief Clinical Information Officers (CCIO) Leaders Network, a professional network designed to support doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who are stepping up to take the lead on IT and the use of information in healthcare.

A cheap and safe antibiotic that is widely available in the developing world might have a new use as a tuberculosis (TB) treatment, according to new research.

NICE has published a new quality standard and guidance on patient experience in adult NHS services. The new standard includes ensuring that patients are given the opportunity to discuss their health beliefs, concerns and preferences in order to personalise their care.