Month: July 2013

Results of ‘friends and family’ survey

Extract from BBC News, Health

Patients on 36 of 4,500 hospital wards in England would not recommend them to relatives, according to a new survey.

The latest results of the new “friends and family” test saw one English A&E department out of 144 get a “negative score” – Chase Farm Hospital in London.

The questionnaire, backed by the prime minister, asks patients if they would recommend the ward they were treated on to those close to them.

Critics say the scheme is too blunt an instrument to provide useful data.

To see the scores achieved by East Cheshire and others, please see the links below:

Download FFT A&E – June 2013 (XLS, 3789K)
Download FFT Inpatient – June 2013 (XLS, 6215K)

Focus on American Journal of Roentgenology

Access to the journal, AJR is easy and free provided you have registered for an Athens account.

ajr

This month it is featuring the following topics:

CT Dose Optimization for Whole-Body PET/CT Examinations.

Molecular Imaging: An Innovative Force in Musculoskeletal Radiology.

Imaging Tumor Angiogenesis: The Road to Clinical Utility.

The Role of PET/CT in the Management of Cervical Cancer.

Reporter Gene Imaging.

FDG PET/CT in the Management of Primary Pleural Tumors and Pleural Metastases.

 

Library looking good

Relocating 4 large bookshelves closer to the main library area, allows users to browse more freely and concentrates similar resources more closely together. Now that the huge piles of displaced books are safely back on the shelves, you can see what an improvement has been made.

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Next time you visit the library make sure you take note of the newly established study space – suitable for small groups or individuals.

Latest news from NICE

July 23, 2013

BMJ Learning modules: Rheumatology

This week from BMJ Learning: A 70 year old woman with heart failure has just been discharged after her fourth hospital admission in three months. She is tolerating her medication, which includes maximum doses of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, a beta blocker, spironolactone, and digoxin, and she still seems to be getting some benefit from them. Her husband is worried about her and mentions that she seems low in spirits. What might be going on? And what should you do? If you are not sure, then this module will help. Palliative care in non-malignant disease

PLUS some of the popular modules on rheumatology. They give an important update on a range of common dilemmas.

Rheumatoid arthritis: an update on management – in association with NICE

Osteoarthritis: a guide to management in adults – in association with NICE

Acute back pain: an up to date guide

Chronic back pain: an update on diagnosis and treatment

Giant cell arteritis: diagnosis and treatment

Tip of the week: Attend the BMJ Masterclass in Rheumatology for a full update in the latest clinical developments in rheumatic diseases. Taking place Friday 22nd November in London, this masterclass is suitable for all physicians and GPs with a specialty interest

Unexpected rise in deaths among older patients – what could be the cause?

BMJ 2013; 347 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f4795 (Published 29 July 2013)

Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f4795
Deaths among older people have risen markedly since the beginning of 2012, prompting Public Health England to launch an investigation into what is causing the rise.

Experts are divided over what could have caused the increase in mortality. There is speculation that cuts to the NHS and social care budgets have had a detrimental impact on services for older people and triggered more deaths. But others say that life expectancy may simply be starting to plateau or that the rise could be a natural fluctuation in statistics, perhaps prompted by unusual weather patterns.

The increased deaths are revealed in an internal report prepared by Public Health England using weekly all-cause death registrations data from the Office for National Statistics, which has been seen by the BMJ.

Use your Athens account to read the whole article in BMJ

News from Health Technology Assessments

Cancer drug can treat blindness finds HTA funded research

A cheap cancer drug is just as effective and safe in treating a common cause of loss of vision as an expensive alternative, finds research funded by the NIHR HTA Programme. [more…] 

Liver function tests not efficient in identifying specific disease

Liver function tests (LFTs) result in many false positive results for each case of disease detected, and are not an efficient way to diagnose liver disease. They should be used sparingly in primary care, concludes a study funded by the NIHR HTA Programme. [more…]

Study to compare haemorrhoid treatments

A study funded by the NIHR HTA Programme could change the standard procedure for treating the painful condition of haemorrhoids. [more…]

NIHR Themed Call: Early Announcement – UPDATE

We are pleased to announce that the NIHR Antimicrobial Resistance themed call has now launched. Application forms are available from participating programmes’ websites between July and December 2013, with the HTA and EME Programmes opening first. This call is for research into the evaluation of public health measures, health care interventions and health services to reduce the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance and consequent morbidity. [more…]

 

 

 

 

 

Funding opportunities

Commissioned research

 

The broader brief – a new way of commissioning

 

We are launching a new initiative to potentially commission a number of varied research proposals under the same research brief. This broader brief is in the field of MRI scanning in planning epilepsy surgery. Deadline for applications is 1pm on 29 August 2013. Full details, application forms and guidance notes are available on the HTA website. [more…]

 

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Evidence Synthesis: one stage (full proposal)

Proposals are invited on three topics. The deadline for applications is 1pm on 29 August 2013. Full details, application forms and guidance notes are available on the HTA website. [more…]

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Primary Research: two stage (outline to full proposal)

Proposals are invited on 20 topics. Deadline for applications is 1pm on 29 August 2013. Full details and guidance for applicants are available on the HTA website. [more…]

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Clinical Evaluation and Trials

Applications are considered three times a year. The next cut-off deadline for proposals is 1pm on 2 September 2013. Full details, application forms and guidance notes are available on the HTA website. [more…]

Clinical Evaluation and Trials upcoming cut-off dates

6 January 2014

12 May 2014

8 September 2014 

Good practice in social care …Health & Social Care in the Community

Abstract

This article reports findings from a scoping review of the literature on good practice in social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs. Scoping reviews differ from systematic reviews, in that they aim to rapidly map relevant literature across an area of interest. This review formed part of a larger study to identify social care service models with characteristics desired by people with severe and complex needs and scope the evidence of effectiveness.

Follow the title link to read the full article.

Leisure books appeal

Man Reading Book and Sitting on Bookshelf in LibraryThe Staff Library is hoping to reinstate its very popular leisure collection which was withdrawn, due to lack of space when it moved to New Alderley House last March.  Since settling in and re-organising our stock we now have room to reintroduce this section – so if you have a pile of paperback novels at home that are taking up valuable space and don’t know what to do with them – the answer is clear.  We would be happy to give them a new home, provided they are in good condition. Popular fiction, book club recommendations, biographies, short stories – all are welcome.

Contact us on 01625 66 1362 or ecn-stafflibrary@nhs.net

 

LCP Independent report

This report sets out recommendations regarding the Liverpool Care Pathway and end of life care following an independent review of the LCP chaired by Baroness Julia Neuberger.

The recommendations include:

  • unless there is a very good reason, a decision to withdraw or not to start a life-prolonging treatment should not be taken during any ‘out of hours’ period
  • an urgent call for the Nursing and Midwifery Council to issue guidance on end of life care
  • a new system-wide approach to improving the quality of care for the dying

A&E crisis plans must be better

Extract from the BBC

The plans put in place to relieve the pressure on A&E units in England are not good enough, MPs say.

The Health Select Committee said it had been given “confusing” and “contradictory” information about what was being done.

It prompted the cross-party group to question how prepared the NHS would be for next winter.

The report comes after the NHS missed its four-hour waiting-time target in the first three months of this year.

Latest news from Eyes on Evidence

 Issue 51 – July 2013
This month in Eyes on Evidence
General health checks in adults

A Cochrane review suggests that general health checks are not associated with reductions in mortality or morbidity.

Hand eczema in healthcare workers 

A randomised controlled trial indicates that accurate diagnosis of hand eczema and a preventive education intervention in healthcare workers may improve symptoms and quality of life.
A systematic review suggests a lack of clear evidence for a relationship between negative mood and the premenstrual phase in the general population.
Adherence to a warfarin dosing algorithm by clinicians treating people with atrial fibrillation may be associated with improved coagulation control and clinical outcomes.
A retrospective observational study indicates that although short-term trends indicate a decline, longer-term data for 1971 to 2011 show a small increase in new medicine launches.
We highlight 2 new examples from the QIPP collection demonstrating how NHS organisations have implemented new local practices that have both cut costs and improved quality.
NICE has recently published Evidence Updates on:
  • Depression in children and young people
  • Surgical site infection

Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive

Looks interesting

Oxford Critical Care Journal Club Group

Duration of resuscitation efforts and subsequent survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest

Zachary D. Goldberger, MD, MS, Paul S. Chan, MD, MSc, Robert A. Berg, MD, Steven L. Kronick, MD, MS, Colin R. Cooke, MD, MSc, Mingrui Lu, MPH, Mousumi Banerjee, PhD, Rodney A. Hayward, MD, Harlan M. Krumholz, MD SM, and Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, MD, MPH for the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines®-Resuscitation (formerly, the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) Investigators

Published in final edited form as:
Lancet. 2012 October 27; 380(9852): 1473–1481. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60862-9.

From Tobster:
Hi all,

Journal club this Friday deal with when to call time on resuscitation – does this tell us that we should be flogging the proverbial for better outcomes overall, or is it that, if we anticipate a better outcome, we’re more likely to resuscitate for longer? The paper is attached.

Cheers

View original post

July topics from AQuA

These workspaces were published in the last month:

Improving outcomes for Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is responsible for 85-95% of all diabetes in high-income countries and may account for an even higher percentage in low- and middle-income countries Up to 60% or more of type 2 diabetes is preventable by changing diet, increasing p…

Safety Seminars – Part of the AQuA Master Class Series

AQuA’s ongoing drive to support and promote patient safety in the North West.

Social Care

Benchmarking data for Social Care

Best Practice topics for July

Extract from BMJ Best Practice, looking this month, at Sickle Cell Anaemia

Sickle cell anaemia is a disease of red blood cells caused by an autosomal-recessive single gene defect in the beta chain of haemoglobin.  The characteristic crescent-shaped haemoglobin can disrupt blood flow and break. There is a predisposition for obstruction of small blood capillaries, causing painful crises, organ damage, and increased vulnerability to severe infections. Infants are screened, with findings confirmed by haemoglobin electrophoresis, FBC, reticulocyte count, and peripheral blood smear. Treatment goals include fluid replacement therapy, pain management, and symptom control.

and related conditions

Athens account required

Latest BMJ Learning modules

 

 

 

 What would you do?

You see a 36 year old man who had been slightly unwell for about a week, and then had a sudden episode of vertigo. The episode started for no apparent reason and went on for several days. What is the most likely diagnosis? And what should you do? If you are not sure, then this module will help. Click on the link to complete it today. 

Vertigo: an update on diagnosis and management

Also available are these modules on neurology. They give an important update on a range of common dilemmas.

Dystonia: a guide to assessment and management

Parkinson’s disease: non-motor symptoms

Bell’s palsy: diagnosis and treatment

Parkinson’s disease – initial assessment and referral

Cluster headache: a guide to diagnosis and management

Books on the move!

Amongst this huge pile of books, the counselling, learning disability and evidence based medicine sections are waiting to be relocated.

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It’s all part of the plan to consolidate the resources in the library, making it more convenient for readers to find what they need.  As soon as the bookshelves have been moved, normal service will be resumed!

End of Life Journal – Summer issue

endoflife_logoThe Summer 2013 issue of the free journal for nurses caring for dying people at home, in hospitals and care homes is now available online.  This issue is mobile-friendly making it easier to read on your mobile device or tablet.  Articles include:

CLINICAL PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

CLINICAL SKILLS

RESEARCH

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

CLINICAL SKILLS

CLINICAL RESEARCH/AUDIT

EC NHS Trust supports Lung Cancer Awareness Campaign

East Cheshire NHS Trust is supporting the Department of Health’s Lung Cancer Awareness Campaign ‘Been coughing for 3 weeks? Tell your doctor.’

Lung cancer claimed around 99 lives in Eastern Cheshire in 2012, and 148 people were diagnosed in the same time period. This makes it one of the area’s biggest causes of death.   

For further information about the national lung cancer awareness campaign visit the Department of Health website http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm

East Cheshire Health Unison website

A number of updates have been made to the East Cheshire Health Unison website, which covers staff at East Cheshire NHS Trust.

The first addition includes information about welfare services for members and their families suffering hardship, particularly relevant to staff with long term sickness or a sudden change in circumstances, such as a family bereavement.

The second item is a prize draw for new members and for those who update their details with the branch. The prize is a Nexus 7 tablet and the draw takes place on Tuesday, 8 October, 2013.

Full details about joining Unison can be found on the website:

http://www.unisonech.co.uk/