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News in brief
New medical treatments research team
A new research team has been chosen to lead a £20 million initiative to speed up the development of new medical treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative disease.
The Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Network, from University College London and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, will coordinate a network for NHS staff and resources across the country. Its role will be to expand the number and range of clinical trials of medical treatments for diseases such as motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntingdon's disease and Alzheimer's.
This is the latest development in the Government's drive to improve medical treatment in six specific disease areas - stroke, diabetes, medicines for children, mental health, cancer, and dementias and neurodegenerative diseases.
The network completes the current £100m programme of networks announced by the Department of Health in 2004 under the banner of the UK clinical research network.
Feedback is also being sought from NHS staff on a the proposed new National Health Research Strategy, which aims to create a health research system in which the NHS supports those engaged in leading-edge research to focus on the needs of the patient and the public.
The consultation runs until 21 October.
Modernising pathology services
A new review aims to redesign pathology services to make them more appropriate to the modern NHS and more responsive to patients' needs.
It will identify the scope for further modernisation and improvement, including finding ways to speed up diagnostic test turn-around times.
The review is part of Modernising Pathology: Building a Service Responsive to Patients, which also details the work undertaken since the launch of Modernising Pathology Services in February 2004, and outlines new and future challenges.
It will investigate the use of technology, how to bring services closer to patients and the involvement of the independent sector to improve patient access, convenience and choice.
New hospital infection statistics published
Guidelines to help NHS staff tackle the growing problem of a diarrhoea-causing hospital bug will be added to the Saving Lives healthcare infection programme.
The results of the first ever mandatory surveillance scheme for Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea and glycopeptide-resistant enterococci have been published.
There were 44,488 cases of the Clostridium difficile between January and December 2004, compared to around 43,000 reports in 2003 under the voluntary reporting system covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The infection occurs in patients who have received broad spectrum antibiotics, particularly older people and the debilitated, but most patients make a full recovery.
A total of 620 cases of glycopeptide-resistant enterococci were reported for the year ending September 2004.
Report into diabetes diagnosis is published
Nearly a quarter of all diabetes cases in England have not yet been diagnosed, a study by the Healthcare Commission has revealed.
A large proportion of these undiagnosed cases are among women. An average of 45 per cent of women over the age of 40 with diabetes have not been diagnosed. The rate of non-diagnosis is even worse for those aged over 70.
Blindness, stroke and heart disease are common problems for people with diabetes. Effective preventive care significantly reduces the risk of all these conditions.
Only a quarter of people with diabetes achieved the ideal levels of blood glucose, while 21 per cent were within the target range for blood pressure. But cholesterol level tests showed more than 60 per cent achieving the target levels, with men doing better than women.
Improving communications with patients
New guidance has been published to improve communications between NHS organisations and patients who have been unintentionally harmed through their treatment.
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has issued a Safer Practice Notice to the NHS in England and Wales, outlining what each organisation should do.
Healthcare staff should apologise to patients, their families or carers if a mistake or error is made which leads to moderate or severe harm or even death. They should also clearly explain what went wrong and what will be done to prevent it happening again.
The NPSA's e-learning tool and one-day video-based training workshops are also designed to help staff develop the skills they need for difficult conversations with patients. The training tools will be rolled out across the NHS from November.
HPA conference round-up
The Health Protection Agency's (HPA) recent annual conference focused on health inequalities and patient and public safety.
It included key presentations about hand hygiene, healthcare-acquired infections and preparations for an influenza pandemic.
Several presentations on healthcare-acquired infections covered areas such as best practice and the development and spread of the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and clostridium difficile. On patient safety, Professor Didier Pettit, chair of the World Healthcare Organisation's global patient safety challenge, gave a keynote speech on hand hygiene.
The final major aspect of the conference was a presentation on preparations for an avian influenza pandemic, covering response organisation, epidemiological measures, and modelling the pandemic spread.
Response to pharmaceutical report published
The Government has welcomed the opportunity to examine its relationship with the pharmaceutical industry following a report by the Health Select Committee.
It says the Department of Health will continue to co-ordinate the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and stakeholders.
Formal arrangements will be put in place between the department and the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure the interests of patients, the NHS and industry are fully represented.
The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry found that the 'lax' controls over powerful drug companies were in danger of undermining public confidence and trust in the NHS. It also claimed that five per cent of hospital admissions were due to adverse drug reactions.
Charity role for Duchess of Cornwall
The Duchess of Cornwall is to become royal patron of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists.
The Duchess will become patron and president of the charity immediately and, as with all such patronages, her position will be reviewed every five years.
For more information on the Society, visit:
New Prime magazine
The latest edition of free health guides for men and women over 40 are being distributed to GP surgeries, pharmacies and NHS Walk-in Centres.
Prime magazine - one aimed specifically at men, the other at women - focuses on the key conditions which cause the most death and disability in the UK, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
They will also give millions of patients the chance to take part in the Department of Health's public consultation - Your health, your care, your say.
Get the Right Treatment campaign 2005
This annual campaign, to run during October and November, will encourage patients to access appropriate NHS services and also publicise pharmacy services.
New advertisements featuring NHS Walk-in Centres, pharmacy services and NHS Direct will be on radio and in the regional press, along with other PR activity including advertising on pharmacy bags.
A second phase, focusing on choice of healthcare provider, is being developed to run from January 2006.
To order campaign materials online, call the DH publications orderline on 08701 555 455, or visit:
Campaign launched to improve fitness
A national campaign to encourage people to get more involved in physical activity and sport has been launched.
The Everyday Sport campaign, organised by Sport England, is designed to get people to build physical activity and sport into their everyday lives.
The national launch follows last year's successful four-month pilot in the north east where five per cent of the population got active as a result of the campaign.
The campaign will be supported by television and radio advertising, a phoneline to help people find out where they can take part in sport and physical activity, as well as marketing and online activity.
For more information, visit:
Reducing burdens web pages now live
The Department of Health has relaunched its reducing burdens web pages, which now include an e-hotline for staff to blow the whistle on bureaucracy, information on reducing burdens initiatives and best practice case studies, which can be used to tackle red tape in your organisation.
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