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| National Pilots
News |
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Information Technology - First Meeting
of "eHealth" Programme Board
The eHealth Programme Board is a new body
set up to develop patient information systems and the IT infrastructure in the
NHS in Scotland.This will include the building up of electronic links between
GPs and hospitals and improving the NHSScotland website. [click here to read more] |
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| England |
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Care Trusts - Review of Care Trust
Structure by Government Minister
The Guardian has reported that Dr
Stephen Ladyman is to examine why Care Trusts have not been as popular or
successful as anticipated. Five Care Trusts were established in 2002, and a
further three have gone live this year,the most recent in Bexley. [click here to read more] |
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Chief Executive's Bulletin - Diagnosis
and Treatment Centres / Treatment Centres
Diagnosis and Treatment
Centres (DTCs) will now be referred to as Treatment Centres. All new
independent sector centres will use the new name and the NHS schemes are also
encouraged to adopt the new name. |
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Commission for Health Improvement
(CHI)- NHS Workforce Survey
CHI has developed a new national NHS staff
opinion survey, which will take place at the end of October. The new survey
will replace the DoH survey, CHI Clinical Governance Staff Reviews and PCTs'
and Trusts' own annual staff surveys. [click here to read more] |
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2nd Annual Sales Force
Effectiveness Conference [website]
Eyeforpharma's 2nd Annual Sales Force
Effectiveness Conference will tackle the hottest issues challenging your
company both now and in the future! Already experiencing fantastic success from
this years event, eyeforpharma are extremely positive that by attending this
major calendar event, in just two fact filled days you can get to grips with
the key strategies that will increase your bottom line and make your sales
force dramatically more effective.
For further information:
email or telephone +44 (0) 20 73
75 75 75 . Website: www.eyeforpharma.com/sales2004/. |
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Department of Health - Heart Failure
Toolkit
The DoH has published a toolkit to assist the NHS in
implementing NICE guidelines and delivering the NSF and PPF targets for Heart
Failure. This is available on the DoH website. |
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DoH - Announcement of 18 New National
Patient Group Directions
The DoH has announced 18 new National Patient
Group Directions. These directions will help nurses, paramedics,
physiotherapists and pharmacists understand more clearly how they can use the
extended powers that were given to them in 2000. [click here to read more] |
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DoH - Consultations on Reimbursements
for Four Generic Medicines
Proposals have been announced to reduce the
reimbursement price for the following medicines from 1 Dec 2003: Doxazosin,
Lisinopril, Omeprazole, Simvastatin. Generic versions have only recently become
available and are not part of the current calculation |
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DoH announces £93m for new CHD
facilities
The Health Secretary, Mr John Reid, has announced an extra
£93m for new facilities to treat heart disease around England, as well as
eight new schemes to build or replace existing treatment labs. [click here to read more] |
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GPs are urged to retain pre-booked
appointments for patients
There have been reports that some GP practices
are no longer offering routine appointments to patients, in order to ensure
that every patient who requests an appointment can be seen within the 48-hour
NHS target. [click here to read more] |
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Intermediate Care - Director of Local
Government and Social Care to be appointed
A National Director of Local
Government and Social Care is to be appointed to spearhead efforts to tackle
"bed blocking". From January 2004, Local Authorities which do not act quickly
enough to provide home helps or places in care homes, can be fined. |
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Intermediate Care - Evercare Pilot
Schemes
Ten PCTs are running pilot projects based on the "Evercare"
Programme. These schemes will be led by the new Advanced Primary Nurses, and
aim to use proactive nursing to reduce the number of unnecessary admissions of
the elderly and frail to hospital. [click here to read more] |
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Intermediate Care - Kaiser Permanente
Pilots
Eight PCTs are running pilots with Kaiser Permanente, encouraging
patients to become more involved with their own care. Central themes are the
elderly, the management of chronic diseases and breaking down the barriers
between secondary and primary care. [click here to read more] |
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Manic Depression Fellowship -
Guidelines for Drug Treatment for Manic Depression Published
The
charity, Manic Depression Fellowship, believes many doctors fail to provide
patients with enough information or choice over which drugs they take, and has
published a document outlining the different treatments available. [click here to read more] |
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NHS Electronic Booking - Contract
Awarded to SchlumbergerSema
The first patients should be able to book
hospital appointments online by next summer, and it will be available across
England by the end of 2005. According to ministers, patients will be able to
choose their hospital and the date of their appointment. [click here to read more] |
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NHS Foundation Trusts - Second Wave
Applications
The DoH has published the names of the 32 NHS Trusts which
will form the second wave of applicants for NHS Foundation Trust status,
subject to the passing the Health and Social Care Bill. [click here to read more] |
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Graduate Opportunities
Nationwide [Website]
As one of the UK's leading agencies for
Graduate / Pharmaceutical sales recruitment, UKPharm enjoys exclusive contracts
with several of the most innovative blue-chip companies.
With training
courses commencing in January, opportunities exist for truly driven
commercially aware trainees who have fully researched the role. Territories are
available nation-wide and extra consideration will be given to candidates who
are geographically mobile.
Please send your CV to
jobs@ukpharm.com or contact our
consultants on 0870 2410536. Website:
www.ukpharm.com.
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| Wales |
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"Safe Haven" Funding Announced -
Violent Patients
From 1 April 2004, the responsibility for treating
violent patients passes from GPs to LHBs in Wales. The Welsh Assembly has
pledged funding of £500,000 so that all areas of Wales are covered. but
there have been delays in setting up the scheme in Gwent. [click here to read more] |
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Ask About Medicines Week
Ask
About Medicines Week (12-18 October) aims to increase people's understanding of
their medicines and create opportunities to discuss their views and concerns
about medicines with health professionals, including pharmacists, doctors and
nurses. [click here to read more] |
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Blenau Gwent LHB - Heart Defibrillators
to be available in all GP Practices
A successful bid by the LHB to the
British Heart Foundation means that defibrillators will soon be available in
all GP practices in the LHB area. Blenau Gwent has the highest death rate from
heart attacks in Wales. [click here to read more] |
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Bridgend LHB - Possibility of New
Primary Care Centre for Pencoed
New Surgery, Pencoed, has been staffed
by locum GPs since the four GPs resigned 10 months ago. Discussions are taking
place which could result in renovations, new purpose-built accommodation or a
small primary care centre for the Pencoed area. [click here to read more] |
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Enhanced Services - £7m to
Improve Primary Healthcare in Wales
A programme of measures called
"Enhanced Services" has marked the start of the new GP contract in Wales. There
are seven measures included in this package, and there are approximately 50
practices either going through the programme or ready to start. [click here to read more] |
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National Assembly - Figures Released on
GP Numbers
The percentage of GPs working part-time increased from 9% to
20% between 1992 and 2002, with over half of female GPs working part-time. 30%
of GPs are now female and women account for 47% of all new GPs. Practice nurses
account for 1 in 5 practice staff. |
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Powys LHB - Temporary Ward Closure at
Bro Ddyfi Hospital
The Twymyn Ward at Bro Ddyfi Hospital in Machynlleth
has been temporarily closed by Powys LHB because of staffing problems.
Rehabilitation patients have been moved to other wards or Aberystwyth's
Bronglais Hospital (Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust). |
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| Scotland |
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Argyll and Bute LHCC - Dalmally
Surgery
The resignation of the GP from the single-handed Dalmally
Surgery has led to Jim Mather MSP calling for improved working conditions for
health staff in rural areas. Some believe requests for extra GP support should
be assessed on workload, not list size. |
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CHD / Stroke - Announcement of
£4.7m Funding
The funding is the 2nd tranche of money from the
2002 £40m CHD/Stroke Strategy. It will be used for rapid access chest
pain clinics, more specialist nurses, improved rehab services for CHD and
stroke, and to ensure access to a dedicated stroke unit. [click here to read more] |
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Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust -
Violent Patients
The Trust is to create a new service for violent
patients, based at a city surgery rather than in a police station, in order to
avoid stigmatising patients. Ten schemes aimed at reducing attacks on NHS staff
in Scotland were announced in June. [click here to read more] |
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Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust - New
Care Centre for Dementia Sufferers and Frail Older People
Findlay House
is in the grounds of the Eastern General Hospital, Leith, and provides 60
single en-suite rooms for people in need of constant care. It is funded with
public/private finance, but cooking, cleaning and portering will be provided by
NHS staff. |
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Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Cancer Centre for Men
The Male Cancer Centre at the Western General
Hospital is the first of its kind in the UK. It was officially opened this
month, and brings specialists, support and information into a single facility
for men with testicular, prostate and penile cancer. [click here to read more] |
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Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Proposals for Early Dissolution on 1 January 2004
Reports in The
Scotsman indicate that Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust will dissolve
three months early following the recent resignation of the Chief Executive. It
is not thought that any other health boards have plans to abolish trusts
early. |
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Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Resignation of Chief Executive
Mr Stuart Gray has announced his
resignation as Chief Executive of the Trust one year after his appointment. The
three Lothian Trusts are to be dissolved later this year, and brought under the
control of the Lothian NHS Board. [click here to read more] |
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NHS Highland - Introduction of
Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) delayed until June 2004
Following a
consultation exercise, NHS Highland has proposed that the Primary Care and
Acute Hospitals NHS Trusts will be dissolved on schedule in April 2004, but
that the configuration of the replacement CHPs will be not be decided until
June 2004. [click here to read more] |
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Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen -
New Course in Supplementary Prescribing
The university is the first in
the UK to offer this new course in Supplementary Prescribing. It is designed to
support new legislation which allows pharmacists to prescribe certain medicines
previously only prescribed by doctors and dentists. |
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Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust -
Clinical Skills for Practice Support Staff
A successful pilot in Tayside
has meant GP receptionists being trained to take blood samples, record heart
activity with an ECG, and monitor blood pressure and pulse. The Scottish
Primary Care Collaborative now hopes to share the good practice nationwide. [click here to read more] |
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West of Scotland Cancer Awareness
Project - Mouth Cancer Awareness Campaign
Approximately 530 new cases of
mouth cancer are diagnosed each year in Scotland. 41% of the cases in the West
of Scotland are in Glasgow. A combination of smoking and heavy drinking can
result in people being 44 times more likely to get mouth cancer. [click here to read more] |
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| Northern Ireland |
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The Chief Nursing Officer,
Judith Hill, has launched "Valuing Diversity - A Way Forward" summarising the
achievements and major healthcare improvements of Northern Ireland's nurses and
midwives between 1998 and 2002. [click here to read more] |
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Belfast City Hospital - Campaign
Launched for Men's Cancer Centre
The charity Men Against Cancer is
organising a project to build a Men's Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital,
where the charity Action Cancer will fund a Specialist Nursing post. Prostate
and testicular cancer kill about 300 men in N Ireland each year. [click here to read more] |
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Regional Drug and Alcohol Strategy
Co-ordinator Appointed
Mr Rob Phipps has been appointed Regional Drug
and Alcohol Strategy Co-ordinator. The Drug and Alcohol Strategies are being
implemented through the Joint Implementation Model, which was endorsed by the
Executive in May 2001. |
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Southern Health and Social Services
Board - Violent Patients
A out-of-hours GP has resigned following a
midnight baseball attack on her car as she drove out of the Moylinn Medical
Centre. The Association of Southern Area Doctors on Call is working with
Southern HSSB to relocate the centre to Craigavon Hospital. |
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Sperrin Lakeland Health and Social Care
NHS Trust (Erne Hospital) - Mobile Coronary Care Unit
A mobile coronary
care unit in Enniskillen was cited as an excellent example of integrated
service by Martin Bradley (RCN NI Board Secretary). It was faced with closure,
but is now run by Specialist Nurses, resulting in a better delivery of
services. [click here to read more] |
