News Online

1. Lung transplant breakthrough hailed

Doctors believe a pioneering transplant technique which cleans and reconditions donor lungs could help save the lives of many patients desperately waiting for new organs A UKwide study has been welcomed by patients groups who claim it will bring hope to many with chronic lung disorders Only one in five of the potential donor lungs available in the UK is currently used in lung ... Read More

2. Hospitals crackdown on the health tourists Oneyear residency rule to end 40m NHS scam

Patients are having to prove they are entitled to free NHS care when they go to hospital in a crackdown on health tourism They are asked for evidence showing they have lived in Britain for at least a year by producing bills pay slips or bank statements The oneyear rule has existed for many years but has clearly not been effectively enforced The scheme has been introduced to ... Read More

3. New challenges as survey shows hospitals can leave you feeling worse

One in sixteen patients in hospital last year had an infection contracted as a result of their medical care that made them sicker rather than better A snapshot survey carried out in England last October and November shows what unhealthy places hospitals are Some 64 per cent of patients in hospital at any one time during 2011 were found to have an infection such as MRSA or C Difficile ... Read More

4. Patients To Rate Their Hospital Treatment

A new test to improve care in hospitals in England will allow patients to rate the treatment they receive The quotfriends and family testquot will ask people whether they would recommend the hospital to their loved ones The Prime Minister said the data will give people a clear idea of where to get the best care The results will be published and hospital leaders who fail ... Read More

5. New strains of hospital bugs emerging

The HPA report which gives a snapshot of infection rates and antibiotic use last autumn found that while rates of MRSA and Clostridium difficile continue to fall other infections such as E coli and salmonella are taking their place The total prevalence of healthcareassociated infections HCAIs decreased from 82 in 2006 to 64 in 2011 though this has been put down primarily ... Read More

6. One in 12 kids catches infections in hospital

Almost one in 10 children admitted to hospitals catch infections mostly respiratory during their medical care that made them sicker rather than better a British study has found A survey of more than 50000 patients admitted in more than 100 hospitals in UK has found that one in 16 children had an infection associated with their health care Most of the hospitalacquired infections ... Read More

7. Hospital infections down but new strains emerging

Controlling hospital infections such as salmonella and Ecoli must be a priority say experts While there has been a drop in rates of the superbug MRSA and C difficile other infections like E coli appear to have taken their place they say Health Protection Agency data gives a snapshot of infection rates and antibiotic use by NHS hospitals in England in the autumn of 2011 It ... Read More

8. Growing number of hospital patients are malnourished when they die

While not recorded as the cause of death the quoteffects of hungerquot were noted on the death certificates of 301 people in England in 2010 up from 195 in 2001 The total of more than 2500 over the decade covered deaths that occurred in NHS hospitals and is likely to be an underestimate because deaths in nursing homes psychiatric hospitals or in the patients homes were no ... Read More

9. Hospital meals less healthy than Big Macs study

A Big Mac burger is healthier than 75 percent of NHS hospital meals a recent study conducted in the UK has revealed The study examined twenty five different meals provided by an NHS food supply chain to find that sixty percent of hospital food contained more salt than the popular McDonald s burger Seventy five percent had more saturated fat The survey was carried out by Sustain ... Read More

10. Surgeons perform pioneering knee operation at Southampton General Hospital

SURGEONS in Southampton have become the first in the UK to perform a pioneering knee operation that halves a patient s recovery time The technique known as bicompartmental knee resurfacing allows doctors to repair damaged knees without the need for a total knee replacement It involves replacing only areas of cartilage that are affected by arthritis and avoids the removal ... Read More