Department of Health

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Features and news archive

This page holds links to archived features and news items on the Chief Medical Officer's website. Please note, the content of these pages is no longer being updated.

Features

Mobile phones and wireless communications technologies at home and at work

31 August 2005

There are around 61 million mobile phones already in use in the UK today. A number of other wireless-based technologies are being introduced to the home and workplace and it is clear that such devices will increase in number and diversity.

Multi-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

9 February 2005

A recent edition of the Health Protection Agency's Communicable Diseases Report highlighted a potential risk for healthcare associated infection from an organism called Acinetobacter baumannii, which is resistant to many antibiotics.

Public health White Paper

9 February 2005

Action on obesity, sexually transmitted diseases, alcohol abuse and smoking is at the top of the agenda in the new White Paper on public health.

Improving services for patients: Quality care in the NHS

26 May 2004

This feature on the Chief Medical Officer's website examines the progress of the NHS since its inception and discusses the ways in which it has been improving its care for patients over the years.

Achievements of doctors from ethnic minority communities

14 August 2003

This feature celebrates the outstanding contribution made to the NHS by doctors from ethnic minorities.

Public Health in England

26 June 2003

Public Health has always been one of the most important areas of health policy. This feature describes how the many strands of work in public health interact to protect and promote the health of the population.

News items

Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2004 wins Award of Excellence

12 May 2006

'On the state of the public health: Annual report of the Chief Medical Officer 2004' won an 'Award for Excellence' for the creative communications agency, Redhouse Lane who produced the report.

Modernising Medical Careers - the new curriculum for the foundation years in postgraduate education and training

4 April 2005

The launch of the new UK-wide curriculum for junior doctors on 4 April 2005, as part of the Modernising Medical Careers programme, signals a groundbreaking change in postgraduate medical training. The world-leading programme will provide graduates with far broader exposure to medical practice and specialties than was previously provided.

Gulf health guide

14 March 2005

The Ministry of Defence published an updated guide in February 2005 for general practitioners and other health professionals, to use when dealing with the health concerns of veterans of the 1990/1991 Gulf conflict.

CMO Review of Medical Revalidation: A call for ideas

3 March 2005

The Chief Medical Officer was asked by ministers to carry out a review of the issues arising from the Shipman Inquiry's fifth report, which explored how the NHS systems of the time failed to prevent a doctor from murdering so many patients. The ‘Call for Ideas’ gathered views on what the review should cover.

Safety video scores awards

9 February 2005

A Department of Health video demonstrating safe administration of intrathecal chemotherapy has won several awards at events around the world.

Dealing with poor medical performance

2 February 2005

CMO's Annual Report 2002 called for urgent action to replace the existing guidance on suspension of doctors and dentists and this has now been provided by the publication of HSC 2003/012 Maintaining High Professional Standards in the Modern NHS.

Action plan on TB

7 October 2004

The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has announced new measures to tackle the rise of tuberculosis in Britain, a serious but treatable infectious disease.

Towards excellence in assessment in medicine: a commitment to a set of guiding principles

15 December 2003

The Chief Medical Officer has written to a number of organisations with a remit or interest in education and assessment in medicine, seeking their views on a Guiding Principles document drawn up by him after discussion with a small number of key stakeholders.

Exercise Global Mercury: Post Exercise Report

12 November 2003

Exercise Global Mercury was an international exercise designed to test communications between national health agencies in the event of a possible smallpox incident.

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