RECENT NEWS

More than two out of three patients say they will have more confidence in their doctor once a new system of regular checks on doctors is introduced, according to a survey commissioned by the General Medical Council. The new system of revalidation will provide further assurance that patients trust their doctors by showing their doctor is up to date and fit to practise.

Bukumbi Care Centre in Tanzania was built in the 1970s to care for people suffering from leprosy and other disabilities who had been ostracised from their communities and were living on the streets of Mwanza. In April, six employees of Schülke UK travelled to Mwanza to renovate the community hall at the Care Centre.

Monitoring systems supplier, Isatec, is warning NHS organisations that some may have only a few weeks to improve their strategies for monitoring vaccine storage temperatures, in order to comply with National Patient Safety Agency advice. It is offering support to those that may be daunted by the recommended switch to electronic monitoring.

NICE has announced that it has recommended two treatments (infliximab and adalimumab) for people with severe Crohn’s disease.

The 2010 Completing the Picture educational symposium will be held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Warwickshire, which holds the world's largest collection of historic British cars. This free event takes place on Thursday 1 July 2010 and is especially for clinical and biomedical engineers, promising to deliver more insightful and innovative presentations than ever before.

Changes must be made immediately to improve the vetting system for overseas doctors providing out-of-hours GP care in the UK, the Health Committee has concluded in a report.

New data presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting, shows that treatment with ticagrelor can significantly reduce the risk of death in acute coronary syndrome patients undergoing heart bypass surgery.

Many families are being forced to find an average £3,123 a year – or an estimated £15,000 over a five year medical course – to get their children through medical school owing to spiralling levels of debt and the impact of tuition fees, a new BMA report has claimed.

Researchers have found a genetic link between low birth weight and the risk of going on to develop Type 2 diabetes in later life. The team analysed over 38,000 Europeans from 19 studies of pregnancy and birth and found that two genetic variants showed strong associations with birth weight.

Proposals for improving safeguards for people using herbal medicines, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture have been announced by Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

The number of reported patient safety incidents that resulted in death has fallen, against a backdrop of increased awareness, learning and reporting by NHS organisations across England, according to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA).

The BMA has warned that the announcement of a pay freeze for armed forces GPs and consultants and a 1% pay rise for junior doctors, staff grades and associate specialists, would worsen recruitment and retention problems facing the Defence Medical Service.

Clinicians at Henry Ford Hospital, in the US, have found that infection with the hepatitis C virus increases the risk for developing kidney cancer. Using data from more than 67,000 patients, physicians found that over the period 1997-2008, 0.6% patients with hepatitis C infection developed kidney cancer whereas only 0.3% patients without the disease developed kidney cancer.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has commented on statistics from the NHS Information Centre’s Annual Workforce Census for England showing a 1.9% yearly increase in the number of qualified nurses in the NHS.

A new study has identified a significant shortfall in patients with life-long but treatable conditions re-entering employment. The research is being presented at the annual Society for Endocrinology BES meeting in Manchester.

Electronic implants to treat blindness have shown successful results in a clinical trial, carried out in Germany, involving 11 patients who had lost their sight due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is challenging nurses, doctors and surgeons working in NHS trauma services to help curb the epidemic of alcohol misuse by providing advice to patients during their course of treatment.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising the use of dronedarone (Multaq) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) – a disturbance of the heart’s rhythm.

A man’s chances of dying from prostate cancer – the most common cancer in men – vary according to postcode, new figures from the Prostate Cancer Charity show.

Companies advertising Computerised Tomography (CT) scans as an “MOT” for people who have no relevant symptoms but who are anxious to keep one step ahead of possible illnesses, will see the service they provide become clarified in law.