General News

The occupational therapy orthotics team at Musgrove Park have been highly commended for their work in the Trust Excellence Awards. The team introduced a new system for spinal patients that improved their experience and made the hospital systems more efficient.

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A revolutionary healthcare system is being introduced in Bexley to help patients manage their long term health condition at home.

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The new Procure 21+ framework will save the NHS over £200m in procurement costs and will help upgrade hospitals more quickly, Health Minister Simon Burns has announced.

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The Department of Health has announced its intention to explore options with the private sector for potential investment in NHS Professionals Ltd.

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Minister of State for Health and Chelmsford MP, Simon Burns visited Glovershotts Re-ablement housing scheme in Chelmsford, Essex to see first-hand how CHP (Chelmer Housing Partnership) is delivering high-quality support and care to people who have recently been discharged from hospital.

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Health Secretary Andrew Lansley today set out proposals to free the NHS to focus on improving services and outcomes for patients.

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Cancer patients are to get greater access to cancer drugs recommended by their doctors as a result of a new £50 million fund announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

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Bureaucracy will be cut and the functions of several organisations will be streamlined, following a review of arm's length bodies (ALBs), published by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. In total, the changes outlined in the report will reduce the number of health ALBs from eighteen to between eight and ten; they are expected to deliver savings of over £180m by 2014/15.

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Dementia services in Wales are to receive an extra £1.5 million a year to extend and develop provision, Health Minister Edwina Hart has announced.

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Boots has issued a statement regarding the company's involvement in the retail model. This is what the company is saying…

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Detailed proposals for how the NHS will improve healthcare outcomes for patients and judge its success have been set out in a public consultation by the Department of Health.

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The first step towards creating a sustainable care and support system for all adults, that puts individuals and their families at its heart, has been unveiled by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

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Despite previous warnings, patients with symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA or ‘mini stroke') are missing out on life saving operations because they fail to recognise the symptoms, and when they do, they are routinely treated as low priority cases in the NHS, says a UK surgical audit.

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Patients will be offered more choice and control over their healthcare with the launch of the first direct payment scheme, Care Services Minister Paul Burstow has announced.

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A renewed commitment to help children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions has been made by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. Up to £30 million is being made available for this year to help children's hospices, networks and other providers develop local children's palliative care projects

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Five million adults aged 16 or over in England – nearly one in eight - act as a carer for a sick, elderly or disabled person, with over a fifth providing care for more than 50 hours a week, according to provisional figures from The NHS Information Centre.

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The 2011 Moving & Handling People conference and exhibition brochure has been published and DLF has been very innovative in both their new conference format and their rates, which are not only held at 2010 prices but also include a 3 for 2 delegate offer.

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A new online guide from Ricability takes users through the various features and options to help them draw up a list of chairs to try. The online guide was funded by the Department of Health and the Motability Tenth Anniversary Trust.

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BSI, UK Rehabilitation Council, and Department for Business Innovation and Skills have launched what they describe as 'a groundbreaking new specification for the provision of rehabilitation services'.

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A new home health screening kit is being launched in the UK that enables anyone with concerns about MRSA to test themselves at home.

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Healthcare professionals working in stroke care and research across the UK are being invited to attend the fifth annual UK Stroke Forum on the 30 November to 2 December 2010 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.

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The organisers of the Naidex exhibition, held at Birmingham's NEC every April, have launched a brand new event focusing on the disability, homecare and rehabilitation sectors in London and the South East.

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Following two days of voting by visitors and exhibitors, products that have been deemed the most innovative disability products on show this year have been awarded the New Product of the Year Award following an awards presentation on the second day of Naidex 2010.

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Newcastle University's Institute for Ageing and Health and Years Ahead Partnership launch feasibility study for Assistive Technology product accreditation scheme

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The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) has reported that it is delighted that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has endorsed the recommendations of the National Audit Office and their own recommendations for improvements to rheumatology services that will improve patient outcomes and make better use of public resources

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The RCN is campaigning for guaranteed access to specialist nursing care for all patients with long term conditions

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The Council for Disabled Children has launched Influencing for Impact: a guide to influencing policy and politicians for the disabled children's voluntary sector

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Turning Point, the UK's leading health and social care provider, today launched a report which for the first time evaluates the economic savings available from integrating a broad range of health, housing and social care services. It finds significant evidence that integration creates efficiencies and savings, with early intervention services potentially saving the NHS up to £2.65 for every £1 spent.

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New measures to speed up delivery of wheelchairs to patients who need them will be announced today by Welsh Health Minister Edwina Hart

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In Wales, the Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration, Jocelyn Davies AM, has announced a £4.9m Wales-wide package to provide practical help for older and disabled people to remain in their own homes.

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Lifeways Community Care, a leading provider of supported living for people with complex needs, is embarking on a major expansion programme of its services throughout 2010, following an exceptional year of growth.

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Measures to shape NHS services around individual patients have been set out by Health Secretary Andy Burnham. More dialysis at home and chemotherapy in the community will mean patients can benefit from more convenient services that help produce better outcomes and can be more efficient.

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As the population ages, manufacturers of consumer goods are realising that many customers may not be as nimble-fingered or sharp-sighted as they once were. To help product designers and engineers address those changing requirements, researchers in the USA at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have been developing evaluation methods and design techniques to identify and address the needs of all consumers, including those with functional limitations.

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There have been questions asked in the House of Commons regarding aspects of the TCES retail model.

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An Irish hospital is the first in the world to embrace the latest science by specifying hygienic copper door handles throughout in a bid to reduce healthcare associated infections such as MRSA, providing the best possible solid protection to its patients.

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Following a successful collaborative project with Scotland's justice sector in 2009, Capability Scotland has announced that 2010 will the organisation working in partnership once again.

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A recent survey by FAST (Foundation for Assistive Technology) has found that involving users in the assistive technology (AT) research and development process is widely acknowledged as crucial, but that there remain a number of barriers to doing so successfully.

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Blackpool Council's Vitaline and NHS Blackpool have reported on the success of the use of telehealth home monitoring to support people with long-term conditions to enable them to live independently at home. Telehealth led to a 75% reduction in hospital admissions for the COPD & Heart Disease patients on the 12-month pilot.

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Welsh Health Minister Edwina Hart has issued the following statement regarding wheelchairs in Wales

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Mobility scooters could be fitted with tracking technology to help older and vulnerable people leave their homes without fear of getting lost. Researchers at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) and the University of Lincoln aim to develop a device that fits into scooters and updates local authority care providers of the person's location using mobile phone technology.

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Despite the economic downturn, a record breaking 814 people attended the National Telecare and Telehealth Conference 2009, which was organised by the Telecare Services Association (TSA), and took place in November at the London Hilton Metropole Hotel. The reason for this increase is simple- telecare and telehealth are at the centre of radical healthcare reforms and technological developments, and the benefits are being felt across the UK.

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Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa Foundation have announced the launch of a ground-breaking partnership to boost research into dementia and its causes.

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Gwenda Thomas, Welsh Deputy Minister for Social Services has issued a statement in response to a BBC TV programme

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PD REHAB – a randomised controlled trial to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy for people with Parkinson's disease.

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Australian scientists have found that Vitamin D may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Figures showing that people living in Tasmania are seven times more likely to develop MS than Queenslanders had suggested a link between sunlight exposure and the disease.

www.thiis.co.uk/vitimin-ms-nov09.aspx

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On 5 March 2010, the British Geriatrics Society is holding Interface Geriatrics, a one-day conference aimed at examining new models of care for frail older people across primary and secondary care. The event will take place at the Royal College of Physicians in London and it is being supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners and the College of Emergency Medicine.

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An innovative telehealth project to monitor patients with chronic lung conditions has secured NHS Highland, Argyll & Bute Council and Telehealth Solutions a major industry award.

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From October 2010, adults who fund their own social care will have access to an independent complaints review service provided by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) following Royal Assent on 12 November to the Health Act 2009. Once the Care Quality Commission completes its new registration programme of providers, the LGO will be able to review complaints about privately purchased care services made by users, their family or others affected by the actions of a regulated adult care provider.

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Investing in staff and leadership is the key to delivering quality care for older and disabled people, according to new research.

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People with long term conditions across east and north Birmingham are being encouraged to enrol on a groundbreaking telephone health service.

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The future of a ‘National Care Service', with the potential to rival the impact of the National Health Service, hangs in the balance, according to Counsel and Care, the national charity working with older people, their families and carers to get the best care and support.

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According to the developers, Richmond Letcombe Regis, a £60 million retirement village near Wantage, is proving a big success with 23 homes within the development already sold off-plan ahead of the February 2010 opening.

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