All News articles – Page 1349
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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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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 ...
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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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Sussex reorganisations to be examined separately as elections split consultation
Public consultation on controversial changes to hospitals in parts of Sussex is to get under way this month - despite campaigners' objections that plans for the whole county need to be looked at together.
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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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PCTs struggle to support patients exercising choice
Most primary care trusts are struggling to support patients who need help choosing a hospital, a survey by the King's Fund has found.
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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