Acute Care – Page 446
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News
Latest information for health and social services chiefs released
The Department of Health has issued its latest bulletin for NHS and council chief executives and social services directors.It includes information about a best practice toolkit for the mental health workforce and statutory guidance on safeguarding the welfare of children.Get the bulletin here
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News
Web system to monitor C Difficile hotspots
The Department of Health has announced it setting up a new web-based system to monitor Clostridium difficile.The new system, similar to the one used to monitor MRSA, will show where cases occur rather than just assigning all cases to the trust reporting the problem.The DoH hopes it will identify C ...
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News
Nurses want more time on patient care, says survey
Three-quarters of staff nurses in acute trusts say they do not spend enough time on direct patient care, according to research by HSJ and Nursing Times. And nine in 10 of those believe this has an adverse impact on patients.
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Comment
Patient safety: Avoiding blame will not remove danger
Is the desire to establish a 'no blame' culture around patient safety becoming dangerously close to being seen as an end in itself rather than as a necessary aid to progress?
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Comment
Why the talking cure can help ease the reconfiguration blues
A list is circulating - despite Department of Health denials - of 18 trusts that have been deemed unviable in their present form and on which strategic health authorities will be acting. There will probably be few surprises in the names and no surprise that major restructuring of acute services ...
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News
£45m funding boost for national research programmes
The Department of Health has pledged £45m for 29 research programmes to be carried out by the National Institute for Health Research.The programmes will cover areas including mental health, children's medicines, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, stroke and neurology.Read the press release here
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News
New wave of community hospitals and services
Health minister Andy Burnham has unveiled a £50m wave of new NHS community hospitals and super surgeries.Six new health centres, two new community hospitals and eight refurbished community hospitals will open across the country as part of a drive to increase capacity for minor operations, medical tests and follow-up care ...
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News
BMA welcomes embryo ruling
The British Medical Association has welcomed the European Court's decision not to allow Natalie Evans to use embryos fertilised by an ex-partner in IVF treatment.Commenting on the ruling, BMA medical ethics committee chair Dr Tony Calland said the European Court has supported the principle of consent from all parties.Ms Evans ...
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News
Ofsted publishes children's services report
Education regulator Ofsted has published a report on joint working in education and children's services across the country.Narrowing the gap: the inspection of children's services says partnership working between different sectors provides 'a clear strategic focus on key priorities' in meeting children's health needs.Read the report here
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News
WHO praises price cuts for HIV drugs
The World Health Organisation has welcomed the decision of Abbott Laboratories to significantly reduce the price of lopinavir/ritonavir, a second-line antiretroviral therapy to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS.WHO has reaffirmed its commitment to universal access to HIV prevention services and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS by 2010.Read more ...
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News
Hewitt unveils patient choice plans
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has announced new measures to increase patient choice.The NHS Choices website will go live in July, and a pilot will see trained librarians helping the public to access choose and book.Ms Hewitt also said there will be 'free' choice of any hospital provider in the country ...
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News
Funding boost for anorexia research
The Department of Health has pledged £2m for research into anorexia.South London and Maudsley foundation trust, the Institute of Psychiatry and eating disorder charity Beat will carry out the research.Health minister Rosie Winterton said she hoped the findings would 'enable professionals to better treat the complex emotional issues that are ...
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News
Cash pledge for London research centres
Two expert research centres in London have received more than £10m in funding from the Department of Health.The money is intended to drive improvements in the safety, quality and effectiveness of the services the NHS provides to patients and the public.
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News
£468m for biomedical research pot
Eleven new Biomedical Research Centres of excellence will share more than £468m of funding over the next five years.The centres set across England will carry out research on major killers such as cancer and heart disease, as well as other crucial areas such as asthma, HIV, mental illness and blindness.Read ...
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News
Scottish Labour party vows to halve waiting times
The Scottish Labour party has pledged to halve waiting times to 18 weeks from referral to treatment by 2011. The promise comes in the party's new manifesto, launched today.There is also a specific commitment to cut waits to see physiotherapists, clinical psychologists and chiropodists to nine weeks by the same ...
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News
Phil Wade on the Information Centre's future
The business development director of the Information Centre outlines its eight priorities for next year, including identifying how much of the NHS drugs budget is wasted and providing a more detailed picture of independent sector care.
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HSJ Knowledge
Improved Information Centre website
What's in store on the revamped Information Centre website
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News
National head and neck cancer audit
The second annual head and neck cancer audit report will include information on the treatment of over 1,400 people. For the first time it includes data from Wales as well as England.
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HSJ Knowledge
Legal briefing: the employment law implications of mergers
Merging with another organisation means taking on its staff - and any associated problems such as grievance procedures and litigation claims. Legal expert Rachel Heenan advises on how to avoid nasty post-merger shocks.
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Comment
Whitehall shake-out rumbles more change
'The DoH will not comment on whether posts such as director-general of commissioning will disappear rather than be filled, but is it likely that much of the spate of high-profile leavers, so far and to come, is part of a coming restructuring.'