Latest news – Page 1930
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Pandemic flu guidelines published for social care
The Department of Health has published guidelines for dealing with an influenza pandemic.The guidelines, for social care staff and volunteers, is supplementary to the revised national framework on responding to a flu pandemic.Read the guidance here
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Men 'not worried about getting prostate cancer'
A poll commissioned by the Prostrate Cancer Charity suggests men are more worried about their pension that they are about the possibility of getting prostate cancer.Asked about their concerns about getting older, 32 per cent said their pension, 13 per cent said getting prostate cancer, seven per cent weight gain ...
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X-ray waiting lists drop
Patient waits for diagnostic tests such as x-rays have dropped by as much as 33 per cent, according to a report by the Healthcare Commission.But the report also found two out of three clinicians are waiting too long for results.Read the report here
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Hewitt announces GP strategy
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has launched a government drive this morning to find non-NHS organisations to provide GPs and practice nurses in towns and cities with the fewest family doctors.Ms Hewitt also discussed the role new providers can play in providing services such as pharmacies.Read more here
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Ipswich's spinal success story
I applaud the work undertaken in Ipswich in transforming services for people with spinal pain. It demonstrates the real success of multi-disciplinary working across organisations' boundaries in quality and efficiency of care.
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Review says junior doctors should get guaranteed interviews
The review group examining the selection process for junior doctors has recommended all eligible applicants are guaranteed an interview for their first or second choice of training post.The review also said those who have not been shortlisted for any interviews will have their applications reviewed.Read the press release here
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Measuring the quality of learning disability services
Inspired by recent findings the Foundation for People with Learning Difficulties has found that using metrics can provide evidence to better inform healthcare professionals. Varya Shaw reports
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Major malfunction
The market-based system of payment by results is not functioning as hoped, causing adversarial relationships,
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Electronic health records - cutting through the hysteria
There is a lot of hysteria about electronic health records. Those of us who have worked inside health institutions have no illusions about the safeguards applied to paper records. Paper records are often not available when needed, even in the institution where they are created. And there is almost no ...
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Feedback on Peter Degeling's article on integrated care pathways.
We write in relation to the recent article written by Peter Degeling on integrated care pathways. The claim that '30 clinicians walked out of a recent presentation' in Swansea is entirely false.
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Inequalities: the plain truth
Thank you Ruth Hussey for your plain speaking about tackling inequality. Commissioners need to take note, but we need to innovate not replicate.
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With friends like Milburn...
I have some sympathy with the chief executives of acute trusts surveyed in your report. The Department of Health.may end up paying a high price for its game of 'central credit and local blame'.
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Joint replacements to face tougher safety tests
New European legislation has reclassified hip, knee and shoulder joint replacements in an attempt to make them safer.They will now require a higher level of scrutiny by certification organisations, before they are placed on the UK market.The change follows concerns that hip implants were not classed as a high-risk device ...
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Sudan blighted by meningococcal disease
A mass vaccination campaign is being carried out in southern Sudan to halt the spread of meningococcal disease.New, provisional figures show the region has seen nearly 7,000 suspected cases of meningococcal disease in the first three months of 2007, including 430 deaths.The government of southern Sudan, the World Health Organisation ...
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Burnham launches payment by results consultation
Andy Burnham has invited views on a number of ways to develop the payment by results system for 2008-09 and beyond.The ideas include strengthening payment by results data, more unbundling of tariffs, setting prices based on effective practice rather than on average costs and extending the system to more services.Read ...
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All new healthcare workers to be checked for diseases
Under new Department of Health guidance, all new healthcare workers will be checked for tuberculosis and offered hepatitis B immunisation and tests for hepatitis C and HIV.These standard health clearance checks would be completed on appointment, with additional health clearance required by those performing exposure-prone procedures. The guidance will affect ...
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Conservatives slam government 'incompetence'
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has blamed Labour 'incompetence' for NHS job losses. Commenting on Office of National Statistics figures released yesterday which show that 11,000 jobs were in the NHS during the last three months of 2006, Mr Lansley said: 'What's demoralising for NHS staff is that the incompetence ...
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Good Hope consultation nears close
Residents from north and east Birmingham and South Staffordshire have until 19 March to put forward their views about the future of Good Hope Hospital. NHS West Midlands is collating public views on proposals for the hospital to become party of Heart of England foundation trust.Since November 2005, Heart of ...
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'No excuse' for malnutrition in older people
A national action plan to tackle the issue of older people and nutrition was announced today by health minister Ivan Lewis.Mr Lewis said: 'There is no excuse for vulnerable older people not receiving the food they require and the necessary help to eat that food.He said the action plan 'needs ...
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Family health initiative launched
Public health minister Caroline Flint today launched the Healthy Living Initiative, a programme to help families lead healthier lives.The programme will tackle barriers to healthy living through a range of initiatives aimed at families with young children.Ms Flint said: 'Tackling overweight and obesity in children is complex because there are ...