All News articles – Page 1339
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100,000 lives saved from CHD, government claims
Five heart attack survivors from across England travelled to Number 10 yesterday to demonstrate how the care they received helped to save their lives.Health secretary Patricia Hewitt said: 'The NHS has made fantastic achievements in heart services in the last 10 years, saving over 100,000 lives from coronary heart disease. ...
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DIY service improvement kit launched
Doctors, nurses and call handlers will be able to assess their ability to identify emergencies, the quality of their advice and speed of response using a new clinical audit toolkit to help improve the standard of out-of-hours services.The arrangements are set out in a document published by health minister Andy ...
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Diagnostic waiting times released
The Department of Health has released the waiting times for 15 key diagnostic tests carried out in the NHS.It says the data shows progress in tackling the waiting times for diagnostic tests like scans.Get the waiting times here
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Minister responds to continuing care report
The minister for care services Ivan Lewis has responded to the report by the health service ombudsman Retrospective Continuing Care and Redress.He recognised the difficult decisions faced by families considering residential care and said the government would isssue guidance in response to the ombudsman's recommendations.Read more here
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BMA defends GPs over out-of-hours criticism
The British Medical Association has said that the quality of out-of-hours services is the responsibility of the local NHS - not GPs.GP committee chair Dr Hamish Meldrum agreed with the findings of a Public Accounts Committee report on out-of-hours care, but rejected the report's assertion that GPs were the only ...
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Patients fear effects of nursing shortages
A YouGov poll commissioned by the Royal College of Nursing has found the public are concerned that nurse under-staffing will have a detrimental effect on patient safety.Over 70 per cent thought that if more nurses were employed standards of healthcare would improve. Ninety-three per cent felt the NHS has a ...
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DoH publishes partnerships guidance
The Department of Health has published guidance on the role of third sector providers in health and social care.The guidance includes case studies on how effective commissioning of the third sector can lead to a more innovative and dynamic service.Read the guidance here
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Mental health de-stigmatising campaign launched
A public information campaign aimed at de-stigmatising mental health and promoting suicide prevention and awareness has been launched in Northern Ireland.A TV advertisement for the campaign, part of work on suicide prevention, will be shown throughout Northern Ireland.Find out more here
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Lord Crisp heads bid to tackle health worker shortage
A World Health Organisation international task force co-chaired by former NHS chief executive Lord Crisp met for the first time today to tackle the global shortage of health workers.The shortfall of workers worldwide is around 4.3 million in 57 countries, including 1 million in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Initial ...
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A million Londoners have problems accessing mental healthcare
Over a million Londoners have a mental health problem but access to treatment is inadequate, according to a report by the London Assembly.The report said long waiting lists, confusing referral procedures and a lack of information can make treatment and support difficult to access.Read the report here
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Review reveals shortcomings in medic recruitment
The review into the Modernising Medical Careers recruitment and selection process for specialist training has recommended applicants should be allowed to provide CVs and portfolios to support their applications after finding shortcomings in the process.Junior doctors who fear they have had applications overlooked in the first round will have their ...
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Outcomes measures tools
The Care Services Improvement Partnership is developing a compendium of outcomes measures tools to improve the quality of mental health care and establish best practice.
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Healthcheck consultation launched
The Healthcare Commission is to consult on plans to drive a culture of safety through the NHS, using its annual assessments of NHS organisations to monitor rates of healthcare-acquired infection and compliance with the hygiene code.The proposals also include a stronger focus on clinical effectiveness and commissioning.Find out more here
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Over a million dental check-ups not being provided
Dental contacts statistics have shown that over 1.5 million units of dental activity (each worth one check-up) have not yet been provided under the new contract.The Department of Health said the amount of dental activity commissioned by the NHS continued to rise and more have been recommissioned than were lost ...
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Neil Goodwin on apologising
The two most important words in organisational life may be 'I apologise', but saying sorry can be counterproductive unless the sentiment is backed with service delivery changes
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Commission to look at learning disabilities accusations
The Healthcare Commission has said it will review six cases highlighted by learning disability charity Mencap of people with learning disabilities who died from physical illnesses.Mencap has accused the NHS of institutional discrimination against people with learning disabilities, saying their physical health needs are ignored.Meanwhile the Department of Health has ...
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Northern Ireland infection rates published
More than 5 per cent of patients in Northern Ireland hospitals have a healthcare-acquired affection, a survey by the Department of Health, Social Services, and Public Safety has found.1.1 per cent of patients at 15 acute hospitals surveyed had Clostridium Difficile and 0.9 per cent had contracted MRSA.www.dhsspsni.gov.uk
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Nurses encouraged to complain over pay
Nurses have been encouraged to write to their MPs to complain about this year's pay settlement.The Royal College of Nursing is urging its members to point out to their MP that this year's pay deal will mean an effective pay cut for nurses, when the rate of inflation is taken ...
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Call for NICE reviews of complementary therapy
Complementary therapies should be evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the chairs of the NHS Alliance and the King's Fund have said.In a letter to the BMJ, Dr Michael Dixon and Professor Sir Cyril Chantler argued that the efficacy and value of complementary therapies that are ...
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Bird flu measures lifted
Avian flu control measures introduced to tackle the outbreak at a Suffolk turkey farm are to be lifted from Monday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced.The surveillance and restriction zones will be lifted, assuming there is no further outbreak reported.Read full details here