All Patient safety articles – Page 263
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HSJ Knowledge
Infection control: middle of a chain reaction
By making the most of partnership working, new technologies and ongoing vigilance, Plymouth Hospitals trust was able to make great strides in the fight against infection
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HSJ Knowledge
Andrew Castle on innovation in obstetrics
A dip into the history of obstetrics shows how inventiveness is one of its trademarks, says Andrew Castle
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News
'Search and destroy' infections, says Lansley
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has called for a 'search and destroy' tactic to be used against hospital infections.He said: 'Discussions with the Centre for Hospital-Acquired Infections in Nottingham suggest that it will require a six-year programme to bring the levels of MRSA down in line with Holland and Denmark.
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Comment
Michael White on this year's Labour conference
I filed this column, from Labour's Bournemouth conference, a little later than usual this week. Gordon Brown had brought the annual leader's speech forward by 24 hours (he is in such a hurry, that man) and I wanted to catch what he had to say.
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Comment
Labour conference: localist messages do not cover a nasty whiff of central control
The speeches at Labour's annual conference mapping out the principles for Gordon Brown's stewardship of the NHS highlighted the tensions with which the new ministerial team is grappling.
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News
Safety first as government gets tough on causes of superbugs
Gordon Brown has put patient safety at the top of the government’s priorities for the acute sector, promising stronger rules on hospital cleanliness.
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Comment
Media Watch: for and against healthcare privatisation
HSJ readers will be well aware of the three-month battle to get health secretary Alan Johnson off the fence and spelling out his policy on the private sector.This week that battle spilled off the pages of HSJ and the Financial Times and into The Times and The Guardian. A coincidence? ...
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Comment
Data on mental health patient safety must be presented accurately
Chris Heginbotham’s commitment to the well-being and safety of mental health inpatients is sincere and I share some of his concerns, but I must set the record straight about the more alarming aspects of the impression created by his recent interview, writes Louis Appleby
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News
New hospital hygiene regulator announced
The Department of Health has announced the next steps in its bid to improve cleanliness and infection control in hospitals.
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Comment
Dismissing improvement programmes misses the point
Alan Maynard's criticism of the quality improvement efforts under way for more than a decade in the NHS, and specifically of the role of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in that work, abounds with misunderstandings, write Stephen Thornton and Don Berwick
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News
WHO warns on safety of children's medicines
Medicines for children need to be more tightly monitored for safety, the World Health Organisation has warned.
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Comment
Media Watch
The papers are again keen to expose the 'scandal' of hospital food - this time the focus is on hospital kitchens. The Observer told readers of a 'searing indictment' of their cleanliness after government inspection reports revealed 'that breaches of food hygiene laws include infestations of mice and cockroaches, kitchen ...
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News
Executives face fresh scrutiny on hospital infection outbreaks
The government wants a new power to place a legal requirement on NHS chief executives to report MRSA and Clostridium difficile outbreaks to the Health Protection Agency.
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Comment
Media Watch: breaking the habit
This week columnists seized on the case of a smoker apparently denied an NHS operation to fix his broken ankle unless he gives up a 20-a-day habit.
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Comment
Heather Walker on clinical measures
'Death is only one outcome. As far as the NHS is concerned, very little is known about the other outcomes of those discharged from hospital. Do patients actually feel any better for the healthcare intervention they have just undergone?'
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HSJ Knowledge
Stephen Thornton on engaging clinicians
'One of the most powerful motivating factors for clinicians to be involved in improving services is seeing its direct impact on the quality of patient care'
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News
New dress code to prevent spread of infections
A new dress code that specifies 'bare below the elbows' will mark the end of doctors' traditional white coats.The overhaul of uniforms and workwear is part of a range of measures announced by health secretary Alan Johnson to help prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infections.
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News
PCTs attacked in MPs' report
Too many primary care trusts are 'paying lip service' to a government programme intended to boost quality and safety after a string of high-profile scandals in the NHS, according to a report published by the cross-party public accounts committee.
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HSJ Knowledge
Reducing maternal death rates in Malawi
Maternal and neonatal death is one of the biggest healthcare issues facing developing countries. Malawi has one of the highest death rates in the world, with over 5 per cent of births ending in a fatality. To help tackle this, the Health Foundation is running a three-year programme dedicated to ...
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HSJ Knowledge
The nuclear option that's increasing patient safety
A colour-coded early warning score system adapted from nuclear submarines has significantly reduced mortality rates at Luton and Dunstable hospital.